More and more manufacturers are offering advanced driver training with the purchase of one or more of their performance models. A case in point is Renault’s new Clio Sport, which was launched in South Africa last month and whose new owners qualify for a complimentary ‘performance driving’ course. The new Clio RS is powered by a normally aspirated 2,0-litre 16-valve engine, producing 147,5 kW and 215 N.m of torque – enough to send the 2-door hatch from zero to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 225 km/h. In short, enough power to  get you into trouble if you’re not careful.

So, once you’ve collected your shiny new hot-hatch from your local dealer, and before you’ve binned it in your local parking lot trying to impress your mates, where do you go to learn how to drive ‘properly’? The answer, in Renault’s case, is the Renault Driving Academy. After attending the launch of the new Clio RS we were invited to Killarney race track in Cape Town, to join Renault and other motoring enthusiasts for a few lessons.

The full day’s tuition includes a lecture on car control, including cornering, braking and acceleration, as well as practical driving lessons in emergency braking, emergency lane change manoeuvres and time on the race circuit with an instructor. The final test of the day, and your nerve, is your ability to put all you’ve learned together in a lap of a gymkhana course with your fellow students watching on and your instructor recording your lap time and any penalties.

Although Cape Town offered up a rather wet and gloomy day for our training, the wet weather helped to highlight the imperfections in our driving style. Here are some of the key points we learned…

• Always look as far around a corner as possible – change lanes if it will help – because you never know what lies ahead.
• In relation to a pedestrian, you don’t realise how fast you are going and how much time you need to stop.
• A car itself is perfectly safe, it’s the person behind the wheel that creates the problem.
• Smooth control of brakes, throttle and steering make your driving faster and safer.
• ABS, EBD and ESP will save your bacon, but they can’t perform miracles.
• There is more grip in the wet than you think, but there is still less grip than in the dry.

In our opinion you can never stop learning and should aim to attend an advanced driving course atleast once a year – apart from improving your driving skills in terms of speed and safety, it’s also damn good fun and you’ll get to meet car fans like yourself.

Incidentally, you may be pleased to know that your SACarFan journo has some ‘street cred’ and posted the fastest time of the day in the gymkhana test – that is until instructor Deon Joubert had a go and went 2 seconds quicker!

Images courtesy of David Donde

The new Bloomsbury Car Club in Cape Town got off to a flying start with their inaugural track day, held at the Killarney racing circuit in Cape Town yesterday. Around 15 drivers brought their exotics to the race track for an afternoon of high-speed thrills. A range of manufacturers were represented including Ferrari, Lotus, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Martin and even an Ariel Atom.

With some expensive machinery on track, drivers were understandably respectful of each others “space”, with no overtaking allowed in the corners. No lap times were recorded, as the purpose of the event was not to race but rather to allow the owners to drive their cars in they way the manufacturer intended. Apart from a handful of track days each year, most owners don’t get a chance to “blow off the cobweb’s” in their cars and the track day provided the perfect opportunity.

Some drivers were kind enough to offer the opportunity to ride as a passenger for a few laps of the circuit. Sean McKay, who brought his brand new Ferrari F430 Scuderia to the track for the first time, took me out for a few quick laps. Take a look at the in-car video footage for an idea of what the F430 Scuderia is all about.

A track day is a great way to learn more about your car, or motorcycle, in a safe and controlled environment. When you know what corners are ahead, have no outside influences such as pedestrians, taxis, stray animals or unknown road surfaces, you are able to concentrate on your driving. This means you’re able to discover your car’s potential as well as your own limits, safely. Back on the road, this translates to safer driving as you know how your vehicle reacts, as well as its capabilities and yours.

If you’re in Cape Town, the Killarney Training Centre offers advanced driving courses to help you improve your car control and road safety.