I've got some vouchers that I can use to go on a driving day. Quite fancy either a supercar / Ferrari day or maybe a single seater.
After going on a rally day a couple of years ago and being really dissapointed at the whole experience, I was wondering if anyone can recommend, a) a good venue and b) a good overall experience.
I'm in Maidenhead (J8/9 of the M4). So somewhere not too far away (100 miles radius) would be considered.
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...After going on a rally day a couple of years ago and being really dissapointed at the whole experience...
Why?
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Mixture of my expectations and what the 'day' actually delivered.
I had notions of driving some sort of Escort rally car or something, and got to drive a battered old 1980's Celica, that was unimpressive to look at or drive.
Secondly the track was literally just a load of gravel in a field, rather than the forest track I had envisaged. The track was dull, not very long and ... just crap.
Thirdly, I had no instruction from my 'instructor', who was a miserable old git, who's only advice was to, 'take it a bit easier'. Even when asking for basic instruction about the best way to get round a corner quickly he wasn't very helpful.
Finally, I had 7 laps in 3 hours as they had soooo many people there driving 5 cars.
The whole thing just felt very amateurish and to be honest a rip off. My other half paid for the day and could see my dissapointment - £150 to drive 7 laps round a field was not what me or her were expecting.
So thats why!
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The whole thing just felt very amateurish and to be honest a rip off. My other half paid for the day and could see my dissapointment - £150 to drive 7 laps round a field was not what me or her were expecting. So thats why!
That's what I thought you'd say (Or something like that)
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Try www.everymanracing.co.uk . I went on the 'Ferrari Experience' last year, and it was amazing. Got to drive a 360 and 328, they really let you push the car and teach you alot at the same time. Brilliant day out!!
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I am pretty glad to hear that. Am booked in on the 9th for a session. You could also look at www.thruxtonracing.co.uk . Good value - I enjoyed the day there with the Ferrari except track can be a little on the crowded side. You get to drive a lot of different cars.
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Go play with an HGV for a day :) I've always wanted to spend a day playing around in one of those, especially try my hand at reversing a tractor and trailor. I really do admire professional HGV Class 1 drivers for the way they drive. Hats off to 'em.
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Im not plain stupid, just a special kind of stoopid.
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I used to work as a labourer many moons ago in my student days and often had to drive a mondeo estate with a 20ft (ish) trailer on the back. I hated the damned thing so the idea of doing it with something even bigger and harder to maneouvre is not exactly making me tingle!
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Chris, had a good day at Castle Coombe (M4 junc 18) a few years ago, 1999. 5 laps 4 up in an xr2 to "learn" the circuit, 5 laps in same, driving, with individual instruction(2 up, self+instructor) then 5/6 laps(can't remember which) in a formula ford single seater.
Relaxed atmosphere, decent circuit, good tuition. I am sure they still do the same, and they have a skid pan. The skid pan is probably more usefull but it's not quite the same, is it?
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I had 2 half days at Donington a few years back (Jim Russell Driving school - I think there are several places they do it) First time it was single seater which I enjoyed, but being single seater they wouldn't let you loose on the track so we just went up and down the straight - no real cornering. Second time was in a Vauxhall BTCC car (detuned a fair bit I suspect). Really enjoyable time - bit of instruction, 5 laps demonstration by an instructor then let loose with the instuctor who really encouraged me to put my foot down and get round as fast as possible, thoroughly enjoyed cornering at what at first seemed to me to be ridiculous speeds but in the end we were going "on the limit"(?) The faster I went the more I enjoyed it and the more he seemed to and the more he pushed me to go quicker, leaving braking later and later, putting on the power earlier, adjusting line through corner etc. Did about 20 or so laps in the session. He was quite complimentary about my driving at the end since we had overtaken most of the others (in daft manouevers 'cos I think the instructors were competing against each other with their "pupils"(!!??)) though I expect he is complimentary to all his "pupils" - part of the job I guess.
Remembering it again has made me think I'll have another go!!
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My other half has bought me a drive in a Ferrari 355 at Silverstone, I'll be doing it in July.
Anyone had any experiences of this?
A mate of mine did the same thing, and he said the 'instructor' told him not to take it over 4,000 rpm, and that if he didn't comply with the instructions then he'd stop the whole thing.
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Same thing happened to me at Brands Hatch in the single seaters. Drove faster getting to the circuit than we did on it.
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Sounds like they'll be fitting limiters there before they have em on road cars.
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would recommend castle coombe i have also done it couple of laps in a focus with expert driving 3/4 laps assessment drive in focus and again 5/6 laps in formula ford then 3/4 laps in proton gti thing with a racing driver actually giving it some had it on 3 wheels a few times. the whole thing was relaxed i know i went round more than i was supposed to but nobody seemed to worry too much. they use a board to tell you to come in next lap and flag you so you know .all in all a good day...cheers...keo.
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I will let you into a little professional secret, The bigger they are the easier they are to reverse, and the more axles on the rear of the trailer the easier it gets as well ;o)
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Try off roading in a 4 x 4. Good fun especially if it's wet. Quite amazing the hills/descents/angles a 4 x 4 can cope with.
Mike.
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Yeah, proper off-roading can be fun. Me and my dad tried this at The Langdale Quest, just outside Scarborough. You could either hire a jeep or bring your own (which is considerably cheaper). For £90 (ish), it was one of the best 3.5 hour stints behind the wheel I ever had. We hired one of their Suzuki SJ410s, its amazing what these little things can do.
