I thought I'd better write this one up for completeness, although it's been a few months so it might not be very accurate.

It was definitely dry & bright when I drove up to Silverstone, enjoying the roundabouts between the M40 and the circuit and trying to contain my feelings of excitement and trepidation for my first track day.

I arrived at the Silverstone in good time and spotted Vivian Meazza's car in the carpark, who pointed me in the right direction for signing on and scruitineering. Stick numbers on the car, empty boot and tape up headlights. We were then briefed - we were using the Historic Grand Prix Circuit, all overtaking in my session (Road cars) to be on the left, and reminder to use the mirrors as there was quite a mix of cars present, including two Ferrari F50s, and a number of race-spec Caterhams.

Next step was a few familiarisation laps as a passenger in a minibus. First look at the circuit and it's very big out here. As the UKs flagship circuit and the only one that regularly holds F1 GPs the straights seem very long and the corners very open for a car like the Elise... and it's very long way round, and three laps aren't enough to remember which order the corners come in or where any of the best lines go. Good job I booked some instruction for my first session.

The track opens properly - I meet my instructor and he takes me round for a few laps; it always impresses me how smooth proper racing drivers are; OK they know the circuit well because they drive it all the time, but even so the apparently effortless way he makes the car turn in, balances it through the early corner and then accelerates out again is always enjoyable. Meanwhile I'm trying to concentrate on remembering which order the corners come in, and where to position the car on the track. The series of tightening right and left handers through Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel seem particularly tricky. We come in & swap over and I do a few more laps with him as a passenger, but then it's the end of the session.

Unfortunately the start of our next session is delayed as one of the 'Race' cars has gone off into the gravel at Copse. There seems to be an excess of enthusiasm over ability for some drivers and there are a number of cars sitting round the back of the pits with evidence of off-course excursions. One 911 has obviously been sideways through the gravel as it has a nicely arranged rings of pebbles in all of the tyre beads.

It takes over half of our alloted time to ready the course again, so by the time I get out I can't really remember much about where the track goes.. out of the pits and stay out of everyone's way until I get on to Hanger straight - flat out in 4th, watch the mirrors, pick a braking point and turn deep right through Stowe, I seem to be able to get on the power early and aim at the next entry point. My instructor turned in to Vale without braking but I make a prudent dab... long right through Club, try not to force the line and lose too much speed, and then accelerate up towards Abbey Curve; easy right and then he just lifted in 4th and help! the corner tightens hard left, there's NO way we're getting round that at this speed. I hit the brakes hard, slow diagonally across the corner, running out of tarmac.. head up, miss the gravel, across the grass, keep it straight and manage to rejoin just before bridge. What the heck happened there? Never mind, through Bridge, a right turn with some helpful camber, over to the left, brake and turn hard left at Priory for the entry to the complex, left again, stay in the middle of the track to get the right entry for the long right hander which opens out into the straight - aim to be under the second light as we go under the start finish line, keep over to the left, brake and turn into Copse before you can quite see, try and use all the track on the exit before passing the pit exit, get back over onto the right of the circuit and round again. This time I try coming into Abbey Curve much slower for a look around.. there is definitely no way my instructor went through that in 4th. I remain confused for the rest of the session, and just try and get some consistency for the rest of the lap with varying degrees of success.

Time to come in for lunch and a bit of a chat with Vivian - he's running in the same session as me but is much quicker. Meet Bernard Yeoh, a very nice chap with a Porsche Cup race car who is driving his sponsor round and invites me to share his garage. Bernard is much amused because he's got his car on road tyres and the adhesion and control are significantly less than on his race tyres. I mention my grass excursion to Vivian, who explains that the circuit was changed in between sessions 1 and 2.. apparently the track marshalls were concerned by the entry speeds into Bridge and decided to put one of the new GP chicanes in to slow us down. Hmmm. Pity they didn't tell anyone - apparently it was announced on the pit lane Tannoy but we didn't hear it. This makes me feel extremely fortunate that I didn't come to more grief.

