Buyers Guide to Supercar Driving Experiences
If you’re looking through our huge range of supercar experiences and feeling slightly bamboozled by all the options, this Buyer’s Guide should help simplify the options.
Supercar driving days are amongst the most popular experiences on our website and it’s easy to see why. There’s nothing quite like the astounding acceleration and amazing roar from the engine of a supercar as it powers around a track at high speed. With our Supercar Driving Days these dreams become reality as you sit behind the wheel of some of the world’s most famous and expensive cars!
When choosing one for a friend or loved one there are a few things to consider:-
- Budget – how much do you want to spend
- One car, two cars, three cars, or more – does the person you are buying for love one car in particular or would they go weak at the knees at the prospect of driving two, three or more supercars
- Location – some people want to drive at internationally famous race tracks like Silverstone and Brands Hatch whereas others simply want to do the experience somewhere convenient for them, with minimal travelling time.
- Restrictions – different venues have different requirements and restrictions, some of which may rule those locations out as possibilities
Let’s tackle each one of these in turn.
Budget
How much you want to spend will decide everything. The prices of our experiences depend on how valuable the cars are (i.e. how much it costs the track to buy/hire them in the first place), how many cars are included in the experience, how prestigious the venue is and whether you can do it at weekends or only on specific weekdays.
The Lamborghini Gallardo, Aston Martin and Audi R8 are the most prestigious, followed by Porsche’s and unusual, but not necessarily that exclusive, vehicles like the Ariel Atom.
Weekdays are less popular as these are less convenient for us working folk, so the venues will sell these for less to fill the dates. Silverstone and Brands Hatch are the most prestigious venues with amazing facilities and legendary race tracks that are internationally renowned, which makes them more expensive options. Less famous venues such as Prestwold Hall offer excellent facilities and a challenging circuit, whereas places like Chobham and Elvington offer the minimum facilities required to operate the experience. The facilities or the prestige of the track may be important for some people, but for most it’s the cars that are the star and that’s all that matters. The lesser venues generally offer far better value for money in terms of the actual driving experience.
£50-£100
For around £75 you can get behind the wheel of one supercar such as an Audi R8, on a package that is only available on weekdays only and includes around 6 miles of driving. Usually, the lower priced experiences include the least amount of driving and have more restrictions in terms of when you can do them, although most provide the option for the voucher holder to upgrade to a weekend date for a small fee payable directly to track (usually about £25).
We call the lower priced experiences ‘tasters’ because they are intended as just that, a taste of driving one of these amazing cars, which should be sufficient for anyone who has always dreamed of driving a supercar at high speed.
£100-£200
Around the £100 mark you will usually find one car experiences that run at weekends as well as weekdays and possibly at major race circuits.
As we move up towards £200 we start to see two and three car experiences. Again the better value experiences are those with weekday restrictions but these can be exceptional value as you’ll be able to drive three of the most expensive cars on the road today if you can make a week day date.
Generally you’ll cover around 6 miles in each car so the multi-car experiences work out as better value than doing several of the individual driving experiences.
£200+
As the price goes up availability is less restricted, more cars are involved and more driving time is included. Some packages include single seater racing cars and other super fast sports cars to add to the variety and enjoyment of the day.
At the top end we have full day experiences with more cars, more laps and more driving time. These are for real petrol heads who want to completely immerse themselves in everything on four wheels.
One car, two cars, three or more
If you’re happy to spend a bit more and you know the person you are buying for would be over the moon to be given the chance to drive a selection of cars then it’s just a matter of which cars they will most like to drive.
We have a range of choice vouchers that allow the voucher holder to decide themselves which cars they would like to drive from a list of options. Choice vouchers are incredibly popular because you sidestep the decision and your recipient gets the exciting and difficult task of choosing which cars to drive. For example, our Treble Supercar Experience gives you a choice of three cars from seven that are available at various locations.
Location, Location, Location
For some, the location of their supercar driving experience is everything. It has to be at a major race track or it has to be near to where they live. If a prestigious race track is the order of the day then they’ll have to be prepared to travel, and for most that is no problem if it means they’ll be able to follow in the wheel tracks of their racing heroes.
All of our tracks are tried, tested and loved by our participants but here are a few highlights from our most popular tracks:
Silverstone gives you the chance to recreate the magic of your favourite Formula 1 drivers on this famous Northamptonshire Grand Prix track. Hammering it down Hangar Straight or braking into Becketts Corner is a favoured choice by our customers.
Brands Hatch, a historic Kent track, is another popular choice for its’ variety and notoriety. With the challenging Druids Corner and Brabham Straight, your driving skills will be put to the test here.
Chobham, the Surrey location, is a popular choice in the South East. Located at an airfield, this 2 mile track has the straights and bends to make for a thrilling drive.
Elvington, near York, is a perfect airfield venue for supercar novices. With some serious straights it’s a great chance to gather some serious speed.
There’s even more locations to choose from – Kenilworth and Stratford in Warwickshire, Prestwold Hall in Leicestershire, Thruxton in Hampshire, Rockingham in Northamptonshire and Three Sisters in Lancashire to name but a few. We’ll be adding more and more information to this page about our locations as time goes by.
Many locations offer ‘action photos’ of you as your zoom your way around the track. This gives you the opportunity to buy stunning action shots of you behind the wheel, taken by professional photographers strategically positioned around the track!
Restrictions
All of the experiences have certain height, weight, age and driving license requirements. These are stipulated on the experience descriptions so check them carefully.
