Birthday driving experience
Discussion
Hi
It's my husband's 40th birthday soon and I want to book him a driving experience. I'm thinking supercars, race track, plenty of driving time. We are based in East Anglia. I keep reading reviews where it turns out the cars have been limited or you're not allowed to drive them flat out - definately want to avoid that!! Around the £200 mark - any recommendations????
K
It's my husband's 40th birthday soon and I want to book him a driving experience. I'm thinking supercars, race track, plenty of driving time. We are based in East Anglia. I keep reading reviews where it turns out the cars have been limited or you're not allowed to drive them flat out - definately want to avoid that!! Around the £200 mark - any recommendations????
K
That's a lovely thought and well done you. May there be more ladies with similar thoughts.
The amount of track time you get and the value/performance of the car are inversely related, as you would expect.
The really good experiences are a lot of money.
The really cheap ones can leave you feeling short-changed, as the effort getting there and so on is the same.
Going to a windy, rubbish venue and then standing around for ages to get 10-15 minutes behind the wheel is a complete turnoff.
I have no idea what he drives as a daily, and what cars he has driven before.
So you have to decide if he merely would like to be able to say he has driven supercars, or if he would like some good track experience.
And I would urge you to book something at a proper race circuit if possible. Much better atmosphere. And he can say afterwards "I have driven Donington/Silverstone/Snetterton".
My wife offered me one of these £200 experiences a few years ago, at Silverstone.
She had the sense to ask me which I preferred - 3 supercars (Ferrari, Lamborghini, 911 Porsche) or Lotus Exige.
To her surprise, I went for the Lotus Exige, because for her £200 I reckoned, on reading the blurb, that i would get far more track time, and would only have to waste laps learning the car once. It was a fun morning, left me wanting more and whilst I was always accompanied by the instructor, there were no speed or rev limits.
I probably got an hour's driving, which I rated as quite good value. I still have never driven a supercar in the accepted sense of the word (Aston, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche) and really don't care. So either ask him which he would prefer, or if you want to keep it a surprise, think clearly about what matters to him.
To bring the cost into perspective, I now do track days regularly with a gang of friends - each track day costs between £120 and £250 entry fee, and the tyres, servicing, fuel, insurance and all the rest probably double or triple that. Whilst we could spend every minute of a 7 hour day on track, the reality is that we spend about 2-3 hours in total actually driving. So that puts the £200 experience cost into perspective - running cars at race track speeds on a race track is an expensive business. My little track car has just had to have a complete new engine.......
Near you, Snetterton, in Norfolk, is a great track, and a touring car and GT car race venue too. Really involving track, 130mph+ possible on both straights. I would see what is on offer there.
Finally, if you think he would really like a good, fast race-track session, with instruction, in a great little car, do consider this:
link to Caterham hire
They do an evening session of 3 hours at Donington, which is near the East Midlands Airport (M1 junction 23A). He gets the car to himself, or to himself and a friend/wife, so as much driving as he can handle. The "and a friend" idea is not totally mad - on a track day, because the driving is very full on, you tend to drive 15 minutes and rest 15 minutes, so if he takes a friend, him and a friend just take it in turns. And if you know of a good friend of his who would also like to share (and pay for) the car, then the £295 hire fee, which covers everything, becomes £395 (additional driver is £100), divided by 2 = £197.50 each.
The reason for the additional driver charge is mainly the fuel cost, which Book-a-track pay, because is not as little as you think. My fast car does about 24 mpg on the road. At track speeds that becomes around 8 mpg.
One small caveat - while there's not a lot to hit at Donington (not one car hit anything on my last track day there), and track day accidents are extremely rare, there is a £2500 insurance excess. Frankly, that's the same excess as I have on my track day insurance.
I love track driving, and that's the option I would go for without hesitation
The amount of track time you get and the value/performance of the car are inversely related, as you would expect.
The really good experiences are a lot of money.
The really cheap ones can leave you feeling short-changed, as the effort getting there and so on is the same.