Lunch over, and reassured that the track will still be the same I have another go. Some bits are starting to come together, and I'm not the slowest car there - I remember passing another Elise and some other stuff. The F50 whistles past me on the straight, never mind, and some chappie in a TVR S3 gives me a nice demonstration of the relative strengths of our two cars - he's up behind me at the end of each straight but by corner exit he's dropped back again. I've now established some sort of consistency round the circuit and I'm trying to keep it neat and tidy. I tentatively increase a few entry speeds, but I'm very conscious that this is my first day and I don't want to do anything stupid, and I'm having fun but all too soon it's the end of the session again.

As an interlude Bernard takes me round for 4 or 5 laps - I see what he means about the tyres, but his car control is very impressive, especially when we catch a gaggle of hire drive Caterhams who unexpectedly brake in all the corners and have to take 'evasive action'.

Last session of the day, and I get to take Lotus' Dave Minter round - I'd seen his yellow Elise parked at the side of the track on my previous run.. seems the clutch had given out. Dave obviously has great confidence in the car as he encourages me to really attack the exits - if you get the turn in point correct, and arrive at the apex pointing the right direction then you can put the throttle on the floor and just let the car align itself. Under Dave's guidance I get a bit quicker and a lot more confident after Bridge and through the complex. After the session Dave gives me some tips - learn heel & toe, and brake much later and harder!

Game over, and I'm exhausted from the mental effort. I haven't disgraced myself, the car has perfomed faultlessly, I've had a lot of fun but I've got an awful lot to learn. Time to go home.

1999 Update

Again, it's been a couple of months but I finally get round to writing some notes.

Silverstone again, one year on approx. Similarities, it's still 96 Club and it's still the GP circuit but everything else is different. For starters we are sharing the day with Silverstone Driving Centre who have priority so we have to start earlier, finish later and have shorter sessions of 20 minutes as opposed to the usual 30. Also 96 Club seem to be even lighter on the organisation that I recall – a very brief briefing is followed by some 50-70 mph familiarisation laps in convoy behind an instructor on a very wet track - it rained heavily overnight and conditions are very changeable.

I try the 'no brakes' drill on the familiarisation laps – allow the car to coast down to the corners rather than braking and concentrate on the feel and traction through the corner. The wet conditions mean that steering has to be very gentle – turn in too abruptly and the front pushes wide. Release the lock and try a wider arc and look for the bite. Vale (The tight left hander before the long right at Club) is very slippery, as is Brooklands at the entry to the complex.

First full session is much the same as the familiarisation laps – very damp. I try holding the steering wheel between finger and thumb - this means it's impossible to apply very much force to the steering, so therefore you can't turn the wheel too hard and break traction.

After another long break it dries up enough for a dry line to appear more or less everywhere. Exit the pit lane following Viv in his modified Elise and manage to stay with him except through Copse where I can't find a sighting point for my initial turn in - I know where to turn, just not how hard and I keep finding myself with track to spare at the exit. Still, I can make up loads on Viv through Bridge as he is hugging the right side of the track on the exit (next bend is a sharp left), whereas I let the car run to the centre of the track and use the camber to keep the speed. This means I'm tight behind him through Brooklands and Woodcote, and unfortunately unsight myself on the exit and run wide on entry to the start finish straight, putting one wheel on the grass and scattering a line of cones that had been put there to mark the track edge. Ooops. Still, I keep my head together and manage to rejoin without incident although I've earnt myself a black flag and a stern talking to from very safety minded official.

We then get two more good dry sessions, and everything seems to come together reasonably. I find I know the circuit much better than at my last visit, although it still feels very 'big' in the Elise and has few reference points to find lines through corners; it's only when you get close to someone else that you can gauge the relative strengths of different lines... and you have to assume that they're not varying their line similarly.

Final sessions (after a long stoppage caused by a TVR diving into the gravel ) were very wet, and I think my concentration had gone as I couldn't maintain any pace. When I caught myself watching something navigate the pit lane rather than watching the track I decided to come in & call it a day.

That's probably my last track day of the year, which means I need to think about what to do next. I'm not sure I want to try going much faster in the Elise (logic says that eventually I'll fall off) and I'm not convinced I'm learning much by carrying on at my current pace. Something to think about over the Christmas pud.