I actually did this in May, but it only just occurred to me that some of you lot might be interested in a mini write-up so here we go.
So for reference http://www.philprice.co.uk/ do a full day experience offer @ £349.
This includes
So, the day starts at 9am with people arriving and general chit chat over tea & coffee while everyone signs on. By about 0930 everyone had arrived (8 drivers and 2/3 watchers, 50/50 men/women and everyone from 19 years old up to 50-something) and we sat down for a quick overview about rally driving techniques and the history of the school. General explanations of oversteer, understeer, scandi flick and how Rally driving differs from Circuit driving. This was all done with the aid of videos and archive footage.
The mantra drilled into you primarily is 'Off, Turn, Kick'. The idea being you lift off to shift weight onto the front wheels, turn into the corner and then Kick the throttle to create that slide. Of course the 'Kick' part is a pretty broad spectrum from a bit of toe feathering to absolutely booting it!
With all this intro done we got into the actual structure of the day, this is what's useful to know IMO if you're thinking about booking.
So this is the rough layout. You've got the 'practice track' in the middle which a sort of figure 8 shape, and actually quite undulating with a lot of camber and elevation to be aware of. It's marked out with cones with some run off before trees/drops but not loads. Enough to feel safe but also make you think twice.
Outside the practice area is a beautiful rally stage spreading right across the incredible Welsh countryside. It's mostly on the side/top of some very scary hills and there is no room for error whatsoever. It's dirt tracks covered in a variety of surfaces from mud to big rocks, wet bits dry bits and huge verges or huge drops. It's simultaneously awe-inspiring and terrifying.
The morning session has two things going on in parallel. The whole group is put into a list for the practice area and you go through in sequence, everyone get's 5-10 minutes in the car and then you swap to the next person. There didn't seem to be an exact time, it's just signalled by an LED in the car when it's the end of your session (remote controlled, also they have a remote engine kill for idiots).
It just goes round and round until lunch time. You can choose whether to have tuition or not and they're quite happy to basically leave you to it. If they feel you're not getting enough out of the day they will jump in and really push you to have some fun and go as fast & sideways as you can, but also if it looks like you're doing well and progressing safely they will leave you to it with maybe a quick hint when you come back in. It was a LOT of fun and I was pleasantly surprised how much my video game instinct took over
, considering I've done no other 'proper' driving before. It did take some mind over matter, a lot of the time you're understeering towards a tree but instead of trying to straighten up, reduce speed and avoid the obstacle you have to boot it and swing around the other way!
All this happens in RWD Gen 1 Impreza's which have been converted to LPG. They're stripped down with roll cages, buckets and harnesses and are very noisy.
They're not especially powerful but that's not the point of the practice area, we're here to control slides and pendulum from one corner to the next.
At the same time an instructor is taking people out on the course, but in reconnaissance mode. It's all about explaining the surfaces and the things to be aware of. It's very important to stay in the ruts and quickly recognise the areas that will have grip vs the areas that are very loose rubble. Watching out for standing water under leafy areas, understanding what the camber is going to do the car and in general getting a feel for what's ahead of you. This is performed in another Impreza, this time a Turbo AWD model. It's even louder and you need helmets with intercoms to hear each other
.
This system continued until around 1pm, by which time everyone had seen the full rally stage and had probably 4 or 5 sessions in the RWD practice cars.
The afternoon starts off slightly different. The main group is still sliding around the practice track, this time anti-clockwise.
Simultaneously everyone takes a turn on tackling the proper rally stage in the Turbo AWD Impreza.
At this point it's magically grown a dual-control setup (wheel and pedals!) and you need to wear the intercom helmets again.
The approach is to try and make the experience as genuine as possible. We were informed the dual controls are really their for emergencies OR to provide a bit of a guiding hand for more timid drivers (almost like electronic stability control but human!). Similarly you're getting proper pace notes barked at you, not vague instructions. This was a bit of a sticking point for me as they were the opposite to every video game every, 1 meant a slight corner and 5 a hairpin! Really really messed with my brain.
Anyway it was bloody good fun, but honestly overwhelming. There is so much going on I found it very difficult to really push anything. New car, new environment, processing the pace notes. On the flip side the few times where I did manage to give it some welly were really eye opening, I simply could not believe the grip and traction the car had given the conditions. In my head all my reactions and predisposition is that of a road car, I'm looking ahead and big bumpy rocks and loose gravel and just thinking "no no no you can't do that" but lo and behold the car does it! Completely unfazed it bounds across the surface and sucks you around corners.
