Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: YZ250 on 24 April 2012, 14:24:39
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As part of my recent birthday present my son and daughter bought me a Silverstone Choice voucher. You get to choose to drive either a Ferrari, an Aston Martin, a single seater or a fiesta rally car.
Not wishing to sound ungrateful but I had always said that it was a lot of money for just three laps and I would have preferred them not to spend a lot of money on me. I couldn't see much point as I have owned some fairly quick bmw's, done the school of motorcycle racing experience years ago and have a Moto X bike for getting dirty. It is common knowledge in our family that given the choice between driving a supercar or driving a Juggernaut, I would always choose the Juggernaut. It's the caravanner in me. ;) :y
Unfortunately, :'( the Juggernaut experience doesn't appear to be available at Silverstone so I think I'll settle for the Ferrari.
Anybody willing to convince me it's a worthwhile day out. :-\
Regards
Alan
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Whoops. Title was meant to read 'Silverstone'. :-[ Got timed out before I could change it.
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Whoops. Title was meant to read 'Silverstone'. :-[ Got timed out before I could change it.
:y
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We bought our son one of these for a birthday present. He really enjoyed it. Driving down the hangar straight and all. Definitely go for either the Ferrari or the single seater. it is all over very quickly as you get an out lap, and a flying lap and an in lap (for your three laps). It was also a LHD Ferrari which our son was not used to!! :o
HTH
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We bought our son one of these for a birthday present. He really enjoyed it. Driving down the hangar straight and all. Definitely go for either the Ferrari or the single seater. it is all over very quickly as you get an out lap, and a flying lap and an in lap (for your three laps). It was also a LHD Ferrari which our son was not used to!! :o
HTH
Cheers for that. :y Hopefully it will have flappy paddles as I am used to them from our current car, otherwise I'll make a right dogs dinner of it. ;D
AA.
Cheers for fixing the title. :y
Regards
Alan
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They're a great day out, sounds boring 3 laps, however it's properly good fun :y
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I would go for the single seater myself. ;)
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I would go for the single seater myself. ;)
Actually, thinking about it, how could they force me to come back to the pits in a single seater. ;) I could whizz around all day. Certainly get my moneys worth then. :y
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I would go for the single seater myself. ;)
Actually, thinking about it, how could they force me to come back to the pits in a single seater. ;) I could whizz around all day. Certainly get my moneys worth then. :y
Remote kill switch? I'd have one installed if it were my company..
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I chose the Aston when SWTSMBO bought me similar ... abso-bloody-lultely fantastic :y :y :y
Good instruction from the guy on the left, and I'll always remember one of his comments halfway round the first lap .... "It seems a shame that the better you drive it the shorter the time you get .. and I think will be a quick one ...."
What was un-nerving was foot flat to the floor, still accelerating like an idiot right up to the silly little yellow cone, at which point you started braking ..... hard !! ... the stopping power was so immense but the cones looked far too close to the corners, however .. listen to instructor, do as told, and it went round on rails !!!!
I'd certainly do it again ... and probably choose the same car :)
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They're a great day out, sounds boring 3 laps, however it's properly good fun :y
I chose the Aston when SWTSMBO bought me similar ... abso-bloody-lultely fantastic :y :y :y
Good instruction from the guy on the left, and I'll always remember one of his comments halfway round the first lap .... "It seems a shame that the better you drive it the shorter the time you get .. and I think will be a quick one ...."
What was un-nerving was foot flat to the floor, still accelerating like an idiot right up to the silly little yellow cone, at which point you started braking ..... hard !! ... the stopping power was so immense but the cones looked far too close to the corners, however .. listen to instructor, do as told, and it went round on rails !!!!
I'd certainly do it again ... and probably choose the same car :)
That's reassuring. :y It seems that people enjoy it but, as you say, it's just a shame that it's over so quick.
Regards
Alan
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I did a similar day but on a shorter track (a little coned out track at North Weald airfield) - £170 for 3 laps in 3 cars, Ferrari 430 w/ flappy paddles, Aston in fully auto and Audi R8.. at that price it was the most fun I've had in a long time, despite how fast it was all over.
Even paid another £45 on the day to drive the 911 Turbo ;D
I'd take the Ferrari if it has flappy paddles, but then I'm a fat knacker so I'd never fit in the single seater ;D
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Not sure I'd stump up me own cash, but then that's not the idea.
I don't want posh on any fires, but it seems a bit of a pray on the unwary type thing to me. A red letter day, implys all day. So non petrol head family members presume all day in a Ferrari, or whatever. But petrol head member of family knows too well it's unlikely to be any more than a hand full of laps, so keeps his own hard earned in his bin.
Having said that, I've never been on one, (the tight buggers ;D. ) although to be fair I was asked and I said to save the money. Didn't seem right somehow. :-\
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Having said that, I've never been on one, (the tight buggers ;D. ) although to be fair I was asked and I said to save the money. Didn't seem right somehow. :-\
This was my view and I've already turned it down once before but people seem to genuinely enjoy it from the reviews. I'm under no illusions as to how long the event will be. As others have said above, you get three laps and one of those is going out and the 3rd is coming back in. Probably be all over in a couple of hours tops with barely twenty minutes near the cars and then I assume they'll want me to buy the video and photo's.