Going to a windy, rubbish venue and then standing around for ages to get 10-15 minutes behind the wheel is a complete turnoff.
I have no idea what he drives as a daily, and what cars he has driven before.
So you have to decide if he merely would like to be able to say he has driven supercars, or if he would like some good track experience.
And I would urge you to book something at a proper race circuit if possible. Much better atmosphere. And he can say afterwards "I have driven Donington/Silverstone/Snetterton".
My wife offered me one of these £200 experiences a few years ago, at Silverstone.
She had the sense to ask me which I preferred - 3 supercars (Ferrari, Lamborghini, 911 Porsche) or Lotus Exige.
To her surprise, I went for the Lotus Exige, because for her £200 I reckoned, on reading the blurb, that i would get far more track time, and would only have to waste laps learning the car once. It was a fun morning, left me wanting more and whilst I was always accompanied by the instructor, there were no speed or rev limits.
I probably got an hour's driving, which I rated as quite good value. I still have never driven a supercar in the accepted sense of the word (Aston, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche) and really don't care. So either ask him which he would prefer, or if you want to keep it a surprise, think clearly about what matters to him.
To bring the cost into perspective, I now do track days regularly with a gang of friends - each track day costs between £120 and £250 entry fee, and the tyres, servicing, fuel, insurance and all the rest probably double or triple that. Whilst we could spend every minute of a 7 hour day on track, the reality is that we spend about 2-3 hours in total actually driving. So that puts the £200 experience cost into perspective - running cars at race track speeds on a race track is an expensive business. My little track car has just had to have a complete new engine.......
Near you, Snetterton, in Norfolk, is a great track, and a touring car and GT car race venue too. Really involving track, 130mph+ possible on both straights. I would see what is on offer there.
Finally, if you think he would really like a good, fast race-track session, with instruction, in a great little car, do consider this:
link to Caterham hire
They do an evening session of 3 hours at Donington, which is near the East Midlands Airport (M1 junction 23A). He gets the car to himself, or to himself and a friend/wife, so as much driving as he can handle. The "and a friend" idea is not totally mad - on a track day, because the driving is very full on, you tend to drive 15 minutes and rest 15 minutes, so if he takes a friend, him and a friend just take it in turns. And if you know of a good friend of his who would also like to share (and pay for) the car, then the £295 hire fee, which covers everything, becomes £395 (additional driver is £100), divided by 2 = £197.50 each.
The reason for the additional driver charge is mainly the fuel cost, which Book-a-track pay, because is not as little as you think. My fast car does about 24 mpg on the road. At track speeds that becomes around 8 mpg.
One small caveat - while there's not a lot to hit at Donington (not one car hit anything on my last track day there), and track day accidents are extremely rare, there is a £2500 insurance excess. Frankly, that's the same excess as I have on my track day insurance.
I love track driving, and that's the option I would go for without hesitation
Edited by QBee on Sunday 12th February 04:57
If you google 'MSV atom how fast' you'll hopefully find something that may be of use.
Your hubby would get 2x20 min practice sessions with an instructor pushing him properly then I think 2 or 3 timed laps in an aerial atom for £250.
His time is recorded and put on a leader board.
You'll see the details on the website.
Your hubby would get 2x20 min practice sessions with an instructor pushing him properly then I think 2 or 3 timed laps in an aerial atom for £250.
His time is recorded and put on a leader board.
You'll see the details on the website.
MrsH11 said:
Thanks for the ideas and hints - much appreciated!! Want to make it memorable and I suspect it's going to open the flood gates for him wanting to do more 
probably want to have a go myself!
Then find that extra £195 if you can, and do the Caterham evening at Donington together. Once you have both had instruction, you can actually passenger with each other if you want - though if either of you are anything like quick, the passenger will need not to have eaten recently probably want to have a go myself!
MrsH11, can I give you my wife's contact details please...
It's difficult to explain how much better track driving is to fast road driving. My first proper go on track was the Single Seater experience at Silverstone...
http://www.silverstone.co.uk/experiences/driving-e...
