Driving Experience Days

[monkeyville]

Its my Dad's 50th and i'd love to get him one of these driving experience packages.

We loved going to Silverstone for the GP and i've seen you can get packages to drive round in Single Seaters, Ferraris or Astons. I was also thinking it might be good to get him one of the advanced driving days. Skid control and the like.

Has anyone got experience of these things and might be able to recommend a good one. He's located in the Nottingham so anywhere in the middle of England would be good.

[Barakka]

I've been on a couple...

My wife bought me the Italian Job Experience for my 30th birthday which was held in Leicestershire and we got to drive Mini Coopers, an E-Type Jag, and a 40 seater coach. It was great fun and really well organised, they're sold all over the place but it was run by a company called Everyman...
http://www.everymanracing.co.uk/index.htm and they do all the fast cars too, plus Formula 1, single seaters etc etc

There were people on Ferrari days, Porsche days, and Rally Experience days while we were going round the track. The only criticism I would have is that it was a bit too organised, there were about 10 of us in the group, and three groups rotating just on the Mini Experience so it felt a bit corporate, but I think that's the downside to them having access to so many very expensive cars. It's about the Experience of getting to drive vehicles you wouldn't normally be able to.

This year it was my wife's 30th so in return I bought her a Stunt Driving Course from Driverskills http://www.driverskills.com/ which are based at Elvington Airfield just outside York (where Richard Hammond crashed). Driverskills is less about fancy cars and all about the skills. They do skid pan courses, advanced driving courses, there was only four of us on the Stunt course and it was great fun learning to do hand-brake turns, and spinning the car all over the place.

There were three other groups out on that day, one doing the skid control course, one doing the High Perfomance Driving in their own performance cars, and one out on the road for the Advanced Driving course.

They are both very different experiences the first is about the thrill of driving something different but having fun tanking it round a track and great for the thrill factor. The second is more about you understanding what you're doing, working things out for yourself and feeling like you've learnt something. I'd happily do both again.

[Vimeous]

A few years back we went for a day at Castle Combe.
Comprised of a session being shown the ropes and driving a Focus, a session in a Formula Ford, a second session to improve skills in the Focus and a final session in the FF with each driver being rated for ability and progress during the day.
It was superb fun and both of us agreed we'd do it again and again and again!

We've also bought a similar day at Brands Hatch for my Dad (his 50th) where they used 3-series as the training car.
He thoroughly enjoyed himself, grinning from ear-to-ear all day.

For his 55th we settled on a day driving classic cars on the track (I forget where sadly but it's a touring car circuit).
They learnt in Jaguar MK2's before being unleashed in D-Types.
It was something he'd always dreamed of driving and by all accounts it easily lived up to the expectation. We had great fun taking pix all day and he was a very happy bunny.


There has been a karting trip too which I though was great but I would recommend something more substantial for the older gent, an opportunity for them to drive something they've never dreamed of such a their dream car or a full-on racer.


The one I've missed, and badly want to do is a skid pan course. TiG and I were planning to do one some years back. It'll happen soon enough - I want to test and improve my car control.

One thing regarding skid-pans and rally days (another I can't wait to do). The cars may often look old and battered (in some cases) but everyone I know who's commented on them has nothing but praise.

Best of luck finding something in your area - it should be relatively easy as you're surrounded by motorsports firms.
If time is short I suggest you all get karting as a family at the Daytona Raceway Milton Keynes. There's nothing like a little family rivalry to up-the-ante and enjoyment!

[tinners]

Thought about the Porsche Driving Experience just opened at Silverstone ?
http://www.porsche.com/uk/motorsport.../introduction/
It's not cheap but fantastic facilities and location

[finlay666]

I'm doing a stunt driving thing for mine (do the stuff like J turns, powerslides etc), or a skid pan like my mum did, might be worth a look aside from a traditional 'experience day' as you don't get to drive the car for that long, on those you don't get a great car but you get to do a lot of cool stuff

[gman101]

I had a great driving experience. I got it as a 30th birthday present from my firends.

I went out in a mini cooper S, then a Lotus Elise and then a Porsche Turbo. The turbo was brilliant.

The present was bought from the following web site presentsfor.org.uk

[b0redom]

This year it was my wife's 30th so in return I bought her a Stunt Driving Course from Driverskills http://www.driverskills.com/ which are based at Elvington Airfield just outside York (where Richard Hammond crashed). Driverskills is less about fancy cars and all about the skills. They do skid pan courses, advanced driving courses, there was only four of us on the Stunt course and it was great fun learning to do hand-brake turns, and spinning the car all over the place.

The Mrs got me that for my birthday too. Awesome stuff. Highly recommend it!

[Zak33]

Silverstone cater for many tastes, so it's a good place.
But the best is further south... GoodWood.
http://www.mithril.co.uk/

Mithril racing have some awesome old cars, can organise Single Seaters (i kid you not, that is THE most fun I've had for years...) and a skid pan too.

Cobra's, E types, Old 911 RS, newer 911 Turbo 4x4 (man tha'ts fast) etc... and it;s in the heart of Motor racing... Goodwood is stunning old and classic

I love it there