Climb in and you’re surrounded by an FIA touring-car spec rollcage and the mouth-drying seriousness of a stripped-bare racecar cockpit – only the stop/start button and transmission controls are familiar.
On track, wind noise, loud squeaks from the brakes and a subtle whir from the electric motors fills a vacuum of noise. Perhaps the relative silence, the absence of gears to shift and an empty racetrack contribute, but the eTrophy does not feel particularly quick, certainly no faster than the road car – strange given it is 225kg lighter at a still hefty 1,965kg. Rather speed builds progressively, perhaps deceptively so, until you zoom in to a braking zone and suddenly that context provides speed, drama and a test of nerve.
Braking performance is very strong, especially given the two tonnes of metal the APs must slow. The stopping power is not the work of discs and pads alone, because the iPace could not complete the 25-minute races without regenerative braking. So it’s impressive that the transition between regenerative and normal braking is so seamless, the pedal pressure so natural to modulate. With road tyres, there is ABS intervention to manage, however, which can make placing the car on corner-entry less precise.
Through slower corners you notice more body roll than a normal racecar, and steering that’s quick and responsive but markedly light. You’re also very aware that the eTrophy wants to understeer – our car’s torque split is set at 48/52 front-to-rear, not the default 50/50 – and measuring out exactly how much throttle to add is a fine art. Too little gas and the corner-speed feels pedestrian; a fraction too much and you’re punished with wheelspin.