How to drive like a racing driver

If you've ever watched motorsport on the TV, you might have noticed that it's a far cry from the kind of driving most of us do in everyday life. Free from the shackles of traffic jams, the Highway Code and our ever-watchful friend, the speed camera, racing drivers really do give it some welly. And it always looks like amazing fun.

On track you can peel back the fluffy layers of aesthetics, practicality and convenience and get down to the basics of any car - raw, physical stuff like power, traction and grip. Better yet, a few laps of a race circuit isn't a pleasure reserved for wiry, millionaires in monogramed overalls, absolutely anyone can give it a go.

In pictures: Bedford Autodrome track-day

To get the expert view on how a novice circuit driver should go about making the most of their first track driving experiences, we joined the eBay Motors British Touring Car Championships team at Bedford Autodrome. There, star eBay Motors driver Tom Onslow-Cole was ready to give us a track driving master class.

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012 preview

Scared silly

As a jumping-off point, there's nothing like standing back and watching how it should be done. Or in this case, strapping into a passenger seat that's bolted into to a 2011 eBay Motors BTCC BMW 3 Series and trying not to cry as Onslow-Cole drives it like he's stolen it.

Sitting next to a top racing driver doing their thing, in their racing car, is an eye-opening experience - if you can keep your eyes open. With the sound, the heat and the G-forces acting on your face and body, it's like riding a rollercoaster while locked inside a washing machine on the fast spin cycle.

The capabilities of the car and the intensity of it being driven at its limits leave you drained but also with newfound respect for the BTCC drivers. They do this lap after lap with like-minded rivals swarming all about, trying to muscle onto the bit of road they're currently using by any means possible. That's top-level motorsport.

Onto the track

Having been scared witless and given an inferiority complex the size of Michael Schumacher's trophy cabinet by Tom Onslow-Cole's crazy passenger laps, we weren't in the best frame of mind to try and emulate him out on the track. Fortunately, our not-so-tame racing driver is actually very friendly when he isn't trying to drive the wheels off his race-prepared BMW and he was on hand with some tips and calming words of encouragement.

"The first thing for me is to make sure you're sitting comfortably in the car. Sit quite close to the steering wheel so you remain in control at all times." And once you're in the car, Tom says it's all about vision and smoothness. "Look ahead and see what's coming up, plan ahead and don't concentrate on the car in front. Definitely keep it very smooth, the quicker you get, the smoother you should become, building your speed."

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012 preview

Top 10 track driving tips

So, distilled from eBay Motors British Touring Car Championship driver Tom Onslow-Cole's words of wisdom, here are our top tips for successful track driving...

Make sure your car's up to it
Driving on track puts stresses and strains on a car that are far greater than it would be exposed to on the road so it pays to check that it's ready for the challenge. This goes double if you're using your own car on a track day. Remember you want to be driving it home later, not riding shotgun in the tow truck.

Do the usual checks but pay particular attention to tyres (condition and pressures) and the oil level. Driven hard, a car can use a lot of oil on a track day and the same goes for fuel. It sounds obvious but make sure you've got enough juice on in the tank to get back to the pits, running out on track can be very embarrassing.

Get yourself ready for action
You'll need a good crash helmet and gloves might also be a sensible idea. Unless you're extremely handy, a monogramed race suit with sponsors logos and a grinning picture of your own face on the back is unnecessary. Settle for comfortable clothes with long sleeves and legs, plus some narrow, thin-soled shoes to help you operate the pedals.

In pictures: Bedford Autodrome track-day

Get yourself in the right frame of mind. Too much aggression is bad. Try to be relaxed but focused, it'll help your driving. Don't overdo the fried breakfast on the morning of a track day or it might not be the last you see of it.

Are you sitting comfortably?
After the safety briefing, do not sprint across the paddock, dive though the car window like the Dukes of Hazzard and burn rubber up the pit lane. Take your time when getting into the car.