10 minutes behind a pace car and 20 minutes free driving on Stowe circuit, @£179 it's within your budget, bit of a trek from Norfolk but you could make a weekend of it. Something with a passenger seat to allow an instructor (caterham etc.) might be better to get more from the car and experience first time out though. Racing cars are far more brutal an experience than supercars, and frankly much better smile per mile...
It's difficult to explain how much better track driving is to fast road driving. My first proper go on track was the Single Seater experience at Silverstone...
http://www.silverstone.co.uk/experiences/driving-e...
10 minutes behind a pace car and 20 minutes free driving on Stowe circuit, @£179 it's within your budget, bit of a trek from Norfolk but you could make a weekend of it. Something with a passenger seat to allow an instructor (caterham etc.) might be better to get more from the car and experience first time out though. Racing cars are far more brutal an experience than supercars, and frankly much better smile per mile...
git-r said:
If you google 'MSV atom how fast' you'll hopefully find something that may be of use.
Your hubby would get 2x20 min practice sessions with an instructor pushing him properly then I think 2 or 3 timed laps in an aerial atom for £250.
His time is recorded and put on a leader board.
You'll see the details on the website.
Having driven a session in the Atom at Bedford I can confirm these are crazy quick and the instructors are lunatics who want you to try and kill them...fantastic experience.Your hubby would get 2x20 min practice sessions with an instructor pushing him properly then I think 2 or 3 timed laps in an aerial atom for £250.
His time is recorded and put on a leader board.
You'll see the details on the website.
I would be thinking very hard about the weather.
You wouldn't catch me in an Atom, or a Caterham in the UK at this time of the year.
Also, personally, I can't drive in the wet, so the last thing I would want is a 'Supercar' I'd never driven before on a wet track I'd never seen before.
If it's wet I'd much rather be in a kart where the scope for extra expense is somewhat less.
You wouldn't catch me in an Atom, or a Caterham in the UK at this time of the year.
Also, personally, I can't drive in the wet, so the last thing I would want is a 'Supercar' I'd never driven before on a wet track I'd never seen before.
If it's wet I'd much rather be in a kart where the scope for extra expense is somewhat less.
Having been in this industry for many years, I've not found any (supercar experience) companies actually modifying their cars to limit what they can do, except the odd bolt on silencer that does choke them up a bit. That being said, none of them will let you see the cars full potential either - for good reason. At the end of the day the cars are tools to earn money, every time a car breaks it costs money in more ways than one. If you're set on a supercar experience, choose your favoured venue rather than a specific company. They're all much the same. If you're wanting an experience that will leave the recipient feeling like a "driving god" +1 for Palmersport.
TAHodgson said:
Having been in this industry for many years, I've not found any (supercar experience) companies actually modifying their cars to limit what they can do, except the odd bolt on silencer that does choke them up a bit. That being said, none of them will let you see the cars full potential either - for good reason. At the end of the day the cars are tools to earn money, every time a car breaks it costs money in more ways than one. If you're set on a supercar experience, choose your favoured venue rather than a specific company. They're all much the same. If you're wanting an experience that will leave the recipient feeling like a "driving god" +1 for Palmersport.
Yes, my now wife once bought me a "supercar experience" as she thought that as I enjoy track driving I would enjoy it even more with very expensive machinery. The experience was for me nothing more than being allowed to drive at a low to modest speed some nice cars for a very short period of time. That, with the waiting around and trying to sell me all sorts of extras like "high speed rides" and "insurance excess waivers" made it pretty much a non event and fortunately the venue was only 20 minutes away... The "instruction" was not likely to be educational to anyone wanting to improve their driving and to the completely uninitiated might suggest that high performance cars should be short shifted to get the best out of them (ref the comments above). However, lots of people enjoy these things - if your husband is someone who just wants to briefly drive a few supercars on a racetrack and hasn't had much experience of such things then he will probably like it. If he might want more than that, especially if he has some prior experience, then Palmersport is likely to be a good choice but also out of your stated budget.
