Re:Fuel Road Trip

Question, would you have driven your pride and joy in Storm Brendon recently? Most would say no but turns out 30 people were up for it!

On Tuesday 14th January, Re:Fuel organised a road trip to Aston Martin Racing / Prodrive HQ in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Prodrive is without a doubt the most successful multi-discipline race team of all time. Since launching in 1984, they have developed everything from Colin McRae’s Subaru’s to Jenson Button’s BAR Honda F1 car, and won titles in series including Le Mans, the World Rally Championship, and the British Touring Car Championship. Inside their doors are over 35 years of pure racing heritage and secrets – and we had an all access pass to the entire facility!

The day started off at a very cold Moto Services just outside Exeter, which quickly became a very cold and damp Moto Services just outside Exeter. Our convoy included Lamborghinis, McLarens, Aston Martins, and various other toys like an E63S AMG and a Capristo’d Audi R8 V10 Plus. We set off up the M5, turning heads all the way, before an enjoyable cruise through the Cotswolds. Despite the less than ideal weather, it was the perfect way to start 2020!

We were greeted by the Prodrive team and three stunning machines of rallying royalty. A Group B rally spec Porsche 911 SC/RS, Francois Chatriot’s rally-winning E30 M3 and Colin McRae’s 1996 Group A Subaru Impreza (and that’s before we even got through the foyer!)

After being split into two groups, we started our hour and a half tour of the facility, which walked us through the entire manufacturing process of the GT4 and GTE racers. Never before have we seen a vehicle where the steering wheel weighs more than the entire front bumper! Pretty much everything is hand-made but built to a meticulous level of detail the human brain can hardly comprehend.

Following the trip to Prodrive, having some time to spare, we surprised our convoy with an impromptu visit to our friends at HAAS F1 just around the corner to check out one of the 2019 F1 Cars they had on display, and to meet the Team and Operations Managers. It’s extremely rare to get up close and personal with a modern F1 car, so to have the opportunity to do so was a real privilege, and we’d like to thank HAAS once again for their hospitality. 

Following our trip to HAAS, we went on to our lunch stop where, due to the size of our group, we’d managed to book out the entire place. The food was excellent, the company fantastic, and a wonderful day drew slowly to a close; it was time to start the 3 hour drive back home. What a way to spend a Tuesday!

Thank you to everyone who came along for our first outing, we hope you had as much fun as we did! If you like the sound of what we’ve been up to, simply click the link below to find out how you can join us for our next trip!

Click here to find out how you could join us on our next trip!