Generally, the bigger venues such as Silverstone, Rockingham, Brands Hatch, Thruxton, Oulton Park, etc. are more restrictive than other venues and will require drivers to be 21 or over, have a full and relatively clean UK driving license held for several years. Other venues can accommodate drivers down to 17 years old and some even offer Junior Driving experiences for under 17’s.
Height and weight restrictions are all about getting you into the vehicles comfortably. Some of the cars have, for safety reasons, bucket seats and minimal adjustment of the seats which limits the range of people who can drive the cars comfortably. The restrictions are usually a guide (if you’re an inch taller or a few pounds over on the weight it’s unlikely to make a difference to your experience compared to someone an inch shorter or marginally lighter). The restrictions are based on the operator’s experience of the sort of person who can normally comfortably fit into the cars.
Although descriptions often state a UK driving license is required, overseas drivers who can legally drive a manual car on UK roads are also acceptable.
What else do I need to consider?
Type of Car
As mentioned earlier, the choice of car can be a very personal thing so choosing for someone else is a weighty responsibility, so Supercar Choice vouchers get round this problem brilliantly, leaving the recipient to choose.
As a guide, the cars generally available are:-
- Lamborghini
Most experiences include the Gallardo although we have a few with the Murcielago. More details about these cars can be found in the Buyers Guide on our Lamborghini Driving page.
- Aston Martin
Mostly the DB9 and Vantage although we have some experiences that include classics, the DBS, Volante and so on. More details are available in our Aston Martin Driving Buyers Guide.
- Ferrari
Mainly the 360 and 430 but you can also drive a 458, 550, 575, 355 or classic 308QV. More details about the various types of Ferrari included in our experiences is available in the Ferrari Driving Buyers Guide.
- Audi R8
The Audi R8 is the sister of the Lamborghini Gallardo and shares many of the nuts and bolts, but it is definitely not a Lambo with an Audi badge. This is a stunningly beautiful car with more refined and car-like handling making it a more friendly car to drive than the immediate and more sporty feel of the Gallardo, but no less engaging.
- Porsche
The Porsche model numbering system has mystified people for generations. We all know where we are with a Porsche Boxster or Cayman, but 996, 997, 911, 911 Turbo, GT2, GT3....which is which, and which is best. Our Porsche Driving Buyers Guide attempts to clear the mist surrounding this, the most frequently asked question involving the word ‘Porsche’!
- Nissan GTR
As with most Japanese supercars, this car is all about speed. It doesn’t hold the prestige but it certainly goes. A less popular choice with customers but still a heck of fast car and enormous fun to drive.
- Ariel Atom
The Ariel Atom is in our supercar section but it’s not really a supercar. It is, however, phenomenally quick! With go-kart like handling and break neck acceleration this open top car with no windscreen to mention will rip your face apart and embed flies into your skull so deep you’ll need another Ariel Atom to extract them. For some reason our customers are not going mad for the mighty Atom but we think that’s just because they haven’t been in one yet!
What do supercar experiences normally involve?
A typical supercar ‘thrill’ or ‘taster’ experience normally starts with a classroom-style briefing, followed by a spin around the track with an instructor in the driver’s seat to familiarise you with the track, braking points, apexes and racing lines. Then it’s your turn for some high-octane laps behind the wheel of your chosen supercar. The experience is wrapped up by a certificate presentation.
The more expensive packages take a similar form but include more cars or more driving time, or both! The format is usually the same – safety briefing, familiarisation laps, you drive, debrief and certificate presentation.
Some packages also include a high speed passenger ride so you can see how you should have done it! This is a great addition to the day and tops it off nicely. At many venues it is also possible to pay for high speed rides on the day.
Can my friends come and watch?
Yes of course! Spectators are welcome to watch the action from designated areas at most locations. At many tracks there are food and drink facilities so that your friends and family can enjoy the day out too. In fact, there are often mini-experiences that they can pay for on the day like high-speed supercar passenger laps.
Encouraging your friends and family can even add to the experience! Many tracks will let you have your photograph taken in the pit lane, as your settle into the hot seat of your chosen supercar.
Our Verdict
You really can’t go far wrong with our supercar driving experiences. The cars available are the sort that most of us rarely even see on the roads day to day, never mind drive. To get into a Lamborghini, Audi R8, Porsche or Ferrari knowing you are going to be driving it in a few seconds at high speed on a race track is a phenomenal feeling for anyone into cars and motorsport.
Our range is tailored to appeal to all budgets and tastes, with locations in most parts of the nation making them accessible for the majority of the population, including a choice of some of the most famous race tracks in the UK and indeed the world.
We regularly see the faces of people getting in and out of supercars and their expressions are priceless! There are very few things in life that make people smile and stay in the memory as much as a high speed drive in a supercar.
Location Information
Midlands: Derbyshire (Castle Donington -
Donington Park), Leicestershire (Kirkby Mallory, Kirkby Mallory -
Mallory Park, Loughborough -
Prestwold Hall, Lutterworth -
Bruntingthorpe), Lincolnshire (Gainsborough - Blyton), Northamptonshire (Corby -
Rockingham, Towcester -
Silverstone), Staffordshire (Seighford), Warwickshire (Kenilworth, Kenilworth -
Prodrive Test Facility, Stratford-upon-Avon - Long Marston)
North East: North Yorkshire (York -
Elvington)
North West: Lancashire (Wigan, Wigan -
Three Sisters)
South East: Hampshire (Andover -
Thruxton), Kent (Canterbury, Lydden ), Oxfordshire (Chipping Norton - Enstone, Chipping Norton - Great Tew, Upper Heyford - Heyford Park), Surrey (Chertsey, Chobham - Longcross, Cranleigh), West Sussex (Chichester -
Goodwood)
Wales: Glamorganshire (Llandow)
|
