Lamborghini thrilled

Silverstone. The home of British motorsport. Even if you press the least motoring-inclined of the populace, the name is still recognised in a similar way to the other national sporting arenas like Wembely or Wimbledon.

I am no stranger to the motor racing circuits of the UK, but there is always something about passing through the gates at Silverstone, engine notes ringing, that makes it feel just a little bit more special somehow.

I was there on the promise of a drive around in one of Silverstone Driving Experience’s Lamborghini Gallardo sports cars, a mean-looking 500bhp Italian marvel, as part of their ‘Lamborghini Thrill Experience’. Last time I drove around Silverstone was in my own venerable Vauxhall Nova, so this represented quite a step up! Firstly though, I had to actually get to the track. I achieved this in better time than anticipated, but had limped into the venue with a broken gear linkage on my Corsa (which had made the last few miles interesting!). I decided that could be fixed later, and wandered towards the purpose-built ‘Experience’ building.

I have always been a little apprehensive of ‘Driving Experiences’, having been on some in the past where the organisers have no intention of really letting you DRIVE the car (especially when that car is a very expensive one!). Often a giveaway of this is the level of clinical detail in the buildings and the preparation of the cars in use. A few years ago I attended a Rally Experience in Yorkshire – it was a rough-and-ready venue, but the brothers running the place knew that a cheeky grin and proudly-displayed, mud-splattered Ford Escort mk2 rally cars offered that aura of “forget the paperwork, drive it like you stole it!” that today’s thrill seekers are so desperate to find. Back to Silverstone, at the entrance were parked a Renault Megane Sport and a gorgeous Lotus Exige, both clean and ready to go. The buildings were also well maintained and professionally laid out. All good things, but too often they point to an artificial experience for the punter...

...which is why I was pleasantly surprised to find a relaxed atmosphere once I was inside. I signed in, and reviewed the list of the optional extras. As well as the photography service, there was also a service to have your whole experience filmed from two onboard cameras in the car! It all looked very good and professional, the sample footage showing everything from big sports cars to little single seaters. I read through the handouts I received on sign in, but then I got distracted by the Gran Turismo 5 game set up in the corner and spent the next 10 minutes trying [failing] to impress the other customers with my gaming skills. I’ll stick to the real track I think!
We were called to the briefing room and Tim; a former Formula Ford racer took us through the basics. It was one of those gloriously awkward moments one occasionally encounters, where a room full of adults are taken back to school and made to sit through a roll call and lecture. Tim was aided by a flashy presentation to demonstrate the importance of braking and steering inputs and his briefing was very good indeed, offering simple analogies for track novices as well as helpful hints to those who had been on track before. We then moved to another building to get kitted up and see the cars for the first time.

As well as the two fierce-looking Gallardo’s, there were two Ferrari 360’s and a pair of Aston Martin Vantage’s, all pretty and polished, sat outside another clinical prefab building. More personnel, almost all of them racers themselves, greeted us and continued the relaxed atmosphere. All very impressive, but my guard was still up until I got to drive the car.

When at last it was my turn, I leapt into the car and was greeted by Ralph – another racer-turned-instructor. Ralph raced historic cars, mainly 1970’s MG cars, which I have always adored! He was friendly, and helped me get comfortable in the car. Not easy at over 6ft! “These were made for short Italian men, not lanky English blokes!” he joked. In the car I noticed a little metal plate on a hinge near the gearstick. I questioned Ralph about it, and he explained that it was to prevent me using 2nd gear on the track. “Trust me Pip, you won’t need it!”

The primed V10 grumbled as I slowly released the clutch to head for the track. At the pit exit I nailed the throttle, expecting Ralph to step in and tell me to back off. He didn’t, and I was already up into 5th gear as I arrived at the first corner. He calmly told me to brake and I cautiously pushed the pedal. Arriving at the turn-in point I launched the car at the corner and almost went straight off the track, at which point Ralph told me to back it off rather sharpish! “You race a front wheel drive car don’t you? You can’t throw these super cars around like that, you have to be super-smooth!” I begrudgingly backed off to let him guide me around the circuit, which he did in calm and simple manner. With confidence restored, I tried my best to attack the circuit on my 3-lap run – by the end I was itching for him to turn off the traction control so I could REALLY see what this beast could do!

One major thing I noticed about the car was the weight. Most of us only get to see these cars on TV, with Jeremy Clarkson driving it like a hooligan around an airfield. The Lamborghini is a heavy car, and demands respect from its driver. I expected it to be twitchy, but the four wheel drive system meant the car felt really stable at almost all times, more likely to understeer than oversteer – but maybe that was just my driving!

Following my exhilarating experience, I then grabbed one of the staff known to be “good with cars” to help me fix my Corsa. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, and pointed out what I needed to fix. Two cable ties later, and I had a temporary repair to get me home. Top job!

After collecting my photographs and chatting some more with Ralph about historic racing it was time to leave and reflect on the day. The Silverstone Driving Experience centre have done a very good job of tempering the professional look and feel required by the corporate clients, to match the enthusiasm and easy-going nature of the regular customers. The relaxed instruction and willingness to allow punters to thrash their expensive cars make the build up more impressive, as so often the case is that you get one without the other. I only wish I had more laps, but they could have given me 30 laps and I would probably still say the same thing!

A handy hint for anyone attending an experience like this; there are ALWAYS cancellations and empty slots, which the company will then make available at half price. So if you attend with a friend, or find you want another go, you should be able to get a cheap deal on the day! Pip Hammond

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