Supercars experience staffordshire anyone?

KIPAX

KIPAX

Seriously Likeable
Suspended / Banned
Messages
21,370
Name
KIPAX Lancashire UK
Edit My Images
No
I have been give a super car experience ..nearest location is stafforshire...dunno where. I can choose two cars from a list... the DB9 jumped straight off the page at me.. probably from al the top gear i watch


anyone done this sorta thing?

it was given to me because ever since i passed my driving test i have loved driving... they said the novelty would wear off.. it never has.:)
 
DB9 and a what?

Not done it, despiting dropping several hints for bday / xmas pressies!
 
what does put me off though is about £200 or so for about 2 hours experience, of which you get something stupid like 3 - 4 laps of the track...
 
I did something similar at Silverstone. 4 laps in an Aston. It all went too quickly once in the car. I found wearing a crash helmet in a car a bit restricting which is odd as I ride a motorbike, but overall I really enjoyed it. I am sure you will too.
Matt
 
I have options of where but oxfordshire and leictershire too far.. so will go to... Great tew, Staffordshire... never heard of it myself.. anyone?

Cars listed are
Ferrari 360 or 355
Lamborghini Gallardo
Audi R8
Aston Martin v8 or DB9
Subaru Impreza
Mitsubishi evo 8

Always fancied an Audi so might go for that... i can choose two and I have until next january.. but am raring to go so will book soon.... My eldest son has given it me for a birfday prezzie
 
Which company is it with? Some are rubbish . . . Hopefully it isn't the one that scammed a load of evo subscribers telling them they had won a free track day which wasn't free at all.
 
srichards said:
Which company is it with? Some are rubbish . . . Hopefully it isn't the one that scammed a load of evo subscribers telling them they had won a free track day which wasn't free at all.
Click to expand...

well its paid for..not won.. its virgin experience days.... acorne
 
If I were you I'd try to find out what the venues are like. I was given one of these driving experiences by my wife and it turns out quite a few of them are driving round cones at the dusty end of an old airfield.

In the end I went to Thruxton which was great fun, and 120mph into the final chicane in a LHD Ferrari I'd never driven before was quite fast enough for 2 or 3 laps.

Hope you have a nice time - don't forget to take some extra money for the photos of you driving the car with a big grin on your face - :D

David
 
Just a suggestion....why don't you try for a track day in a purpose built race car, £200 for a couple of laps in a super car seems a bit extreme in my book :-)
 
Out of the bunch in my opinion the:
Lamborghini would be the biggest handful/most challenging as v quick

R8 to capable so a tad boring

Aston v8 could be fun

360 sounds awesome and skittish enough to be fun

355 not great

Scooby & evo, why with the others to choose from!
 
Hi Tony


I had a similar experience for the Audi R8 and its sister the Lambo. Had a great time in both - the Lambo was great, with its flappy paddle gearbox and sounded wonderful. Had the most fun in the Audi R8 though, manual box and a fantastic instructor with me that basically said he didn't want to be following the Porsche and Ferrari that were in front of us on the 1st lap on lap 2 !!! Virtually flat out down the back straight, engine near red line and I've a grin from ear to ear and the instructor is telling me to keep my foot in as we approach a right hand bend :D

The instructor will make a difference (Lambo one was a bit of a wally) - get it booked as soon as and enjoy it ...
 
mxfun said:
Just a suggestion....why don't you try for a track day in a purpose built race car, £200 for a couple of laps in a super car seems a bit extreme in my book :-)
Click to expand...

