The Chris Birkbeck International Rallyschool - Brotton, Saltburn, North Yorkshire

Written in 2001

Everyone knows that the best birthday presents are the big ones. The ones that have to be tipped sideways to fit through the door. The ones that mean a spare bedroom has an 'Out Of Bounds' notice on it prior to the big day. The ones that are so big that you have to go to them, rather than have them handed to you. You know the sort I mean.

So, what on earth was my wife playing at when she handed me a small envelope? Was she trying to destroy the child inside me? I was gutted….….until I opened the envelope, that is!

Inside, there was a gift voucher. Not your usual books or CD voucher, but one that invited me to spend the day rally driving at the Chris Birkbeck International Rallyschool! Boy, was I excited?!!

If I tell you that we live in Suffolk and that the Chris Birkbeck Rallyschool is in North Yorkshire, you'll get an idea of how impressed my wife was when she'd phoned around a few rally schools to see what they offered. We go a lot on first impressions, and Tania was pleased that they took the time to explain what to expect. Being about 5 hours away, the fact that they also had their own hotel on site was an added bonus!!

We arrived the night before. The directions given were good, and we quickly threw our bags in the room and headed into town for a slap-up meal. I don't recall the name of the Indian restaurant now, but it was very good!

I'm a terrible sleeper when I'm excited, so it was no surprise that I didn't sleep a wink. For me, the morning couldn't come quick enough, although I was a bit apprehensive. What would it really be like? What would the instructors be like? Would I make a fool of myself? So many questions, only one way to find out…

The day started with introductions, a very brief run down of what to expect, how to hold the steering wheel and…well, that was it. Straight to the action!!

There were two instructors and each had five pupils. I was assigned to Andy, who'd just got back from America after doing some promotional work for Subaru. He had an extremely good manner and was immediately reassuring. You got the impression that none of us here would have been able to unnerve him, which made everyone settle straight into the fun. The other instructor seemed equally as friendly and knowledgeable.

We were taken to the test course and given a brief talk again on what we would be doing and then it was straight into a fully-prepared Daewoo Lanos for handbrake turns, not something that I'd studied in the highway code. Looking back, it's amazing how we progressed during the day - I think I did the first one at about 5mph! I should point out here that the cars had a brake on the passenger's side, something that was to come in very handy later when Andy commented that "braking was something of an afterthought" for me!

Once we'd 'mastered' the art of handbrake turns (okay, once we'd got the hang of pointing the car vaguely in the right direction), we were off round the track via the 'easy' route. Only two cars were used for the day and the instructors ensured that they were kept away from each other. To me, the sound of stones hitting the bottom of the car, the roar of the engine and the smell of the interior were about as good as driving gets. I was loving it!

After a couple more outings, it was back to the hotel for a nice hot lunch (included in the price). After the bracing winds of the North East of England, it was wolfed down with great relish! Afterwards, it was back to the track for more instruction.

I can't claim to have been a master rally driver, but I really did feel that I'd progressed during the day. All in all, we went out five times each in the car and all of the students improved with each drive. I'd have loved to have spent longer practicing, but I suppose that's all part of the addiction.

What I found very encouraging was that the instructors really did instruct. I am very wary of these "one-off gift" packages that seem to be all the rage today, but all credit to the Chris Birkbeck staff. They worked hard for their money. So much so that I am seriously considering making the long trek back for some 'one-on-one' training, before venturing out into the real world of competitive rally driving.

Before we finished for the day, it was our chance to see what the instructors could do. Not from the sidelines, but from the passenger seat! I absolutely loved this. These guys know their stuff, so you feel confident, but boy, do they fly?!! My wife, although she hadn't taken part on the course, had booked herself a few laps of this (it cost £10 extra) and, being a speed freak herself, immediately got out of the car afterwards with a big grin on her face and exclaimed, "Wow! I wish I'd done the whole package now. That was fantastic!"

Finally, we were given a tour of the on-site workshops. To me, this was just as interesting as the driving. There were all sorts of cars there, from Ford Ka's to full-blown £200,000 monsters! It was a real eye-opener and a good chance to get up close and have a look inside.

I had a great birthday. My wife had really surpassed herself and the Chris Birkbeck Rally School lived up to its promises. If you want to find out a bit more, take a look at their website at http://www.gorally.co.uk/ , or give them a call on 01287 677512. A day like the one I did will cost £220.00 at weekends, or £200.00 if you go during the week. Please mention Rally-Driver.com if you do speak to them.

I think you'll consider it money well spent. My only regret was not realising that I hadn't put any film in the camera, after my wife had spent nearly all day in the cold in order to get some good shots. By the time I realised, we'd done nearly all of the driving! Oh well, if I needed an excuse to go back…