Rally Driving Experience
Discussion
New to this so appologies if this has been covered before.
I am looking to take the missus (and myself) rally driving for her Christmas present.
Looking for some advice to see if anyone recommends any one in particular. Ideally I would like a half/full day rather than 2 x 12 minutes (!) and based within 90 minutes of west london.
Any help / advice appreciated.
I am looking to take the missus (and myself) rally driving for her Christmas present.
Looking for some advice to see if anyone recommends any one in particular. Ideally I would like a half/full day rather than 2 x 12 minutes (!) and based within 90 minutes of west london.
Any help / advice appreciated.
If you can travel two hours from London you can get to Silverstone.
Silverstone Rally School do an excellent day. The good thing about it is that it is a proper course. They run it for a group of 12 (and they will make up groups so you won't need to find ten mates). There are proper lectures - and after each lecture you go out to their very own (proper) loose surface rally stage to do an exercise that puts the lecture into practice. You start by learning to steer the car on the throttle, then to change direction with th pendulum effect and then to use the handbrake for those all important high speed handbrake turns...
Then you go to the pub for lunch (NO BOOZE).
In the afternoon you drive the rally stage putting it all together. Firstly doing a "known" course you practice through a few times. Then the instructor acts as a co-driver and simply gives you the necessary instructions. Its not random - but you won't know for certain which way you are going - you WILL need to listen and apply the co-driver's input - just like in real stage.
Finally the instructor gets in the driving seat and hoooooooons round the stage. You will not believe that the course you struggled to get around without taking out cones and correcting wildly could be driven that smoothly and that fast. Inch perfect: totally sideways. I laughed and giggled like a little girl in awe.
I drive circuits all the time. Its really good fun. But I look back on the Silverstone Rally School day I did as one of the best times I have ever had in a car. PLUS I felt there was the satisfaction of actually having LEARNED something - rather than just having an "experience".
www.silverstonerally.co.uk
I am in no way affliliated. Just a happy customer.
Silverstone Rally School do an excellent day. The good thing about it is that it is a proper course. They run it for a group of 12 (and they will make up groups so you won't need to find ten mates). There are proper lectures - and after each lecture you go out to their very own (proper) loose surface rally stage to do an exercise that puts the lecture into practice. You start by learning to steer the car on the throttle, then to change direction with th pendulum effect and then to use the handbrake for those all important high speed handbrake turns...
Then you go to the pub for lunch (NO BOOZE).
In the afternoon you drive the rally stage putting it all together. Firstly doing a "known" course you practice through a few times. Then the instructor acts as a co-driver and simply gives you the necessary instructions. Its not random - but you won't know for certain which way you are going - you WILL need to listen and apply the co-driver's input - just like in real stage.
Finally the instructor gets in the driving seat and hoooooooons round the stage. You will not believe that the course you struggled to get around without taking out cones and correcting wildly could be driven that smoothly and that fast. Inch perfect: totally sideways. I laughed and giggled like a little girl in awe.
I drive circuits all the time. Its really good fun. But I look back on the Silverstone Rally School day I did as one of the best times I have ever had in a car. PLUS I felt there was the satisfaction of actually having LEARNED something - rather than just having an "experience".
www.silverstonerally.co.uk
I am in no way affliliated. Just a happy customer.
I would NOT recommend doing an "experience" type day. I bought this one for my girlfriend for xmas last year and was really unimpressed. She thoroughly enjoyed it, but the only non-tarmac driving she did was in the Polo doing handbrake turns at walking pace... and she was literaly in and out of the car in 3 minutes flat! And it's a L/H drive car! www.treatme.net/experiences/rally-silver
I did the Silverstone one 10 years ago for my 17th birthday and thoroughly enjoyed it, learnt a lot. Would really like to try the Bill Gwynne one, as it's supposed to be much more instructional and aimed more at people who actually want to start rally driving (not me, but I do race in sprints).
