The Experience
McLaren cars may be beautiful, but they are not works of art. They are designed to be driven. To be raced.
The globally homologated MP4-12C GT3 featured the same 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine as the MP4-12C road car, brought to life with its aggressive aero package, F1-style ECU and reduced weight. The result? A GT3 challenger which has thrust McLaren back into the GT racing limelight and developed a growing line of Championship winners.
This is more than an experience, off the peg a McLaren GT3 race car is likely to top the £320,000 mark, race entries add another £25,000 and that’s before fuel, tyres and parts… on the upside the Pirelli sponsorship means you get 1 tyre free with every ten purchased!
The McLaren GT3 experience is the only of its kind, nowhere else can you grasp the carbon fibre steering wheel and drive a GT3 Racer on track without the best part of half a million pounds.
Itinerary
Your McLaren MP4 Vs Ferrari Race Car Thrill Experience includes:
30 Minute Introductory Briefing: Covering racing lines, throttle/braking technique and track day safety etiquette.
4 x Sighting Laps including 1 high speed passenger lap in a track prepared sports car.
8 Laps driving the McLaren followed by 8 laps in the Ferrari 458 Challenge with an instructor co-driver.*
*The first 2 laps will be driven slowly and strictly as ‘warm-up laps’ to get a feel for the car and an opportunity to heat up the brakes & racing slick tyres.
The number of other participants in your session can vary depending on which experience you are attending. There will often be other participants driving on other kinds of experiences from drifting to stunt-driving.
We aim to keep session numbers low, this provides us more time for each participant and the opportunity to continue additional driving sessions without excessive waiting times.
Vital Information
There is a £35 surcharge to book on a Saturday, chargable at the time of booking.
Drivers must be at least 17 years old with a valid driving licence (UK or equivalent). Any valid driving licence printed in the Latin Alphabet is accepted. For any other driving licences, such as Arabic or Kanji, you will need to provide an international driving licence as well on the day of the event.
Automatic licences are acceptable, but will restrict you to driving cars that have an automatic transmission – only a small number of our cars are automatic.
Participants in any Under 17’s driving experiences are excluded.
Participant must be able to understand spoken and written English language. If you have any specific demands or needs relating to this, please contact us to discuss these before the experience is booked.
Car parking is free and the hospitality building is accessible via ramp.
The chances of damaging a car should be very low, in any condition. However, there is an inherent risk in any motorsport activity and we ask participants to be aware of these risks and take appropriate measures to maintain their own safety, by adhering to the conditions and following your instructors guidance. Should damage be caused to a vehicle as a result of a participants driving, participants accept to paying excess costs required to make good the damage. Excess varies as to experience booked, from £2,500+VAT for Under 17s experiences to £20,000+VAT for the Jordan EJ12.
There is an optional damage liability reduction available for most experiences, this can be prepaid when booking or paid on the day of the event before the participant begins their session. This amends the liability to pay for accidental damage caused to vehicles during an experience, There is no damage liability reduction for the Jordan EJ12.
Once the experience has been booked this is final and cannot be refunded – you will be offered to rebook an experience of equal value. Rebooking may be subject to a rebooking fee and must be made within 90 days of your original booking date.
Re-booking fees will be applied to any re-booking where less than 15 days notice is given prior to the experience date, if more than 15 days notice are given a single free re-booking will be permitted.
The Weather
All events will go ahead, with the exception of extreme weather conditions, i.e ice / snow.
In severe rainfall, where standing water is left on track, expect delays, or possibly cancellation of the Atom, Single Seater F1000 and GT Race Car experiences.
There is a hospitality unit on site to keep spectators and guests dry and comfortable at all times, but would suggest that wet weather clothing and umbrellas are packed. A limited number of Complementary Umbrellas can be loaned by visitors while on site, found in and returned to reception.
Arrival
Please arrive promptly on the scheduled date of your experience to register for your experience. You will be unable to participate in an experience without attending the preceding Drivers Briefing, so it is essential that you arrive on time – the Driver Briefing begins fifteen minutes after your booked arrival time.
Numbers
All in-car tuition is on a one-to-one basis although briefings may be shared.
Spectators
Spectator areas are available inside and out.
Depending on availability, they may have the chance to sit beside one of our instructors for some thrilling hot-laps in a range of cars, or even get involved with some driving of their own! This would be at the discretion of the driving instructors on the day of your booking.
Please be aware this is predominantly an outdoor venue, there are occasions when the indoor spaces are extremely busy or in use for functions. Please dress appropriately for the weather, warm clothes are often appreciated by spectators.
Unfortunately pets are not allowed to be brought to the venue, although service dogs necessary for the participant or guests are welcome.
What To Wear
Make sure to wear comfortable clothing. We suggest warm layers through spring and winter months and sunscreen and hats for summer. It is essential you wear flat-soled, slim fitting shoes, particularly on Race Car experiences.
The venue can no longer provide wet weather clothing, we ask you to bring your own if you are in an open vehicle.
Helmets are supplied and required for F1000, Ariel Atom, GT Race Cars and those with Roll Cages (S15, Mustang NASCAR etc).
If you do wear one of our helmets for your experience, a Balaclava is required. If you do not have/bring a balaclava with you, one can be purchased from reception. You can wear your own helmet as long as it has the relevant Kite Mark, with the exception of Ariel Atom experiences; due to use of an intercom, you must utilise one of our helmets which is fitted with the required equipment to communicate with your instructor.
For Supercar and Drift Experiences, helmets are optional. Drift Limits Branded Balaclavas, Race Gloves, hats, T-shirts, beanies and more can be purchased from the café onsite.
Availability
Please advise us of your preferred dates when redeeming your voucher for us to check availability.
Location
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
