After a quick visit to Guildford and a delicious burger at Five Guys, we’re off to a secret location just east of the village of Dunsfold, Surrey. To the sacred grounds of each and every car fanatic: The Top Gear Studio and Top Gear Test Track. Top Gear is the best car TV show ever with up to 350 million viewers worldwide. During the episodes, the three presenters test new cars, face challenges… and invite a famous person for a chat and a lap around their test track in a cheap car.

Today, I’m that famous person. More or less at least. For the first time ever, you could book this experience and, say, give it to someone for his birthday. 🙂

First, we are allowed a look around the studio. Behind us, you see the stage where the three presenters sit during the show.

Here’s the ‘Cool wall’ where the presenters listed cars from ‘seriously uncool’ to ‘sub zero’ cool. According to their taste of course and hanging uncool Porsche photos where the not-so-tall Porsche fan of the three couldn’t get them.

Before boarding the real car, I get to drive the track in a video game. That’s what I also did at home to get used to the track and its difficult turns.

And then, I’m off!! The Kia Cee’d was used as the ‘reasonably priced car’ during the shows until recently. Besides the roll cage, it’s pretty much standard. I get strapped in with a guide on the passenger seat. He will give me instructions during the laps.

We do a test lap with about half the speed. The guide instructs me when to break and when to turn into corners. The second-to-last corner is especially difficult as the airstrip (the track is situated on an air field) goes straight on.

Then, I’m off to my timed lap. With some wheelspin and okayish acceleration – I try as best as I can. Obviously, I’m not used to breaking for corners at the last second or taking curves really fast so that you feel the car drift away.

Watch the video:

The stars usually practice for a whole day until they’re ready for their lap. I have to do it after only the test lap. Plus, I have additional 80 kg weight on board – the guide – which means slower acceleration. Therefore, I’m more than happy with my time: 1.48.88 minutes. That’s a very good average with best lap times and also the fastest stars (‘Mr Bean’ Rowan Atkinson, an amateur racing driver in his spare time, did his lap in 1.44.2) gained only four seconds on me.

I get a memory stick with a video of my laps (see screenshot above), a certificate and a magnet strip with my name and time for the fridge. 🙂