On 29 November 1998 I took the Single Seater Experience at Silverstone, thanks to my wonderful boyfriend who bought it for me as a birthday present. It was a truly great day out, I recommend it to everybody, especially if they are F1 fans. This is a short report on what happened on the day:
On that fateful Sunday I got up at 6.00am, got into my car with boyfriend, camera and camcorder and set off towards Silverstone. I got there around 8.45am, avoiding patches of ice on the road. A Land Rover had obviously failed to avoid the ice, as it was "parked" in a ditch by the side of the road.
Around 9.10am all the drivers were gathered into a room and an instructor cracked a joke about the Land Rover in the ditch, then asked whether anybody already had some experience. A few others and I said that we had go-kart experience, to which the instructor laughed and said that having driven go-karts would not help at all. The instructor then gave us a lengthy explanation on the racing cars we'd be driving, how to get into them, how to get out and how the controls worked. He explained about the Stowe circuit we'd be driving on, when to brake, when to accelerate and which gears to use on the different parts of the circuit. He went on to explain that we would start by following a pace car going a bit faster on each lap to get used to handling the racing cars. No overtaking would be allowed at this stage. After a few laps we would go back to the pits to be told whether we were driving properly or not, then we would be let out on the circuit again for free lapping without the pace car. Overtaking would be allowed then, but only on the two straight and only if the car in front had been blue flagged.
With the briefing over we collected friends and family (and their huge collection of cameras and camcorders), who had been made to wait in the hall, and proceeded to the pits. The real fun was just about to begin. We were given helmets and gloves and finally the magic moment came: we got into the cars, were strapped to the seats and finally started the engines. The instructor split us into three groups and made each group follow a separate pace car. The instructor was at the side of the finishing straight and on each lap he signalled whether we should be going faster, or slower, or keep greater distance from the car in front, or try to compact the group. As we had been told during the briefing we started slow (I don't think I ever went into third gear on the first lap), then we started going faster and faster. After some 5-6 laps we went back to the pits and the groups were reorganised a bit. I got put at the front of the group, possibly because I had constantly ran the risk of running into the back of the car in front of me, whose driver was being overcautious on the bends and rather slow on the straight.
After some 5 minutes we were finally let loose on the track, with the warning that anybody who misbehaved would be pulled in, told off and sent home in shame. Well, what can I say? it was just great! After gaining some more confidence I started trying different trajectories and seeing how late I could leave braking before bends. In fact I left braking a bit too late on one occasion and went on the grass, but managed to keep the car facing the right direction and not to stall the engine. I rejoined and was sent to the pits to check that the car was OK, I was told to brake sooner, then I got out again. Overall I managed to overtake seven cars and was overtaken twice (once immediately after my trip on the grass). I caught up with the two cars that had overtaken me and passed them again though, so they don't count ;-) After what felt like ten minutes but was actually almost three quarters of an hour we went back to the pits, returned helmets and gloves and went back to the main building to be told that we had done well and given our certificates. The one souvenir I have left from the experience is a huge bruise just above my left elbow, as I kept on hitting a piece of metal on the inside of the cockpit every time I changed gear!
It was definitely one of the most enjoyable experiences I ever tried and I'm sure I'll be doing it again, maybe not next week, maybe not next month, but soon enough.
Dressing up for the occasion
The cars are ready and waiting
The moment has come! get into the car!
Back to the pits after lapping behind the pace car
Thumbs up. It's go, go, go for free lapping!
On the track: coming out of a corner
The end, I get a certificate and a Ferrari baseball cap
The certificate I got at the end of it all
Last updated on 11 December 1998 by Federica Massagrande
Last check before go
Me in the car. Close up