Ford rally academy: Racetrack kids get a head start

Learning to drive: the nightmare that awaits every parents' purse and every teenager's terror? Or the dream of a lifetime, the ultimate acquisition of independence as you speed away from home anywhere you care to point your battered "first car" from eBay?

I have always dreamed of driving (hard not to, given my father's occupation, as motoring editor of this newspaper), ever since I was first plonked on Dad's knees behind the wheel of a Singer Chamois aged about four. Obviously, once I grew a bit, it was harder to fit my knees and his under the column, so my driving opportunities became more limited. Occasional experiments in fields or hidden bits of road didn't satisfy the urge, so when Ford offered the opportunity to try out the then-new SportKa at the ProDriveLive track in Kenilworth, I snapped it up.

As the only participant without a driving licence, I had a very steep learning curve as I mastered the basics of moving off and changing gear and then leapt straight to handbrake turns and skidpan shenanigans. As a final treat, we each got a chance to drive a timed lap in a Rally Sport Trainer (RST), Ford's latest attempt to help young drivers into motorsport.

And now, three years on, I am in one again, this time at Silverstone. Today, the main focus is on the RST and how it can be used to speed up new drivers' learning, both for road and rally. The RST is a cross between a Ka and a go-kart, with a mid-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive for optimum "powerslidability".

It is designed specifically for teaching young people (aged 10 and above) to drive without the dangers of public roads, with the further aim of stimulating an interest in rally driving. Peter Beattie of BR Racing, which runs the Ford RST Rally Academy at Silverstone and Donington, says: "We took a survey of local youngsters to find out what they would prefer to learn to drive in. Definitely not 'what Mum drives', more a buggy." BR Racing's instructors have been teaching young drivers the basics of rally technique for the last three years, and they know the pitfalls.

The initial briefing explains the difference between driving go-karts and cars, with a pointed reminder concerning games console driving simulations. As Peter says: "If you have a 'shock-pack' on your console, you feel judders in your wrists if you crash. If you do that in the RST, the shock goes through your arms, through your body, and through your instructor, who will not be happy".

The tone is light, but the warning is clear. Any driver on the course has an instructor with them at all times - me included, as although I now have a full driving licence, I have little experience of rally driving. The other juniors on the day have varying levels of experience, from zero to pre-test, so some of us know what to do and others don't. However, once the helmets are on (complete with fetching balaclava) and the harnesses tightened, we are all in the same position. The instructor starts right at the beginning, explaining how to put the car into gear and move off. It is hard to feel the biting point, especially when the driving position is radically different from that in a road car.

The stance is aggressive, with maximum leg power from being far closer to the pedals than usual, but also feels vulnerable as you are so close to the ground. The suggestion of vulnerability is quickly dispelled, though, by the full-visored helmet, the six-point safety harness, the complete roll-cage and the big red button on the dash to cut out the engine.

My instructor let me start off gently, getting to know the course. There are two parts: speed and technique. Over several laps, I learnt about cornering, power slides and speed, with a timed lap at the end. With a mixture of wide bends and tight corners, short chicanes and a long straight, there is space to try out everything - and if you do miss the corner, you won't crash into anything more solid than a cone. Which I did, after my first proper slide - coming out of it rather more sharply than intended as adrenalin took hold.

This is a brilliant way for young people to start driving, and for anyone to get a taste of rallying. BR Racing has taught people aged 10 to 93, and has a variety of programmes from basic driving skills to a full RST Rally Championship, all based at the Silverstone and Donington Park tracks.

To book, go to www.fordrstchampionship.com, or call BR Racing on 01279 816 361. Courses start at £99