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| Value for Money | 8/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 10/10 |
Full review by
mabdevil
expert review 
on 11th Sep 2006
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
Good Points: Good variety of cars to drive. Not restricted by instructor. In fact, if you have ability, you are actively encouraged to push yourself. Good on-site facilities. Freelance photographer.
Bad Points: It never seems long enough in the car! Photos (not directly to do with Everyman) are quite expensive, but I guess, VFM!
General comments: 1 Day Rally 'Gold' Driving Experience booked using 'Into the Blue' vouchers, received as a combined Christmas/birthday pressie. Decided on this event at Prestwold Hall in Loughborough, as there was the option to drive a variety of cars on different surfaces. Wow! Not disappointed.
A good safety briefing before you enter the cars, and crash helmet and 'race suit' provided. You are split into 'teams', although you don't actually compete. This is done to give each person a turn at each event, with the least amount of queuing etc. You are designated an instructor for the whole day, who gives another briefing of what he expects and how it will be achieved. You then step into each of the following rally specification cars: Peugeot 206, VW Polo (straight from the rally factory) and two Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 5's! You also get the chance to drive (for a bit of fun) a reverse-steer Land Rover round a short, slalom course!
The Pug and the Polos are driven on the loose gravel stages, where you learn about drift, getting the rear end to come around, and also how to fish tail the car, user control, NOT using the brakes!
The Evos are driven on broken concrete surfaces, round a track marked with cones and painted lines. You must keep the cars inside the track, whilst travelling at speed (lots of it!!).
I would have killed myself and the instructor on the gravel stage, as we were supposed to imagine the outside of the track was a steep drop, as in the Welsh stages of the Network Q rally! I would also have destroyed the car by running into a large number of trees that would have been on the inside of the track! Fortunately, these were not really there, and there was plenty of space to run off if control was lost. Safety is paramount, while still allowing you to have fun.
You show your skills through the day, so the instructor does know just how far to push you on your last drive. Hey, I managed to get into 4th in the Evo along the straights!
Finally, you are shown just how it is done in a FAST passenger ride in a Subaru Impreza WRX STI road car. Believe me, this thing shifts and sticks to the road like its on rails! Malc (the instructor, with World Rally experience) chucked it around and shot round the course, but at no time was it out of control. Awesome display.
Overall, a top day with such a buzz, and the facilities are excellent, too. There is a diner, serving hot and cold food and drinks, and good toilet facilities. Spectators are fairly well catered for too. Although, the Health and Safety Executive have removed one of the viewing areas, so it is a little restricted. There is a freelance photographer who gets quite close to the action, and some of the shots are amazing! You can buy these at the end of the day, and the shots taken on gravel are superb.
I would recommend this day to anyone. Top class!
mabdevil's review and ratings | 567 words
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