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Fast or slow, your driving ambitions fulfilled
Never has there been such a wealth of driving experiences for you to hone your skills – or simply have fun on four wheels. Kyle Fortune samples some of the options
If you own a 200mph-plus supercar or one of the latest breed of SUVs that’s more capable off-road than you might imagine, there are plenty of ways to get to know your vehicle better. Ways that challenge your limits and provide hours of pleasure, with expert tuition and a safe environment thrown in.
What’s more, you don’t even have to own one of these vehicles to join in the fun – and perhaps even learn a lot about yourself in the process. And it’s not necessarily expensive, either.
One of the latest to join the burgeoning market for marque “experiences” is McLaren, which offers a calendar of events that encompasses some of the world’s most famous, and demanding, race circuits. It’s not all about going as fast as possible in circles, however; on the lifestyle side there’s the opportunity to go ice-driving in Finland, touring events in the Alps, Canada and the USA, as well as trips to watch McLaren’s F1 cars at Grand Prix weekends, a Winter Ball and more. And you probably thought it was just selling cars.
The company has clearly struck a chord. Jamie Corstorphine, the global marketing director of McLaren Automotive, told me: “Some of our customers have attended every Pure McLaren event we’ve run.” I joined some of these diehards at Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, for Pure McLaren Track Level 2 & 3 course. Sadly, I don’t have the cash to consider the new McLaren Senna but I might, just about, be able to stretch to one of these Pure McLaren experiences.
That’s because, usefully, a McLaren 570S is actually included in the £5,195 cost of my two-day course, as is catering and accommodation. Not that I got anywhere near the 562bhp, orange wedge on day one. No, before I did that I spent a few hours in the classroom with McLaren’s senior driving coach, Bradley Ellis.
I’ve been writing about cars for about 20 years and have been fortunate to drive around lots of racing circuits, but I’ve not been in a classroom since I left university, unless you count going to parents’ evenings at my children’s school. Yet I have never been properly schooled in track driving.
That’s about to change, Ellis breaking down the full Grand Prix layout into bite-sized pieces and talking me through the various elements before I’m allowed anywhere near McLaren’s mid-engined supercar and 3.66 miles of hallowed Tarmac.
It’s genuinely enlightening. The classroom theory of braking and turnin points, techniques such as trail braking, weight transfer and gearshift strategy, all strip some of the mystery from what is a tricky track to learn. And we’re not finished yet, because after the classroom theory there’s a track walk during which we learn the apex of every corner, which kerbs to avoid and, should you need them, possible escape routes.
Not that I’ll be alone; alongside me in the 570S will be Elliott Cole, race-driving coach and sometime stunt driver. Quite why anyone would want to sit alongside anyone in a supercar around a track is anyone’s guess, but Cole takes it seriously, having studied the psychology of learning and various coaching techniques to be able to recognise how to get the best results from the people he sits beside.
Hugely professional, then, but still enormous fun, Cole pushing me hard during our six 30-minute sessions in the car.
Each one is timed, with telemetry and video analysis afterwards to see where improvements can be made.
Over the course of the day we chip away; Cole’s assertion that I can do a two-minute 27-second lap eventually achieved by putting into practice those techniques learned both in the classroom and out on the track. The sense of elation is palpable, I’ve genuinely learned a huge amount, and am a better driver because of it.
The real customers are receiving the same level of tuition, in race and road cars, some borrowed from McLaren, others in their own cars, one owner having flown their car from Kuwait in order to take part. It all allows owners of modern supercars to truly exploit and enjoy their car’s performance, in the safe confines of a track and under professional instruction.
It’s little wonder such events prove increasingly popular. Corstorphine says that more than 800 people took part in Pure McLaren events last year, adding that it’s also a useful way of getting to know their customers. And the customers gain access, too; Mike Flewitt, McLaren CEO, is also taking part, spending time with the people he sells cars to.
The former Formula One driver Bruno Senna, nephew of threetimes F1 world champion Ayrton, is also here, as are many of the people who developed the new McLaren hypercar wearing the legendary Brazilian’s surname, all amiably mixing and chatting with the people who drive the products they build.
Not that you have to buy one of the cars. The Pure McLaren events start from just £1,000; that will get you a 570S on track with an instructor alongside for a few sessions. Break down the costs and that’s actually decent value and comparable with similar schemes from other manufacturers of high-performance cars such as Porsche.
Indeed, McLaren is following a welltrodden route. The customer experience and travel industry is clearly good for business. Porsche has purposebuilt Porsche Experience Centres (PEC) at Silverstone, Le Mans, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Leipzig and more, some 135,000 people having used its Silverstone PEC since it opened in 2008.
Via Porsche’s Travel Club you can take part in any number of drives all over the world or, if you have the time (and money), take part in a Global Expedition with Porsche, taking in Australia, Africa, South America, Europe and Asia in separate legs – the Europe one costing about €20,000 (£17,800)