Supercar driving days, what do you think?

[S8QUATTRO]

Anybody else done one of these supercar driving experiences?

I've done a couple and the prices on them has really come down, was thinking of possibly doing another if there are any recommendations.

I've tried a Ferrari 355 at three sisters in Wigan, not really recommended as the track is quite small, and another with a few more cars at Prestwold Hall that was great (Noble M12 absolutely awesome machine). Any others anyone has tried? or can recommend?

Thanks

[maxdb]

I done one at Prestwold Hall and enjoyed it apart from the weather. Alot of the time I hear the instructions do not let you rev past a certain rpm and only use certain gears then you speed up a bit on each lap. However I managed to go out in a Porsche 911 and managed to give it some beans on the faster parts of the track with no problems

[Conor D]

From what I have experienced they tend to aim at people who really just want to say they'd driven cars X, Y and Z.

I think there is a PHer who is involved with one of them, and I have heard good reports about theirs. I believe it might be simonspider(?).

If you want some good seat time, and to really push the car.. I can't advise Palmersport enough.

You could do a half day for around £400, and for that you could drive their Formula Single Seater, Jaguar LM Prototype, Ariel Atom and Karts.

I accompanied a friend to a Ferrari experience at the same circuit you've been to. He went right out in a Ferrari 360, did about 3 slow laps and that was it. Cost about £100 too.

I've done Palmersport twice now (when they had the Clio and 911) and it is insane value for money.

You don't worry about wether or not they'll hold you back - you worry about wether or not you can listen to the instructor and keep pushing, even though your brain is screaming at you to slow down.

Love it!

[S8QUATTRO]

Probably the same one - they had a 911, a 360 and a 550 but they were not on my options list, I had:

Lamborghini Diablo - great sound, quite difficult to drive
Dodge Viper left hand drive - first drive in a LHD but was brutal
Noble M12 - The best car performance car I have ever driven
Lotus Exige - Quick but not for me
Jaguar XKR auto - Very quick, great sound

I think it cost about £500 at the time (few years back) but I have just seen it for well under £200 now, maybe this one again then...

[r7ehw]

Conor D said:

From what I have experienced they tend to aim at people who really just want to say they'd driven cars X, Y and Z.

I think there is a PHer who is involved with one of them, and I have heard good reports about theirs. I believe it might be simonspider(?).

If you want some good seat time, and to really push the car.. I can't advise Palmersport enough.

You could do a half day for around £400, and for that you could drive their Formula Single Seater, Jaguar LM Prototype, Ariel Atom and Karts.

I accompanied a friend to a Ferrari experience at the same circuit you've been to. He went right out in a Ferrari 360, did about 3 slow laps and that was it. Cost about £100 too.

I've done Palmersport twice now (when they had the Clio and 911) and it is insane value for money.

You don't worry about wether or not they'll hold you back - you worry about wether or not you can listen to the instructor and keep pushing, even though your brain is screaming at you to slow down.

Love it!

I did a super car experience earlier this year which was ok in that you drove 3 nice cars, but I have driven my own car on track many times, (a mini cooper S), and that is way better than getting 3 laps in a GT3 which you do not drive over 4500 revs.

NOw for the big one, I took a client on the parmer day at Bedford and it is the ultimate experience. Very expensive but in terms of value it is incredible. I got to properly power slide an XKR, spin a caterham, rev the nuts off a clio cup racer, not to mention a proper go ina single seater. Did the west circuit on 1:19 which is proper quick, albeit not necessarily for a single seater!

My advise, save your pennys, sell a kidney ad do the parmer day. There is nothing else like it.

[mx5tom]

I bought one for my younger brother (passenger lap, at least) at Bruntingthorpe in a Ferrari 430 and he loved it. I always thought it was pretty poor value for money looking at the prices of a drive, but the on-the-day prices were much lower, so I had to have a go. :P

I had a go in a F360 and have to say it was really good fun. Apart from the cheaper rate, I had a good chat with one of the instructors and contrary to the stories of being made to nurse the car around the track he kept screaming to go faster, use all the revs, etc. It was a bit cheesy and started with a blurb about the engine and its heritage, to then being in the car and him shouting "FLOOR IT! FLOOR IT! FASTER!" but it worked and I left the car shaking. :P

Plus, got a few extra laps for free because the car I wanted to have a go in (TVR... I can't remember the model) wasn't available.

As someone else said the days are very much targeted at people who just want to say they've driven a certain car, and if I hadn't already been there I would never have paid for a go. The track time is obviously very short, so seems a lot of money for the best part of a minute or so.

[Conor D]

r7ehw said:

NOw for the big one, I took a client on the parmer day at Bedford and it is the ultimate experience. Very expensive but in terms of value it is incredible. I got to properly power slide an XKR, spin a caterham, rev the nuts off a clio cup racer, not to mention a proper go ina single seater. Did the west circuit on 1:19 which is proper quick, albeit not necessarily for a single seater!

My latest included a 90mph spin in this..



Instructor congratulated me on the 360 spin, and we carried on..

[smit8361]

Conor D said:

My latest included a 90mph spin in this..



Instructor congratulated me on the 360 spin, and we carried on..

