Boasting a six-speed paddleshift gearbox and hi-tech Duratec engine, the latest driving experience at Brands Hatch quickly unleashes your inner racing driver, as reporter Dan Wright discovered…

“You need to be patient on the throttle, keep it nice and smooth and enjoy it.”

The advice from Chart Sutton’s Tom Jackson was left ringing in my ears as I trundled down the Brands Hatch pit lane, strapped tightly into one of the circuit’s new F4 Master machines.

I have enjoyed watching hundreds of races from the spectator banks but driving around the 1.2-mile Indy circuit made for a totally different experience.

Used in the BRDC Formula 4 Championship as recently as last September, the 2.0-litre single-seater comes with a myriad of buttons on a multi-display steering wheel.

“It is a great tool for something like this,” says Tom, 20, who competed in the F4 series for two seasons, finishing third overall and scoring a brace of victories last year.

“They have obviously adjusted some things since they were raced competitively to allow people to make small mistakes without going too far, but it is a great car.”

Before I jumped into the F4, the experience started with a drive in one of the circuit’s 425bhp BMW M4s.

“Driving the M4 before getting in the single-seater is a great initial tool to learn the track,” Tom explained, as I got used to the paddleshift gear change with him by my side.

“It is a good starting point as you have people come along who have never driven an automatic car before and have never been on a race track, but they can get in and click quickly with it.”

I certainly got stuck in but was a tad too keen in parts, understeering my way around the Druids hairpin after carrying too much speed into the tight turn on one lap.

"It is a different experience being in a cocoon on your own in the car..." - Tom Jackson

“Some people are coming to experience the enjoyment of driving around a race track, while others are here for lap times,” Tom says.

“You obviously want to experience the thrill of giving it everything and being on the edge – you just need to be more patient.”

I took Tom’s advice on board and slowly built up my speed once left to my own devices in the F4.

Developed by Van Diemen’s Ralph Firman, the Duratec-powered MSV F4-013 car chucked out 185bhp when raced competitively.

It may now be limited to 5,000rpm but the machine is a true racing car.

Overtaking is not allowed – apart from on the left down the straights – but the F4 car, for 15 minutes at least, made me feel like a proper racing driver.

Paddock Hill Bend was as daunting as it looks but I pushed on through the tough right-hander, letting the car satisfyingly run onto the kerbs on the outside.

After climbing Hailwoods Hill into Druids, I braked as late as I thought possible each lap, hugging the inside line at the hairpin without touching the kerb.

I found it very easy to run wide at Graham Hill Bend, before taking the Surtees swoop flat-out as I gained confidence later in the session.

Spotting the apex at Clearways was tough but – with the help of cones marking the braking, turn-in and acceleration points – I found the line quite quickly and picked up the throttle as soon as possible before starting another lap.

After completing 14 tours in 15 minutes, I took the chequered flag flat-out in sixth gear along the Brabham Straight and returned to the pits.

“It is a different experience being in a cocoon on your own in the car,” Tom said, as I clambered out.

“In my job as an instructor, I have got to work out what people want but as long as they walk out of the car with a smile on their face, that is my job done.”

I was certainly grinning but my smile got even wider when I picked up my now-treasured lap time sheet during the debrief.

My quickest was recorded at 56.19 seconds, 0.3s shy of ex-Formula Renault racer Archie Hamilton, who has driven at Le Mans in the past.

The Brands Hatch PR team say their F4 Master experience is the most modern and sophisticated open-wheel driving sensation available in the UK and – after somehow producing a lap time like that – I will always find it hard to disagree.

The F4 Master experience operates on selected weekdays and some weekends outside the racing season at Brands Hatch. It costs £229 per person and every booking before Christmas comes with a free British Superbike or British Touring Car Championship ticket. Visit www.msvdrivinggifts.com or call 0843 453 9000 for details.