Would you like to drive a supercar you’ll never own, yet alone have the chance to put your foot down with? Yes please! And a generous gift meant I got the chance to drive a £200,000 Lamborghini Murcielago around a racetrack.

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6thgear experience offer a ‘driving experience’. Turning up at the track located deep in the Warwickshire countryside you are met by several million pounds worth of some of the slickest, sexiest and damn-right super cars going. After booking in you get taken for a drive in a Range Rover around the track to explain the course and how the day works. “It’s a driving experience, not a racing one” seemed to be the strong message. One spin and your out. A bit dire on a damp track. An efficient ticketing and paperwork system means little waiting before being walked across to your car. I started on the Ariel Atom which is is a no-frills bare bones of a machine. It’s performance is beyond belief and being low and open to the air gives a very visceral experience. My instructor commented “very smooth” which was nice.

The first attempt in the Atom got to the end of the pit lane before turning back as the instructor wasn’t happy with the apparently new engine, so that car went out of service. Next up was the Lamborghini Murcielago which I didn’t even take out of the pit as it “needed the oil checking”. Obviously my machine-killing abilities have reached new heights. Once a car became free we were off and around the now drying track, first in the Atom.

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You get four laps which isn’t really enough. You’ve just got into the flow of the track, gained some confidence in the car and how the steering and brakes handle and then have to turn in. While you can put your foot down at places the short straights meant speed was only for a moment. Still, pressing the accelerator and being at 130MPH in seconds is really something. So which would I prefer? For sheer pose the Lamborghini is a clear winner and is obviously very comfortable and easy. In fact it makes you feel a bit of an intruder. Clearly it can go much faster and do much more but without being able to push it the car feels lazy and in a strange way it gives off that vibe. I suspect a ride with a professional driver would be terrifying but with me at the wheel it isn’t even starting to work. The Atom is a very different machine and much closer to a normal driving experience, just with a lot more power. I felt much more connected to the car and this would be the one to go play with round a track. Just don’t use it for the shopping trip.

So thank you very much Mark for the morning and a fantastic experience.