Junior Driving Experiences

Young drivers can now learn the essential skills needed to drive at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire. From the drivers seat of a modern car and with expert tuition from advance driving instructors, young drivers, 12 years old and older, can attend our Junior Driving Experience to learn the essential skills needed to drive a car.
Drivers will ben given expert tuition with a driving instructor in a Ford Puma in the paddock areas, first as a passenger and then taking full control to develop their core skills. Pupils will master the basic techniques of driving which include; Moving off and stopping smoothly and in a controlled fashion. Steering through various cone layouts. Clutch control and gear changing. Reversing and negotiating a set course involving all the skills learnt.

For junior drivers who have some driving experience but do not hold a full driving licence. Thruxton also offers a session on the skid pan driving both the front-wheel-drive MINI Cooper and the rear-wheel-drive Toyota GT86. 
Pupils will experience a straight line slalom, weight transfer and direction change, controlling understeer and oversteer. Exercises will be experienced with all electronic stability systems, traction control and ABS switched on, while the pupil gains confidence and control. The systems will then be switched off, increasing the difficulty and making the pupil work much harder.

Junior and Cadet Karting
There's nothing like starting young! At Thruxton Kart Centre, any budding racing driver from 8 years old can go karting on our 365m Club Circuit and experience motor racing for themselves. Cadets (from 8 years old) can experience what real karting is like but with all the safety features you'd expect for children. These karts are fitted with adjustable seats, full wrap-around bodywork, double-adjustable pedals and variable electronic rev limiters. For slightly older karters (juniors), our Stratoskarts are available for 12-15-year-olds. A very versatile kart, the Stratos is forgiving enough for junior drivers but still fast enough for experienced karters.