Some tracks and disciplines just don’t tend to mix. Do you ever see a round of the BTCC held at Le Mans? No. Do you ever see NASCAR battles around Silverstone? Not really. Have we ever really seen F1 mix with the Daytona International Speedway? No again. But it would be awesome… Wait, it is awesome, because that’s what we’re seeing here, as Luis Perez Companc deploys the incredible Ferrari F2004 around the World Centre of Racing.
What remains one of the fastest F1 cars ever made – indeed, it’s still a lap record-holder around Monza – is also one of the best-sounding, with that 3.0-litre V10 engine utterly symphonic still some 20 years on. It’s incredible that in spite of all the revs it’s pulling, you can still discern the sound of individual cylinders moving up and down. It is so identifiable still as a V10, which I’m afraid to say is something the V8s that followed simply can’t claim with their comparative white noise.
Seeing this thing on the bankings at Daytona seems so wrong but feels so right. At night as well, the raw white light from the track’s spotlights makes dancing shadows around the open wheels as the F2004 storms around the circuit. Was this peak F1? Perhaps Ross Brawn should have looked more to his own past for inspiration when deciding how the sport was to look in the future when he drew up his new rules…
Welcome to Goodwood Elevenses, a helping of motoring-related amusement to help break up your day. Watch the last video: Savage Shadow Can‑Am car absolutely flying at Spa
Elevenses
Video
Ferrari
F2004
F1 2004
Daytona
Formula 1
Onboard