Ferrari... Is there really any more to say? The word
Ferrari is one of those universal brands. Almost everyone knows what it means and almost everyone can picture that flash of red roaring through twisty mountain roads.
Ferrari is at the very pinnacle of the motoring world. Those that are fortunate enough to be rich enough to own a
Ferrari of their own must certainly feel a sense of importance and success emanating from the car regardless of its worth. Not everyone can experience this feeling on a day-to-day basis of course and that's life. There is however, a better feeling. A feeling that anyone who seeks it can experience if they so wish.
What many people really want to do is get behind the wheel of one of these iconic red masterpieces and blast it full throttle around a race track of their choice for a tiny fraction of the cost of owning a Ferrari for themselves. Look at it this way: upwards of £100,000 will give you the chance of driving a Ferrari around your neighbourhood to the shops to get some milk, but is that really what a Ferrari is for? Certainly not, a Ferrari needs to be unleashed into it's natural habitat, the race track, with you at the wheel. Ferrari driving experiences are therefore amongst the most popular driving experiences available.
Should you decide to take the opportunity to floor a raging Ferrari around a race track, you will be spoilt for choice regarding the location for this experience. Many companies offer a range of nationwide locations at which Ferrari driving is available so it is a relatively simple task to find somewhere suitable and quite close by. The restrictions as to who can drive one of these cars varies between experience providers but it is generally the case that you need to be in good general health and hold a valid driving licence.
When you arrive you will be greeted and will attend a safety briefing. That should be a comforting statement bearing in mind that a 400bhp super car will be waiting for you to put the pedal to the metal. The briefing will let you know about the specific rules of the track and the conduct required of you. It's not all boring though, because you are then taught the basic principles of how to handle such a high powered car 'in anger' whilst sticking to the racing line of the track (the racing line is the quickest route around the track).
An instructor will then take you for a spin around the track in a sports hatchback so that you can get used to the forces involved in driving quickly whilst someone else is at the wheel. This will also help you to visualise what you were previously taught to ensure that you are properly equipped to handle the Ferrari. What happens next is really down to the individual company and the track at which the experience is booked. At some locations you will next be taken in a Porsche Cayman or an equivalent car so that you can get used to the track and the feel of speed first hand. This type of car is certainly no slouch, with typically some 250bhp available at the ball of your right foot and to anyone who has perhaps only ever driven family cars this might come as quite of a shock. Once you have had a few laps of the track and have started to refine your racing line you will get straight out of the car and your instructor will hand you a key. Printed on this key will be a horse rearing up on its hind legs on a yellow background; the key to a Ferrari.
The Ferrari's available on these experience days are most commonly the Ferrari 360 which was produced from 1999 to 2005 or the 360's predecessor, the 355. If you found the 250bhp car a little wild, you are sure to find one of these
Ferrari's quite exhilarating indeed. Words simply cannot describe this experience.
People often approach the concept of a super car experience day with the mindset that the instructor, who is placed in the with you, is there to ensure that you don't go too crazy and break the car. Whilst this is to some extent true - your safety is their primary focus - those who experience a thrill ride in a
Ferrari will often find that the only thing restricting them from going quicker is their own confidence. It is very often the case that the instructor will be suggesting ways in which you can increase your speed and cornering ability rather than trying to slow you down. The instructors are professionals and are usually racing drivers themselves so you will probably have a hard time trying to push hard enough to make them break a sweat. You will certainly have no trouble with having an exhilarating drive at the wheel of a
Ferrari.
It's not quite over yet. At many circuits you will then go straight from the main event (the Ferrari drive) into a further car. This is likely to be something of a racing thoroughbred such as a Formula Renault, which is the younger sibling to a Formula 1 car. These things stick to the road and corner like go-karts but offer the speed of a sports car. This is the chance for you to drive around the track with no instructor at your side because this type of car is almost invariably a single seater so it will just be you, the car and the track...very, very quickly!
A
Ferrari driving experience is certainly something that everyone should consider, if not for themselves then perhaps for a loved one. It is one of the most spectacular feelings that a person can experience and that feeling is by no means out of reach of most peoples' pockets.
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