Having witnessed the GT-R withstand a full-blown assault from the bombastic Z06 at Santa Pod, then experienced it effortlessly humbling the Audi R8 on the challenging roads of Wales, I’m more than a little fearful of what the Bedford Autodrome (and the seemingly omnipotent GT-R) has in store for Porsche’s 997 GT3.

Poor weather would unquestionably have sealed the 911’s fate before the test could start, so it’s great to see the West Circuit is bathed in brilliant sunshine as we convene in the pit lane. I’ve driven the GT3 here from home and the journey has done an awful lot to restore my confidence in the abilities of Stuttgart’s finest, at least for the specific job of lapping a circuit.