I’ve always wanted to drive a supercar around a race track, and as a gift for our 1st wedding anniversary my wife bought a Groupon deal with a company called ‘Supercar Lifestyle‘ where I had the chance to drive 3 cars in an afternoon, as well as being driven for a hot lap in an Ariel Atom.

So on Tuesday afternoon we set off to Blyton Park Driving Centre near Scunthorpe for one of the best afternoons I’ve ever had. Whilst driving there the company rang to say that my afternoon had been cancelled due to unforseen circumstances, fortunately I didn’t answer my phone as I was driving. The problem was that one of their cars had broken down in the morning which had led to massive queues for the remaining cars. Thankfully they still had a Ferrari 360 available. Those of us who turned up for the afternoon were given the option of more laps in lesser cars (term used very loosely), re-booking or (the option I chose) to do a few laps in the lesser cars and hang around to see if the Ferrari became available. If I didn’t get to go in it I could re-book for a future session. Excellent customer servce!

Circuit Map

The cars I opted to drive were the TVR 350T, Jaguar XKR and Ferrari 360. Each car came with an instructor to guide you around the course. Prior to going in the first car I was taken around the circuit with an instructor giving guidance on how best to attack it. Simple instructions ‘Forget all you know about driving and listen to the instructor’. Easy enough instructions to follow.

TVR 350T

First up was the TVR 350T, an old car that had not electronic aids at all. It was me doing the driving as opposed to a fancy computer. The clutch was a little tricky to get the hang of at first, but by the final lap I was comfortable with it. The noise from the 3.6litre 350bhp engine was incredible.

Jaguar XKR

Next was the Jaguar XKR which was a lot easier to drive than the TVR, mainly due to the electronic aids that it has. It was just like driving my normal car but with more power and comfort. It was also the first time that I have driven a car with a ‘flappy paddle gearbox’ and it was unbelievably easy to use.

Ferrari 360

Finally I got the chance to fulfil a dream and drive a Ferrari…fast. The 360 wasn’t as powerful as the XKR (400bhp vs 510bhp) but the noise and delivery of the power was staggering. When the power kicked in it was like being punched in the back of the head. At first it was a little tricky accelerating in a straight line and changing gear as the back end seemed a little twitchy on the greasy track, but the instructor was fantastic and guided me around the course perfectly. By the end of the 2nd lap I was really getting a feel for it, just a shame I couldn’t go on for longer!

The Ariel Atom was something else entirely. I think the best way to describe it is a go-kart with a jet engine on the back. Ex-F1 driver Mike Wilds was the driver and the difference compared to driving the cars myself to being driven by a professional is staggering. The speed of the gear changes was just incredible and the rate at which the Atom changed direction was unbelievable.

If you have any sort of interest in cars/motor sport and you get the opportunity to do something like this in the future make sure that you take it!