A day in the life
Development test driver, Bugatti
Some people prove that life just isn’t fair. So if you’re the jealous type, we advise that you approach this article with maximum caution...
6:45am
Wake up, take a shower, have breakfast and drive to my ofce where I arrive an hour and a half later. I never have fully defned schedules for the day – everything always depends upon the kind of tests that need to be done.
8:30am
In a meeting with my colleagues we analyse the results of the previous day and develop ideas with the engineers to ft in the improvements of the previous day into today’s new test schedule.
9:30am
After the meeting, I drive up to the Ehra proving ground where I double check that the Chiron test car is ready for testing. Today we will do Launch Control starts 0–200kph (124mph). Before we can start, we need to confrm the Launch Control driving procedure on how to hit the starting point in the best way. I do some practice runs to get familiar with the car.
1:00pm
After lunch a Launch Control durability test is waiting for me, which means we are doing 200 Launch Control starts in a row today. To perform this, we need the large dynamic platform at the Ehra Proving Ground for exclusive use. The test needs to be fnished today. It is a very stressful test for supersports cars, but the Chiron is managing perfectly. We do the 200 Launch Control starts one after the other without any problems. I’m convinced no other supersports car would be able to do this.
6:30pm
Finish my test, satisfed with the results. We drive the car back to the garage to take a quick look at the data. I also give some feedback to the engineers and the workshop guys about the feeling and the reactions of the car to give them a chance to prepare it for the next day.
7:15pm
On my way home I start thinking about the next test day while listening to the news on the radio. Tomorrow’s schedule says “high-speed testing above 380kph (236mph)” on the Ehra high-speed track with its 10km long straight. I’m already looking forward to it. Pretty sure I have the best job in the world.