Great driving from both of you, so nice to see some proper skills being deployed. Love the pedal camera, not many track day videos that I can watch to the end but that one was one of them...... Bravo
Loved the footage, especially the tail wag of the Porsche @ exit of the last corner before the long straight. The cherry on top was that another Atom passed the Porsche at the beginning of the same long straight. Nice driving.
Good video, only started doing track days in my Atom but hope to be that good sometime! Think that Porsche should have moved over on more then a few occasions though!
Hi Tommy, cheers for the comment. The Porsche driver is a track day buddy of mine and a very good driver, but like a typical Gayman owner he didn't want to move over ;-) How are you finding your Atom on track? They take a while to understand but the more seat time you get the better! Enjoy!
Terror Stain honestly I find it a bit unpredictable at times, got the same as you, atom 3 SC and I've spun it a couple of times which has probably knocked my confidence with it a bit, at Brands Hatch both times and when it was completely unexpected on both occasions. However I love the sheer acceleration of it in a straight line but need to get more confidence in the breaks as I know I'm breaking to early. But that experience will come with more use on a track over time.
Have you had your Atom geometry set up PROPERLY i.e. full four wheel alignment and geometry check (ideally with a print out for future reference)? I can't stress enough how sensitive Atom's are, and if not set up correctly they can be very "twitchy". I wouldn't worry about spinning it, that's all part of the learning curve (I've had my fair share over the years!). The more track days you do the more comfortable and confident you will get, just enjoy yourself :-) Maybe see you on a track day sometime! Cheers
@@paulshuttleworth5697 Good choice! There are quicker cars out there, but for outright fun and adrenaline hits the atom is very hard to beat!! Enjoy! :-)
Great driving ...at the end saw another Atom coming up fast behing you guys ! Crashed my Atom 3.5 at Snett a few weeks ago ..excuse for getting a 4 lol
@Ray Arthur Yes, the other atom at the end of the clip is a friend of mine, we were all out together. I read about your crash in the thread you posted over on the owners forum. Really awful to read, you have my sympathy! Glad you wasn't hurt and good to know it hasn't put you off! Cheers for the comment :-)
Bizarre comment. Of course if the GT4 weighed the same as an atom it would be quicker, it has close to 400bhp from a 3.8litre flat 6 and a top speed of around 180mph. But unless Porsche find a way to trim over 700kg of weight from a GT4 then I'm afraid it's academic.
Thanks for the comment! For the money an Atom is hard to beat for outright fun, it always puts a smile on my face :-) I have to be honest though, they aren't as reliable as i was expecting, thankfully I'm good with the spannering!
@@hotchihuahua1546 I agree 100%, being so light the atom is under a lot less stress than a "normal" weight car. I wouldn't want to be paying the price for Porsche brakes/tyres etc either ;-)
Wanted to talk to you about the Merc Racing TVS kit as well as your recording/data setup here. I have a TVS blower on my Elise and love it, would like to get an intercooled TVS blower on my Atom next.
Thanks for the comment, glad you enjoy them! I've not been to Anglesey yet but it's on my "to do list", looks like a brilliant track with an even better view! Hope your day goes well and you have a lot of fun in your Atom :-)
@@philipwhite9491 yes, it's the same car in all vids, I just change the panel colours now and again. I've had the atom a long time now and made lots of changes, it's a completely different spec to when I bought it with lots of custom/one off parts and modifications I've learnt and developed over time. Looking forward to getting out on track this year!
@@terrorstain Thats awesome! I just don't have the finances to make too many modifications, although I have 3 sets of panels! what do you recommend my suspension set up for first time out on track?
@@philipwhite9491 assuming you have the Bilsteins with 10 adjustments, I would probably start around 8/6 front/rear. I always run the rear softer than the front. Have a play and see what works for you, you may finder increasing hardness works better for you (maybe 10/8 front rear) but it depends on your driving style and how you like the car to "feel". Don't be afraid to make changes and see what works for you. What one person likes doesn't mean everyone wants the same. Don't forget to keep an eye on your (hot) tyre pressures, that's probably more important than your suspension settings. Also, how you set the geometry of the car has a massive impact, the Atom is very sensitive to set up. Get some video and post it on RU-vid, but most importantly have fun! :-)
Thank you very much for the comment! The chap in the Gayman GT4 is a track day buddy of mine, maybe he should have been shown the blue flag but I was having too much fun to care ;-)
Thanks for the comment! The GT4 had some Manthey Racing suspension parts that allowed greater adjustment of the geometry and a much better track setup. If I remember correctly, I seem to recall that the throttle body had been changed, I want to say to a GT3RS part but this was a few years ago so I can't be 100% sure. Cheers!
Do you have to dab the accelerator pedal when shifting down like that on the Atom or is that just personal preference to give faster shifts between gears?
You don't "have to", it just helps smooth the drivetrain whilst down changing under hard braking. It's called "heel and toe" , basically it's rev matching. The atom has all the weight at the back so under hard braking/turn in it acts like a pendulum, heel and toeing just keeps things smoother. Thanks for the comment!
Hi there. It's either when the ABS kicks in, or just when the brakes are applied very hard, but I'm not 100% sure which. I've noticed a lot of newer cars on track doing this under similar conditions. Thanks for the comment :-)
That looked like fun 😊 Ive been at Snetterton today and can fully appreciate what great driving display that was from you both, best man won in the end lol. That GT4 seems absolutely rapid though is it standard?
Hi there, thanks for the comment. Snetterton is a great track, probably my favourite, hope you had good weather? My friends GT4 in the video was lightly modified. He had some Manthey Racing chassis component changes to give more adjustment to the geometry for a more aggressive setup. If I remember correctly, I think he had a larger throttle body from a GT3 fitted as well. Other than that, his car was standard, but he knows how to pedal a car :-)
@terrorstain without a doubt great driving the pair of you. We had great weather for once, fairly new to track days but we have been having instruction and hopefully improving, I posted a lap on my page. I've got some way to go to match the lap times you guys are banging out.
You are clearly enjoying fast laps rather than racing. No doubt you could have overtaken the Porsche at various points. But I'm surprised by how capable the GT4 is in comparison. What spec is your Atom? Great video.
@dtb4443 Thanks for thr comment. The driver of the GT4 is a track day buddy of mine with a lot of experience, he definitely knows how to pedal a car so that obviously makes a difference. If I remember correctly (this was six years ago now!!!) I think his GT4 had some minor Manthey Racing upgrades to the suspension and I seem to recall it also had a larger throttle body from a GT3. Performance wise back then, my atom was in factory supercharged spec (claimed 310 bhp) with 10 way Bilsteins and larger Alcon brakes front/rear. It also had carbon wings front and rear but the jury is out on whether they make any improvement to performance, personally I very much doubt it but they look cool! I've changed a lot since then. GT4 is a great car and indeed extremely capable. That day still stands out as one of my favourite track outings, it was a lot of fun playing with the Porsche! Cheers.
It was a track day and not a "real" race. I don't like to try and stuff people up the inside going into bends etc, plus the Porsche driver is a track day buddy of mine and I was having fun behind him :-)
@@domloz3130 Good choice, you won't be disappointed! Just make sure the geometry is set up "properly" otherwise they can be a death trap. Plenty of info etc on the owners forum (ariel.club/forum/index.php) and there is a facebook owners group as well. Be good to see another atom out on track :-)
Unfortunately the V8 atom is too noisy to be allowed on UK track days. Even if it was, and assuming you could find a used one for sale (I think Ariel only made around 20), you'd have to spend around £150K to get one!! If I wanted a proper track car for serious lap times I'd have been better off buying a Radical :-) Cheers!
