After the pass plus scheme, the first port of call for the relative few drivers wanting post-test training is the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Then they discover that enrolling now costs £140, and that’s the end of that. Why would you want to commit to “Advanced Driving” if you don’t know what it is or how it would benefit you? Well, if you’re keen about not only driving safely and responsibly but – heaven forbid – actually enjoying it at the same time then the High Performance Club run an annual ‘taster’ day for under 27 year-olds. I went along last year to see what all the excitement was about and came away inspired, so when I was asked if I’d like to come along again this year I could hardly say no.

After breakfast and a good humoured talk about what “high performance” driving is (it’s all about the driver, not politically incorrect fast cars or high speeds apparently) we’re given demonstration drives by members in their own cars, which range from run-of-the-mill Fiestas to classic Porsches and modern BMW ‘M’ cars. We’re encouraged to ask questions and compare aspects of the demonstration drives with our own driving, before swapping over and taking our mentors out in our own cars. The feedback is helpful and positive, not at all patronising and I come away from the morning with plenty to think about. I’d driven with Phil a couple of times the previous year and at Millbrook, so his insight into how my driving had progressed since then was particularly helpful. Any mention of “workshops” usually breaks me out in a cold sweat, but we have a couple of inspired discussions on overtaking technique and circuit driving (HPC isn’t only about road driving) before we get back into the cars ourselves after lunch.

Take a quick look at HPC’s website and you’ll see that the Club’s values are “Passionate about driving”, “Focussed on self improvement” and “Fun-loving”. Meet any of the members and you’ll realise that they mean every word of that. The enthusiasm from members and other young drivers is infectious, and once again I’m feeling truly uplifted and enlightened. There’s still so much to learn.

But they’ve also got the potential to be dangerous, and clearly something needs to be done about this. So we’ve now got a goverment department proposing to take the serious issue of road safety and tackle it with a blanket 50mph National Speed Limit and even more speed cameras. Come on, it’s hardly revolutionary is it?

I’m all for speed limits where they’re genuinely needed, but what we’re doing now is actually going to reduce road safety. We’ve already created a mindset that almost abdicates the driver from responsibility by implying that all one needs to do to remain safe is to stick to a speed limit, such is the constant emphasis on speed alone. Lowering the national limit across the board will create monotony and frustration on every piece of road, and it’ll only serve to encourage further disrespect for the law. It seems we’re always feeling sorry for ourselves and I often switch off when I hear people whinging continually about nanny states and speed cameras (the latter have never bothered me particularly), but this did leave me wondering where we’re really going now. Probably nowhere fast.

What's the last car you'd choose to take on a track day? (Photo: Robert Hands)

When the Institute of Advanced Motorists invite you to a Driver Improvement Day, you’re half expecting some kind of exercise involving lots of cones and glacially slow manoeuvres. As they’ve proven at Mallory Park today, if you believe all the old stereotypes you’re missing out.

The track day, sorry, Driver Improvement Day, was my first venture onto a proper circuit and it’s not something I’ll forget in a hurry. That first drive around the circuit to get to the paddock where we were assembled was nothing short of amazing. I’ve become quite familiar with Mallory as an occasional spectator and snapper, but somehow once you’re on the tarmac everything takes on a whole new dimension.

Having been paired with another member our instructor for the afternoon was Frank, an ex-police advanced driver. After a couple of sighting laps in which Frank would talk me through the best lines to take through the corners, I’d be able to gradually raise my pace as my confidence grew and I got used to where to brake, turn in, exit, apply power and so on. Mallory is a wonderful circuit for a track day novice at just over 1.3 miles in length and with a mixture of fast and slow bends. The long, sweeping right-hander at Gerard’s is particularly satisfying. Set the car up right on entry and it’ll glide around beautifully. Enter a bit too fast off the main start/finish straight and there’s nothing you can do but keep everything smooth and hope there’s enough grip in the tyres when it tightens a little more about a third of the way around. You feel the chassis working and the tyres digging in. You’re acutely aware that one slight lift of the right foot will have you oversteering right into the Armco. The chicane at Edwina’s was an interesting one too, and deceptively tight. I don’t think the idea was to take it with the tyres chirping, but I’m easily amused like that.

You might wonder what relevance all this has to road driving, and the answer is probably more than you’d expect. I learned a great deal about myself and my car, how to control it and how it responds to extremes I’ll hopefully never encounter on the road. It was also a good chance to repeatedly practice getting that critical position, speed and gear right before entering corners. Rush this on road or track and things start going wrong, but at least on the track there’s not much to hit if they do.

Everyone should try a track day at least once, and preferably with a good instructor in the passenger seat. There’s no denying it was mentally and physically hard work, and it’s certainly done nothing for the life of my brakes and tyres, but that’s a small cost for an afternoon’s blissful escape from the traffic and speed limits that so often taint driving in Britain. Heading back down the A5 at the end of the day I felt more calm and fulfilled than I have for a long time – it was a lovely drive. So, a bit more of that this year I think.

I’ve just realised it’s almost the second anniversary of my first ‘Auto’ purchase, a Rover 75, and it has to be said my only regret is not making the change earlier. Normally at this time of year I’d run what I call a “winter banger” for commuting and keep the V6 Rover for longer journeys. As things have turned out, the [manual] Saab hasn’t turned a wheel in three weeks. On paper it’s the ideal car for the job of shuttling me to and from work every day in all weathers but if I’m honest, every time I drive the old 900 with its heavy clutch it just seems like a workout, and I end up taking the lazy option. The Jatco ‘box in the Rover is just brilliant and it’s becoming hard to imagine life without it.

Of course I still have the MG which, on the right roads and away from the congested towns, cities and arteries of the South East, is still hugely entertaining for recreational driving. Could we reach the point soon where manuals are ‘just for fun’, or am I getting old and lazy far too quickly?