Driving A Caterham 7 With Buyagift
Today I got up at some unearthly hour, to which I am not accustomed, and headed to Silverstone Race Track to take part in a Caterham Driving Experience along with my daughter Megan who blogs at Not Met Megan. We had no idea what to expect but as ever were up for whatever challenge came our way.
We arrived at 8.30am for signing in followed by a briefing where we learned that we would be learning how to drift! This basically means we had to throw the car into a tight corner with the throttle pressed to the floor, so that the back tyres slide the car around sideways! Not exactly my usual style of conservative driving on the school run. But hey, I'm game for anything.
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| Helmet On! |
The Caterham 7 Sports Car is a speedy little vehicle (it's also a bit of a tight squeeze as I found out when I got my bum stuck trying to get into the driver's seat! Thankfully they had a slightly larger model to accommodate my ridiculously long legs and child bearing hips!)
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| The Caterham 7 |
My first try out on the circuit was an absolute fail! In the 'too-small-car' I couldn't move my feet from throttle to brake, so in full-on terrified mode I chugged around like a granny negotiating a hospital car park much to the hilarity of Megan and a few of the Daddy Bloggers who were also at the event.
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| Driving Off! |
Thankfully for me, the Caterham crew are the most incredible bunch of patient guys who really wanted us to get the most out of the experience and sorted me out with the car that was big enough for me to move in. This allowed me to unleash my inner boy racer and really get stuck in.
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| Jamie from The Life and the Times of a Househusband |
We took turns in the three cars to attack the circuits that included slaloms, hairpin bends and donuts! We had great instructions, guidance and encouragement from the crew which really helped us to gain in confidence and hone our drifting skills.
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| Getting Into A Drifting Slide |
I am never going to get a job as a stunt driver for The Fast and The Furious, but I felt myself getting more aggressive and going for it more with each turn. It felt like I was tearing up the tarmac, throwing my car around, loving every screech of the rubber and every plume of smoke as the car went into a spin. (It may have felt as impressive as that but I probably still looked like a mum on a school run to the pros!) It was exhilarating and an incredible experience that I would most definitely recommend to anyone.
At the end of the day we had a drifting competition to find the God of Drifting! I was unlikely to be able to compete with the majority of my fellow bloggers (some of which were uber competitive and uber talented Motor Bloggers) but I was fully up for the personal challenge! I scored a not too shabby 70% which I was very proud of considering my appalling start! The overall winner was well deserved with a very impressive drifting technique.
The day was made so much more fun thanks to great company. Everyone was so enthusiastic and encouraging. From the Buyagift team, to the Caterham crew to the other bloggers, it was a day full of laughter and banter. It was great to meet up with some Daddy Bloggers. I loved hearing their thoughts on the blogging community and enjoyed their tales of being Stay At Home Dads. It was an amazing event, run brilliantly well and something I won't forget in a long while.
I was so proud of Megan who had only passed her driving test last month. She threw herself into the driving (and kept us all laughing and well entertained!) She improved massively and her confidence levels soared. This was a great Mum/Daughter date!
Buyagift.com has a whole range of driving experiences available in various locations across the country. Whatever you fancy....whether you'd like to drive a tank, a Caterham 7 or a Ferrari...there will be an experience for you. Driving experiences would also make fabulous Father's Day Gifts. So maybe you could treat your own Action Dad!
I am still on a bit of a high. Driving home from Silverstone was quite strange. The temptation to throw a donut on the M1 was really quite powerful and I definitely took corners with a bit more oomph! Thanks to the buyagift.com team for such a great day out!
**The Caterham Experience may have been provided by Buyagift.com, but the adrenalin fuelled opinions on how cool this was, are all my own!**