Do you feel the need for speed?

As expected the rear end swung out and I drifted almost sideways through a bend to accelerate away in something close to a straight line.

Driving a rally car at Oulton Park, on the limit (of my ability at least) was fun!

At Oulton Park, Brands Hatch and Silverstone, there are opportunities to have a go at single-seater circuit racing, saloon racing and rally driving.

I have actually raced single seaters and saloons around Oulton -- albeit thirty years ago in the case of the saloons -- and my rallying, in the hills of North Wales, was restricted to the navigator's seat.

And the Land Rover trophy events I have concentrated on since take place at a much slower speed!

The course takes up around two hours all told, most of that in the driving seat of a rally car -- the afore-mentioned Escort Cosworth.

On my visit there were just three of us, a policeman from Liverpool, myself and Mark Turton from Leigh. The other two were catching up on last year's Christmas presents (in November!).

We began our session with a briefing indoors where items like crash helmets and seat belts were explained, along with what we could expect out on the track.

I was slightly bemused when we were told that the drive to the front wheels of the 4wd Escorts had been disabled, so we would be running in rear wheel drive only.

Something to do with oversteer rather than understeer. As a Land Rover owner I would have preferred to stick to four-wheel drive!

Outside in the pits we were kitted out with helmets before being introduced to our instructors. Mine was called Richard.

Quite a bit of time was taken in ensuring that the seats and belts were comfortable and set in the right positions and then we moved out to the rally course.

That was my only disappointment of the day, I was hoping for some rough stuff and the rally course was tarmac.

Apart from the fact that the clutch pedal was rather high -- I could only hit it with my toes, not the ball of my foot -- sitting in the contoured rally seats, with the small leather rimmed steering wheel to hand was comfortable. Obviously there was a lot more power available under my right foot than from my diesel Land Rover!

Sitting at the start line Richard explained the route we would take, telling me when I would be told to accelerate, brake and change gear.

We then went out on a slow, "getting used to it" lap.

As with many forms of motor sport the fastest way of doing something doesn't necessarily feel right.

With rear wheel drive only the theory is to make the rear slide so that you take a bend sideways and end up facing the correct direction to power away in a (hopefully) straight line.

And it was that "hopefully" that I had difficulty with.

For a start I was brought up on a front wheel drive Mini, with understeer not oversteer.

Then I progressed to my four-wheel drives with, if anything, neutral handling. Oh, I could set it up to slide, with Richard's prompting, but as soon as the slide began I found that I was correcting what is, in effect, really a skid!

Although the vast majority of their customers go on these courses as a day out you are, of course, being trained to drive a rally car properly.

If you are interested in taking up rallying as a hobby, I could not recommend these courses more. In fact, I'd go more than once.

Richard was not only a very highly skilled rally driver in his own right, but an excellent instructor.

He wasn't hard, but simply and quietly explained why I had to do what he was asking me to do despite everything my own experience was telling me.

After a few laps of the first circuit we moved on to a second where I managed to spin the vehicle on one corner.

"Don't worry," said Richard, "if you never lose it it means that you haven't been trying hard enough. The point is to drive right on the edge of losing it. That's how we get to be competitive."

A couple more (slower!) laps and I finally worked it out.

I had to forget what my own brain was telling me and listen to Richard.

On the next lap I listened and reacted: "OK, now go. Lots of power and swing over to the right, cut in, tight, very tight to that bollard then straight across to clip the one on the right over there.

"Good, excellent, into second and hit the throttle, accelerate, accelerate, flat out, head between those two bollards over that crest, now brake, swing it over to the right.

"Now left, feel it sliding... let it slide, accelerate, up into third, now over to the left then swing to the right when I say... now.

"Ok, let it slide again, accelerate

flat out, now brake, down into second flat out, let it slide and punch it..." and we slid over the line.

Richard and I looked at each other and grinned. Without a watch we both knew that I had chopped a huge amount of time off my previous laps.

"You've got it right, that was exactly right," enthused Richard.

"That's because I stopped listening to myself and listened to you instead," I replied.

In just a morning Richard's tutelage helped to strip off at least a quarter from my time over the circuit.

As I said earlier, if I was seriously interested in becoming a rally driver I would certainly go back for more lessons, the idea being that I would eventually start thinking for myself!

However, as my two companions and I agreed afterwards, there is no fun to be had behind a steering wheel on public roads in this country these days, so, if you have not got the cash to go into some form of motor sport full time then these training courses are a great release in themselves.

Mark, in fact, went away planning his next visit -- this time in a single seater.

FACT FILE

THE Motoring Experience can be had at Brands Hatch, Silverstone or Oulton Park. At Oulton Park they offer the Rally Experience; the Racing Experience -- accompanied laps in an Audi TT then unaccompanied laps in a single seater racing car; and the Caterham 7 experience. All cost £160. Participants must have held a full drivers' licence for one year, which must be presented on the day

Height 5.2 - 6.7ft. Maximum weight 18 stone. Web address: www.octagonmotorsports.com

Phone: 01327 850 138

HOW TO GET THERE

FROM the Bolton area head for Warrington then go straight down the A49. Eventually you will see a road on the left signposted to Oulton Park.