Arriving in plenty of time allowed is the opportunity to have a quick look in the GPR racewear shop & check out some of cars that were testing on the main circuit, before heading to the Silverstone Experience Centre to sign in & then sit the drivers briefing. I'd be out on track with 11 other drivers, & the circuit instructor did a good job of talking is through everything from the format of the event, to the circuit, driving techniques & the cars themselves. We were shown a couple of short videos & then after a quick Q & A we headed over to the Stowe pits complex. Here we were introduced to our cars (I drew no.8, in Orange & White) & made comfortable within the tight confines of the cockpit as the track staff busied around, tightening belts & checking everyone was ready to go. I must say that with all the activity going on, along with the friends & family of the participants taking photos, it did feel a little like being on the grid at the start of a Grand Prix, able it on a much smaller scale.
Eventually the pitlane cleared, & the 12 of us were left to fire up our engines (flick the fuel pimp switch, press the starter button) & head to the end of the pitlane. The cars were fitted with a 4 speed H-pattern racing gearbox which require only a flick of the wrist to operate, combine with a traditional 3-pedal set-up as you'd find in a normal road car. Although we'd been told during the briefing to be positive with our inputs, the car in front of me insisted on bunny-hopping along the pitlane, & I must say I stalled behind him as we waited to make our way on to the track. Thankfully there was no complicated start-up routine, & with a clunk of the gear lever, I was on my way!
The first 20 minute session would see all the drivers circulating under 'Safety Car' conditions, with small groups of cars following a RenaultSport Clio, which gradually increased it's pace lap by lap, on order for us to get used to the cars & the circuit. It was clear that even at these low speeds, the single seater cars could probably leave the Clio for dead on a circuit- and I was desperate to get going without the restriction of less-confident driver ahead of me. Before long we were back in the pits, before being sent on our way again- this time without the Safety Car & the opportunity to push as hard as we felt comfortable. Now, during the briefing, it was explicitly stated that we were to not exceed 5000 rpm in 4th gear, to only overtake on the left (on the straights, not in corners, only after the lead driver was shown a blue flag) & to generally give the other drivers plenty of space. But more on this in a moment..
I havnt driven anything like the Silverstone single seater for a few years, but I felt I was quickly up to speed- & before long I found myself out in front & starting to find the limits of traction through some of the tighter corners. Because of the revs limit, I was able to get up to between 85-90 mph on the main straight, but in too gear I was already going into the 'red zone' on the rev counter, with the green 'change-up' light glowing on the dashboard behind the minuscule steering wheel. A couple of laps later though, I was passed like a sitting duck on the straight as one of the other drivers came flying past me, either oblivious or ignorant to the rules set out by the instructor. Expecting the driver to perhaps be pulled in, I continued at my own pace, matching the car ahead in the corners but dropping back on the straights as he put several car lengths on me. A few laps later, another car was weaving around behind me, again through the chicane & the slower hairpins- almost intent on having an accident before trying to pass me through the corner leading on to the main straight. As frustrating as I found this, I refused to let the red-most descend & with a wave on my hand I let him pass. I then recalled two of the drivers being a bit 'chummy' & competitive during the briefing, so I guess I wasn't surprised to find a couple of drivers out on track acting in that manner. I guess it's the same as at the kart track, when you sit through a safety briefing covering lights & flags etc before you get that one driver who ignores everything & just does things his own way. Never mind, I'll know for next time..
Before long, our session in the cars was up & we were recalled to the pitlane. It was huge grins all around as the helmets came off & stories were shared with friends & family. My long-suffering girlfriend Fiona joined me having been on photography duty on top of the pit building. After a quick de-brief, we were on our way home, arms still pumped from the experience & brains still at racing speed- I only hope some of the others were better at following the rules of the road than they were the rules of the track ;-)
Overall, I had a great time at the Silverstone single-seater experience. Is it good value for money? Well, I think thats subjective. For me, you get what you pay for, & at Silverstone the whole event ran smoothly & was very well put together. For other people, well- if you dont try it you wont know if you like it! Would I do it again? In an instant!
For more information on the driving experiences available at Silverstone, please visit their website
http://www.silverstone.co.uk/experiences/
See you at the track soon!
Ben
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