The sun is setting at Symmons Plains and the track is quiet, aside from the gentle purr of a V8 Aston Martin Vantage cruising around the circuit.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Performance Driving Australia senior instructor Allan Roark is in the passenger seat giving directions as the car comes out from under the Dunlop Bridge.
"So shift up at about five thousand revs," Roark says.
The car turns and drops out of the iconic hairpin.
"Accelerate out of the corner, foot down and line up to the side of the bridge."
I'm in the driver's seat, Examiner photographer, long-time motorsport fan, and, in this moment, rookie driver.
The car bounces up and down as we tackle the high speed sweeper on the back of the circuit.
Lateral G-forces push my body into the left hand side of the racing seat and my hands tightly grip the wheel.
Roark informs me we're approaching 200km/h an hour, but I don't check the speedometer.
My eyes are locked to the track.
"Stay right! Down one, now down two and let it go to the right," Roark directs me, as we take the left-handed turn six back towards the main straight.
It's a matter of listen, learn, and repeat over the next few laps, picking up tips on the racing line and braking points.
My laps come to an end and it's back to the calm of pitlane, though my body is tingling from the huge endorphin rush I've just received.
MORE FROM THE EXAMINER:
Roark offers some feedback on my session before reminding me of the main points from our pre-session briefing.
"The essence and most important part of any time on the track is being smooth, getting the lines correct, and accelerating through the corners," Roark said.
"People who try and be aggressive from the get go vary rarely go super-fast."
If you were to look at the most expensive hobbies you could choose from, motorsport would be just about top of the list.
For most fans the closest one can get to driving an Aston Martin, Lamborghini or Jaguar is through their television set while playing Gran Turismo or Forza on the games console.
However this experience is a world away from video gaming.
For 20 minutes I got to believe maybe I have the skills to race.
- Scott Gelston was a guest of Performance Driving Australia