During a recent shoot at the excellent Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground we bumped in to none other than race-teaching guru (and all round nice bloke) Mike Cooper. Mike was busy showing his considerable ropes to a pair of likely lads when we rocked up for a chat.
"We work with anyone from complete novices to advanced drivers, running though the Physics, the psychology and physiology, plus of course the practical techniques. In all cases it’s quite an eye-opener and quite different from the usual track or road instruction," he told us.
So what’s the story with the FIAT Panda? "There’s plenty of schools will let you drive a few short laps in a Ferrari 360 or Porsche 911 - but it’s all a bit sanitised and done at half throttle. This is not what performance driving courses should be about!" he protests. Mike reckons you’ll learn way more in the little FIAT Panda 100HP. But if you’re feeling really adventurous, you could always move up to one of his track-prepared BMW M3s! There’s an option to learn in you own car too, but a word of caution: An average track day session eats fuel and tyres (a full set), then there’s the thorny subject of accident cover. Standard insurance won’t pay out if your pride and joy’s embedded in the Armco halfway round the Nordschleife.
If you’re interested then check out Mike's website: www.drivertuition.com. There’s loads of info about the vast range of courses he offers, plus a few chilling reminders of what can happen when your ego writes cheques your experience can’t cash!
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