Red letter days ferrari experience.
Discussion
Hi guys,
Only just joined the site.
I have recently been given a red letter days voucher for my birthday and have decided to do the Ferrari track experience. I think its a briefing and a few demo laps etc then a few laps behind the wheel of a Ferrari 360. Anyone done this?
For an extra £15 i can go to Silverstone to do this and drive part of the F1 circuit, worth it?
Thoughts and opinions welcome.
Cheers
Nick
Only just joined the site.
I have recently been given a red letter days voucher for my birthday and have decided to do the Ferrari track experience. I think its a briefing and a few demo laps etc then a few laps behind the wheel of a Ferrari 360. Anyone done this?
For an extra £15 i can go to Silverstone to do this and drive part of the F1 circuit, worth it?
Thoughts and opinions welcome.
Cheers
Nick
Got bought one of these for Christmas, so my Brother and I are off to Donington next Wednesday to do it. Will let you know what it's like, not expecting much more than a lightly spirited waft around the track, but it's likely to be the only way I'm going to get to drive a Ferrari for the forseeable future.
As mentioned above, did this yesterday and thought I'd share my experience. It's a day where they pack you in and get you round as quickly as possible before shuffling the next 30 punters in.
You're taken round for a couple of sighting laps with an instructor driving a Mini or similar, then you jump into the next available Ferrari when they call your name, I got put into a manual 360 and my Brother got one with the paddles. Your experience will then vary depending on the instructor, I was allowed to take it up to the rev limit and was encouraged the whole way round, whereas my Brother kept getting told to shift up at 4000rpm.
There will be plenty of other people out on track in other cars, most of them driving around like they're going to the shops, whereas I just wanted to enjoy the circuit and push the car for the short time I was alotted. Donington itself was fantastic and I can't wait to go back on the bike, the car was good fun, but the traction control kicked in rather a lot and it was bogging down through the corners, sapping power when you just wanted drive.
The three laps were over all too quickly and I'm glad my Mum managed to get an upgrade on the experience she paid for as I'd have been disappointed if she'd paid the £99 RLD advertise the experience at.
I believe you get the chance to change the experience and they had single seater cars going round who got 7 laps to our 3, given the choice I'd have taken one of those on the day as I can imagine it would be a better experience, especially as you've not got the possibility of an instructor reigning you in all the time.
You're taken round for a couple of sighting laps with an instructor driving a Mini or similar, then you jump into the next available Ferrari when they call your name, I got put into a manual 360 and my Brother got one with the paddles. Your experience will then vary depending on the instructor, I was allowed to take it up to the rev limit and was encouraged the whole way round, whereas my Brother kept getting told to shift up at 4000rpm.
There will be plenty of other people out on track in other cars, most of them driving around like they're going to the shops, whereas I just wanted to enjoy the circuit and push the car for the short time I was alotted. Donington itself was fantastic and I can't wait to go back on the bike, the car was good fun, but the traction control kicked in rather a lot and it was bogging down through the corners, sapping power when you just wanted drive.
The three laps were over all too quickly and I'm glad my Mum managed to get an upgrade on the experience she paid for as I'd have been disappointed if she'd paid the £99 RLD advertise the experience at.
I believe you get the chance to change the experience and they had single seater cars going round who got 7 laps to our 3, given the choice I'd have taken one of those on the day as I can imagine it would be a better experience, especially as you've not got the possibility of an instructor reigning you in all the time.
I bought my wife a "supercar experience" for her birthday at Thruxton.
After a briefing, over a couple of hours she worked her way through a mazda 3, a Porsche Cayman, a Ferrari 355 and a 911 turbo doing what seemed to be no more than 3-4 laps in each - just enough for you to get used to the car and track, then stop!
It was a bit of a production line of getting people through as quickly as possible and you weren't allowed to push the cars too much.
As an experience of sitting in and driving some exotic cars, it's great. To improve your driving skills it's not so great.
PalmerSport sounds like a proper driving day out.
After a briefing, over a couple of hours she worked her way through a mazda 3, a Porsche Cayman, a Ferrari 355 and a 911 turbo doing what seemed to be no more than 3-4 laps in each - just enough for you to get used to the car and track, then stop!
It was a bit of a production line of getting people through as quickly as possible and you weren't allowed to push the cars too much.
As an experience of sitting in and driving some exotic cars, it's great. To improve your driving skills it's not so great.
PalmerSport sounds like a proper driving day out.
prand said:
I bought my wife a "supercar experience" for her birthday at Thruxton.
After a briefing, over a couple of hours she worked her way through a mazda 3, a Porsche Cayman, a Ferrari 355 and a 911 turbo doing what seemed to be no more than 3-4 laps in each - just enough for you to get used to the car and track, then stop!
It was a bit of a production line of getting people through as quickly as possible and you weren't allowed to push the cars too much.
As an experience of sitting in and driving some exotic cars, it's great. To improve your driving skills it's not so great.
PalmerSport sounds like a proper driving day out.
The clue is in the name - it's a driving experience not racing school/driver coaching/performance driving lesson.After a briefing, over a couple of hours she worked her way through a mazda 3, a Porsche Cayman, a Ferrari 355 and a 911 turbo doing what seemed to be no more than 3-4 laps in each - just enough for you to get used to the car and track, then stop!
It was a bit of a production line of getting people through as quickly as possible and you weren't allowed to push the cars too much.
