A Track Day At Elvington Circuit (Part 1)

Now that we seem to be having some sunny (if not warm) weather, there’s nothing better than going along to a track day – especially when you’ve been given the chance to drive both a Ferrari and a Lamborghini!  It’s with this in mind that I thought I’d give you all a write-up of my recent experience behind the wheel and my thoughts on the day as a whole.

Elvington Race Circuit was the venue of choice – being one of the closest circuits to myself and having a great setup for those who aren’t out on the track every weekend.  It’s an old airfield venue that even has an air museum you can visit after some fun out on the tarmac.  If you haven’t been before, it’s certainly worth a look.

The track itself is pretty huge, offering a very large run off area making it perfect for beginners who may be a little too over exuberant with the ‘loud’ pedal.  There were a wide range of cars available on the day, for hire through 6th Gear on a per lap basis.

The address for Elvington Race Circuit is:
RAF Elvington
Elvington
Yorkshire
YO41 4AU

The venue was easy to find, having clear signposts from the southbound route I took in order to get there.  All the staff on hand were very friendly and the instructions were clear and precise on how to get signed up and what was required.  The idea of having to pay for a supercar to be repaired was a little scary so I took the insurance waiver (just in case).

Following this, my day began with a sighting lap of the course.  Because Elvington is, as mentioned, an airfield circuit, this allows for a range of setups and effectively how the cones are set dictates the course.  This particular day had a setup that involved some chicanes and sweeping corners – so quite a tremendous mix to really see how the cars handled.

Naturally, before my sessions began, I took the chance to have a look around at the vehicles on offer and I spied various Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Ariel Atoms, An Aston Martin DBS, Caterhams, an Audi R8, a Subaru Impreza WRX STi and even a BMW M3 CSL.  Little did I know that I would be hurtling around in this later in the day, much to my terror!

I got my ticket signed and waited at the gates – facilities were what you’d expect really, with tea and coffee available and toilets not too far away.  In the meantime, I was enjoying watching the supercars roar away and I have to say that the noise from them all was simply brilliant – as was the sense of speed when they just took off!

I was told that my first experience on the track would be in a Lamborghini Gallardo, a car I’ve wanted to drive ever since first seeing one.  Naturally, my excitement was palpable as I saw the vehicle pull in and the instructor give me the nod.

Look out for part 2 later in the week!