Day 1 & 2 Completed, You are Now Driving Confidently at Speed with a Systematic Technique
The emphasis now shifts from focusing on you the driver, to the vehicle you are driving and the circuit you are driving on.
Our objective on this day is to awaken your senses to the dynamic platform you are driving, examining each corner and evaluating the vehicles performance from a steady state driver benchmark. You will enjoy dissecting the Millbrook Handling Circuit and Alpine Loops corner by corner to optimise speed and safety. Unravelling the mysteries associated with optimum lap times you will know what is the fastest line and understand why.
A damper tuning session will see you explore 7 ride and handling evaluation criteria, adjusting the vehicles platform to your driving requirements. By analysing the change in the vehicles characteristics you will optimise your lap time and the vehicles drivability.
Introducing circuit focused techniques such as trail braking, left foot braking, heel and toe and reference points, each discipline builds your preparation for your finale to the Academy Programme - driving on circuit. Are you ready?
Your instructor will be looking for consistent flawless laps against the clock around the challenging Millbrook Handling Circuit - all within 200ths of a second of each other. Consistency is king. Only when you can drive consistently can you work out how to go faster.
The day ends with an over grip limit and skid correction session in our track prepared Caterham 7. Great fun and confidence inspiring, an exciting exploration into the world of over grip limit mastery and control.
Duration: 1 day
Driving Time: 5 hours
No. of Trainees: 1 or 2 - at your request
Location: Millbrook
Price: 1:1 basis £1125 using your car £1250 using CAT vehicles (Subaru/Caterham) £1350 (Boxster)
Price: 2:1 basis £590 pp using your car £700 pp using CAT vehicles (Subaru/Caterham) £795 (Boxster)
Lunch and refreshments included
You must have completed the Grip Limit course before you can take part in the Optimisation course.
Academy Programme day 1 - Performance
Academy Programme day 2 - Grip Limit
Academy Programme day 3 - Optimisation
Academy Programme day 4 - On Circuit
Academy Programme day 5 - Racing
Please contact Jo Hoad on 01234 757633 to discuss your requirements and book your Academy Programme.
One of the Most Challenging Days You will Spend Behind the Wheel
Our emphasis on your development through unique motor industry training techniques separates CAT from any other driver training company. Test engineers drive with unparalleled precision and comfort at grip limit. The Grip Limit course held at the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground has been designed around core motor industry training exercises - advancing your road and circuit skills to a professional level.
Morning Session - Indy Circuit
Dedicated slalom and lane change exercises develop your skills against the clock in the following areas:
- Optimising grip from a standing start
- Body posture
- Seating position
- Observation
- Linear steering inputs
- Spacial awareness
- Threshold braking
- Grip limit identification
- Robotic isolation
- Understeer and oversteer identification and control and
- The relationship between pedal speed and vehicle balance
You will explore how to correct an oversteering vehicle at speed at grip limit, working on the relationship between vehicle yaw rate and counter steer input, and as importantly what to do with the gas pedal when correcting oversteer.
Through varying damper settings, you evaluate the dynamic change of the vehicles platform at grip limit, promoting your awareness and understanding of the dynamic messages relayed to the driver at speed. These often ignored coaching scenarios give you the skills to improve lap time, safety and driving enjoyment.
Afternoon Session - Sprint Circuit
The large run off areas at Bruntingthorpe allow you to explore high speed cornering techniques at grip limit in safety. Negotiating turns at speeds in excess of 100MPH, you will achieve and master the skill of true grip limit cornering. Optimum apex speed is your goal but how do you achieve it? You will dissect the corner from the braking zone to the exit phase, balancing control inputs with platform balance and speed, lap after lap until you are comfortable and relaxed at the limit of adhesion.
You will leave this day having advanced your comfort and capability at grip limit.
Due to the nature of the exercises and the aggressive effect of the airfield surface on tyres, it is mandatory to use CAT vehicles for the majority of our training activities at Bruntingthorpe. The last hour of training can be carried out in your own car if you would like to.
Duration: 1 day
Driving Time: 6 hours
No. of Trainees: 1
Location: Bruntingthorpe
Price: 1:1 basis £1425 using CAT vehicles
Lunch and refreshments included
You must have completed the Performance Driver Course before you can take part in the Grip Limit Course.
