Quick driving practice

[3M4N_J]

Hi all,

Just wondering what the best place is to practice quick driving. I don't necessarily want to do a track day, I just want to learn the basics of driving quickly, practice handbrake turns, lift of oversteer etc.

I'm a pretty competent driver, I know how to heel and toe and all that jazz, but I don't really want to practice any of this on the public roads and be the idiot with his car upside down in a ditch because I watched a YouTube video of how to get the back out on my ST.

Is there anywhere I could practice this in the UK? I know ford have a driving school over in the states where you can do this sort of stuff. I'd be happy to just drive something like a swift sport for 30 minutes just so I can see what it's like and a get a feel of counter steering and so on where there's a run off area so I won't smash my own car to bits if I get it wrong on the road.

I'm not planning on nailing a B Road at 120mph or anything, just interested getting better at driving without killing my car or anyone else on the road.

Any suggestions will be much appreciated, cheers.

[loggyboy]

Autosolos would be a good place to start for close car control at slower speeds. After that its trackdays for the sort of driving you seem to be after.

[MartinQ]

Carlimits are great. It's well structured and safe in that you can't hit anyone else as it's one at a time. Looks fully booked for a few months mind.

http://www.carlimits.com/script/viewEvents.php?typ...

[radical78]

OULTON PARK RALLY COURSE

[SturdyHSV]

Good on you for wanting to learn, and even more so for wanting to do it somewhere appropriate

Patronising bit over, honestly, do a track day and book some instruction to go along with it. Although handbrake turns are perhaps more likely to be covered at a rally school

[ukkid35]

I got Drifting and Handbrake Parking out of my system by doing a couple of those Groupon type experiences.

Sure track time is limited, but it's a safe environment, good value and really quite fun.

DriftLimits and StuntDrive UK were the providers.

[jassihayre]

In same boat and booked a day of drift what ya brung at Santa Pod. Its £80 and on every Wednesday. You turn up in your car and essentially practice how to do donuts and figure of 8's. Once you can do those in a controlled way you are allowed on the drift track to do some drifting.

See http://www.dwyb.co.uk/index.php. Only problem is there isnt anyone available to provide lessons / tutoring!