I'M THE first to admit I'm not a daredevil - far from it, in fact.
Skydiving has never turned me on (why jump out of a perfectly good plane?), just thinking of abseiling makes me weak at the knees, and bungee jumping, well, you've got more chance of getting me to use the term 'football' to describe anything other than Australian Rules.
It just ain't gonna happen.
Having said all that, when I was offered the chance drive a V8 Super- car last month as part of a commercial being filmed by Oran Park-based com- pany V8 Max, I was keen to struggle into the racing suit and helmet and give it my best shot.
Given what I said above, "my best shot" was never going to be a complete white knuckle experience for myself or my coach, but I was pleasantly surprised with how I went and how confident I got pushing the mighty Ford Falcon around Oran Park at speeds upwards of 180kmh.
Yes, I know, a dawdle for the coach, but he did a fantastic job in making me comfortable at the wheel and the whole process, from the pre-drive briefing and the fitting out of a suit (how many Xs can you fit on a tag?), to the actual drive with on-track instructions and the provision of photos, DVD and lunch/refreshments afterwards made it an experience I definitely will never forget.
V8 Max is a family owned and operated company headed up by Anthony Orr, with the family having been involved in many aspects of motor sport for more than 20 years.
They are committed to providing an experience as close to the real thing as possible, taking into account driver abilities by nurturing and encouraging the more conservative, while bringing out the ability in the more competent driver.And safety is the No.1 priority, with a staff of up to 17 people focused on just that.
"We have four to five coaches, plus catering staff, office staff and a full time mechanic and paramedics on duty at all times, and safety is paramount with our cars and our operations," Orr said,
"All our cages are an exact copy of the Supercar cage, they're not just production car cages, they are close as we can possibly get.
"Our high standard of safety is second to none as your safety is of paramount importance to us."
With upwards of 70 people passing through each day, it's a popular activity that will soon be off limits .
"We're just trying to promote our last couple of months at Oran Park before they close it down ? we'll be here until December and it's the last chance people will have to race on the historic racetrack," Orr said.
"It's very popular, we're actually looking at opening more days or increasing numbers by adding another car to our fleet."
As you would think, if someone like me, who is not a thrillseeker, can have the time of their life, it's an activity available to everybody.
"We get a big variety of people come here ? of course we get a lot of rev- heads, but we also get a lot of corporate people coming in with their groups, and we do group discounts," Orr said. "We also get a big variety of age groups, from 18-19yo who just want to experience the thrill of a V8 to the 50-60yo who have been bought it for their birthdays.
"Most people can't believe how fast they can go, by the time they get out of the car they're saying 'I didn't believe I could drive that fast or brake that hard and turn that quick into the corner,' and that's a great feeling.
V8 Max packages start from a seven-lap drive package for $295 including tuition, uniform hire and in-car coach, with additional laps costing for $42 per lap, with photos and DVDs available for $44 each. n Visit www.V8max.com or 1300 797 220 to find out more details.
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