6th Gear Ferrari Experince

[markstevieandmads]

Not sure if this thread goes here or in the Off Topic so please move if needed.

Id thought I would write a quick post on how my experience went on Wednesday.
My missus had bought me a Supercar Experience for Christmas and I had a choice when booking to drive either an Aston Martin, Lambo, Ferrari or R8.
My mate has an R8 and I thought an Aston was a bit "boring" so I ended up opting for the Ferrari (though the lambo was a close second).

I managed to book this at my local test track which is Castle Combe (approx. 30mins away).

On the day ,I arrived and booked in and was offered the optional damage waiver (£25) and I also opted for a USB stick to record the video of the drive (£35). I was told by the lady on the desk that the damage waiver is normally taken by guests and that the instructor has dual controls and can limit your enjoyment of the day as he knows from the slip you give him whether you have taken out the extra damage waiver or not (mmmmmm...not a good start im thinking).
Also you HAVE to buy a 6th gear USB stick. You cant use your own.

Anyway, having booked in I was then put in a Range Rover with 3 other Guests and we took a tour of the track with the driver saying about how to take every turn etc etc. This was one lap at about 30mph.
Obviously I did not take any of this in!

I then waited about 20-30mins before I was called in to the pit lane and taken to my Ferrari. Im pretty sure it was a Ferrari 360 though I could be wrong.

The instructor plugged in my USB and went through a quick intro of the paddle controls and how to hold the steering wheel. No 10 & 2 positions here. He said I was to steer like I was a kid....bit strange.
I then drove to a small hut that was near the entrance to have my pic taken (another £25 though I didn't opt for this as I had the video) and then on to the track.
The video will show you how I got on though I would like to point out a few things for people taking this experience,

The Ferrari seemed to be held back. I was putting my foot to the floor in some places and I was expecting a shove in the back but there was none. In fact, my standard Mr2 Turbo Rev 2 seemed it had more power! I wonder if these experience cars are limited or the guy had his foot on the brake?

I could only change gear when the instructor said and I found he was telling me to change well early to stop me giving it some. This may have something to do with my first point.

There was a lot of chicanes made on that track with cones on the straights. This , I felt, limited me on putting the hammer down" and giving it some beans as there was limited straights,

The instructor was very nice and polite. The event was well run.
I also had the option (for more money ranging from £15 - £150) to go in other cars including a hot lap (instructor driven) in a focus rs. I declined these.

It was also a good experience for me as I had never driven on a race track before. This is something I would like to get into with my own car.

So overall, it was a great day (over in about 1 1/2hrs) and a good experience though it did have some limitations.
If you think your going to be able to give a supercar a good run for its money when booking this..then think again. However, reading the description of the experience it doesn't state this.
You are not racing a supercar....only driving it.

Heres the vid....and please be aware it was my first time!

http://youtu.be/-GORCQ-VamQ

[pistol pete]

Yeah I had this
I've done track time and I was in an Aston
I was only allowed to take it to 3500 rpm
I found it a waste of time and very expensive.......

Take your own car go flat out and enjot

[Mullen]

Wow... He was letting you go faster on Hammerdown than Avon rise

And by faster I mean really rather slowly... I understand they don't want anyone stuffing it going into Quarry but still.

[Ekona]

That was painful to watch. Probably great for those people who have never been in anything quicker than a diesel Fiesta, but for anyone else... Painful.

On the upside, at least it's given you the track day bug, which is far more important

[Ben]

On the upside, at least it's given you the track day bug, which is far more important

Indeed

http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=178878

[markstevieandmads]

When I first booked it I tried a Google search to see other peeps review of the experience.

Couldn't find much on it.

So hopefully my review will show what to really expect.

And yes....good track experience. Hopefully getting a beginners day booked soon.

[JD]

I did one of these last year in a 430 after my gf bought it as a gift. I'd read up on it before and many of the experiences seemed similar to yours. I did mine down at longcross and, although the instructor wasn't nearly as restrictive as yours, I did feel like the car wasn't quite what it should have been

These days aren't catered toward enthusiasts, just targeted as a general experience :-\

[Ryan S]

maybe our expectations of supercars are just too high, I've had a go with a few things in the Mr2 and been pretty surprised, porches, ferraris etc.....I absolutely pummeled a McLaren P1 on my bike, I expected muuuuuuch more from it but no, it may as well have been a diesel fiesta, the boy was giving it the beans too!!

