Brands Hatch may not have been the best of weekends for Vauxhall Motorsport's James Thompson, but this did not prevent the championship leader from taking to the two-seater version of the Astra Coupe to give a few lucky people the ride of their life. The car, built by the Triple Eight Race Engineering team, provides a unique opportunity to experience the circuit from a drivers point of view - something which could otherwise only be dreamed of.

Being strapped in to the passenger seat of the two-seater Vauxhall Astra Coupe with James Thompson at the wheel and there was a mixture of nerves and sheer excitement. The feeling of anticipation is very difficult to describe - it was very difficult to know what to expect. With the straps tightened and the door shut, the Vauxhall Motorsport driver pulled away from the pit garage. The acceleration is the first thing you notice. Even in the pitlane, you feel yourself pulled back in to the seat. Crossing the line to exit on to the circuit and the forces increase yet more as the car accelerates to full speed.

Brands Hatch Indy is a tight, twisty circuit with a number of sharp corners. Paddock Bend is renowned as a 'blind' corner, and this really is the case. As it appears in front, the car drops over the edge and there is a moment when you are unable to see the track in front of the car. It is a fairly steep drop, but there's hardly enough time to draw breath before accelerating up the hill towards the Druids hairpin. It is a corner which is taken a relatively low speed, but the braking point is very late in the Astra, such is the nature of the brakes.

Late and hard is the best description. Just as you think that there is absolutely no way that the car will stop in time for the corner, hard on to the brakes. I was thrown forwards in my seat, against the safety belt, as well as being rolled to the side of the seat. Trying to sit back down in the seat is just not an option until through the corner and heading down the hill in to Graham Hill Bend. This itself is a deceptively sharp left hander. Once again, the braking point is much later than expected, and the car hits the rumble strip on the inside before drifting to the outside of the bend under acceleration.

A chance to accelerate, and almost to regain my breath, before arriving at Surtees, and again Thompson made the most of the curbs through the corner - throwing the car first to the left, and then back over to the right through McLaren. Accelerating through Clearways and on to the start-finish straight. The fastest point of the circuit, and it doesn't take long at all before hard braking is needed to take the drop in to Paddock Bend once again.

Another lap of the 1.2 mile circuit followed before heading back in to the pitlane. By the second lap I was settled in to the car and really making the most of the experience. And a truly breathtaking experience it was! As the belts were undone and I climbed out of the car, the ground still seemed to be shaking beneath me, such was the speed and movement of the Vauxhall Astra Coupe around the circuit - and that was just two laps! Imagine the 50 laps that make up the Feature race on this circuit!

The two-seater Vauxhall Motorsport Astra Coupe is a wonderful piece of machinery, and I did not need asking twice to take on such a 'challenge'. It provided a real insight in to just what goes on inside the car, and I have nothing but admiration for the drivers who are able to complete lap after lap at circuits around the country, with more than 20 other cars in close proximity.

Thanks go to Vauxhall Motorsport, Triple Eight Race Engineering and James Thompson for making the above possible. We would like to congratulate the team on taking the Manufacturers and Teams championships for the second year in succession.

Words by Matt Lamprell.

Photography by Tom Jones/Motorphoto.co.uk.