Welcome to our PCOTY track notes. These are the stream-of-consciousness scrawlings from our resident hot shoe, editor-at-large Jethro Bovingdon, following his hot-lap sessions in each contender:

Setting a lap time in the BAC Mono was always going to be the trickiest task of the day. The learning curve is steep, the environment alien, and the way this car finds time is very different from the rest. There?s no doubt in my mind it should be faster than the Ferrari, but where the 296 GTB makes up so much time in raw acceleration and peak speed, the Mono requires immense commitment in braking zones and through each corner to fully deliver on the promise of its no-compromise engineering. That means it?s a hell of a challenge and endlessly fascinating to try to master? but when you basically have a quick warm-up and then straight into flying laps, it?s also intimidating and not conducive to extracting everything the Mono can give.
So, excuses out of the way? what?s it like" The driving position is fabulous; feet up, hips low, and torso reclined way back. For the first few minutes, you want to loosen the harnesses and lift yourself forward for a better view. Soon though, it becomes totally natural and in reality the vision afforded is superb and the drama of being right in the middle of the car is exciting all on its own. The Mono is alive with vibrations from the engine and gearbox. It's physical and, at times, uncomfortable. The resonances make me cough and several other t...