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They are certainly a different class. Back in 2011, I think, the year the new layout was used at Snetterton on the 300 circuit Craig Dolby drove my Lotus Cortina in a clubbie HSCC Historic Touring Car race. He is a friend of my stepson and has been Belgian Formula Renault champion and also won in the Superleague Formula single seaters (remember them?) being second in that championship. He sat in the car for the first time on the morning of practice and put the car on pole by almost a second in drizzly weather never having raced a car anything resembling the Cortina (nor any type of saloon or GT, to my knowledge) or anything on the Dunlop 'M' nogrips that we used. He won the race in better (but not perfect) conditions. Not only did he adapt to something alien but he truly enjoyed himself. I have a picture on the wall in front of me now of him leading two other Cortinas and inscribed 'Thank you for a great experience and a day I will never forget.' I treasure that photo and I doubt that I would have got within 5 seconds of his lap time despite having driven the car for 20 years. They just have a feel for what a car is doing that escapes amateurs such as me.
I also sat alongside him in a Lotus Exige at a Spa track day and realised just how much more speed a pro carries through corners. That was a real eye opener.
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