Holding on for dear life!

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:05:50 GMT

Dan Trent writes:
I recently wrote about my experiences riding in a 100-year-old Benz racing car in an event celebrating the centenary of the hugely significant 1908 French GP in Dieppe. You may also recall me writing about a very cool camera truck Mercedes was using to film the event.

Well, the fruits of their labour has been condensed into a cool little film, including a supporting role by yours truly. That’s me, looking a little scared and windswept in the Benz about two minutes through the video, just after a little piece to camera by Jochen Mass.

You can see more of this kind of stuff on Mercedes’ web-based TV channel here, it’s all very corporate but there’s some great stuff from the various classic car events, motorsport meets and product launches on there, making it well worth a look if you’ve got a bit of a thing for Mercs. Which, it’s fair to say, I have.

Dan

Links:

100 years of Grand Prix story

The coolest camera car in the world

Mercedes-Benz TV

Dieppe centenary video

Video: 100 years of Grand Prix racing!

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Setting the benchmark

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:55:03 GMT

Dan Trent writes:

Working on a forthcoming learner driver section for MSN Cars means I’ve been immersing myself in all things related to the subject. And as part of that on Friday I went along to the Auto Trader Young Driver Of The Year final at Rockingham to watch one lucky winner drive home with a Ford Fiesta and a year’s insurance.

Only I wasn’t there as a spectator for the various driving challenges the finalists would be taking part in. “You’re the benchmark by which we’ll be judging the contestants,” was the cheery greeting I got from event organiser Caroline. No pressure then!

What a great bunch they were too, and about as diverse a group of youngsters as you could ever hope to meet. But they were all very switched on to the challenges and dangers facing young drivers and were all very appreciative of the chance to get some experience of Rockingham’s wet handling area. None of them had ever tried anything like this before and all expressed amazement that such valuable experience isn’t included as part of the test or the learning process.

Having done this kind of thing a few times before my honour was satisfied but the young upstarts showed me up on the ‘formula finesse’ exercise that tests smooth driving by keeping a ball within a bowl on the car’s bonnet while going through a slalom. My time was good, but the eventual winner of the event – car design student Jed Sheahan – was quicker by a couple of seconds.

Left to right: finalists Matt, Hayley, James, Jade, Jed, Andrew and Janina

He and runner up Jade Hansle deserve congratulations but all the finalists would have made worthy winners and I was glad I wasn’t the one having to choose between them. My hero of the day was self professed white van man Matt Bieliauskas, who seemed on a one-man crusade to prove the stereotypes aren’t necessarily true.

For more about Auto Trader’s campaign to raise standards among young drivers see www.autotraderyoungdrivers.co.uk

Dan

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Links:

Why we need new licence rules

Government plans changes to the driving test

Don’t Wreck The Ride

For My Girlfriend – campaign for safer driving