Winning the title in Superleague Formula Davide Rigon continues to rise in international motorsport, a fact acknowledged by the engineers at Menard Competition Technologies Limited (MCT), the company that designed, engineered and created the heart of the Superleague Formula car , a 4.2-liter V12 that delivers 750 hp beauty .

Engineers were particularly impressed in the last round of the season when championship leader Rigon was shunted  off the track, making the engine stall. At this point, it would be fair to say that most drivers would have detached the steering wheel, climbed out and gone in search of the nearest bar. But not Signor Rigon from Thiene

Rolling backwards, with a stalled V12 engine and a gearbox in auto shift mode, he had the presence of mind to select the manual gearbox mode, shift down through the gearbox to select reverse, and then bump start the engine. And with just enough momentum and backwards speed, the MCT engine fired into life. From this moment, he recovered to finish 11th and score vital championship points.

If one looks at the data, with the left hand numbers being seconds elapsed, the sequence of events is not only complex but extraordinary in terms of the sheer speed of thought needed. Indeed, in just over eight seconds, Rigon turns his day – and his championship assault – around.

So, for those number crunchers amongst you, here’s the sequence of events,

0.o sec – Collision with Beijing car – driver lifts off the throttle and starts to brake0.5 – Driver brakes heavily – engine stalls1.385 – Zero road speed displayed, wheels are locked1.925 – Brakes released – car is now rolling backwards2.050 – Wheel speed displays 39 kph backwards – the system cannot differentiate between forwards and reverse2.925 – Steering lock applied – wheel speed displays 24 kph (backwards)3.610 – Clutch depressed, engine speed = zero, wheel speed displays 20 kph(backwards)4.105 – Full steering lock applied5.305 – Steering lock reduced – wheel speed displays 16 kph (backwards)6.245 – Manual gearbox mode selected (auto mode will not shift whilst theengine is not running and will not select reverse in any event) – wheel speed displays 15 kph (backwards)6.415 – 2nd gear selected – wheel speed displays 14 kph (backwards)6.875 – 1st gear selected – wheel speed displays 14 kph (backwards)7.165 – Neutral selected – wheel speed displays 13 kph (backwards)7.535 – Reverse selected – wheel speed displays 12 kph (backwards)8.0Throttle applied – wheel speed displays 11 kph (backwards)8.07 Clutch released, engine rotates – wheel speed displays 11 kph(backwards)8.235 Engine fires, 683 rpm – wheel speed displays 9 kph (backwards)8.360 Engine starts to run, 1228 rpm – wheel speed displays 8 kph(backwards)8.710 Engine speed rises to 7872 rpm – the chase begins…

In short, a new demonstration of the talent of a young man of twenty-four.

We thank David Price and  Menard Competition Technologies for permission to use the data..

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