Experience day - excess
Discussion
Wills2 said:
k15tox said:
Another thing to note is the instructors will not let you push anywhere near the limits of the car i found.
Im not claiming to be a race driver or such but i suppose there mostly designed for your 'uncle Bob' who's always wanted to drive a ferrari.
You need to go to a Palmersport event at Bedford then. Im not claiming to be a race driver or such but i suppose there mostly designed for your 'uncle Bob' who's always wanted to drive a ferrari.
Imagine you drove a 100bph Fiat every day.
Next imagine you get to drive a car 4x as powerful, with 4x the handling, and 4x the brakes.
Then imagine that dog on the advert asking you for £25 every time you drove your fiat to the shops.
If you lose it in on one of these experience days, you deserve to have to pay the excess, and should not be driving on the roads. We got to drive them pretty hard and despite the Terry Turbo having bald tyres, we still managed to stay on the track, as did the 12yo in our group who thought it was the best thing ever.
I don't mean to be rude, but you really shouldn't hit anything. Enjoy it!
Next imagine you get to drive a car 4x as powerful, with 4x the handling, and 4x the brakes.
Then imagine that dog on the advert asking you for £25 every time you drove your fiat to the shops.
If you lose it in on one of these experience days, you deserve to have to pay the excess, and should not be driving on the roads. We got to drive them pretty hard and despite the Terry Turbo having bald tyres, we still managed to stay on the track, as did the 12yo in our group who thought it was the best thing ever.
I don't mean to be rude, but you really shouldn't hit anything. Enjoy it!
ashleyqprw12 said:
Paid £10 recentllt for a GTR Thrill at silverstone.. As for some who said they didn't feel allowed to take the car to the limit.. I really enjoyed driving the GTR was suprised at the amount of times the instructor would encourage more power, was gutted on my first lap to see an aston a lotus and 360 pull out of the pits, i thought great stuck behind this lot getting used to there first lap.. nope the instructor said right stick close to the ferrari we will go past this lot in a moment.. round the corner off we go power power power he says! Loved it and would go again, great expierence in my opinion
I had the opposite experience at Silverstone. The instructor told me i had "spun the wheels" coming out of the cone chicane before the pit straight, and that i needed to slow down. I'm no Jenson Button but I'm fairly certain i would feel it if i lit the tyres up on a 360!At Thruxton however they were much more encouraging. despite being only 18 at the time (i was 22 when i did silverstone)
Wills2 said:
k15tox said:
Another thing to note is the instructors will not let you push anywhere near the limits of the car i found.
Im not claiming to be a race driver or such but i suppose there mostly designed for your 'uncle Bob' who's always wanted to drive a ferrari.
You need to go to a Palmersport event at Bedford then. Im not claiming to be a race driver or such but i suppose there mostly designed for your 'uncle Bob' who's always wanted to drive a ferrari.
I'd say go for the excess inusrance fo peace of mind.
Recently had a few laps in a 458 at Longcross, where you'll either end up in a tree or on the M3 if you get it wrong, so althought it stinks of a racket, knowing that you won't get hit for thousands if you wipe out allows you to enjoy the experience more.
As for the experience, I'd read loads about speed limits and not being allowed to drive fast, but the the instructor was constantly urging me to push it (although it may have been because I was driving too slow in the first place!). There is a slower area on the twisty part around the back but below 70 through there was plenty enough for a non-company director in a car I'd never driven before.
Great experience, 458 was unbelievable, and although it hurt my wallet, I'm glad I got the £25 excess insurance even though it wasn't used.
Recently had a few laps in a 458 at Longcross, where you'll either end up in a tree or on the M3 if you get it wrong, so althought it stinks of a racket, knowing that you won't get hit for thousands if you wipe out allows you to enjoy the experience more.
As for the experience, I'd read loads about speed limits and not being allowed to drive fast, but the the instructor was constantly urging me to push it (although it may have been because I was driving too slow in the first place!). There is a slower area on the twisty part around the back but below 70 through there was plenty enough for a non-company director in a car I'd never driven before.
Great experience, 458 was unbelievable, and although it hurt my wallet, I'm glad I got the £25 excess insurance even though it wasn't used.
elvismiggell said:
Wills2 said:
k15tox said:
Another thing to note is the instructors will not let you push anywhere near the limits of the car i found.
Im not claiming to be a race driver or such but i suppose there mostly designed for your 'uncle Bob' who's always wanted to drive a ferrari.
You need to go to a Palmersport event at Bedford then. Im not claiming to be a race driver or such but i suppose there mostly designed for your 'uncle Bob' who's always wanted to drive a ferrari.
