Multimatic Motorsports, the company whose name is familiar to all racecar enthusiasts, has chosen an unusual location for testing its latest racer. The Catesby Tunnel was opened in 1898, but abandoned in 1966. Apparently, it still makes a nice place to try out aerodynamic parts.
The tunnel has a straight stretch of 2.7 kilometers (1.7 miles) and is completely sheltered from bad weather. According to Larry Holt, the leader of the company, testing cars in it yields much more realistic results than any artificial wind tunnel does. In the wind pipe, fans generate airflow while the car remains stationary. Here, the car is actually moving at its own pace, protected from such unwanted factors as lateral wind loads and precipitation.
Piloted by Andy Priaulx, the Mazda Dpi pictured here managed to reach 190 km/h (118 mph) in the tunnel.