I was convinced last August by Autosport’s deputy news editor Edd Straw to enter the MX-5 Scholarship, a competition where one novice racing driver would get the chance to have an all-inclusive free season in the MAX5 Championship, Mazda’s one-make series for the MX-5.

Sounds exciting doesn’t it, possibly even glamorous. But my baptism of fire for round one of the scholarship started on a bitterly cold and frosty morning at 7.30am in a queue outside a very unglamorous portacabin at Teesside Autodrome in Middlesbrough. One hundred people broken down into 89 men and 11 women had entered the contest. There would be only one final winner decided after two qualifying rounds, this to be the first, a semi-final and then a final. You may be wondering what on earth had inspired me to travel the 400 or so miles to do this. Well, I guess, why not? I was born a petrol head, making Brands Hatch my second home from a very early age. When my dad got fed up with being dragged to see yet another TVR Tuscan Challenge or Mini Seven Race, I started to pay for taxi journeys to ferry me to and from Brands Hatch before I could drive.

As for round one of the MX-5 Scholarship, I didn’t exactly have any tactics because I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I listened a lot, took information in and kept myself to myself - even people watched. You could instantly pick out the confident, hardcore competitors as they wandered around in their own racing suits with their names embroidered in one corner. These were the pro-karters; even their bright red racing shoes and smart new racing helmets shone out over the real novices to motorsport, who were wrapped up in bomber jackets, scarves and beanie hats. The only limited racing experience I took to the scholarship was a wicked trackday last August at Brands Hatch in my VW Lupo GTI and being turned green by several racing drivers in their own motors.

I was well happy that, after being separated into two groups, my group was allocated the warmth of the small portacabin café for the drivers briefing. Through the misted up windows you could just make out the shapes of MX-5s going around the one-mile circuit and hear the occasional screech of tyres as the frosty conditions got the better of the early drivers.

After we all introduced ourselves to each other, we were individually whisked away for a media test by Autosport Magazine’s Edd Straw. This I found very surreal what with one journalist interviewing another and although he knew me from seeing my face at BTCC race meets around the country, he still spoke to me quite seriously, which didn’t do much for my nerves.

Graeme Whitehead, host for the day was a real character. He discussed racing tactics and his own experiences of being a racing driver, including how he was banned for life from banger racing. Respect! How cool is that?! He didn’t divulge the reasons why, but maybe that was a good thing. I remember that one racing incident did leave him in plaster for 18-months and made him re-evaluate his racing career. Now a professional racing instructor who organises trackdays, he has taught nearly every type of driver racing tactics. What I was pleased to hear was that he was all for women racing drivers and sees them as being totally equal to their male counterparts, even easier to teach because they listen to instruction. The only problem Paula Sheard a competitor in last year’s MAX5 Championship found was that she had to deal with men’s egos on track.

After lunch, it was my turn to jump in one of the six race-prepared Mk1 MX-5s. These rear wheel drive race cars had been stripped out to the bare minimum, with just a roll bar, racing bucket seats, 5-point harness, and start button on the main console for comfort. The MX-5s are powered by the standard 1.6-litre engine but with uprated suspension and racing tyres. It was hard though to relax in the raw environment of the race car, especially as I found I was too short to reach the pedals and so had sit on a Mothercare booster seat and be packed in with rolled up overalls. Yep, I never lived that one down!

From the spectator’s point of view, only a small part of the circuit could be seen, which included the fast main straights. Out of sight though was a tricky, twisty section of circuit with adverse cambers and a steep incline. Driving at full pelt into these 2nd gear corners needed serious amounts of concentration and quick reactions to the steering.

My racing instructor, Colin Elstrop who competes in a Triumph GT6 in the historic series, talked me through my 14 laps and shouted instructions at me just like a rally co-driver. I found being overly enthusiastic with the throttle a few times made the rear twitchy and oversteer was easy too. On one lap at a slalom after the main straight I braked too hard causing the rear to lock up and in a blur of sideways drifting I corrected it, receiving praise from Colin.

On the main straight when reaching speeds of up to 100mph in 4th gear, I could see Colin stamping on his imaginary brake pedal in the footwell as the tyre wall loomed up fast before a swooping right hander. At the end of my half an hour session, Colin said that my drive got consistently better the more laps I did, but I needed to not get so frustrated. He continued: “You need to be smoother with the braking, use all the racing line and not turn too sharply into the bends.” I think in other words I was being too much of a girlracer. But at least I wasn’t tailgating the slowies and cruisin’ around the track with my bass turned up big stylie!

No sooner had I got out of the MX-5 race car, I was straight into a go-karting safety briefing for the final part of the day. Teesside Autodrome boasts the fastest, longest go-karting circuit in the country and I admit, I was pretty petrified of that prospect, especially as its twin-engined, 320cc novice go-karts could reach top speeds of 60mph on the straight. It really was like sitting on an expensive lawn mower with an added nitrous power boost.

In a blur I was kitted up in oversized racing overalls looking pretty stupid with added sexy yellow gardening gloves and sitting with my rear possibly only 2-inches off the tarmac. Now from previous experience, I knew that go-karts are not complicated things to drive with just a brake and an accelerator. But, only a quick flick of the tiny steering wheel launches you left or right. These go-karts are very easy to spin and within the 10-minutes of qualifying then an eight lap race, I spun at least four times, but recovered. I even tried my hand at go-kart off-roading when I went into the slalom too fast and hit the grass, to a huge cheer from the spectators! My tactic was to stay on the circuit as much as possible, finish the race and not come in last. I may have achieved 17th out of 19, but I was happy. What I was not prepared for was the unbelievable pain I experienced after coming off the race track, as the biting cold had numbed my hands completely. The shooting pains as my hands came back to life was unlike any pain I’ve ever experienced before. I think I nearly cried.

I was intrigued to know why go-karting was part of the day, when the final prize in the scholarship is a free season in the MAX5 Championship. Christian Dick, team manager for ShearSpeed Motorsport who is offering the scheme said: “The whole purpose of go-karting in the afternoon was to see who was a consistent, smooth racer. It wasn’t all about who won because we knew the pro-karters would hog the limelight and shoot off. We were more interested in the way people drove on the track without crazy overtaking manoeuvres.” Weyhey! So I was still in with a chance then, even with my newly discovered go-kart off-roading skills!

By the end of the day, the adrenalin had done strange things to my body. I felt mentally exhausted, my head was buzzing and the freezing temperatures had worked its way through to my bones. I left with a bad case of helmet hair and the knowledge that I don’t photograph well when shivering for England, but at least I had the cool realisation that I was one of the privileged few that had just driven a proper race car on a track. Now how many novices really get the chance to do this? Even better, I get the opportunity to do it all over again in qualifying round two. And here’s a mental note: wear more layers!

Sezza