Did you see the bit where its a present given to me ? :) and I have no idea of the price.. pretty sure not 200
 
andyred said:
Hi Tony


I had a similar experience for the Audi R8 and its sister the Lambo. Had a great time in both - the Lambo was great, with its flappy paddle gearbox and sounded wonderful. Had the most fun in the Audi R8 though, manual box and a fantastic instructor with me that basically said he didn't want to be following the Porsche and Ferrari that were in front of us on the 1st lap on lap 2 !!! Virtually flat out down the back straight, engine near red line and I've a grin from ear to ear and the instructor is telling me to keep my foot in as we approach a right hand bend :D

The instructor will make a difference (Lambo one was a bit of a wally) - get it booked as soon as and enjoy it ...
Click to expand...


ta:) ooer dont fancy the paddle gearbox... love manual me...... I think the db9 and the audi ,,,, if i won the pools i would never go for a lambo or any of the other sporty type cars... but an aston or an audi might make it into the garage :)
 
KIPAX said:
ta:) ooer dont fancy the paddle gearbox... love manual me...... I think the db9 and the audi ,,,, if i won the pools i would never go for a lambo or any of the other sporty type cars... but an aston or an audi might make it into the garage :)
Click to expand...

Yep I got out of the Audi grinning like a Cheshire Cat - both wife and daughter fell about laughing as I just couldn't stop grinning - enjoy it ...
 
My son had a similar driving experience. He chose an Aston DB9 and Aerial Atom. He said the Aerial was just mentally quick.
 
I went to have a look at one at Elvington airfield a few weeks ago and all I can say is if it had been me paying out my hard earned I would have been very p ****d off. The drivers were only allowed 5 or6 laps and every time they got onto the straights they weren't allowed to open the car up so just pottered along at what looked like 70-80mph. Also there were so many cars on track at the same time they ended up driving around in a big procession.
 
DB9 and Lambo for me. Would love a DB9 in the drive (but have settled for an XK8 for now...) and prefer the crackle of the Lambo to that of the other options on the overrun.

Whatever you decide, enjoy the day.
 
Cheers Nod.. Its deffo going to be db9 and the audi..

PS Everyone.. IT'S A PRESENT! and its in staffordshire... Far too many horror stories about car days at different places and wasting money :( Sorry but :(
 
I've done a few of these, my wife has been trying to kill me I think :D

You've probably made the right choice there, you'll be able to feel the difference in the handling of those two.

Someone else mentioned it, the instructor will be the deciding factor. My advise, listen to them, respond to what they say and build up their confidence in you.

The best instructor I had was in a Mini CooperS (before going in the single seater), I did what he said on the first lap and he was then officially a 'proper nutter' quite happy for me to understeer onto the exit kerbs at Donnington, more than happy really as he kind of insisted on it. Got me to overtake Ferrari's, Porsche's and Audi R8 while in the Mini!
Did a Porsche at Rockingham and although that instructor was ok with me overtaking an Audi and Ferrari he was very nervous of the kerbs :'(

Book it asap, hope it's not too hot (too much grip) and enjoy.
 
Cheers Paul.. am not looking so much for how fast i can go.. not after frightening the whatsit out of myself.. just gonna enjoy the experience.. and of course go a bit fast hehe
 
I think the Great Tew one is in Oxfordshire. The Stafford site is near Seighford - about 10 minutes from J14 of the M6.
 
I did the Ferrari 360 experience at Goodwood - was a great car but once going they would only let you use 5th and 6th gear so that big engine never got properly into it's stride - managed to hit 120ish on the straight when I know it could have been sooo much faster - kept wishing they'd let me take my own car onto the track :)

Other things to think on - the Ferrari had a bloody heavy gearbox and a speedo in KMH - was permanently trying to work out just how fast I was going!!
 
I had one of these experiences as a present at North Weald airfield. It was indeed a big square of tarmac and a coned course which amounted to only a few hundred yards per lap. I did get to drive a Ferrari 360, Lamborghini Gallardo and, best of all by far, an Ariel Atom 320.

The briefing put the fear of God into us about damage and costs (a £500 excess I only discovered on arrival), being thrown off the course for a spin or risking throwing stones into the faces of onlookers if we pulled away too quickly, so instead of an exciting drive it was more like "Driving Miss Daisy". For the chicanes and corners I would have been going faster in my own vehicle because I knew it and what it could do. By the time I had any sense of steering inputs in each vehicle the three "lap" experience in each was over. No doubt straight line acceleration was impressive (especially the Atom) but that was about all I got to enjoy. In the Ferrari the pedal positioning felt peculiar, so I didn't have the confidence to let rip on the final straight without fear I'd miss the brake when I needed it. I wasn't alone in this impression. There were a lot of people taking turns in the vehicles and each one appeared to be crawling round the course. What was worse - if you started to catch someone there was nowhere to go so it was necessary to back off and hang back for a quick burst before stepping on the anchors a few seconds later.