The only way I can describe it is that it felt like there was a chain on the front and you're being winched along by some invisible force. It was truly exhilarating and overwhelming, the whoosh of the turbos and that incredible AWD traction. It has changed my perspective on cars and rallying completely. It was all over in what felt like 30 seconds, in reality probably 5 minutes or so. This is my one criticism of the day, you get loads of practice and time in the RWD lower powered cars but no real chance to get used to this one. Just doing the circuit twice would make a huge difference, I think I would literally have been twice as fast if not more.
After everyone had driven the AWD Impreza out on the course, the schedule changed again. From now on we were going to do timed laps. 3 laps clockwise, a quick break and then 3 laps anti-clockwise. Fastest total time wins. Unfortunately at this point the heavens opened, which was a bit frustrating because the conditions you'd spent an hour getting used to all day changed immediately. Anyway, I did manage to get the fastest clockwise time of the day but this made me try to hard on the anti-clockwise laps and I completely spun it
. The secret is definitely not to try too hard! Over driving is what slows you down and causes mistakes!
[youtube]oksA4qLw7xM[/youtube]
Looks pretty slow on video! Felt fun I promise.
In between these timed laps the instructor took people out in the proper club spec rally Impreza.
Absolutely bonkers. I've never experienced anything like it. It felt like being on a rollercoaster driven by someone else, I could scarcely believe the speeds we were doing in the conditions we had. Whatever you think it feels like double it, I'm not sure I said a single word the whole time just gawping and smiling. It reminded me of Pod Racing almost, like the guy was a Jedi or something. It's clear to me you need to be doing this kind of driving from a very early age much like karting.
So in conclusion:
[youtube]n3pTTy7gFJo[/youtube]
Hope you enjoyed this rambling waffle, any questions ask away! Few more pics on my instagram @chrisatronic
.
So for reference http://www.philprice.co.uk/ do a full day experience offer @ £349.
This includes
- A brief introduction into the sport, explaining rally driving techniques and safety.
- Then it’s out onto the practice stage to spend the day creating slides and controlling them using the power of the car. Simultaneously, out on our other stage, Phil takes you in the Subaru Impreza explaining approaches to corner, braking techniques and driving lines.
- Enjoy lunch (the only time during the day that the cars get a rest) in our hospitality unit as the Co-Drivers role in Rallying is explained. You are given an insight into the basics of navigation and timing.
- Your turn behind the wheel of a fully rally prepared Subaru Impreza, and a chance to use your newly learnt skills. You will need lots of concentration for this as your co-driver will be using pace-notes to call out the corners, straights and jumps ahead. There will be no time to stand around as you’ll be back in the cars on the practice stage while these runs take place. This time however, in a different direction gaining more experience and confidence ready for the competitions later.
- A passenger ride in a proper rally spec Impreza driven at full chat by a pro.
- A friendly competition involving timed laps in either direction.
So, the day starts at 9am with people arriving and general chit chat over tea & coffee while everyone signs on. By about 0930 everyone had arrived (8 drivers and 2/3 watchers, 50/50 men/women and everyone from 19 years old up to 50-something) and we sat down for a quick overview about rally driving techniques and the history of the school. General explanations of oversteer, understeer, scandi flick and how Rally driving differs from Circuit driving. This was all done with the aid of videos and archive footage.
The mantra drilled into you primarily is 'Off, Turn, Kick'. The idea being you lift off to shift weight onto the front wheels, turn into the corner and then Kick the throttle to create that slide. Of course the 'Kick' part is a pretty broad spectrum from a bit of toe feathering to absolutely booting it!
With all this intro done we got into the actual structure of the day, this is what's useful to know IMO if you're thinking about booking.
So this is the rough layout. You've got the 'practice track' in the middle which a sort of figure 8 shape, and actually quite undulating with a lot of camber and elevation to be aware of. It's marked out with cones with some run off before trees/drops but not loads. Enough to feel safe but also make you think twice.
Outside the practice area is a beautiful rally stage spreading right across the incredible Welsh countryside. It's mostly on the side/top of some very scary hills and there is no room for error whatsoever. It's dirt tracks covered in a variety of surfaces from mud to big rocks, wet bits dry bits and huge verges or huge drops. It's simultaneously awe-inspiring and terrifying.
The morning session has two things going on in parallel. The whole group is put into a list for the practice area and you go through in sequence, everyone get's 5-10 minutes in the car and then you swap to the next person. There didn't seem to be an exact time, it's just signalled by an LED in the car when it's the end of your session (remote controlled, also they have a remote engine kill for idiots).
