Flags down and they’re off! Woohoo Rally Car Driving Day! Wow, well we started off on an amazingly sunny morning at the Chris Birkbeck Rally School parked up and left my little standard car for a pep talk on the do’s and don’t inside ‘The Archers Hotel which forms part of the rally school. All eager to get going we went down to the track! I took along my Uncle Steven, who’s a car and rally enthusiast. As we gazed around the track it was breathtaking, right on the top of the Saltburn coatsline, just past Brotton, we knew we were in for a really good day!
 
The cars pulled up, all Ford Focuses and rigged out. The helmets were on, no messing around and I was right in the drivers seat! The aim of this first session was to master right handbreak turns and as I began driving I soon realised this was like driving no normal car, and on no normal road. It was loud and the car was powerful, and we were on a dirt track! The instructor was fab, he talked me through what we were going to do as I steadily drove around it, getting a feel for the car and the environment. 

My first handbreak turn was more of a little side step, but not to worry, I built it up and built it up until wush, i was skidding round the corners and landing forward (where I should be) ready to take off again! bruuuummm!
 
I watched on the trackside hill with the other rally goers whilst my uncle took his turn, well he certainly got the knack quiker than me! The next go I did right AND left handbreak turns, going round right and left bends that is. This was a little tricker for me, I took a few left turns to get the hang. After this go I realised what I wanted to do was go for it, building up some good speed for the corners. So when I got to do the full track, my foot was down, I was only doing this once and I had my safety helmet on! (Oh and the instructor had his own set of peddles!) The whole time you’re in the car you’re miced up to the instructor so you can hear him clearly, and he could hear me!  This last lap was a whole lot bigger, and we got to test out all that we had learnt and more! The adreneline rush was amazing, I think the instructor even felt this with my driving!
 
I then watched my uncle, who put me to shame making my driving look like a learner’s first go! Just when I thought it was all over, they shouted me in again to put my helmet on - what I hadn’t realised was that the instructor was then going to drive me! Well this was face pulled back kind of driving! He took each corner with a cm away from the twists and turns and did the whole lap in 30 seconds, I spent the whole time screaming! I think this was pay back time! it was really funny, and really interesting to see what the real rally drivers do! All of us learners then went back to the hotel where lunch was served up. Since we’d all been together trackside during the day and we’d all got along really well so lunch was a nice social affair.  Then, certificate time, I got mine and I was well chuffed, we’d all achieved a lot that day, complete beginners to actually rally driving very well!

We also got to have a sneak around the workshop where they make up rally cars for different drivers, my uncle being the car enthusiast asked loads of questions and they answered every single one, these are not just instructors, they part time rally drivers themselves and are complete enthsiasts.
 
All round great day out, they even do rally days for the kids. Here we were with 10 other people who had came from as far as Scotland to do this experience, and its right on our doorstep! Marvallous day out had by all!
 
If your interested in having a go, see their website voa www.visitteesvalley.co.uk