6th Gear Experience - Ariel Atom - Elvington Airfield - York

Overall a very poor driving experience - lovely sunny day, but very windy. Atom was very quick but you couldn't really experience it due to the circuit being marked out with very small cones on an otherwise featureless airfield. All of the Braking Point boards had blown over so you had just the less than 300mm high cones to look for to try and find the corners, it was impossible to approach the corners correctly even with guidance from the instructor alongside - after 4 laps I had probably only managed one enjoyable corner and this was only at about 50% of what the car could take it at, purely down to the abismal track marking. From the start of the last lap the car was running out of fuel so every time I accelerated it lost power under the initial surge - the was no offer of a extra lap or anything, just 'it's running out but we'll probably make it round', then 'ok we're done now, lets go back and we'll fill it up for the next customer'. The corners needed identifying much more clearly, 300mm high chevron banners would have done, to guide you in. The £5000 insurance excess ensured that you paid an extra £25 to waiver it, then the 'if you spin it ends the session instantly' rule ensures that you tip-toe around. The whole of the laps were done in 5th and 6th gear - I could have got a better experience from 4 straight line acceleration and braking runs. I am quite an experienced driver having been involved with the motor industry for over 30 years yet even I could not get much out of this day. Quick cars need good corners to brake into properly to get the car balanced, drive through, and accelerate out of. With the way this track was set up, you spent all of the track time trying to identify the corners and so had to pussy-foot around. I would not consider this again or recommend it to anyone.