This year something very very bad happened. An event occurred. It happens to us all and when it happens to you, you know about it. Nothing you can do can cease the relentless march of forces against you. Doom is imminent. You prepare. Friend's reassure you. You can only wait. Resistance is futile.

Then it happened on May 15th 2007. It was my Birthday. I was officially 40 and worse…..I was old.

So in my old age I was dispatched to Silverstone (some months later) to see if I still had it (behind the wheel anyway). This is my story.

July 14th, somewhere off the A43 in Northamptonshire. Silverstone Track. Home of British Formula 1. And the location of my “Silverstone Driving Experience”.

For people who know me, they know that I am a complete and utter F1 bore. I can clear the room in 3 minutes. “Did you know that Senna raced the 1991 Austrian GP with a broken toe?”.

A twenty five minute briefing ensues with technical details about how to enter a corner and (more importantly) how to exit it. This is called the racing line and you have to hit it else you die.

The actual track (which is 1.9 miles) comprises an outward section incorporating a 90 degree right turn (Vale) followed by a fast right hander called Club. Then a straight bit where you can go fast until you hit Abbey (which is a fast right and left hander). In the inward section you are then presented with a sequence of really fast corners that you take at stupefying speed (called the Ireland and Becketts corners taken at a million miles an hour), a long straight (called the hanger straight) to complete the lap at a right hand tight corner called Stowe.

Right- Got that everyone?

Now was my chance to make a complete and utter fool of myself. The term “about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on” came to mind.

The car I had was a Lotus Exige which needless to say goes a bit. Very nimble indeed. The first laps were about learning the track. Finding your braking points and turning in properly. The acceleration powering out of the corners was incredible, breath taking and I believe I did whoop quite a bit on the early laps.

The first corner was the hardest. Vale is a 90 degree left right angle with a super fast exit that sweeps you round a corner called Club. So the entry must be right else you cock up your exit.

So bloody technical. But so much fun.

By the second session you get to know the track a bit more and I found I made good improvements and started over-taking cars. This was mega fun. The whooping continued and I managed a earth shattering 120MPH down the straights (which is something considering you don’t really have time to accelerate into sixth gear).

All the time you need to concentrate to watch out for your braking points and make sure you slow the car enough to turn it properly. My instructor was always shouting “Brake! Brake! Brake! Harder”

So soon, my laps were done and my Silverstone experience was “experienced”. But to show my instructor had no hard feelings against me he took me for a lap to show me how it was done.

To say it was exhilarating or amazing or to use any other superlative would understate the experience. The speed, the control of the driving (my instructor went sideways through most of the corners) and the sheer fun has made this one of the best things I have ever done.

My time is up at Silverstone but I know deep down that I’ll be back. Thank you to Christian, Katie, Charlotte, Debbie and my lovely wife Cathy for making this happen. It really was about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

P.S. Look who's driving no:5