How to Choose a Driving Experience Day Gift

Which Driving Day Venue?

There are a multitude of supercars and driving venues to choose from, including Thruxton, Donington Park and Silverstone experiences to suit any gift, and budget from around £45, but journey time will impact upon driving day location. The UK is dotted with great supercar racing tracks, which means the ideal driving day experience will never be far away, the main being:

• • Northern England and Scotland: Elvington, Yorkshire, Tockwith, Yorkshire; Three Sisters, Ashton-in-Makerfield; Wigan; Oulton Park, Cheshire and Knockhill, Fife.

  • Southern England: Chobham, Kent; Goodwood, Chichester, West Sussex; Brands Hatch, Kent and Thruxton, Hampshire; Bedford Race Circuit Bedfordshire

  • Wales: Anglesey Circuit, Anglesey.

  • Eastern England: Cadwell Park Race Circuit, Lincolnshire, Snetterton, Northork, Woodbridge Airfield, Suffolk.

  • Central England: Silverstone, Northamptonshire, Rockingham; Northamptonshire; Donington Park, Derbyshire; Bruntinghthorpe, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, Prestwold Hall, Leicestershire and Mallory Park, also in Leicestershire.

Racing Tracks in the UK for Driving Gifts

All racing tracks have a different flavour from it setting, the circuit layout and racing cars on offer, to its history. Silverstone and Brands Hatch are synonymous with British motor racing and are purpose built to challenge the driver to the limits. Silverstone is 3 miles long and yet has 17 corners. Rockingham is home to the winning car of the V8 Australian championship, the 400 BHP V8 Beast. Bruntingthorpe and Cadwell Park have bizarre circuit layouts including steep u-turns, tight corners and long straights. Goodwood is home to the classic car experience, having a range of classic cars. Thruxton is one of the longest and fastest racetracks in the UK, but the beginner might try Snetterton and Woodbridge, which have open shaped circuits and are easier to navigate.

Types of Driving Days

Most driving day venues offer a great range of cars to have a go on, including Porsches, Lamborghinis,

Ferraris, Lotuses, Subarus, Aston Martins, Audis, Nissans BMWs, Lotuses, 4x4s and even Minis. The adrenaline junkie might like to try the single seater experience, such as the Ariel Atom racing car which is half the weight of a Ford Fiesta and goes from 0 to 60 in less than 4.5 seconds. Earplugs are required for the engine is very loud!

Challenging Driving Days

For reckless fun, the rally day experience really tests driving skills, where all hell may break loose on the racing track. Also worth consideration are stunt driving experiences, skidding in all angles, extreme dodgems, off road driving experience (involving water crossings, mountainsides and lots of mud!) Or the Drifting Experience, where the driver may learn to cut fast corners, handle rough terrain and when to E-brake (emergency brake, or handbrake) in order to “Feint drift,” where the car drifts around corners rather than grips the track.

Driving Day Experiences for Kids

Snetterton and Woodbridge specialise in driving days for beginners as both have smooth gradients. Various other locations specialise in juniors driving experience but the child must be at least four feet ten inches tall. But not having a driving licence will not get in the way of driving a classic supercar such as Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche or Lamborghini, which would prove to be an ideal gift for a teen boy or girl. At the end of the day, the child will receive a presentation gift.

Choosing a Driving Day Gift

A great gift idea for a person who has everything, driving day experiences offers something unique. There are many different types of driving days to suit any recipient including junior driving days, stunt driving, off-road driving, rally driving, single seater driving days and classic car experience. With so many experience day racing tracks across the UK, one is never far away. Budgets start at around £45 but could provide a very memorable and unexpected gift for someone who has everything.

Ideas for driving experience day gifts and other fab and novel experience days as well as pampering days and other experience days for someone who has everything can be found on my online shop.

Or view my user friendly gift shop that lists all gifts in categories in sterling and dollars

© The Gift Expert 2010

Photo credit Brian Snelson