I read an article about this; the car has 272 HP and the brakes had been overheated. No doubt he stood on 'em for all he was worth.
Now if he'd been in a 48 HP diesel VW the brakes should have won the battle.
Why did we need that HP race again?
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Oh yes, that's right: the enthusiast media i.e. Rodent Track, Motor Fleeting Trend, etc. all hammered away at it until the customer thought he needed it and demanded it.