I’m not a regular follower of motor racing, but I manage to watch the odd Grand Prix on TV and I always make a point of watching the race at Silverstone.

So when a Silverstone Porsche Driving Experience was up for grabs, it was something I couldn’t resist. And the fact that I would be driving a 911 GT3 PDK . . . need I say more?

I managed to control the nerves pretty well leading up to the day and the laborious rush-hour journey around the M25 to the M1 took my mind off it completely.

It was only when I saw the road sign for Silverstone that the butterflies began to stir and, as I passed through the security barrier at the circuit and drove onto the service road which encircles the track, they were well on the move.

Heading towards the Porsche centre and passing the empty stands I couldn’t resist slowing almost to a stop to see if I could catch a glimpse of the track.

I was able to slow enough to see the finish line as is stretched away from Club Corner.

By then the stirring in my stomach became a flutter and, as I approached the Porsche Driving Experience Centre, the flutter escalated into a charge only surpassed by a wildebeest migration.

Sadly, they were quickly settled when I discovered I had misread the invitation and I wouldn’t be joining the motor racing greats testing my nerve through Abbey and Brooklands then flying through Copse, I would, instead, be driving the GT3 on the centre’s own driving complex just at the end of the famous Hangar Straight.

If I am honest, in my disappointment there was a little relief, but at this point I would like to state for the record, should anyone wish to invite me to test my driving skills on the Silverstone circuit, my diary is ready and waiting.

Until that day, the Porsche centre’s 5km of a twisting circuit, complete with three skid pans, another smaller circuit, a couple of high-speed straights and an off-road section, would be the nearest I’m likely to come to fulfilling that wish, but, in fact, it proved to be a great test and a great learning ground for a whole new set of skills.

The driving experiences are designed to focus on a particular type of driving requirements and all are undertaken in the Porsche model of your choice and under the eye of a trained instructor.

The instructor for my 90-minute session was Ian, who, after showing me the correct way to drive the circuit, talked me through the controls and various intricacies of the stunning GT3 and, in no time at all, I was in the driver’s seat.

The driving experience is not about driving at breakneck speeds, but more about learning to drive safely in various environments and being able to pick out correct lines and braking zones around the neat, but testing circuit designed as a challenging country road.

Driving sessions were followed by training in the low friction areas and an ice hill where you quickly discover how to control a skid even on the most slippery and tricky surfaces.

My 90-minute experience flew by in no time at all, but in that short time I learned things I had not previously considered, including how to correct oversteer and understeer. Above all those, though, I discovered what it was like to sit behind the wheel of a pedigree supercar. An experience I relished and, if I play my cards right, I may get a chance to repeat it some time in the future.

If you would like to test your abilities on a Porsche Driving Experience in a Porsche of your choice, visit www.porsche.com/silverstone where you can book sessions.