Our Top 5 Track Time Experience Days in the UK
Track days, January 2025
A lot of the people who come to us for a helmet or a seat started with a driving experience day, often one that was bought as a present. It is the easiest way to find out whether circuit driving is for you before you spend money on a car and kit of your own.
These are the five UK circuits we would point people to at the start of 2025, with what each one is like to drive and the kind of experience days they run. At the end there is a note on hiring a car for a full track day, for those who want more time on track than a set package gives them.
- Five circuits: Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Goodwood and Thruxton
- All five run supercar experiences; most also run single-seater or race car sessions
- Silverstone's Grand Prix circuit is about 5.9 km long
- Thruxton describes itself as the fastest circuit in the UK
- Goodwood Motor Circuit is a historic circuit of about two and a half miles
What is on this page
Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix
Silverstone hosts the British Grand Prix, and the Grand Prix circuit runs to about 5.9 km, with the fast sweep through Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel that everyone knows from the television. It is wide, smooth and has plenty of run-off, which makes it a relaxed place to drive quickly for the first time.
The circuit's own programme includes a Formula single-seater experience and supercar experiences, and it runs track days for people who want to bring their own car.
Brands Hatch, all hills and commitment
Brands Hatch is the circuit people remember for the elevation. Paddock Hill Bend drops away as you turn in, and Druids is a tight hairpin at the top of the climb. The short Indy layout keeps you busy all the way round, and the full Grand Prix loop adds the fast run out into the woods.
Experience days here cover supercars and single-seaters, and there are track days for your own car.
Donington Park and the Craner Curves
Donington Park in Leicestershire has hosted Formula One, MotoGP and the British Touring Car Championship. Its best known section is the Craner Curves, a fast downhill run of bends that rewards a driver who carries speed and stays neat. It is a flowing, old school circuit and a proper test of a driver.
Experience providers run supercars from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and McLaren here, as well as race and single-seater sessions, and there are regular track days for your own car.
Goodwood Motor Circuit, history at speed
Goodwood Motor Circuit is the historic track that hosts the Goodwood Revival, a circuit of about two and a half miles that still looks much as it did in its racing days. It is fast and flowing, and it asks for respect.
Goodwood runs its own driving experiences, including instructed sessions and track days on the circuit.
Thruxton, the fastest of the lot
Thruxton in Hampshire describes itself as the fastest circuit in the UK. There are very few slow corners, and the long, fast bends mean you spend a lot of the lap at high speed. It is a circuit for drivers who like to feel a car working hard.
The circuit’s experience programme covers racing cars and supercars from makes including Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Aston Martin and Porsche, along with passenger rides and junior sessions.
Hiring a car for a full track day
An experience day is usually a set number of laps with an instructor. If you want a full day of track time without taking your own road car, some track day organisers and specialist firms hire out prepared track cars for the day. Check what is included, from fuel and tyres to insurance and tuition, before you book.
Garreth’s advice for anyone moving on from experience days to their own track days is to sort a good helmet first. Many organisers ask for one, and it is the piece of kit you will keep when the car changes. Our guide to the kit you need for your first track day goes through the rest.
Which UK circuits did we pick for experience days?
Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Goodwood Motor Circuit and Thruxton.
Which circuit is the fastest in the UK?
Thruxton describes itself as the fastest circuit in the UK, with long, fast bends and very few slow corners.
Can I take my own car on these circuits?
Yes, all five run track days for your own car as well as experience days, subject to the organiser’s rules and noise limits.
Do I need my own helmet for an experience day?
Experience days usually provide one. For your own track days, check with the organiser; many ask you to bring your own.
Wide, smooth and forgiving, with the Grand Prix history to go with it.
If an experience day turns into a track day habit, give us a call and we will talk you through a helmet and what else you need.