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Went to the everyman ferrari / rally experience
The Ferrari part was fun but too short - would rather have given up the discovery driving and Golf autotest for another lap in the Ferrari
The rally part was good and varied. In both cases, theyb really let you push the cars.
www.thruxtonracing.co.uk - It is a little more expensive but you get more time on the track.
Never tried Rockingham but they guarantee you 30 min on the track which is a lot more that you get with everyman in the Ferrari.
The one I enjoyed was www.driverskills.com. good 1 on 1 tution and it is amazing what an ordinary Focus/ Fiesta can do, if not your own car.
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Brother has just done the Palmersport Motoring Sensation day at Bedford Autodrome. He drove the following cars -
Formula Palmer Audi, Nissan 350Z, Renault Clio Cup Racer,
Nissan Pathfinder, Palmer Jaguar JP1, Mitsubishi Evo VI, Caterham 7 Superlight
He had almost more driving than he could cope with. The Formula Palmer car is 400bhp and does 0-60 in well under 4 seconds. There are no barriers and they positively encourage you to find your limits with predictable results which didn't seem to worry them at all. I suspect it's expensive though.
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I too am in the market for a good day of on-road, track, skid and offroad for the wife's 30th Birthday Present (and my 33rd on the same day) - The Palmer sounded good but, alas, it's for corporate hire.. I can't quite stretch to the whole track hire!
Castle Coombe gets good feedback here.. Anyone been to Thruxton/ C Coombe/ Goodwood / anywhere south of Nottingham for a good day out?
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I've done about eight of these events, mainly as corporate hostipality. The best by a very clear margin, if you want to be pushed to the limit, is the palmersport day, just north of bedford.
No rev limits. Outstanding cars. And instructors who push you very hard.
Tends to be VERY competitive, so not for people who just want a nice day out.
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Palmer sounded good but, alas, it's for corporate hire.. I can't quite stretch to the whole track hire!
There was a group made up of individuals when I was there, and I know a friend booked her other half in for a day.
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I had a cracking day out about 12 years ago at Milbrook proving ground. It was a prize that a mate had won.
The centre was run by Derek Bell I think. There were quite a few of us there and we broke up into teams, taking turns to do various different things. These included:
1. Kart time trials
2. Slalom course in a cateram (my steering wheel came off..)
3. Driven round the rally course by the late great Roger Clarke
4. Round the bowl at 160 mph in a porsche 968 (not driving myself alas)
5. Off road training in a frontera
6. several laps round the alpine course in various Porches
7. ABS training in the just released Audi A4.
8. 5 minutes in a Robinson r22 dual control helicopter (I got to "drive" for a bit, fantastic!)
I think it would have been hideously expensive if we had to pay for it. Also, I think it was also offered as a prize on Blind Date once!
The helicopter was the best bit. They also had some historic racing cars to look at.
I have also had a go round Lotus's test track at Hethel in Norfolk, a few laps with me driving (an Elise 160 sport) and a few sitting next to their test driver. Brown trouser time I can tell you.
It was all quite salutary. Until that point, I though I was a pretty mean driver (and that the 3 written off cars in my past were just bad luck..) A couple of laps with Roger Clarke soon showed me what real driving is all about.
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i had a day in escort rally cars
was a pretty bad experience
mistake number one was my fault, most of my driving experience is in front or all wheel drive cars, i had completely forgotten how to drive a rear wheel drive car in extreme - the day would have been much better if i had found somewhere with front or 4 wheel drive cars, i rememeber thinking i could do this faster in my own road car simply since i knew how to throw it around better
mistake number two was their fault, they kept swapping us from one escort to another, and the cars had radically different setup, so just as you were getting used to one clutch/steering etc they would move you into another car, i would have much preferred to stay in the same car all the time, this also meant you were swapping instructors, would have been better to build up a relationship with one instructor
some of the instructors were plain bad, either at driving or they were just putting their students down, neither funny or helpful
would learn more just hiring the car for the day and going round on my own
never went back
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Did the 4WD thing at Knockhill circuit , was very impressed with it. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Very disconcerting to be told to stall the Defender on a hill, and then start it up , in gear, with your feet off all the pedals! Also, going down a very sharp incline, being told to take your feet off all the pedals and the car will just creep down itself!
Brilliant!
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I had a good day out a few years ago at Boreham Airfield in Essex- home of Cosworth on a Ford 'drive and survive' day.
Great fun with an Escort Cosworth and Probe on the track.
Even better fun with a Maverick in a quarry nearby - I was actually enjoying myself immensely at impossible angles and managed the course without stopping .
They had go carts as well.I got a bit over enthusiastic and spun off the course to be be beaten by SWMBO - the shame of it - and shes never let me forget it ....
I don't know whether they still do these courses as a friend did all the organisation.
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Thruxton is expensve but good value in terms on driving time. You could look at www.everyman.co.uk which is around nottingham
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Many years ago, I had an excellent half day rally experience at Brands Hatch. Good condition Sierra Cosworths and a muddy, forest circuit made it a real hoot and I don't think I once hit 50 mph. Good instructors, interesting classroom session and 3 separate sessions with the last one timed. 2nd out of 8 which was 6 places higher than I expected!
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Just noticed in todays Telegraph that sadly a Ferrari driver was killed and his passenger seriously injured at Goodwood yesterday, presumably on a track or driving experience day.
I have also seen a Cosworth owner get carried away and wreck his pride and joy at Donington on a track day.
It makes the restrictions that some tracks impose more understandable.
IMO anyone going on such a day should be looking very seriously at both their own and the organisers insurance cover and restrictions ..
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