Rear STEER
ONE OF THE MORE unusual interests a motoring journalist must possess is a deep love of Google maps. Spending hours searching for undiscovered squiggly lines is a joy not a chore, but it’s only the start of the process. Once a promising section of road has been identified, a switch to satellite is required to ensure it’s tarmac, as often the little Google car hasn’t transversed some of the more rural roads – as an aside, how do you get that job? And can I use a Ford Focus RS or Porsche 911 GT3? Then it’s down to street view, if available, to check the scenery – the best road in the world is no good if it looks like a supermarket carpark. The point is, finding good roads doesn’t just happen. Except, occasionally, it does, and as fun as Google is, it can’t compare to the excitement of organic discovery.
You can’t plan these moments, they have to come out of nowhere and as such are quite rare. Nevertheless, while testing a road recently that was intended purely for transport suddenly showed promise, hiding in plain sight within a stone’s throw of more regular routes. With each kilometre it shed layers like a winding black onion until it became clear that we had to feature this road, presumably behind the wheel of something epic.
An engine in the middle is a good start, particularly when it features 10
