The belts are tight. But Paul Mabley's not convinced. He gives them one last tug.
"All good?" from the driver beside him.
Mabley steals another look, still not sure it all stacks up. Ken Block is sitting next to him.
Straps tight enough? They'll need to be...
Paul raises a thumb and delivers as grin as wide as the arches of the Castrol EDGE-liveried Ford Fiesta Gymkhana car in which he's sitting. A gloved right index finger nudges a button marked 'STAGE' and the 550hp Fiesta shifts from angry to absolutely furious.
Paul Mabley and his wife are in the middle of a dream. A couple of months ago they entered a PistonHeads competition. Castrol EDGE arranged for VIP treatment for our winner at WRC Spain and a chance to enjoy the Ken Block Experience. So far, the show's been pretty good. Pretty insane, actually. The Buckinghamshire couple arrived on the Costa Daurada on Thursday. And their feet haven't touched the floor since. It's been a World Rally Championship whirlwind for Mabley, a PHer of 12 years standing.
"I can't believe what I've seen already," he says. "We've been out watching on some of the stages; been shown around the M-Sport World Rally Team and been so close to the cars in the service park, we could almost touch them. It's amazing."
None of this is new to the Mableys though.
Prize a dream come true for rally mad Mableys
"I used to love going to watch Rally GB," says Paul. "They were incredible times when Colin McRae and Richard Burns were around. But it seemed to have lost some of its atmosphere, so I haven't been for a few years now."
A couple of days in Spain seem to have convinced him otherwise.
"The cars are amazing," he says. "You don't really get any impression of quite how good they are until you see them in the flesh. The performance of these things is incredible. Really impressive."
And that's from the outside. The day after Sebastien Ogier celebrated his second consecutive world title, Ken Block and the Castrol EDGE crew - including the Mableys - head north of Salou to a test site on the outskirts of Barcelona. Block's already there with the car he used to finish just outside the top 10 on his sole WRC appearance this season.
"We're gonna have some fun today," he grins. And with that, it's off with the Monster baseball cap and on with the helmet. Sunglasses back in place. KB's ready to rock.
The fingers flex on the handbrake.
Paul's head smacks back against the seat. Bang. Another gear. Bang. Another gear. The acceleration is beyond comprehension - and Mabley's a bloke who superceded his tasty Scooby with a couple of Porsche 911s and now a Panamera. A corner offers brief respite. Back to the handbrake, a quick tug and the rear of the car slews to the side. The tyre-slaying has begun.
"Unbelievable," says Mabley, alive with adrenaline at the end of his run. "It was completely surreal to be there and have Ken Block sitting next to me. He's such a down-to-earth fella. He was absolutely brilliant in the car, telling me what was happening and talking about the Fiesta.
Conclusion? A flaming good experience
"And his car control... well that was something else. I don't think the car was in a straight line at all once we left the start. I've done some rally experience days before, so I had a rough idea of what was coming, but that was so much more intense. Money can't buy this kind of thing. I have to say a big, big thank you to PistonHeads and the Castrol EDGE guys - they've been amazing the way they have looked after us. I can't believe I'm going to be back in work tomorrow!"
Back in work with a story to tell, though. And a story for their two sons.
"It's a great story for the boys to tell their class mates," says Paul. "They're both huge fans of Ken, so this is pretty amazing for them. I wish I'd had a tale like that to tell my mates at school."