[Ben]

I think it depends on what you want from the day really. A lot of these 'drive a supercar' days are geared towards birthday presents etc, just so people can say they've driven a Ferrari and get a nice framed photo at the end of the day. If you want to be able to properly thrash a supercar on track it's going to cost a hell of a lot more than £99 voucher and a cheeky insurance waiver - some of the guys I work with have done corporate days at John Palmer's at Bedford and have absolutely raved about it, but it costs about £700 per person - you get to drive some pretty cool machinery though:

http://www.palmersport.com/date-availability.aspx

I recently did a skid-pan course at Silverstone which personally I think was a far better use of a hundred quid - I've never had so much fun in a Renault Megane

[Ryan S]

I've never fun in a Renault Megane not behind the wheel at least!!!

[Ben]

Well this one had eight wheels

[Ryan S]

Well this one had eight wheels

Image Replaced With URL For Quote http://i.imgur.com/SEd2Uww.jpg

hahaha, the skidpan training does look like a lot of fun!!

[gavsdavs]

John Palmer's at Bedford and have absolutely raved about it, but it costs about £700 per person - you get to drive some pretty cool machinery though

I did this recently (courtesy of Symantec). Its more like 2 grand for the day but you can drive as hard as you like....
Single seated was hard (it was damp), 2 seater jag was fkin awesome....

[markstevieandmads]

I was gonna email 6th gear and complain but to be honest they haven't misadvertised.
The only thing is I'd expect to be able to drive a supercar on a race track faster than I would drive a normal car on a motorway.

[swin]

ive done a couple of 6th gear exp at blyton park, they let you put your foot down quite a bit there, maybe it depends on circuit (blyton has loads of run off) good experience but did a single seater at silverstone this year that was great fun, by far a better buzz
20mins behind pace car then 20mins on your own just you and your right foot

[synXero]

I did six laps or sometbing in an F360 at Knockhill in Scotland.

I agree with you that the instructors hold your acceleration back. I don't think I was ever lower than 3rd gear and I was never able to redline for example. But then, if you were paying maintenance on a ferrari, would you want it being redlined all day every day? I remember the TC light coming on and cutting throttle a lot. I think it topped out about 110 on the longest of the straights there (very short really).

I wouldn't pay for the experience again as they're just so restrictive. I would be more inclined to do a single seater or aerial atom type experience. Or skid pan training.

[2mad]

I remember back in 95, chap I worked with .. the same chap that set fire to the biggest trash compacter skip i've ever seen , by flicking his fag in to it (textile factory waste) did a Ferrari track experience day ..... and .................... wrote it off .. I think these are the type of people there trying to save from their selves

[CalMac]

Nice driving Mark, even if your speed was limited! I've heard this from quite a few people - obviously they're trying to limit damage to their expensive cars (I hate to think what their insurance is like..) but I think they take the mickey a bit.. I've done quite a few driving experiences and would recommend the following:

Silverstone rally experience (Fiesta ST) - the car was really good fun, a lot quicker than expected and great to chuck around on the loose mud surface. The clutch is an absolute beast though - I stalled it about 5 times before getting anywhere The instructors are very helpful and if you just shut off your brain and do exactly as they tell you your laps will get very quick (I managed to place 2nd in a group of 16). Also you get a hot lap at the end, and these guys are pretty mental

Silverstone Westfield drifting experience (1.6 and 2.0 Duratec engines) - I never knew drifiting could be so absolutely knackering great little cars though - massively long gears so you'll spend the whole day in 2nd just spinning up the tyres constantly as you manouvre it around several cone obstacle courses. Also figure of 8's and donuts, plus the instructors were extremely competent and the day was a great laugh all in all. It was topped off by my mate leaving the carpark at the end of the day by trying to do a burnout in his MX5 in front of the rest of the group - he stalled

Chipping Norton Porsche GT3 Experience - car was fantastic, with incredible amounts of power and grip even in the torrential rain. The experience was a bit short and I wasn't given the choice of which Porsche I could drive (there was a manual GT2 which I'd initially opted to drive but they couldn't be bothered to warm it up). The instructor was ok though, he didn't mind me hooning even though I was actively trying to get the back end out pretty sure the power wasn't limited either - it felt VERY quick.

Impreza STI at Seighford, Staffordshire - paid for my then-girlfriend and I to have a blast in some Scoobies - resulted in me buying one a month later the track could do with more variation - it's basically just a big oval with a minor chicane which you can take flat out. The instructor will give you a driving report with some constrictive criticism which is quite helpful, and it was great showing up all the supercars on the track in a Scoob


One thing I've found consistently is that other patrons don't really seem to make the most of their experience. A lot of them get in a Ferrari, Lambo, Aston etc. and just potter around the track while I tend to try to really get to grips with the car from the start. If you're paying £100+ may as well drive it as intended surely?!