There were several other supercars available - DB9, R8, Ferrari Spyder, Porsche 911. I was happy with my vehicle choice - I had free choice of any three - but the whole experience was very "Meh.".

I've also had a driving experience at Oulton Park, with one sighting lap and three proper laps each in a Scooby WRX STi and and an Evo FQ 300. I don't know how the costs compared, as both experiences were gifts, but it was about a million times better. Real race track, real laps, real speed, proper driving. Instruction was excellent as well.
 
done a few of these before, you should have a blast. Defo the DB9, drove one twice now and enjoyed it both times. Personally would have picked the Lambo over the Audi but it is all personal preference.

When you get there you might get the option to pay and drive a few of the others as well, so I suggest leaving the CC at home, lol. I dare say there will be a tog there as well offering a memento of your day.

Be warned though, time sat in the car passes very quickly and it'll be over before you know it.
 
Just been invited to a test drive day in the F Type. Unfortunately we're on holiday when it's on. Might see if I can blag a quick whizz round the block at some point though... :D
 
I think you have to remember that these people run these days to make money, and they have to keep people safe. So letting just anyone rock up and start thrashing the machinery is just not going to happen.

The experience that did catch my eye was to drive the Lotus Elise at Thruxton, mainly because the "supercars" seemed to spend quite a lot of time puling over to let the Elise's zoom past!.

Having read a few reviews it would seem that unless you are a total idiot the instructors will encourage you to "go faster" which it would seem, is much faster than you would be allowed to go in anything else.

David
 
I drove a Gallado at Goodwood. I't was a gift from my brother for my 30th. He booked that one as Goodwood had my dream car, a Diablo but they had forgot to inform the company he bought the voucher form that they had sold it 6 months prior.
I was gutted.
They were good about it though and let me have a free t shirt and and extra 3 laps.
The Gallado is very nice and rapid as hell.

I must get on and edit the photo's my brother took for me.
 
KIPAX said:
I have options of where but oxfordshire and leictershire too far.. so will go to... Great tew, Staffordshire... never heard of it myself.. anyone?

Cars listed are
Ferrari 360 or 355
Lamborghini Gallardo
Audi R8
Aston Martin v8 or DB9
Subaru Impreza
Mitsubishi evo 8

Always fancied an Audi so might go for that... i can choose two and I have until next january.. but am raring to go so will book soon.... My eldest son has given it me for a birfday prezzie
Click to expand...

Tony, have you checked to see if there are different cars on offer in Oxon or Leics? Or if whatever track they use is better?

Those might be very good reasons for travelling ;)
 
I agree with Yves

I'd look at the venue rather than the cars, I'd sooner drive a mini round a proper track than a Ferrari round some cones in a car park

You've got a while to do some research
 
KIPAX said:
I have options of where but oxfordshire and leictershire too far.. so will go to... Great tew, Staffordshire... never heard of it myself.. anyone?

Cars listed are
Ferrari 360 or 355
Lamborghini Gallardo
Audi R8
Aston Martin v8 or DB9
Subaru Impreza
Mitsubishi evo 8

Always fancied an Audi so might go for that... i can choose two and I have until next january.. but am raring to go so will book soon.... My eldest son has given it me for a birfday prezzie
Click to expand...


Brother in law went to one in Staffordshire, i don't know if its the same one though. It was on some old airstrip with a track laid out using cones, i think he had 6 laps in each car but the instructors were pretty strict and no overtaking and had to keep the right foot light!
 
liecstershire and oxford are miles too far.. hundreds of miles from here.. staffordshire is nearer at nearly 2hrs ...not much option really ...and really want those 2 cars... no question :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top