Racing at Merry Hill

Petrol heads were queueing up at the Merry Hill shopping centre to take part in Mazda’s Hot Laps Challenge.Video Journalist Victoria Hoe and reporter Jonathan Wood challenged each other to a race in our video (right).

And Jonathan Wood gives his verdict on the day. The sound of screeching tyres fills the air as the stunt driver flies off the start line and hurtles directly towards a wall at 40 miles an hour. 

As my knuckles whiten from hanging onto the door handle for dear life, he pulls on the handbrake at the last minute and the world goes into a spin as we drift around the corner in a haze of burning rubber.

After 30 more seconds of more death-defying handbrake turns and skids, he slams on the brakes and screeches to a halt at the finish line.

“Not bad,” he says. “I’ve done it quicker, perhaps the handbrake needed warming up a bit first.”

I turn my head slowly towards him, manage a weak grin and try to peel myself out of the seat I’ve been pushed back into during his short but brutal demonstration of “drifting” - a sport where competitors manoeuvre cars through cars at speeds and angles that exceed the vehicle’s ability to grip the road.

Tim’s a professional “drifter”, competing in events all over the world, and he’s at the Merry Hill centre all this weekend as one of ten drivers who will be guiding fellow speed freaks through the Hot Laps Challenge course.

The miniature racing circuit on Level Street has been organised by Mazda as part of a four-town tour around the country to promote the brand.

People who fancy themselves as the next Lewis Hamilton will be queueing up to demonstrate their driving skills as they race against the clock around the half-kilometre track.

For absolutely no charge, they will be able to slip behind the wheel of both a MX5 and RX8 and race around the tight circuit which features a long straight, a fast corner and a figure-of-eight section under the expert eyes of 10 professional drivers.

Each driver’s lap time in both vehicles will be totted up and the four fastest racers will be entered into the grand final at Donnington Park, in Leicestershire, on September 21 where they will race against the fastest drivers from each of the other events for the title of Hot Laps Challenge Champion 2007.

Mazda’s driving director Neil Brogden says the event is all about having fun and expects more than 650 people to give the course their best shot over the weekend.

“We did a similar event in London recently and had about 600 people in the cars over the course of the weekend,” he says. “We’re hoping to break that record this weekend and give people a good time and a taste of what Mazda is all about.

“We want to see people getting out of the cars smiling from ear-to-ear. All of our drivers are accomplished racers in one field or another.”

Tim’s competing in the European Drifting Championships soon, but the other drivers are all Formula One test drivers or rally drivers.

“All of the guys have got an enormous wealth of experience and knowledge of driving and know how far they can push the cars. It’s their job to get the best they can out of the people entering the event.

“We want people of all driving standards and of all ages to come along and enjoy the thrill of driving a sports car. It’s great to get the opportunity to go out on the road and share our excitement and passion for sports cars and driving with fellow enthusiasts.

“Cars should be fun and driving should be fun and that’s what this event is all about.”

The event runs all weekend until 7pm on Sunday. Entry is free, although drivers must be aged over 21 and must bring their full driving licence along with them.

For more information visit www.mazda.co.uk/mazdalife/hotlapschallege