Five Super Car Experience at Everyman Racing – The Verdict

Now I don’t know about you, but I have always heard mixed reviews when it comes to these experience days. The general consensus always seems to be that they are alright, and that’s about it. I received the day out as a present, it would have been rude not to attend.

Booking the day out was simple, activate the code on the voucher you are given and then book a slot with any of the listed tracks available. I chose Everyman Racing at Pretswold Driving Centre in Leicestershire, they had the cars I wanted, and they were the closest too.

It is worth noting that there are plenty of other tracks to attend, and a decent choice of cars to choose from. (Depending on the package you were given of course).

First impressions on the day were nothing to frown at; a good handful of super cars casually whisking their way past and the unmistakable howl of a Huracan sprinting down the home straight is sheer aural pleasure.

Making my way into the main office to register I was confronted with a disclaimer, which essentially notes all the typical red tape faff that covers their rear ends if you end up causing a disgustingly expensive pile up within the safe area.

One thing that did come as a surprise was the insurance. They wanted £25 of her Majesty’s finest sterling to insure one car. That number climbed to £50 if I wanted to insure all five of the cars I would be driving. They were also quick to tell me that if I did crash without the added insurance, then I was liable to pay an excess of £5000, ouch!

No matter though, I proceeded and got myself registered. Everyone was given an itinerary of which cars they will be driving and at what time, it was easy to understand.

Immediately after registration I found myself in a safety briefing, which covers all the basics, such as how to corner and how attempting to drive like Ayrton Senna is very naughty. The briefing itself lasts about 20 minutes and had me contemplating suicide on numerous occasions.

The layout of the safe area is clear. They have coloured flags that correspond to a specific car, wait at the appropriate one as noted on your itinerary and one of the staff will come and get you.

The instructors were a friendly group of people, with plenty of chit chat exchanged about previous experiences behind the wheel. One thing I will mention is that some of them were more lenient than others. For example, one of the instructors wouldn’t allow me to climb the rev range at all, whilst another was more than happy to let me red line an Audi R8 and go flat out through a minor corner, blatantly ignoring the ‘brake’ sign.

So even though you may be more excited to drive a specific car above all the others on your list, you might not enjoy it as much as you could because the instructor is a bit of a Buzz Killington sort of chap. It’s all luck of the draw.

Out of all the cars that are available I would definitely say I was disappointed with my outing in the Ariel Atom. No one was allowed out of sixth gear whilst on track (Understandable, they aren’t for the faint-hearted) and even at low speeds there was under steer due to the awful tyres they had decided to fit (Not that you would be able to get heat into good ones at that speed anyway). Pick another car, you will enjoy it more.

All cars done and dusted it was now time for a high speed passenger ride in a Vauxhall Monaro VXR. This I was looking forward to. It didn’t disappoint, the car was driven by an absolute mad man. It was genuinely immense fun. One thing to note is that it costs £10 to bring an extra passenger, but if you have no friends like me then it was free! (It was included in my gift; this may differ for others, double check before-hand).

On the final corner there is a photographer so be prepared to strike a pose. For one photo it was £25, I politely declined that one as I am sure some of you will understand.

They also film each outing using cameras in the car; you can then purchase the video from the main office. I believe the filming for each drive is £35 (This may differ by location). I was more than happy to reminisce my time on track through my memory on this occasion though.

The facilities themselves were average to put it bluntly. The toilets were about as inviting as Susan Boyle covered in Cadbury’s finest, and the food at the café was more overpriced than fuel in London.

All in all, as a car nut I can honestly say that it was a fantastic day out. I feel negative reviews come from those who weren’t able to thrash the cars into the ground. Yet the clue is in the name, all of it is an experience, and a genuinely enjoyable one at that.

The team on the day were both excellent and friendly, and it was amazing to get behind the wheel of several stunning vehicles within the space of six hours. Just keep an eye on the extra costs such as insurance, and you will have a day out to remember.