Academy Programme day 1 - Performance
Academy Programme day 2 - Grip Limit
Academy Programme day 3 - Optimisation
Academy Programme day 4 - On Circuit
Academy Programme day 5 - Racing
Please contact Jo Hoad on 01234 757633 to discuss your requirements and book your Academy Programme.
A structured day with a carefully crafted itinerary designed to cover the key aspects of performance driving, effectively bridging the gap between both road and circuit techniques. Day one of a five day programme, your journey of discovery starts here. You will visit and enjoy the 5 key circuits on the Millbrook Proving Ground. A dedicated circuit for each learning experience, there really is no better place in the country to begin your driver development programme.
Your full day will consist of the 5 core elements detailed in the tabs below.
1: Braking
Braking
The corner starts a long way before you turn the steering wheel! You will experience and perfect:
- ABS braking.
- ABS brake and avoid
- Threshold braking
- High G linear retardation of a vehicle from in excess of 100MPH
Effective braking techniques reduce your lap time and structure the turn in phase of a corner. You will explore and develop specific braking elements in finite detail, on a circuit designed for the task. No TRAFFIC, NO LATE BRAKERS, NO ONE SITTING ON YOUR BUMPER. Just you, the car and your instructor and as many runs as you need to perfect your technique.
2: High Speed Driving
High Speed Driving
2 miles of banked tarmac, 5 lanes - a perfect circle. Tiff Needell holds the official record at 197 MPH, a Porsche test driver the unofficial record at 206 MPH. So yes, you can train in safety well within the envelope of grip at speeds in excess of 120MPH. You will focus on the core elements of driving at speed, the subtle changes in technique required for you to remain safe and in control. Let's not ignore the car, compliance steer, bump steer and role steer to name just a few, all affect the behaviour of your vehicles dynamic platform when driven at its limit of adhesion. You will FEEL and isolate these dynamic characteristics, in safety. The result, true comfort and dynamic harmony with your vehicle at speed.
3: Understeer & Oversteer
Understeer & Oversteer
An open expanse of slippery concrete or tarmac, ”line trace” the painted radius at grip limit to explore understeer and oversteer. Discover the relationship between throttle and steering inputs when at steady state grip limit. As you make a steering input there is a friction loss between the tyre and the road. In this scenario the throttle pedal levels the car through a turn and steers it at grip limit. Explore your limits and the vehicles, drive at the limit of adhesion in safety on a dedicated exclusive use circuit.
4: Circuit Cornering
Circuit Cornering Techniques
Fast and challenging, designed to test even the most experienced drivers. Basic and advanced cornering techniques are explored and practiced in safety. Our objective? To ensure you finish the day with a systematic approach to cornering, transferring our skills to you, enabling you to manage and maintain optimum apex speed when driving a corner on circuit. You will dissect each corner and look at the minutia of driving differing radius corners and the effects of correct braking and observational techniques on circuit
speed and safety. You don’t just learn how to drive the Millbrook Handling Circuit, you are given the tools to work any circuit effectively.
5: Alpine Route
Alpine Route
We are nearing the end of the session, this is the consolidation phase of the day. Piecing each circuit building block together to achieve safe fast consistent laps on one of the most demanding circuits you will ever drive. Blind crests, adverse cambers, differing road surfaces and every variation of radius you can imagine. Then finally back to the Handling Circuit to finish the day with a consistency challenge. Your instructor will expect 5 timed laps all within half a second of each other!! Tick all of the boxes and you are ready for your next challenge, day 2 - Grip Limit.
Duration: 1 day
Driving Time: 5.5 hours
No. of Trainees: 1 or 2 - at your request
Location: Millbrook
Price: 1:1 basis £975 using your car £1185 using a CAT vehicle (Subaru/Caterham) £1375 (Boxster)
Price: 2:1 basis £535 pp using your car £680 pp using a CAT vehicle (Subaru/Caterham) £785 pp (Boxster)
Lunch and refreshments included
Academy Programme day 1 - Performance
Academy Programme day 2 - Grip Limit
Academy Programme day 3 - Optimisation
Academy Programme day 4 - On Circuit
Academy Programme day 5 - Racing
Please contact Jo Hoad on 01234 757633 to discuss your requirements and book your Performance Driving Course - day 1 of your Academy Programme.