As an experience of sitting in and driving some exotic cars, it's great. To improve your driving skills it's not so great.
PalmerSport sounds like a proper driving day out.
We get these posts all the time, so here's a simple two-step plan so you're not disappointed:
1. Don't book through an agency (RLD, Buyagift, Virginexperiencedays, etc. etc.) go direct to the circuit you fancy and book direct with them. They will also explain to you before you book exactly what you'll be doing on the day, so no false expectations.
2. Guess what? Supercars, petrol, insurance, instructors etc. all cost a lot of money (well, apart from the instructors maybe as they are paid a pittance usually).
So if you were letting someone you had never met before, who had probably never driven on a circuit, drive your nice new Ferrari/Lambo/Porsche etc., would you be happy for them to take it to the redline in every gear and approach each corner as though they were going for an overtake on Vettel into the Rettifilio Chicane? No, of course you wouldn't, so why on earth do you expect driving experiences to?
It's a "driving experience". There are plenty of race and rally schools out there if that's what you want, but don't confuse the them and don't expect anything which involves driving a supercar to come cheap.
Steve Evil said:
Got bought one of these for Christmas, so my Brother and I are off to Donington next Wednesday to do it. Will let you know what it's like, not expecting much more than a lightly spirited waft around the track, but it's likely to be the only way I'm going to get to drive a Ferrari for the forseeable future.
You are going with right attitude 
The people that spend £99 and expect all day screaming around a track wheel to wheel are way off mark and go home dissapointed.
Palmersport is the ONLY way forward in my opinion and experince. Going for my 14th time on Tuesday
I own an F430spider and reguarly track it... Palmersport is FAR FAR better and works out cheaper in my experience! its amazing value.
I have a mate , thats on PH that did a Lamboghini Day at Croft. As others have said though , its very dependant on the instructor you have.
My mate had 3 sighting laps in a 2010 Mazda 3 MPS to learn the track , then he drove a Porsche Cayman , then on to the Lamborghini LP670-4 SV , then a Ginetta
He could red-line the Porsche (i think) but could only take the Lambo up to 4k before being told to change gear. He was still doing over a ton on the start/finish line though in all the cars , passing many other supercars in the process.
The other cars there at Croft were a R8 , Aston Martin V8V Roadster , Ferrari 355 , and the Orange Shouty Car my mate drove.
Whatever you decide to do with your package , pay the £25 or so and get the proper shots from them. You can take them from the spectator area's but most people dont have the zoom they have , and in my mates case you could see his face , and a rather serious driving face in his case
, and the shots were high quality. I know there will be people that disagree with me on that buts IMO its worth it.
Welcome to PH
My mate had 3 sighting laps in a 2010 Mazda 3 MPS to learn the track , then he drove a Porsche Cayman , then on to the Lamborghini LP670-4 SV , then a Ginetta
He could red-line the Porsche (i think) but could only take the Lambo up to 4k before being told to change gear. He was still doing over a ton on the start/finish line though in all the cars , passing many other supercars in the process.
The other cars there at Croft were a R8 , Aston Martin V8V Roadster , Ferrari 355 , and the Orange Shouty Car my mate drove.
Whatever you decide to do with your package , pay the £25 or so and get the proper shots from them. You can take them from the spectator area's but most people dont have the zoom they have , and in my mates case you could see his face , and a rather serious driving face in his case
, and the shots were high quality. I know there will be people that disagree with me on that buts IMO its worth it.Welcome to PH
Lets Torque said:
I have a mate , thats on PH that did a Lamboghini Day at Croft. As others have said though , its very dependant on the instructor you have.
My mate had 3 sighting laps in a 2010 Mazda 3 MPS to learn the track , then he drove a Porsche Cayman , then on to the Lamborghini LP670-4 SV , then a Ginetta
He could red-line the Porsche (i think) but could only take the Lambo up to 4k before being told to change gear. He was still doing over a ton on the start/finish line though in all the cars , passing many other supercars in the process.
The other cars there at Croft were a R8 , Aston Martin V8V Roadster , Ferrari 355 , and the Orange Shouty Car my mate drove.
Whatever you decide to do with your package , pay the £25 or so and get the proper shots from them. You can take them from the spectator area's but most people dont have the zoom they have , and in my mates case you could see his face , and a rather serious driving face in his case , and the shots were high quality. I know there will be people that disagree with me on that buts IMO its worth it.
Welcome to PH
I dug some of the photo's from my mates Experience Day.My mate had 3 sighting laps in a 2010 Mazda 3 MPS to learn the track , then he drove a Porsche Cayman , then on to the Lamborghini LP670-4 SV , then a Ginetta
He could red-line the Porsche (i think) but could only take the Lambo up to 4k before being told to change gear. He was still doing over a ton on the start/finish line though in all the cars , passing many other supercars in the process.
The other cars there at Croft were a R8 , Aston Martin V8V Roadster , Ferrari 355 , and the Orange Shouty Car my mate drove.
Whatever you decide to do with your package , pay the £25 or so and get the proper shots from them. You can take them from the spectator area's but most people dont have the zoom they have , and in my mates case you could see his face , and a rather serious driving face in his case
, and the shots were high quality. I know there will be people that disagree with me on that buts IMO its worth it.Welcome to PH
The Lamborghini LP670-4 SV.
Mazda 3 MPS.
Porsche Cayman.
Ginetta.
Ferrari 355.
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