Driving Experience Days

[haroman666]

Are they any good?
Worth the price tag?
Value; Drive time vs cost?

Me and a work friend started looking at them today, as a sort of "Fuck it, lets go and drive super cars and then hit the pub."

But was wondering if anybody had done one, could recommend one or tell me which ones to avoid.

I wouldn't be looking at the "drive an R8 up to 70mph for 20 mins for £100".
I'd rather "get 6 laps in a single seater at any speed for £130".

Cheers!
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The mistresses: 2000 Honda CBR600f, 2000 Honda VTR1000

[mudcow007]

arn't most of them, you pay your ponds, an a man drives you around a track for a bit?

[haroman666]

Nah, some of them are. But the majority you do get to drive. Depends on how many ponds you spend.
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The mistresses: 2000 Honda CBR600f, 2000 Honda VTR1000

[Llama-Farmer]

Only done one at DriveMe.net near Stafford and can't recommend them at all.

It was very expensive. Even after my ex bought a 50% off voucher for £5.
Like a sausage factory, they get a few hundred people a day through, so it's really busy, there is limited seating (outdoor only) which is always taken, so you spend half the day stood up outside in a very windy exposed field. And theres about 3 M and 3 F toilets for the 300 people who might be there who are drinking lots of overpriced coffee in order to stay warm.
You only got 6 laps per "go".
Each lap has 2 short straights, 2 chicanes and 2 hairpins, takes about 30 seconds, if you're slow.
Depending on which package you buy, or is bought for you, you may only get 2 goes, so a total of less than 5 minutes "track" time.
The "instructors" have no real interest in you or your enjoyment.
They will regularly hit the restrictor button to slow you down so someone else in a faster car half a lap behind you can overtake, even if that means you are limited to 50mph for the next 3 laps.
They make sure you have a full driving licence then they treat you like a learner driver.
And you get to do "off-roading" too. Except thats a lie, because they use automatic diesel Discos and the "instructor" doesn't even trust you to put it in Drive yourself so does it for you, its not off-roading, its about 50 metres of a bit of mud and a puddle, and a slight slope.


Considering how much it costs, you really ought to get more for your money, more goes and more laps, or at least better facilities.




Can't comment from experience on other places, but a lot of them are viewed as "over-priced" for what they're worth.
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Current Bike: 1999 Honda CB600 FX Hornet
Next Bike: I want a CBR-RR. And I want an F800 GS-A. And a VFR 800. Can I have all 3?
Dream Bikes: Honda VFR750R RC30, Honda NSR500, Ducati 996 R

[monkeybiker]

I was given one of these as a gift. I did the 4by4 thing at silverstone and thought it was pretty good.

The question of value for money well they are not a bargain and not worth doing more than once. Being a biker you are not likely to get a thrill from these things it's just a chance to do something different.

Personally I wouldn't pay to do it myself and think it's better as a gift.

[P.addy]

For the same money you can get a track day on your own bike. Far more exciting.

[metalhead41]

I drove a Ferrari 599 at a place in Chobham, a few years ago. It was bought for me as a gift, got 3 laps on a twisty track so no real chance to open her up other than on the start/finish straight which has a chicane put in to slow you down...
Quite frankly, I thought it was a waste of money and wouldn't use that company again, I'd rather a longer experience with multiple cars and more laps in each car, but I think I'd rather pay for my own trackday in my car or on my bike

[sabian92]

I've done 3 - 2 in a single seater Formula Ford thing, and one in an Ariel Atom.

They are good but are bloody expensive for your moneys, although mine were all gifts so I didn't pay for them. They're also usually fucking miles away as well, so consider a good 1.5/2 hr drive each way.

Depends how much you want to drive that particular car really.

[haroman666]

Thanks for the replies.

I figured the general consensus would be that its not all its cracked up to be.

Is there any consolation in the fact that you can say you drove a supercar once upon a time?

Paddy, I'm gong to get on the track on my own. But I need to dish out on zip-together or one-piece leathers which will probably equal the cost of an experience day anyway!! And the friend I want to do this with doesn't have a bike or a license for one either!

This is a "we all work together day in, day out... Lets do something"
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The mistresses: 2000 Honda CBR600f, 2000 Honda VTR1000

[bikertomm]

It is very expensive.

I did one for my 18th which we managed to pay for mostly using tesco clubcard vouchers. But still, expensive.

Did 3 laps in a 911, Ferrari 355 (Left hand drive) & then a Lambo, this was at Thruxton where they have a huge straight. Took it up to 150mph which was relatively fun. Didn't notice any throttle restrions etc but then I was a young n00b so who knows.

TL;DR They are good fun but very expensive.

You might be better off doing something like this:

https://www.thruxtonracing.co.uk/experiences/racing-car

Driving that thing looked like great fun, and you are on your own, get a good few laps etc.


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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[monkeybiker]

[P.addy]

[1198]

I did a three laps, three cars thing a couple of years ago, in a R8, 911 turbo and a Lamboghini something. One instructor (in the R8 as I recall) encouraged me to get a shuffle on, the clown in the 911 snatched at the wheel to 'help' (I wasn't going quickly by the way). Dick. I've have parked it there and then and walked were it not on my way into the pits anyhow.
It was a triangle course on an airfield, shortish straights, a hairpin or two.
I'd do it again but only at the price they were offering on the day not at the price they thought they'd get via their www site.

[BakesBeans]

[Wonko The Sane]

Advice I got was to find the independent ones as they only survive on good reviews and customer satisfaction.

