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"Car Experience" track days, Midlands

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 Blue Straggler 22 Sep 2014
Advice please, a colleague is leaving our company after 12 years and I seem to be the only one that cares about what to get him as a leaving gift.

I have been looking at trackdays for him as I think this is the ideal send-off (he had a boy-racer past! and won't want gadgets, gizmos or tat) and honed it down to these three. If anyone has any views on any of these, good or bad, please let me know. I am inclined toward the middle one. They all seem to add up to 10 miles but at least with three different cars it spreads the day out a bit more so is maybe more memorable? Or is it better to do more distance in fewer different cars?!
This at Stafford.
http://www.driveme.co.uk/supercar-and-rally-subaru-blast-4-laps-26-free-pho...
or this at Prestwold (three miles in each of three cars)
http://www.everymanracing.co.uk/tracks/prestwold-driving-centre/SUPER-3-CHO...
or this at Donington (6 miles in one car plus 4 mile familiarisation but I think this guy has inbuilt experience of zooming around at silly speeds already, in his reckless youth)
http://www.trackdays.co.uk/driving_experience/donington_park/supercar_choic...

All comments appreciated. Apart from hypocritical anti-car Dave Angel ones
 robert-hutton 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Blue Straggler:
If the guy has experience of "zooming around at silly speeds" don't think he would like being in a room full of dicks in full driving suits, soft sole shoes talking endlessly about lap times the last time they attended Iike I had to endure due to wife thinking it was a perfect surprise "dreadful day"

At Donnington Park.
Post edited at 21:15
In reply to robert-hutton:

Oh. If it helps, it is a PITA that he is leaving so I don't mind classing the whole thing as some sort of punishment. Win-win!

I only mentioned his speedy youth cos he used to be a bit - well - COMMON. Including some silly souped-up Clio which he managed to roll on the way home from work 10 years ago and I saw (from gouged grass) just how far it went after flipping....

He's all growed up now with a missus and housework and DIY etc. so we thought he'd like this. He's getting it anyway. Just a case of "which of these three".
 crustypunkuk 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Blue Straggler:

regardless of his boy racer past, these track day experiences are completely different from driving 'normal' cars. Do you reckon you could step into a ferarri and drive it straight from your mg without feeling the difference???
Speaking as a former boy racer, a habitual performance car driver and all round petrolhead, go for whatever gives the longest experience, because i guarantee he'll be left wanting more. I've been on a few of these trackday type courses, from rally to single seaters to supercars and without fail they have ALL been absolutely awesome.
In reply to crustypunkuk:

> regardless of his boy racer past, these track day experiences are completely different from driving 'normal' cars.

I know that REALLY! Was just looking at how some have a "familiarisation" bit on presumable dual control, and some don't. Thinking that the latter might have a speed restricter and the former won't.

> go for whatever gives the longest experience, because i guarantee he'll be left wanting more.

from my OP "They all seem to add up to 10 miles but at least with three different cars it spreads the day out a bit more so is maybe more memorable? "

Thanks though (that was not a dig just a highlight)
 crustypunkuk 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Blue Straggler:

no dual controls and no restriction- familiarisation laps are with the circuit expert sat next to you telling you where to go, where to slow, when to turn in etc, then you get 3 or 4 'hot' laps on your own where you think you are the fastest thing to have ever stepped into a car, right up until they give you the lap time and you are 4 seconds slower than the best!
I can guarantee that he'll enjoy it, regardless of which course you choose, although personally i'd plump for one of the Donny choices, as it is a proper pro racetrack with proper pro instructors. Dont know enough about the other place to comment on that though!
As an aside, wish i had workmates like you to give gifts like that- most i was ever given was a card and a bottle of vod!
 richparry 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Blue Straggler:

The phil price rally school in mid wales does a good day out, with loads of driving, mostly mk 2 escorts and a dual controlled impreza.



It's easy to get to from the midlands too.




 S11 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Blue Straggler:

I recently did a session at Everyman at Prestwold with my daughter, though a shorter version than the one you're looking at, and while not experts on such things we enjoyed it and found it very well-organised with a nice atmosphere with friendly instructors and admin staff
In reply to crustypunkuk:

> no dual controls and no restriction- familiarisation laps are with the circuit expert sat next to you telling you where to go, where to slow, when to turn in etc, then you get 3 or 4 'hot' laps on your own where you think you are the fastest thing to have ever stepped into a car, right up until they give you the lap time and you are 4 seconds slower than the best!

Thanks for the correction, I made a silly assumption there that's all.

> I can guarantee that he'll enjoy it, regardless of which course you choose, although personally i'd plump for one of the Donny choices, as it is a proper pro racetrack with proper pro instructors. Dont know enough about the other place to comment on that though!

> As an aside, wish i had workmates like you to give gifts like that- most i was ever given was a card and a bottle of vod!

He's been here a long time, most people stuck a tenner in the kitty. I hope!

Thanks all, some good food for thought there and all positive. I have asked the same question elsewhere. I'll see what the consensus is from others too. Sounds like I can't go far wrong.

I don't want to send him to Wales because then his present starts to cost him money and time but thanks for the tip.