Raz
I did the Silverstone one 10 years ago for my 17th birthday and thoroughly enjoyed it, learnt a lot. Would really like to try the Bill Gwynne one, as it's supposed to be much more instructional and aimed more at people who actually want to start rally driving (not me, but I do race in sprints).
Raz
www.forestrally.co.uk/courses-full
I bought this one for my Dad's 60th, went along to spectate for the day. They had a quick chat about driving techniques and then in the cars to get on with it.
Not much time in the cars though, each car was shared between 5/6 people.
AM was handbrake turns / getting the back end out.
PM was runs along the 5 mile forest stage.
It's run by Mark Higgins and his brother, not particularly well organised, run from a Portacabin in the middle of the forest. Lots of problems with the cars all day as well, seized brakes / engines cutting out / punctures (not their fault) / wheel bearing / hubs had to be tightened after every run.
Cars were 2 X MK2 Escorts (2 litre I think) , full cages, buckets, harnesses etc - very battered bodywork, and also a standard 1800 Mitsi Lancer done up to look like a full WRC Lancer EVO.
The day would probably suit a 'normal' car driver, but for most 'performance' car drivers / drivers with a keen interest in motorsport / interest in advanced driving techniques it probably won't seem particularly exciting.
Just my / my Dad's opinion.
Mark Higgin's is a top bloke though, very friendly / chatty all day - rest of the crew were pretty miserable.
I bought this one for my Dad's 60th, went along to spectate for the day. They had a quick chat about driving techniques and then in the cars to get on with it.
Not much time in the cars though, each car was shared between 5/6 people.
AM was handbrake turns / getting the back end out.
PM was runs along the 5 mile forest stage.
It's run by Mark Higgins and his brother, not particularly well organised, run from a Portacabin in the middle of the forest. Lots of problems with the cars all day as well, seized brakes / engines cutting out / punctures (not their fault) / wheel bearing / hubs had to be tightened after every run.
Cars were 2 X MK2 Escorts (2 litre I think) , full cages, buckets, harnesses etc - very battered bodywork, and also a standard 1800 Mitsi Lancer done up to look like a full WRC Lancer EVO.
The day would probably suit a 'normal' car driver, but for most 'performance' car drivers / drivers with a keen interest in motorsport / interest in advanced driving techniques it probably won't seem particularly exciting.
Just my / my Dad's opinion.
Mark Higgin's is a top bloke though, very friendly / chatty all day - rest of the crew were pretty miserable.
Did my half day. Finished pretty quickly as only three on the day (I was only doing half day Escort MKII).
Two demo' laps then three sessions with the instructor. Quite impressed, lot to take in and I did improve but what completely spoiled it was the gearbox. It was a Quaife unit but it might as well have been a metal rod in a box of bolts. Reverse was next to 1st and it was sloppy so every time I went for 1st I missed or got reverse, going from third to second it wouldn't go in on quite a few laps, I was drifting along in no where land cursing the thing. If anyone has driven an old landrover where the gear lever falls to the left then you'll know what I mean but this was worse without any reference. Frustration led to lack of concentration and then lack of enjoyment.
I did enjoy it, can't fault the instructor or hospitality but please Bill, if you read this chuck that bloody gearbox. The other lad said it spoilt it for him too. Only one could get anywhere with it and even he crunched it.
Two demo' laps then three sessions with the instructor. Quite impressed, lot to take in and I did improve but what completely spoiled it was the gearbox. It was a Quaife unit but it might as well have been a metal rod in a box of bolts. Reverse was next to 1st and it was sloppy so every time I went for 1st I missed or got reverse, going from third to second it wouldn't go in on quite a few laps, I was drifting along in no where land cursing the thing. If anyone has driven an old landrover where the gear lever falls to the left then you'll know what I mean but this was worse without any reference. Frustration led to lack of concentration and then lack of enjoyment.
I did enjoy it, can't fault the instructor or hospitality but please Bill, if you read this chuck that bloody gearbox. The other lad said it spoilt it for him too. Only one could get anywhere with it and even he crunched it.
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