A N E E D F O R S P E E D
Date: 15th August 2014Location: Donington Park, Derby
(Booked through The Racing School )
It has been in the making for a few months, but the day finally approached us on Friday. Ever since I can remember, Lamborghini has been my favourite car company. There's something about them that I adore - the appearance, interior and exterior and not forgetting the speed. And the Lamborghini Gallardo has been my favourite car for years. I have always wanted to drive a lambo, and got told repeatedly that it would never happen.
For the last birthday, my parents kindly bought me a track day experience, where I would be able to drive a Lamborghini. The booking was made for during the Summer to guarantee time off from work and also a better chance of nicer weather for the drive. The weather in England tends to be miserable, with a lot of rainfall. All I had hoped for, was a dry cool day and fortunately that's what I got.
AGENDA
- Briefing - 20 minutes (format of the experience, racing lines and techniques)
- Familiarisation - 2 laps in the Alfa Romeo with the instructor driving, and giving tips
- Drive Time - by default it is 3 laps per person, unless you have paid for extra
- Certificate Presentation - an opportunity afterwards to discuss your driving and ask questions before being presented with your certificate
- Total time - approximately 2 hours
Arrival upon site was early, we wanted to get there with plenty of time to explore the grounds before the adventure began. Not only did my parents purchase a track day for myself, but for my brother too. We both love our supercars. For me it's always Lamborghini, and for him it's a Mustang. Unfortunately, their facilities do not offer you a Ford Mustang to drive, so he had to pick something else. The list of cars you can drive include; Ferrari 360, Lamborghini Gallardo, Aston Martin Vantage, Audi R8, Porsche Turbo, Nissan GTR, McLaren and hot hatches.
2:50 pm My brother's time slot // 3:50 pm My time slot
Since my brother's booking came first, he went out and drove, while I took pictures. And vice versa. Thus enabling at least a few pictures of each of us while driving around the race circuit. We managed to capture over 1,000 photographs. I have spent the past couple of days, on and off, filtering my way through them, and finally uploaded an album to my personal Facebook account. Below are a few of the photos from the day.
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| Look at that beauty. This car is breath-taking. That's me driving the Lamborghini Gallardo ( ´ ▽ ` ) |
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| Professional photograph taken on the day, closeup of me in the lambo |
Before getting into the Lamborghini, I was feeling a mixture of emotions - anxiety and excitement. I have become a very anxious person and as a result worry about a variety of things. But this feeling vanished the moment I got into the car. (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ My excitement took over and I enjoyed every moment of being in that vehicle.
Driving the supercar
While waiting for my turn, I kept thinking about what lay in store for me. I know there's the option to drive automatic or manual in a supercar. It may sound obvious, but I shall explain the difference. Automatic means the car automatically changes gear, whereas the driver has to do this themselves in a manual. Some drivers opt for auto, because they can focus on other things, thus making the drive a potentially easier experience. Driving a manual, means the driver has complete control over their drive. They decide when to go up or down a gear.
Normally, when behind the wheel of a vehicle, the driver has to concentrate on a lot of things. When you are behind the wheel of a car with more power, then you need to put a hundred and ten percent into that focus. Your control needs to more. More focus and more concentration on everything, especially the turns ahead.
It was recommended that I stick to auto, so I can concentrate on handling the corners. But once I got into the Lamborghini, my instructor suggested I give manual a go. Might as well experience the full experience, right? And so I did.
Changing gears in a Lamborghini is really easy to do. Attached to the steering wheel, are two paddles on either side. The right toggle is in charge of going up a gear, and the left for going down a gear. Very straightforward. Your hands stay on that wheel, and your fingers can stretch out to reach that paddle. When driving, both hands remain on that wheel, the whole time. When entering a corner, there is no hand shuffling. Hands remain in the "quarter to three" position (hands on either side of the steering wheel). This makes control very stable, which is exactly what you need behind a 5 litre V10 engine! L(・o・)」
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| Can you see the plus and minus behind the steering wheel. Going down a gear ( - ) // Going up a gear ( + ) IMAGE SOURCE [x] |
Unfortunately I didn't pay for extra laps, which I truly regretted as I got into the vehicle. Next time I go, I'm definitely paying for extra. Means more time in the car. ❤ So because I didn't pay for more, I was stuck with only three laps.
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| Having a chat about the upcoming drive. You can't really tell, but my instructor was really cute. A great combo - cute and friendly. |
My instructor was thoroughly impressed with my handling and driving as a whole, that he allowed me an extra lap! That was really nice of him. Very generous. Once my drive was over, we had a chat in the lambo before I headed out. He said he was truly impressed with my knowledge and capability, that he wanted to provide me with a longer opportunity. He wanted to see what else I could do.
Considering it was my first time in a supercar and my first time driving a Lamborghini, I did really well. Plus driving it in manual is even more of a challenge. I kept control and am really proud of myself for doing so well. Due to being solely concerned upon what lay ahead, I only managed to glance down once at my speedo. On the straight stretch near the starting point, I had reached over 100 mph. That's fast. But I know, I drove faster than that.
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| Map of the race circuit (click to enlarge) |
Colour doesn't matter, but sometimes is can make all the difference. At Donington, they have two Lamborghinis - white and orange. I've always imagined being in a bright coloured lambo, and the orange has always stood out for me. I couldn't believe my luck, when they called me up and said I was getting into the orange lambo. The excitement intensified.
What a great memory. I got to drive an orange Lamborghini Gallardo, in manual and got to at least 100 mph. It was truly a wonderful experience. The grin upon my face lasted all day. ( ´ ▽ ` )
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| McLaren, Ferrari and Lamborghini ~ sexy supercars [click to enlarge] |
Share with me your experiences~
Anybody else driven a lambo? Or had a dream come true? Comment below.
Thanks for reading and have a good day ◕‿◕
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