Adjust your seat so you're comfortable and you can hold the wheel with arms extended but without stretching. Don't forget to position the headrest. Check you can press the clutch to the bottom of its travel and the accelerator too, you'll be needing that later. Then adjust your mirrors and fasten your seatbelt.

Nissan GT-R v the Nürburgring 24 Hours

Start slow and get faster
So we're off, and once again the trick is to take things easy. Get the techniques right at slower speeds when you've got more time to concentrate, then gradually increase your speed. You'll end up being far quicker and safer in the long run. Immediately deploying the full beans is a great way to acquaint yourself with the circuit's gravel traps, tyre walls and Armco barriers.

Learn the racing line
One of the key reasons to start slow is so that you can learn the track. You might be able to drive the 100 miles to your grandma's house without a trial run but properly learning a three-mile race circuit can take 20 laps or more. Knowing every twist and bump of the daunting 13-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife can take a lifetime.

By learning the track you can position your car on the racing line, which is basically the fastest way around it. On track days, there'll be trackside markers showing you the braking and turn in points then the apex of each corner. Stringing these points together effectively is the key to a quick lap. Barreling into a tight second gear hairpin convinced that it's actually a long open, 6th gear left hander is to be avoided.

In pictures: Bedford Autodrome track-day

Brake on the straight bits
You'll have to brake harder on track than you've, hopefully, ever had to on the road but there's a right way and a wrong way to put on the anchors. Braking shifts the car's weight around, upsetting its balance and that can be bad, so wherever possible you want to brake for corners while travelling in a straight line.

Don't stomp, you'll lock-up the wheels. Ease pressure onto the middle pedal slowly but firmly then, with your speed scrubbed off, ease off the brakes before you turn into the corner. With the car nicely balanced and all four wheels pointing straight, the brakes can do their thing that much more effectively. If your nerve goes mid-bend, diving for the brake pedal is rarely a good idea.

Nissan's DeltaWing vs the Le Mans 24hr race

Smoothly does it
Haring around the circuit with your tyres smoking and the back end slithering around like a greased herring might be fun but it's not quick. The route to faster lap times is smoothness, so make all your inputs gentle and gradual. That way, you'll keep the car balanced and planted, maximising its grip. You'll also help protect important (and expensive) bits of your car like the tyres and brakes.

Slow in, fast out
Experienced track drivers can and will debate the fastest line through a particular corner in a particular car until the cows come home but a good catch-all rule for beginners is the old 'slow in, fast out'. By getting your braking done early and turning in without too much speed, you can start feeding on the power sooner and be faster on the exit.

Those few extra mph on the way out of a bend can make a big difference to the top speed you reach on the following straight. Carry too much speed into a corner and you'll have a fight on to sort it out in time.

Keep a good look out
Observation is as important on the track as it is on the road. By looking as far up the track as possible, you can build up a picture of what's coming next and give yourself more time to get your car in the right place.

Keeping abreast of what's around you is also a good way of staying safe on a track day and avoiding dirty looks in the paddock. Keep a regular check on your mirrors and if you notice a convoy of irate Porsche 911 GT3 drivers queuing up behind your Fiat Panda, move over and let them through.

Take care of your car and it will take care of you
Don't overdo it. As we've said, track driving puts your car under a lot of stress so show a bit of mechanical sympathy. It's best to drive on track in bursts of just five laps or so, then give your car a break to cool down. It's also a good opportunity for you to take stock, think about how you can improve your driving and refocus ready for the next stint.

Don't plough around the circuit for lap after lap, oblivious to your car disintegrating around you. Rising temperature gauges and fading brakes are a cue to take a break. Carrying on regardless is a surefire way to land yourself a terrifying repair bill.

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012 preview
Nissan's DeltaWing vs the Le Mans 24hr race
Nissan GT-R v the Nürburgring 24 Hours
In pictures: Bedford Autodrome track-day

With thanks to Tom Onslow-Cole and the eBay Motors British Touring Car Championships team.