Obviously if you turn up and try and make like Ken Block they will show the door, I remember getting out the Clio cups and wondering where I was and that was just the warm up.
It's a very intense experience.
jimmy156 said:
I had the opposite experience at Silverstone. The instructor told me i had "spun the wheels" coming out of the cone chicane before the pit straight, and that i needed to slow down. I'm no Jenson Button but I'm fairly certain i would feel it if i lit the tyres up on a 360!
At Thruxton however they were much more encouraging. despite being only 18 at the time (i was 22 when i did silverstone)
I did my ARDS test at Silverstone, obviously we were supposed to drive hard, but there were a few "Experience Day" Ferraris on the track dawdling along at 70-80 mph and getting in the way. I went faster than that on the drive there in my 10 year old diesel Golf!At Thruxton however they were much more encouraging. despite being only 18 at the time (i was 22 when i did silverstone)
Wills2 said:
Exactly the only limits tend to be the ones you set yourself, whilst the instrutor screams, power on! get on the power!
Obviously if you turn up and try and make like Ken Block they will show the door, I remember getting out the Clio cups and wondering where I was and that was just the warm up.
It's a very intense experience.
We started with Ariel Atoms... Need I say more? Obviously if you turn up and try and make like Ken Block they will show the door, I remember getting out the Clio cups and wondering where I was and that was just the warm up.
It's a very intense experience.
essayer said:
Ikemi said:
Has anyone crashed, or know of anyone who has crashed an experience day car?
Aren't you supervised the whole time with an instructor who has his own brake pedal? If you crash, it's his responsibility.The chap driving the car has responsibility - sod all an instructor can do except talk and make a grab for the wheel or handbrake.
I think it's a bloody cheek myself: if you're going to sell time in a fast car to totally unvetted members of the general public (beyond holding a driving licence) then you should bloody well insure the thing as you like (and probably pass the charge along in the price of the experience if you feel it necessary), not charge extra for it.
Captain Muppet said:
This is why I didn't take the job as an instructor - lots of cars don't even have a kill switch, and definitely no brake pedal.
The chap driving the car has responsibility - sod all an instructor can do except talk and make a grab for the wheel or handbrake.
Nooooooo. Really? That's what an instructor does?The chap driving the car has responsibility - sod all an instructor can do except talk and make a grab for the wheel or handbrake.
Seriously - you weren't expecting HeMan dual controls were you?
crofty1984 said:
jimmy156 said:
I had the opposite experience at Silverstone. The instructor told me i had "spun the wheels" coming out of the cone chicane before the pit straight, and that i needed to slow down. I'm no Jenson Button but I'm fairly certain i would feel it if i lit the tyres up on a 360!
At Thruxton however they were much more encouraging. despite being only 18 at the time (i was 22 when i did silverstone)
I did my ARDS test at Silverstone, obviously we were supposed to drive hard, but there were a few "Experience Day" Ferraris on the track dawdling along at 70-80 mph and getting in the way. I went faster than that on the drive there in my 10 year old diesel Golf!At Thruxton however they were much more encouraging. despite being only 18 at the time (i was 22 when i did silverstone)
Left to my own devices I would have gone round as quick in my own car as I did in the fezza.
defblade said:
I think it's a bloody cheek myself: if you're going to sell time in a fast car to totally unvetted members of the general public (beyond holding a driving licence) then you should bloody well insure the thing as you like (and probably pass the charge along in the price of the experience if you feel it necessary), not charge extra for it.
Seconded.I expect the advertised price to be the price I pay.
The way it was presented to me I didn't agree with. The experience day was a gift off the OH, and obviously I intended on spending nothing as it was a birthday present. They don't previously mention the waiver to you at any point and only kind of forced it onto me when I went to show them my license in the tent. It was all a bit 'well we've got you now'. Surely it'd make more sense to INCLUDE any relevant insurance in the fee itself, one would assume this is the most sensible thing to do. They know 99% of people won't ever need to use the extra insurance.
Couple that with £25 for a printed picture of you nursing a V8V around a "track" and you're another £50 out before you've even left. Probably more including a burger and a coffee.
I personally think my experience was a bit tame and so my view is skewered, I'd certainly like to receive some tuition while out there and encouraged to push the car and not be told what gears to use and which speeds not to exceed. I completely understand the reluctancy in letting Joe Public open the throttle on a 500 + bhp supercar when he is more suited to waddling down the middle lane of the M62 on a Wednesday evening in his diesel Zafira, but I think my expectations were a bit high.