Then look for the reviews for that company / site to gauge customer satisfaction
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Looking to pass your CBT / Bike tests in Bury Lancashire? try www.focusridertraining.co.uk Would recommend.
They're also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Focus-Rider-Training/196832923734251

[stevo as b4]

I drove an Elise and an Impreza 2.0 Sti on a wet track. If anything this second Subaru experience really put me off them. They understeer a fair bit when pushed gently, and the boost threshold is way to high at 3800rpm.

I thought my Rover was laggy with the T28, but it feels so much more eager low down than the EJ20 powered Sti, and I can see 8psi by 3000rpm, which isn't bad for a 7.8:1 compression engine.

[sidewinder]

Come to wales and go to one of our rally schools.far better value than any track experience. You actually get to drive the cars how there to be.and they don't care about damage

https://www.higginsrallyschool.com/

https://www.philprice.co.uk/

https://www.rallyrides.co.uk/
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"Nitrous is like a cheap hooker, you want to hit it but are scared of the consequences

[wots]

Mercedes Benz World in Brooklands, they have their own track, I've managed triple figures in an AMG on their back straight. They have a drifting area and a separate straight to do 0-60-0 in almost no time!

They have 4x4 course and are pretty good. Prices are favourable and the place is one big museum as well as a place for car whores.

The AMG experience is a bit pricey, but the bog standard one is usually a quick Merc. First time I did it was in a 5Ltr E-Class coupe. That thing shifted.

Driven an E63AMG, C63AMG and a CLS63AMG. Loved them all, that bark when shifting!

Link
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Currently: Yamaha DT 125 LC2,Repsol Fireblade, and Bumblebee MSX 125

[orangepeeleo]

Done a silverstone driving experience, the pick a car from a ferrari, Nissan GTR etc for my 30th, no idea of the cost as it was a present from the folks.

Picked the Nissan GTR all tricked out in its playstation paint, and loved every minute of it....all 5 or 6 of them lol

Instructor was really good and was constantly on at me to get on the throttle more and push it harder, broke too early on my first lap after a big straight and he said next time listen to me, i'll tell you when to brake, next lap he was like fucking William Wallace in Braveheart, hold, hold, hold, hold, NOW!! I dont think I've ever had a cheesier grin on my face screeching round that track, got up to 180mph at one point too. By the 4th lap or something I'd started to get the hang of it and he was really encouraging, making me feel like I was the next Hamilton or something lol

As a gift it was fucking awesome, whether I'd be as happy dropping £150 or w/e it was on it myself....hmmm, its a lot of money so maybe not at the moment, if £150 isn't too much for you then knock yourself out
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Bikes : HN125 (sold) - Lexmoto ZSX 125 (Stolen!) - Currently bimbling on : '10 YBR

[ijmok]

My Misses took me here a few years ago,

https://www.woodpark-offroad.com/index.php

It wasn't cheep but was well done, 1 on 1 tuition with plenty of driving time, (i think he drove down to the mud then not again untill we retuned)

Even my Misses got a go!

[J0Al1]

Mum gave me this 'Rally Driving' experience for my birthday.

https://www.langleyparkrallyschool.co.uk/about_us

You get 3x's 1.5 mile laps in both a four wheel and a rear wheel drive, with instruction. Then 1 lap as a passenger.

It was a nice morning out with my bro, but even via a voucher site @ 1/2 price, £50 was expensive for the actual driving you get!



Clay pigeon, quad biking and karts at this place, was much more fun . . . . https://www.southernpursuits.co.uk/

[J.M.]

My dad did one. A comment that the instructor made was that they commonly have to deal with people that can't drive well.

You may be a good driver, but when you've only got 3 laps, that isn't enough time to show your potential to the instructor. The instructor is going to be careful not to let someone who can't control the vehicle crash it.

Thinking like that, it kind of makes sense that you're not allowed to hammer it around. So if you want to do that, it's probably best to find some other experience.
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[stevo as b4]

Who goes to a driving experience day in a 400bhp car and would say to the instructor that they are a crap driver?
Most people think they are great driver's anyway, and would have way too much ego to consider otherwise.

There's also the talk for the office the next day of how they got the back of a Porsche 911 out sideways smoking tyres to heaven and brought it back from the edge of a spin before hitting 140mph on a 1/2mile straight etc.

Driving fast on a track is probably 90% smoothness and 10% confidence IMO.

You also get people carrying over their road car and on the road driving habbits, and they can't un-learn that in a few track hours or much less. The staying to the left, watching the vanishing point, but positioning for safety not visability, and always checking the mirrors etc.

There's panic brakers, comfort brakers, people who ride the brake/clutch, those that stay in too low a gear, those that stay in too high a gear, people with no acceleration sense, and no ability to feel the feedback of the tyre's and steering and or even hold the steering wheel properly. Then there's people that have no interest in a fast lap or getting better, they just want to smoke the tyres, or red-line a Ferrari etc?
I bet the instructors see it all, and more.

I was crap in both the Elise and the Impreza, despite having a mid engine car at the time that I felt confident with on the road.

The Impreza was just not a fun experience, and I'd need a lot of convincing from a pro 4wd fan along with a long demo drive on different types or terrain/road conditions to even think about becoming a 4wd fan, as so far my few experiences of 4wd road car's have said 'I don't like it'.

[dydey90]

I did a few laps in a Gallardo a few years ago. All the cars there had bald and feathered tyres, so you couldn't corner anywhere near quick enough. Coming out of the hairpin the instructor said to let it coast around in fourth, as I guess it would feel faster than a normal car coming out of that corner even in high gear. I dropped it to second so I could actually get up to speed after the corner, but he hit the dual controls and spoilt it.
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This post is probably not serious and shouldn't be taken literally.
Past: CBR125,ER6f NINJA 650, ZZR600 Current: VFR750

[Shaft]