InGear's inaugural track day for readers got off to a roaring start last week at Silverstone, the home of British motor sports.
The event, which was hosted by Vicki Butler-Henderson, the racing driver and television presenter, attracted 40 participants, including newcomers and seasoned track-day fans. For some it was a first experience of driving on a grand prix circuit. For others it was a great opportunity to floor the throttle in their prized Porsche, Ferrari or Audi R8, or to receive one-to-one tuition from Silverstone's instructors.
Paul Miles, 48, a car dealer from Bracknell, Berkshire, took the chance to let his Renaultsport R26R off the leash. "I wouldn't be able to drive it to its full potential on the public roads so this was a great opportunity for me," he said. "The weather - which was wet - just made it all the more exciting."
Drivers took their cars out on the Grand Prix circuit - rather than Silverstone's shorter National track. "I have driven at Silverstone before but never on the full circuit," said David Gadsby, 41, the managing director of an engineering firm in Cambridgeshire.
"That was the big difference. To be able to drive the same track as Formula One drivers was phenomenal. And the hospitality and organisation were exceptional too. Really it should have been a £500-£600 day."
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The Sunday Times track event was designed to enable readers to mix a day of high-octane fun with conviviality in Silverstone's off-track facilities. The cost was kept low - £199 - to encourage people who would never normally participate in such events.
Steve Deeks, Silverstone's chief instructor on the day, said the 3.2-mile Grand Prix circuit, with its 14 named corners, was a tough challenge. Woodcote - dubbed "Silverstone's most expensive bend" because of the number of crashes there - as well as Stowe Corner, where Michael Schumacher crashed and broke his leg when his rear brake failed at 191mph during the 1999 British Grand Prix, were hazards for the unwary but there were no serious scrapes.
"As the day went on I could see how people's racing lines were improving, and they were having great fun too," said Deeks.
He was also impressed with the willingness of the drivers to make the most of his expertise. "On a typical track day the male ego prevents people admitting that they need instruction. But on this day more people opted for instruction, which would imply an intelligent approach I don't see on every track day. I suspect that's because it was a Sunday Times event."
The day included complimentary breakfast and lunch in the prestigious British Racing Drivers' Club clubhouse. Peter Grant, a seasoned track-day enthusiast from Marlborough, Wiltshire, was impressed by the good value of the event. "At similar track days you'd get a sausage roll while standing in the cold - and you wouldn't get nearly as much track time," he said between runs around the circuit in his 1963 Austin Healey 3000.
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Butler-Henderson conducted her own class in driving, giving participants a lift round the circuit in their cars. "It would be immodest to say the men were impressed but I think one or two were surprised. I didn't tell them that I used to be an instructor at Silverstone," she said.
To get your chance to join the next Sunday Times track day ... watch this space and check out our website at ingear-driversclub.com.