I'm going to book another for myself soon, so I may do some more research to ensure I can find something a bit more suitable.
Edit: Echoing the comments above I am certain I would have gone faster around that track in my own car than I would have in the 'supercar'.
Couple that with £25 for a printed picture of you nursing a V8V around a "track" and you're another £50 out before you've even left. Probably more including a burger and a coffee.
I personally think my experience was a bit tame and so my view is skewered, I'd certainly like to receive some tuition while out there and encouraged to push the car and not be told what gears to use and which speeds not to exceed. I completely understand the reluctancy in letting Joe Public open the throttle on a 500 + bhp supercar when he is more suited to waddling down the middle lane of the M62 on a Wednesday evening in his diesel Zafira, but I think my expectations were a bit high.
I'm going to book another for myself soon, so I may do some more research to ensure I can find something a bit more suitable.
Edit: Echoing the comments above I am certain I would have gone faster around that track in my own car than I would have in the 'supercar'.
Captain Muppet said:
This is why I didn't take the job as an instructor - lots of cars don't even have a kill switch, and definitely no brake pedal.
The chap driving the car has responsibility - sod all an instructor can do except talk and make a grab for the wheel or handbrake.
To be fair, I do plenty of ride/drives at work and most people are billies who never get anywhere near the limit. If anyone does get near the limit it's because I feel comfortable and I'm pushing them on. The chap driving the car has responsibility - sod all an instructor can do except talk and make a grab for the wheel or handbrake.
You get the odd dicey one who tries to drive beyond their ability, but asking them to slow down is enough for anyone I've been sat next to. If someone gets the track wrong and makes a stab on the throttle heading towards a tight corner, then a quick 'OFF THE POWER' barked at them works universally.
The only truly scary ones are the ones that are dicey and too important to tell off or to listen to you, but you'd never get that on an experience day... Plus you also get the massive entertainment factor of returning the favour when you give them the full speed demo laps shortly afterwards!
Palmersport instructors on the other hand have dual controls and kill switches yet are IMHO almost universally bats
t insane. I would literally soil my shreddies sat in the passenger seat of some of the laps I've done on those days even if I knew and trusted the driver!gtdc said:
Captain Muppet said:
This is why I didn't take the job as an instructor - lots of cars don't even have a kill switch, and definitely no brake pedal.
The chap driving the car has responsibility - sod all an instructor can do except talk and make a grab for the wheel or handbrake.
Nooooooo. Really? That's what an instructor does?The chap driving the car has responsibility - sod all an instructor can do except talk and make a grab for the wheel or handbrake.
Seriously - you weren't expecting HeMan dual controls were you?
It was the chap I quoted who thought they had brakes, and brought up the "if you crash, it's his responsibility" atitiude thing that scared me off the job. I know several instructors, and I've done a bit of instructing, and mostly it's fun. But every now and then someone tries to kill you.
I can earn more money talking to people and the worst that happens is they get a bit bored. Better for everyone.
The Wookie said:
Palmersport instructors on the other hand have dual controls and kill switches yet are IMHO almost universally batst insane. I would literally soil my shreddies sat in the passenger seat of some of the laps I've done on those days even if I knew and trusted the driver!
This is what I thought too. They never bat an eyelid, even when you get really totally out of shape, and they don't mind if you're doing it on purpose either - just talk to them and tell them what your aims are. Every one I had was fantastic, and seemed very capable of gauging ability and mindset in a lap or less.t insane. I would literally soil my shreddies sat in the passenger seat of some of the laps I've done on those days even if I knew and trusted the driver!There's a point in my onboard video in the M3 where I throw it in rather sideways and you can hear the instructor whooping
The absolute brilliance of the instructors alone would clinch it, but throw in the fact that you're never going to get that sort of machinery anywhere else, never mind mixed in with all the hospitality and general super-high-gloss feel that the whole day has.. There's really no point in looking elsewhere, IMO, and I have done many others. Palmersport isn't a competitor to any "driving experience" days, it's a completely different thing and a completely different league..
Edited by McSam on Wednesday 4th April 15:42
The Wookie said:
Palmersport instructors on the other hand...are IMHO almost universally batst insane. I would literally soil my shreddies sat in the passenger seat of some of the laps I've done on those days...
This should go in big letters on the front of all their marketing material.t insane. I would literally soil my shreddies sat in the passenger seat of some of the laps I've done on those days...And so as to be none to O/T - it's cheeky. I think I'd have asked what rev/speed limits there were and if the answer was "none mate - you can go nuts out" then I'd pay, otherwise I'd tell them to shove it.
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