A good week at work

As some of you may have seen on Facebook, I have had quite an awesome week.  I was at a customer event that my company put on; I was there to do presentations to the audience about the technology and benefits of our products.  We were at the Millbrook proving ground and the event including some driving activities.

These were:

- driving Ford Focus STs around the 'alpine circuit' (made famous as the scene of the Aston Martin crash in Casino Royale)
- passenger rides around the handling circuit and high speed 'bowl' in either a Shelby Mustang GT500 or a Ford GT40 (a replica of the original 60s one)
- slalom and drifting around cones in the new Ford Mustang V8

I managed to get a go in all of these, once the customers had been and gone.

Focus ST: surprisingly enjoyable - I did the same thing in a Lamborghini Huracan last year and actually enjoyed it more in the Focus; I could actually enjoy pushing on in it.  I might buy one!

Mustang V8: great fun, easier to drift than a BMW M3

GT40: very, very loud, very very fast, very VERY small!!

I also met and interviewed one of the drivers of a Ford GT at Le Mans this year, Harry Tincknell.  Really nice guy and good for a laugh.

Most of the people there were our best customers but some were there because they won a competition in Top Gear magazine, so it really could have been you!

I'll get some pictures up when I get to a PC (rather than the iPad).  I know I have a good job that allows me to do this but as anyone who works in events will know (I'm looking at you Dave Nutt!), behind the scenes and in the weeks and months beforehand there was a lot of hard work, long hours and stress.  It was a good week at work though.

Oh, and being at Millbrook meant that I saw all manner of secret, prototype vehicles being driven around.  Some were lightly disguised and easy to work out, others were heavily covered and impossible to see anything, but I did see something very special-looking that I think I know what it was.  We weren't allowed to take pictures around the facility and on arrival the camera lenses on our phones were covered over with security stickers, which were checked for integrity when we left.

Now that's what you call a Brucie Bonus.

Sounds great, I love working days like that.

Paul