As has been said palmer sport all the way. I have been lucky enough to do experiences at a lot fo UK tracks in supercars and a few track cars. Without a doubt all have been pretty much rubbish. Slow down, don't rev to much use this gear or that etc. Some plank in a 360 stradale saying not to rev above 6000rpm it doesnt matter much not much power past 6k, all have left me feeling i have been robbed or short changed. The only one i would do again is the palmer sport day. I will never forget being told not to brake ill tell you when to brake going flat into a corner in a Jaguar Palmer car. Awesome day out, awesome cars great facilities. The best is they encourage lap times and a bit of competitive element and you get some goes filmed on a memory stick you can take home all included in the price. I even set fastest lap time of the day in an M3 out of 100 people.

[r7ehw]

smit8361 said:

As has been said palmer sport all the way. I have been lucky enough to do experiences at a lot fo UK tracks in supercars and a few track cars. Without a doubt all have been pretty much rubbish. Slow down, don't rev to much use this gear or that etc. Some plank in a 360 stradale saying not to rev above 6000rpm it doesnt matter much not much power past 6k, all have left me feeling i have been robbed or short changed. The only one i would do again is the palmer sport day. I will never forget being told not to brake ill tell you when to brake going flat into a corner in a Jaguar Palmer car. Awesome day out, awesome cars great facilities. The best is they encourage lap times and a bit of competitive element and you get some goes filmed on a memory stick you can take home all included in the price. I even set fastest lap time of the day in an M3 out of 100 people.

Well done. I got best laptime/drive in the single seater so well chuffed!

Totally agree Palmer Sport all the way. Period!

[lewisf182]

I did one with just a generic super car driving experience company and they encouraged you to press on and did not once hold me back. Had a simply amazing day and was well worth the £100 for 3 laps in 5 cars. It goes fast but well worth it for a day out.

Been seeing a lot of super car experiences up on these discount sites like groupon etc... anybody followed those through? I have the feeling that 4 laps in a ferrari for £40 you'l probably not get your monies worth.?

[greeneggsnsam]

I got one for my birthday this year, wasn't really a supercar day as it was just (!) a Caterham, but I really enjoyed it. After a lap or two the instructor was really pushing to give it as much as possible, even had me overtaking an Aston DBS at one point. The only problem is that it always flies past and you wish it could have lasted longer.

[Conor D]

greeneggsnsam said:

The only problem is that it always flies past and you wish it could have lasted longer.

Forgive me for harping on about how great Palmersport is, but I find this is an interesting part..

You do you driving in whatever car you start on (it was the Caterhams for me last year in the morning).. You get out, and allow the other people waiting to head out.

Just as you start to get that feeling of wishing it lasted longer.. Or even that it didn't end. You overhear the group leader saying where we're going next.. It could be to the M3, etc.. But in this case it was the 911/Clio, and the childish excitement instantly kicks in again.

Repeat that 6 or 7 times throughout the day, even between Breakfast and Lunch - and it is the most amazing day out.

It's nonstop, 8am breakfast right through to a Lunch at about 5 or 6pm.

[mnkiboy]

Did 6 laps in a Vantage at 3 Sisters in Wigan this weekend. Good fun but the track is a bit tight to get the best out of a supercar (not that i'd class the 380bhp Vantage as a supercar). Due to it being wet, the highest speed I saw was about 5000rpm in 3rd gear, whatever speed that is (70-80mph?).
Having never done anything like this before, it took me 2 or 3 laps before I was getting used to the car, and before you know it your time is over.
I'd love to go back and do some more, and they have special offers on for about £80 at the moment, but i've not got the money to waste.

[pilchardthecat]

I did the Atom experience at Rockingham a while back.

It was st. Three laps and they don't even let you change gear.... 4th all the way round so it was accelerating slower than the car i drove to the track in.

[DanDC5]

I did the Rally Experience at Prestwold hall a while ago, that was a really god day. Karts in the morning, few laps in a cheap crap fwd rally car on tarmac, next few laps in a polo cup car on tarmac and gravel, then a few laps in the Grp N Evo 5. Lunch, then passenger ride in the 270bhp Leon Cupra R they were using after the STI Impreza cooked it's brakes, then all the rally cars again.

Really good day, plenty of driving and the instructors just wanted to make you go faster. Plus they add a competitve element into it by splitting you into groups of 5/6 and marking you on each discipline.

[CharlieHotel]

I did the Ferrari 360 and Lamborghini Gallardo experience at 3 sisters Wigan. The track is too small to actually get to a top speed, to actually get the best out the car.
I drove the Audi R8 down in Leicestershire and probably enjoyed it more due to the track having more long stretches.
Wouldn't do a car experience day again tho. The hour or so goes too quick.

[rsv gone!]

Another thumbs-up for Palmersport. The instructors have a pedal to lift your foot OFF the brake. That shows the contrast between their priorities and practically everybody else's IMO.

[Otispunkmeyer]

Croft circuit was quite good when I went. This is before they had decent cars though. I drove a ginetta thing, cooper s, 944 turbo and Ferrari 308 I think (or
328)

Anyway they weren't too afraid of letting you give them some welly!

Gf drove a V8V at rockingham. There they shoe horn 4 of you into a Alfa hatchback to do some sighters and then you get 3-4 laps round the infield. I probably would of been a bit gutted at that but my gf really only cared about being in the Aston.

[Chicane-UK]

There seems to be a lot of snobbery around them, by people who can usually afford to buy performance / prestige cars and can therefore afford to have that sort of attitude.

For mere mortals like myself, who may never be in that position, I think they're a great way to experience cars you'll never normally get the chance to even sit in, let alone drive. I've done several now and have enjoyed every one immensely! The only thing is it's now made me want to look into hiring something like an R8 for a weekend now...

[Mr Pies]

How much is one of those palmersport days?