I want to have a go at this now

 crustypunkuk 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Blue Straggler:

If you really want to get some advice, try posting on the Pistonheads forums.



Be aware that the number of arseholes is exponentially larger there though. Also, don't mention you drive an MG!
In reply to crustypunkuk:

> If you really want to get some advice, try posting on the Pistonheads forums

No thanks, thistle do nicely!
Kipper 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Of those I'd say the one at Donington (for the track) it's also got an MP4 but I think one of the others uses a 430 instead of a 360 Ferrari.

In my experience a rally day is more fun (and much harder) than being on a track.

 crustypunkuk 22 Sep 2014
In reply to Blue Straggler:

touche
In reply to Kipper:


> In my experience a rally day is more fun (and much harder) than being on a track.

Noted. Ta
 mike123 23 Sep 2014
In reply to Blue Straggler:
my brother in law, a complete petrol head,has done the donnington one three or four times and would happily go back at the drop of a hat.
 Siward 23 Sep 2014
In reply to Blue Straggler:

As it happens, I was looking into this sort of thing.

I thought rally = more fun and this lot semm to offer more time in the driving seat:

http://www.rallyrides.co.uk/page_2595661.html
 arch 23 Sep 2014
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Subaru for me, and don't forget the GoPro.
In reply to Siward:

Thanks but more time in the driving seat = more expensive. We don't have £165 in the kitty - we are barely at £90 (we are a small company!) and myself and a couple of colleagues will chip in on any shortfall TO A POINT. The ones I am looking at are around £110 - £120.
 jkarran 23 Sep 2014
In reply to Blue Straggler:

> Thanks but more time in the driving seat = more expensive. We don't have £165 in the kitty - we are barely at £90 (we are a small company!) and myself and a couple of colleagues will chip in on any shortfall TO A POINT. The ones I am looking at are around £110 - £120.

I've always thought these experience drives seem too short time wise to really get into the car and the track. Worth looking to see if any are offering simpler cars (Caterhams for example) but offering a more involved program for similar money. Also worth looking to see if there's any rally/rallycross available for similar money. Driving fast and very sideways on dirt is so far removed from even boy-racer driving it's worth the experience and can't fail to make any big kid grin from ear to ear. Just a couple of thoughts as someone who occasionally enjoys turning a can of fuel into noise and smoke but isn't a big 'supercar' fan.

Might also be worth checking out your local gliding clubs. Call them direct to cut out the middle man and you'll probably get a decent flight for that sort of money (plus 3 months membership at my club).

Whatever you book it sounds like he'll have a cracking day out.
jk
In reply to Blue Straggler:

My wife arranged for me to have 3 car blast for my Birthday. It was run by the same company that does the Stafford one, but I did mine at Sherburn in Elmet near Leeds.

I had the 3 supercar blast -- and went from the sublime to the ridiculous -- ASton Martin DB9, Ferrari 360 Modena, and the Ariel Atom.

The organisation was pretty chaotic, and despite turning up about an hour before I was due to 'sign' in, was told that despite booking in advance there would be significant delays between drives due to the sheer number of people - many of whom had just turned up 'on the day'.

The staff were extremely helpful ( if overworked ). With all of the noise and people milling around the various points it was easy not to hear when your name was called, and a number of people missed their allocated time slots.

Facilities were extremely basic -- I was lucky to have gone on a dry and warm day -- I'd not have enjoyed standing around in the open in wind and rain. There was no shelter for spectators.

The driving itself was good -- the instructors excellent - but the track itself was very short, and even with the 'pedal to the metal' it was difficult to get up to over 100mph before reaching the braking zone. I got 2 laps in each car -- each lap was about 1.5 miles - 12 miles total, but it felt a lot less. (Google earth measures the straight at about 800 metres.)

I paid for photographs and the in car videos - however the photos were not brilliant -- The close up one of me in the ferrari, as I was setting off, the photographer had managed to get the wing mirror right in front of my face. My wife had never used my SLR camera before and was able to get better photos from the spectator area! The in car video did not work -- they had problems previewing the files at the venue, but I was given the stick anyway. When I got it home I found it did not work and the files appeared to be missing. I'm still in dispute with them awaiting a refund.!

Overall, whilst I enjoyed the day, the experience was let down by fairly shambolic organisation, poor photography, and faulty video equipment. - Particularly galling as the photos and videos were 'extras' I'd paid for.

Driving the Atom was FUN!!!! -- though probably not quite as scary as descending Waddington Fell at almost 50mph on a bicycle!
In reply to Lord of Starkness:

Thanks, I will avoid that company then!
Thanks all. I have booked him the Donington one, £115 as a gift voucher.

Interestingly I read one review (glowing) from someone who'd bought the "Experience" for herself as some last-minute deal and got it for £49. I might look into that for myself. Probably off-season and weekday and short notice (cancellations maybe).
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Re the video -- Everyman Racing were able to recover my drive in the Ferrari, and I received the USB stick back this morning - Sadly they had no succes with videos from the Atom or DB9 - but I suppose 1 out of three is better than nowt.

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