Fancy being Jame🌺s B꧅ond for a day, and experiencing the ultimate thrill of getting behind the wheel of an Aston Martin and letting rip around one of the UK's premier race circuits? That's what I was asked too. Silly question really...

I was invited along to try out an Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster - a soft-top sportscar of 🍬the highest calibre, with 380bhp of grunt beneath the bonnet - around Silverstone's southern circuit, composed of such evocative corners as Club, Abbey, Vale, Becketts, Chapel and Stowe and the Hangar Straight. Never mind James Bond - I was going to be Lewis ♈Hamilton for the day. Or so I thought...

"Most people find the sheer power a bit of a shock to the system at first," I was warned in a briefing by Silverstone instructor John-Paul Iඣvey, who accompanied me on my high-speed ride to tell me where to brake, turn-in and accelerate out again.

ꦡ"They also find they have very little speed perception because it's such a big, wide circuit. It's only usually 300ft before the corner when you have to brake that you realise how quick you're actually going - ꧅and by then it's too late.

"Most people don't realise just how slow Vale is in particular. Even🌟 F1 cars turn in at o𓆉nly 50 or 60mph, and we get at least three people a day in an Aston or a Ferrari who try to take it at 65mph! They haven't realised just how fast they were going and just how slow the corner is."

Nor, it would transpire, did I the first time I came hurtling into Vale way too hot, but of all the corners Abbey was undoubtedly my b?te noire, as I realised that Lewis Hamilton I certainly wasn't. On a damp, greasy track surface with minimal grip - 'Silverstone at its worst', as JP cheerily pointed out 🐼to me - 113mph at the end of the Hangar Straight seemed like a lot quicker. A LOT q🎶uicker.

Paddle-shift gears, right foot-braking and no clutch also took a little while to get accustomed to, but the traffic light system of cones - red for braking, yellow for turning-in and green for a🍬ccelerating away again after the corner - was a real help, and as my confidence increased, my throttle foot became heavier and the enjoyment was multiplied.

Marketed 🎃as the Aston Martin Thrill, the experience lived up to its name and then some, and is part of a range of gifts on offer for petrol-heads this Christmas at the celebrated 'Home of British Motor Racing', available as an option with the ?99 Christmas Super Choice voucher which can be purchased until midday on 23🔯 December.

The limited edition Silverstone Driving Experience voucher, launched exclusively for the festive season, allows the recipient to choose🐈 from a variety of 'Thrills' - be it in an Aston Martin, Ferrari, rally car, single-seater or Lotus Exige.

The new Aston Martin Thrill allows those who have held a full driving licence for at least a year to take to the track in one of the legendary British marque's V8 Vantages - so you can be a secret agent fo♏r a day aboard one of the most glamorous and iconic cars on the motoring market.

Moreove🐭r, the Northants circuit is due to launch a full 'Aston Martin Experience' next year, which will incorporate more time behind the whe🍒el and extra driver coaching.

All of Silverstone's Driving Experiences include expert tuition from professional instructors. For furth♒er information on the full range of Driving Experiences and Thrill packages available, or to book your ?99 Christmas Super Choice voucher - which must be used by 31 March, 2009 - visit or call 08704 588 270.

Trust me - you won't regret it.

by Russell Atkins