It just goes round and round until lunch time. You can choose whether to have tuition or not and they're quite happy to basically leave you to it. If they feel you're not getting enough out of the day they will jump in and really push you to have some fun and go as fast & sideways as you can, but also if it looks like you're doing well and progressing safely they will leave you to it with maybe a quick hint when you come back in. It was a LOT of fun and I was pleasantly surprised how much my video game instinct took over
, considering I've done no other 'proper' driving before. It did take some mind over matter, a lot of the time you're understeering towards a tree but instead of trying to straighten up, reduce speed and avoid the obstacle you have to boot it and swing around the other way!All this happens in RWD Gen 1 Impreza's which have been converted to LPG. They're stripped down with roll cages, buckets and harnesses and are very noisy
.They're not especially powerful but that's not the point of the practice area, we're here to control slides and pendulum from one corner to the next.
At the same time an instructor is taking people out on the course, but in reconnaissance mode. It's all about explaining the surfaces and the things to be aware of. It's very important to stay in the ruts and quickly recognise the areas that will have grip vs the areas that are very loose rubble. Watching out for standing water under leafy areas, understanding what the camber is going to do the car and in general getting a feel for what's ahead of you. This is performed in another Impreza, this time a Turbo AWD model. It's even louder and you need helmets with intercoms to hear each other
.This system continued until around 1pm, by which time everyone had seen the full rally stage and had probably 4 or 5 sessions in the RWD practice cars.
The afternoon starts off slightly different. The main group is still sliding around the practice track, this time anti-clockwise.
Simultaneously everyone takes a turn on tackling the proper rally stage in the Turbo AWD Impreza.
At this point it's magically grown a dual-control setup (wheel and pedals!) and you need to wear the intercom helmets again
.The approach is to try and make the experience as genuine as possible. We were informed the dual controls are really their for emergencies OR to provide a bit of a guiding hand for more timid drivers (almost like electronic stability control but human!). Similarly you're getting proper pace notes barked at you, not vague instructions. This was a bit of a sticking point for me as they were the opposite to every video game every, 1 meant a slight corner and 5 a hairpin! Really really messed with my brain.
Anyway it was bloody good fun, but honestly overwhelming. There is so much going on I found it very difficult to really push anything. New car, new environment, processing the pace notes. On the flip side the few times where I did manage to give it some welly were really eye opening, I simply could not believe the grip and traction the car had given the conditions. In my head all my reactions and predisposition is that of a road car, I'm looking ahead and big bumpy rocks and loose gravel and just thinking "no no no you can't do that" but lo and behold the car does it! Completely unfazed it bounds across the surface and sucks you around corners.
The only way I can describe it is that it felt like there was a chain on the front and you're being winched along by some invisible force. It was truly exhilarating and overwhelming, the whoosh of the turbos and that incredible AWD traction. It has changed my perspective on cars and rallying completely. It was all over in what felt like 30 seconds, in reality probably 5 minutes or so. This is my one criticism of the day, you get loads of practice and time in the RWD lower powered cars but no real chance to get used to this one. Just doing the circuit twice would make a huge difference, I think I would literally have been twice as fast if not more.
After everyone had driven the AWD Impreza out on the course, the schedule changed again. From now on we were going to do timed laps. 3 laps clockwise, a quick break and then 3 laps anti-clockwise. Fastest total time wins. Unfortunately at this point the heavens opened, which was a bit frustrating because the conditions you'd spent an hour getting used to all day changed immediately. Anyway, I did manage to get the fastest clockwise time of the day but this made me try to hard on the anti-clockwise laps and I completely spun it
. The secret is definitely not to try too hard! Over driving is what slows you down and causes mistakes![youtube]oksA4qLw7xM[/youtube]
Looks pretty slow on video! Felt fun I promise.
In between these timed laps the instructor took people out in the proper club spec rally Impreza.
Absolutely bonkers. I've never experienced anything like it. It felt like being on a rollercoaster driven by someone else, I could scarcely believe the speeds we were doing in the conditions we had. Whatever you think it feels like double it, I'm not sure I said a single word the whole time just gawping and smiling. It reminded me of Pod Racing almost, like the guy was a Jedi or something. It's clear to me you need to be doing this kind of driving from a very early age much like karting.
So in conclusion:
- Lasts all day, 0930-1630 roughly
- I would estimate around 1hr20m -> 1hr40m of total driving time
- Encouraged to properly go for it and get as sideways and quick as you dare
- Instructors will give you as much help (or not) as you want
- Great value for money all things considered
- Only criticism would be I'd swap a practice RWD session for another go on the actual stage
- Pace notes were the wrong way round (for me!)
[youtube]n3pTTy7gFJo[/youtube]
Hope you enjoyed this rambling waffle, any questions ask away! Few more pics on my instagram @chrisatronic
.
Did a Rally School day many years ago. Sooooo, much fun. 