It's the only opportunity I'll have to drive a Ferrari so I'll hopefully enjoy it. :y
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3 Laps seems unbelievably short!! :o My family got me a similar experience at Brands Hatch for my 50th driving a single seater 2.0L Palmer Audi. Following the briefing we were taken out in high performance sports saloon cars by the instructor to learn the circuit and then into the single seaters for 12 laps. Awesome experience, but any less than that would have been a major disappointment.
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12 Laps of Brands indy v 3 laps of Silverstone... probably equates to similar mileage at a guess.
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12 Laps of Brands indy v 3 laps of Silverstone... probably equates to similar mileage at a guess.
Depends on which circuit you use at Silverstone Chris. I've actually driven the full F1 circuit at Silverstone a couple of times and while it's a fantastic experience, you need 3 or 4 laps just to get to know the circuit so 3 laps wouldn't be enough. I'd still rather have 12 at Brands. ;)
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12 Laps of Brands indy v 3 laps of Silverstone... probably equates to similar mileage at a guess.
Depends on which circuit you use at Silverstone Chris. I've actually driven the full F1 circuit at Silverstone a couple of times and while it's a fantastic experience, you need 3 or 4 laps just to get to know the circuit so 3 laps wouldn't be enough. I'd still rather have 12 at Brands. ;)
..........or you could do unlimited fast laps of the A40 at the end of a late shift for free...........so I've been told. ;) ;) ::)
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I'd go for the single seater every day of the week.
Actually, I did a formula ford "experience" 10 years or more ago. You got plenty of laps in with an instructor in a Rover 220 coupe beforehand so it was a reasonable half day out.
Formula Ford had a pretty restrictive rev limit though (i.e. 4K RPM). After 3 laps I was constantly on the rev limiter so more would have been pointless!
Did talk myself into another half dozen laps in a Formula Renault afterwards and that was a little less restricted.
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12 Laps of Brands indy v 3 laps of Silverstone... probably equates to similar mileage at a guess.
Depends on which circuit you use at Silverstone Chris. I've actually driven the full F1 circuit at Silverstone a couple of times and while it's a fantastic experience, you need 3 or 4 laps just to get to know the circuit so 3 laps wouldn't be enough. I'd still rather have 12 at Brands. ;)
..........or you could do unlimited fast laps of the A40 at the end of a late shift for free...........so I've been told. ;) ;) ::)
Personally, I full track day needed to to sus a place out. Depending on the circuit. So 8 20minute sessions. I always hated the first visit to a new circuit. Very frustrating, by the time your over that "right, I think I know the circuit"... Only to find I don't, I'm too knackered to really push it. The fun starts on the next visit.
I feel for the instructors. Car sickness is common apparently. ;D
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Personally, I full track day needed to to sus a place out.
I have watched a few clips of the experience on You Tube and am surprised at how nervous some people look. :-\ Some people don't appear to hit any great speeds but I appreciate that it's different when it's you in the chair so to speak. You can tell that just as they are getting the hang of it, it's time to come in. :(
Used to go proddy racing on the bikes many years ago so reasonably familiar with the lines but I think I will feel short changed when the day comes. :-\
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Don't let on, then rag the tits off it. ;)
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Don't let on, then rag the tits off it. ;)
He He. A couple of fellow kit car enthusiasts I know, both in their 70's, turned up to a VXR track day a couple of years back.
There they were in the driver's briefing with all the chavs with reverse baseball caps, etc. ;D
Apparently, the instructors clearly decided that these old duffers looked safe enough, so sent them out in the VXR8 while they tried to instil some sense in the other delinquents on the event.
Imagine their surprise when it appears sideways out of the chicane 90 seconds later. ;D
"Nice car.. But.. Ermm. Can we have some fresh rubber, please?" :P
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I feel for the instructors. Car sickness is common apparently. ;D
I've been out as a passenger a couple of times on track - most recently in a friends 911 which went very, very quickly around Anglesey .. after half a dozen laps I felt awfully queasy and had to ask him to go back to the pits before I lost my lunch ;D ;D
I have watched a few clips of the experience on You Tube and am surprised at how nervous some people look. :-\
You get a total mix of people on these events and you have to consider that some of them could be the same people you found pottering nervously up the middle lane at 65mph half an hour earlier ;) On the day I did there was a vast range of speeds and experiences, from the people who pootled around the track in the Lambo to the guy who managed to 360 the Ariel Atom before he'd even passed the first cone ;D (enthusiasm > experience!)
I did have a couple of laps spoiled when I came flying around the track only to find someone in front of me (no overtaking allowed on my event as it was a tiny coned course), but to be fair the instructors took a pragmatic view and usually told you to do an extra lap or, at one point "Don't bother turning in for the top corner this time, you're much faster than that other guy .. just keep going to the end of the airfield and then turn round up there" ;D
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My wife bought me a karting Grand prix for my 50th,5 lap practice then 5 lap qualifying followed by a 15 lap race,twin engine karts that went like $hit,about a dozen of us took part and it was the most fun I've had in years :y :y
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I had a drive in a single seater around Goodwood a few years ago and got the award for 'Mad Dog of the day' ::) Brilliant fun!!! :y :y :y