Millbrook Proving Ground

Centrally located in Bedfordshire Millbrook Proving Ground is about 5 miles from junction 13 of the M1. It is one of Europe's leading locations for the development and demonstration of every type of land vehicle. The consequence of this custom-built facility means you have the perfect arena to develop your driving knowledge and technique. The purpose built circuits allow us to break down your natural driving style into the core components used everyday and on track. Braking, Cornering, Low and High Speed driving as well as Observation and limit handling are all explored in a variety of scenarios that are difficult to find anywhere else in one place.

The art of driving is dissected into manageable bite size learning chunks, building your mental toolbox and making your new found techniques systematic. The skills you develop will be taken into your road driving for your safety and apply for track enthusiasts at any circuit.

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A training session with CAT will always start with the core areas of braking and observation. No matter what level of experience you arrive with, these key aspects to your driving will be explored. Depending on your objectives and itinerary you could find yourself on the Mile Straight for 15 minutes or up to 90 minutes working through the many braking techniques: Threshold; High G; ABS; Linear; Pedal Exit; Heel & Toe; and Left Foot Braking.

Time on the High Speed Circuit looking at high speed driving and observation follows, before moving onto exploring the many and varied cornering techniques that can be used. The combination of the Handling Circuit and Alpine Loops provides practically every type of corner you will drive through. Exploration of real time understeer and oversteer completes the standard itinerary for our clients on their first visit to us. The combination of your learning experience with CAT and the Millbrook facility makes a powerful duo, which truly accelerates your learning curve.

Mile Straight

So accurate that it curves slightly to compensate for the curvature of the earth. The place to test acceleration and braking. Braking techniques can be taught repetitively and until performed correctly. On a racing circuit this would be highly dangerous as you are not allowed to stop on the straights unless you have a mechanical problem. Your fellow circuit users would not expect you to brake, mid circuit, only when approaching a bend.

High Speed Circuit

Two miles of banked track where you can drive at 120mph +. Its visual impact gets the heart racing as you approach the slip road, the banking facing you like a wall of intimidating concrete. The impression continues as you enter lane one and build your speed aiming for 100mph in lane 5. Once you have settled down and achieved a couple of laps at speed, the angle of the banking almost seems to reduce, your senses adjust to the extreme experience and the road appears to flatten a little. Some comment this circuit is boring simply because of its lack of corners. This is the very reason we love the place. You can circulate as many times as is needed to practice and understand the major as well as the finer detail points that keep you on the tarmac on a flat circuit at high speed, all without risk, minimal wear and tear on the vehicle and in a relatively relaxed environment.

Outer Handling Circuit

Experience extreme handling, late braking and ultimate acceleration. A technically challenging circuit, rewarding if driven correctly but waiting to bite you if pushing too hard too soon. This session is pushing and learning with constant coaching and calling the bends early along with a stream of technical help to ensure your safe circulation. Dissecting safe cornering technique punctuated with vehicle dynamics presentations pulls together the detail of driving at speed through corners.

Alpine Route

Twisting and turning around hairpin bends and heart stopping drops, this track tests the nerve and the driver skill. Drive the circuit that the rally greats have driven, having once been a special stage on the RAC Rally. Personally it has the look and feel of a scaled down Nurburgring: blind crests, adverse cambers, hairpins, fast down and up hill sections. This impressive training circuit indulges the trainee with many high performance driving scenarios: slow in fast out; heel and toe; brake in turn; single input steering; rotational steering; straight line braking opportunities mid corner; and entry apex clipping point & exit – spend all day there and you’d never tire of the experience.