Hondaaargh!

As ever, I enjoyed Jethro’s latest column (evo 285), particularly the acknowledgement that the early Honda NSX was a tricky, spiky machine on the limit. His inner database wasn’t wrong.

In the early ’90s I attended a Bridgestone Tyres press driving day at Castle Combe, the idea being to pitch Bridgestone’s then new performance tyre against its rivals on similar machinery. There were a lot of Honda Preludes involved, plus some other more interesting stuff, and fast laps with John Nielsen in a Jaguar XJ220.

Also present for collective driving was a Honda NSX. It was easily the most exotic thing that I’d encountered up to that point and I made sure I got my bum in the seat. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot as it transpired.

Bear in mind that in the early ’90s Combe had yet to be slowed down with chicanes, making it the second fastest circuit in the UK, after Thruxton. Make no mistake, it was a fearsomely fast place. I don’t recall at the time whether the NSX was known as a tricky handler, but looking back it seems madness to leave one hanging around for a bunch of hacks to skid around in.

Amazingly, it wasn’t at Quarry that it all went wrong, but further round the lap at the fast, doubleapex Tower Corner. Quite simply, I went in way too fast and was dealt a firm but fair lesson in vehicle dynamics and physics as the NSX swapped ends and continued at pace, backwards, onto the grass, inches from the barrier. It was a miracle that I didn’t hit anything.

I headed straight back to the paddock, parked the NSX up and

went for a very strong and sweet cup of tea in the cafe. Amazingly, no one seemed to have witnessed the event, so this is something of a confession, I guess. Forgive me father, for I have spun…

Steve Bennett, Hoxne, Suffolk