If you want to give your favourite car fanatic the ultimate driving experience or track day then this second part of our guide to high octane motorsport gifts is essential reading. It aims to give you the lowdown on the wide range of adrenaline-fuelled driving experiences available, featuring everything from Skid Pan & Controlled Driving, karting, tank driving, moto cross or rally driving experiences.
Rally Driving Rally driving is one of the most exciting sports in the world and it is great fun if you get a chance to have a go. Usually reserved for those with a large bank balance rally driving is one of the ultimate high adrenalin activities. Try out some of the skills of champion rally drivers. Engine revving and wheels spinning, you skid sideways around corners in ways you won't believe. Normally your instructor alongside you has briefed you on techniques used by champions and explained the safety procedures. You'll be taught to handle a rally car on tarmac or loose surfaces and to cope with cornering at speed and braking.
Moto Cross You will certainly have a day to remember on whichever tour you choose, and will encounter scenery that it definitely isn't possible to see from the roads! Imagine dirt flying in your face as you try to negotiate dips, jumps, high-speed straights and tricky corners - all on two wheels! Well go off-road biking for an experience that will leave you wondering why the 4x4 was ever invented. Whatever your skills, from beginner to seasoned rider, off-road biking can get you riding in ways and on surfaces you wouldn't believe.
Tank Driving Put on your tin hat, settle into the driving seat of an Abbott tracked gun, an Armoured Personnel Carrier or a six-wheeled Stalwart, and get ready to learn tank driving! Very entertaining and surprisingly challenging, tank driving is an experience that everyone should try.
Skid Pan & Controlled Driving Skidpan driving focuses on both avoidance and recovery, and you'll normally learn the skills of driving on ice, aquaplaning and skid avoidance exercises with friendly and expert instructors, who'll always keep their head even if you're a bit spooked. Courses are held either on an oil-like surface or using a computerised skid frame (looks like stabilisers on your bike, only they're not very stabilising). Some courses also include time trials to test your new skills!
Junior Driving There's no need to wait to get your licence before you can drive a car. Now kids can discover the thrill of driving as they get behind a steering wheel for the first time in safe, controlled conditions. An Approved Driving Instructor can show them the rudiments of driving and help them gain confidence in open spaces and a relaxed atmosphere. This experience is all about helping young (and not so young!) learners to make the most of that crucial first drive - to learn more, to experience more and to have lots of fun too.
Karting. All the fun of open-wheel dicing! Hurtle up to the chicane with the power full on until the last split second. No time to look back, the next diabolical corner is coming up to test you again! Some locations have banked turns, others fly-overs. Stand by to have the four-wheeled time of your life with karting experiences! Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motor sport with simple, small four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits.