A great time at Lets Race!

I have never been much of an adrenalin junkie but I am trying to find my happy in 2015- this includes finding my fun side! So, when I was asked to try out the F1 simulators at Lets Race I saw it as a fun opportunity to spend some time with Mr F- a great daytime date!

I have been on simulator rides before but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with an F1 experience, however it turned out to be a really fun morning!

The Lets Race centre is based in Horley (near Gatwick) and so we set off bright and early to beat the M25 traffic! We arrived in good time and waited for our instructor to call us in. The foyer has some F1 cars to look at, as well as a cafe for friends and family to use while you race. They also had a giant Scalextric track set up if you fancy having a race in miniature!

The Experience

We were taken into the racing room for our briefing, I was beginning to get a bit nervous and excited at this point as I had no idea what to expect. The main point to note is the different pedals- there is no clutch, just a brake and an accelerator. Now this worried me as I am used to using my right foot for both braking and acceleration so using my left foot would prove interesting!

Other than that you have to use your hands to change gear using two levers. Easy enough you may think….. more on that later!

We were shown to the cars- they are like real F1 bodies minus the wheels. Instead they are on a track system which allows the car to move side to side and backwards and forwards. To get into the seat you have to remove the steering wheel, just as you see them doing for real races. The seats are so low to the ground, you almost feel like you are in a very thin bath!

Ahead of you are 3 screens- one central screen and 2 peripheral screens. They show you the road ahead, the view in your wing mirrors and all the dials for speed and gears etc.. The lights are turned off and you are immersed into the surroundings.

The Race

The engine started and immediately the car began to vibrate and growl. The first thing I noticed was that it was really difficult to steer compared to the normal power steering we are used to. Secondly I had no idea which gear I was supposed to be in! As I pulled out of the pit stop I crashed straight into Mr F and the whole car lurched like a bumper car!

I managed to get up to about 120mph which wasn’t the maximum but by the time I was brave enough to accelerate it would be time to brake for a corner! This is something I never managed to master! I either slowed down to a stop or took it too fast and crashed into the barriers each time!

At times I could see Mr F ahead of me and my competitive side would show! I would race towards him full of enthusiasm but then totally lose control and crash once again! We raced around for 10 laps which lasted around 25 minutes which was plenty of time. It may not seem like long but trust me, your shoulders ache from steering and the chairs are not built for comfort!

Managed to sneak a photo in the car. It goes to full screen when the race starts!

The hardest thing for me was changing gears, I am so used to using a clutch and so with that function missing I totally forgot to change gears and spent most of the race in 7th gear! Practice would make perfect though and hopefully being in the correct gear would help me master those corners!!

Afterwards we were given our lap times and I didn’t do too bad at all! Our instructor said that he was impressed and that was good enough for me! My quickest time was 1min 57sec and Mr F’s was 1 min 51sec so I was rather chuffed with that as I was expecting to be miles behind!

I had a really good time and would recommend it to anyone who fancies racing in a F1 car. The speeds you reach and the cost of a real F1 car you would never be able to race for real so this is a great alternative and it makes you appreciate the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button who sit in those cars for hours on end! The skill and concentration needed is immense!

For more details head over to the Lets race website.

Have you ever fancied racing in a F1 car?

We were offered the chance to race in return for this review. However I thoroughly enjoyed myself and all thoughts and words are my own.

Many thanks to Lets Race for letting us come down!