Safety, consistency and confidence are all far more important here. That’s a good thing, because this is very much the initial step on the path to becoming a racing driver, and speed is a notion that is ranked a long way down on the list of priorities. Sure, cataclysmic acceleration will get the heart pumping like little else, but even as I watched the speedometer just barely creep above 100mph down the Lavant Straight, the exhilaration was still enough to get my pulse up considerably. Even behind the wheel of something as relatively mundane as a Mini Cooper S, there is an instant thrill that comes from lapping on a race track, especially one so fast and flowing as Goodwood.ĭays like this nail down the idea that pure speed alone is not the be all and end all when it comes to getting that adrenaline fix. With the squirmy bit out of the way my attention could turn to the practical element of the day – driving around the famous Goodwood Motor Circuit. The test is split into 28 questions, you’ll need to identify each of the fourteen flag signals and answer questions on track safety and general racing etiquette. While I know what a red flag means, it was eye opening to think about how to respond as a driver, outside of the TV coverage from which I’ve learned practically everything I know about racing. My instructor was knowledgeable, vastly experienced and filled his theory session with several interesting anecdotes of his years in motorsport. That being said, it was refreshing to have this information fed to me in a genuinely interesting way. The worst part is that I was made to wait for my results, only once I’d been out on the track would I learn whether it had all been for nought.Įven if the subject matter was based entirely around what I consider to be my main area of expertise, there was nothing like returning to an educational environment to kick up the old nerves and reduce me to a quivering wreck before having to head out onto the track and demonstrate that I was a suitably capable driver. Understanding the many flag signals marshals use is absolutely necessary, and a quick 20-minute written test brought back a whole load of rather unwelcome memories of school exams. Before you’re allowed anywhere near a race track there are a couple of fundamentals you need to grasp.
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