If he's a car fan then might be worth asking the opinion of some of his petrolhead friends.
My experience of so called "Supercar Days" or "Trackdays" has been poor, that is maybe because my wife has at last learned to be what my kids call me, ie a Cheap b
d" and has maybe not bought the best..However my best days have been when I hired some reasonably priced exotica from Avis Prestige for a day. 24 hours to do as you wish and all you need is imagination and money for petrol. Maybe it helps that I live about an hour from some of the best driving roads in the UK. This year's treat is the F Type V8 AWD 5.0 for a day. OK maybe very similar on paper to my every day wagon, but a different package and for the price way better than track/supercar days
d" and has maybe not bought the best..However my best days have been when I hired some reasonably priced exotica from Avis Prestige for a day. 24 hours to do as you wish and all you need is imagination and money for petrol. Maybe it helps that I live about an hour from some of the best driving roads in the UK. This year's treat is the F Type V8 AWD 5.0 for a day. OK maybe very similar on paper to my every day wagon, but a different package and for the price way better than track/supercar daysEdited by briang9 on Monday 20th February 00:58
Downward said:
Buy me a voucher, and I'll give you a full review, I'm nice like that Downward said:
Done courses with Colin at CAT. He is a amazing instructor. He explains everything so clearly even the tech stuff.Every time with Colin I have learned so much and have really enjoyed the days at Millbrook.
Reviving an old thread
My wife is too nervous to drive the 360, she is daunted by her perceptions about the complexity to work it, the power and the cost of making a mistake.
I think it would help if she did a good super car experience on a track ( know she likes going around corners fast!)
Can anyone recommend something where she will start with a decent instructor but have an experience where she is encouraged to "drive" not slow down, a Palmer Sport day will be too expensive, I am thinking £150-300 for perhaps a couple of hours.
My wife is too nervous to drive the 360, she is daunted by her perceptions about the complexity to work it, the power and the cost of making a mistake.
I think it would help if she did a good super car experience on a track ( know she likes going around corners fast!)
Can anyone recommend something where she will start with a decent instructor but have an experience where she is encouraged to "drive" not slow down, a Palmer Sport day will be too expensive, I am thinking £150-300 for perhaps a couple of hours.
I have one booked at the end of April at Silverstone. It was a 40th present so I'm not sure of the details, there is still an element of surprise there. I know I will be driving a Ferrari but which one I couldn't say.
All I know is both my brother and dad have done this and both said it was fantastic. The instructers encourage you to press on and give genuinly good advice. I can't be sure on the costs either for obvious reasons. This is ran through Silverstone directly though so might be worth contacting them to see what is on offer.
All I know is both my brother and dad have done this and both said it was fantastic. The instructers encourage you to press on and give genuinly good advice. I can't be sure on the costs either for obvious reasons. This is ran through Silverstone directly though so might be worth contacting them to see what is on offer.
blueg33 said:
Reviving an old thread
My wife is too nervous to drive the 360, she is daunted by her perceptions about the complexity to work it, the power and the cost of making a mistake.
I think it would help if she did a good super car experience on a track ( know she likes going around corners fast!)
Can anyone recommend something where she will start with a decent instructor but have an experience where she is encouraged to "drive" not slow down, a Palmer Sport day will be too expensive, I am thinking £150-300 for perhaps a couple of hours.
Personally I'd book an evening track day at a forgiving circuit (snetterton or bedford), book both of you on as drivers and get as many tuition sessions as you can. My wife is too nervous to drive the 360, she is daunted by her perceptions about the complexity to work it, the power and the cost of making a mistake.
I think it would help if she did a good super car experience on a track ( know she likes going around corners fast!)
Can anyone recommend something where she will start with a decent instructor but have an experience where she is encouraged to "drive" not slow down, a Palmer Sport day will be too expensive, I am thinking £150-300 for perhaps a couple of hours.
I've had a few supercar drive day experiences and not one holds a candle to a day in your own car, or the standard of instruction you get on a track day.
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