EXPERT INTERVIEW WITH STUNT DRIVE EXPERIENCE
Expert Interview with Stunt Drive Experience
Have you ever wanted to learn a little more about a company before purchasing a gift? Well, we’ve spoken to the wonderful Stunt Drive Experience to find out more about their business, passion and how it all began.
- First, can you please tell me how Stunt Drive Experience begun?
Stunt Drive Experience was established in 2012 and opened in March 2013, but I had been stunt driving for years before this. The business was set up with help from my family, who between us designed our purpose-built arena. With my parents previous experience; as they were involved at designing various tracks including Teesside Autodrome, they had the right contacts, providing me with the right guidance as I was only 19 when I launched Stunt Drive Experience.
- Where did your passion for cars come from?
My ambition started from a very early age, my dad was a Stunt Driver, both my parents raced cars and had their own businesses in various industries including motorsport, events and entertainment. I knew I always wanted to be a Stunt Driver and starting Karting at 3 years old at my parent’s kart track, by 14 I was competing in the British Rallycross Championship.
By the time I left college, I was working throughout the country stunt driving, and with my parent’s entrepreneurial background I always knew I wanted to follow in their footsteps and have my own business. With their driving skills and business experience in the picture, I knew they could help me out, giving me the best opportunity to launch a business and a career in a job I loved so much.
- What is unique about your stunt car experiences compared to other companies on the market?
Stunt Drive Experience is a unique driving experience, unlike many other driving experience companies we operate 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year at our own venue, which was purpose built for stunt driving (the only one in the UK!)
We also prioritise our customer service; unlike other experiences that operate a ‘conveyor belt’ system taking 100s of people a day, we cap our maximum group size to 12 people per session (excluding private exclusive events) allowing a more personal approach.
At Stunt Drive Experience, we like to take time in getting to know everyone personally including spectators, at the beginning of the session we take a few minutes introducing everyone to each other, allowing them to bond throughout the session, we know customers have gone away with new friends after a day at Stunt Drive Experience which is fantastic.
We have received our 2nd consecutive Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence this year and have a 5-star review rating on Facebook and Trip Advisor. We also have been acknowledged by writer, customer service and marketing expert, Geoff Ramm in his paperback ‘Celebrity Service’ for outstanding customer service.
I think another unique factor for us here at Stunt Drive Experience is the fact that I am one of the few female Stunt and Precision Drivers in the UK, most people come on our experiences expecting to be taught by men, when the realise that there’s a female instructor too, it puts a lot of people at ease, especially the ladies that come on our experiences.
- What is your favourite stunt car?
We use smart, tidy, high profile cars and have got a total of 6 MINIs (ranging from Ones, Coopers and Cooper S’) and 3 BMW Z3s which are all standard cars just fitted with safety devices. The only car that has been modified is one of our MINI Coopers which we use for driving on two wheels, it looks a cool car as it’s fitted with a roll cage and a stabiliser on the side so that customers can have a go at two wheeling for themselves. Personally, my favourite car is our Silver MINI One, it is one of the very first cars we bought for the business and is still going strong, however I do also love our Silver Z3 with the red leather interior too, it’s such a good car to drive (and donut)!
- What’s your most memorable experience in the time spent at Stunt Drive Experience?
My most memorable moment must be when we received a phone call from an elderly lady, she rang asking if there was a maximum age restriction and explained she’d bought a Stunt Drive Experience for her grandson, but he didn’t want to do it, she didn’t want to waste it so asked if she would be able to do it, she was 82!
Josie arrived on the day in a Peugeot 206 convertible with her husband, who claimed that she drove too quick for his liking! She tried everything, her handbrake turns were brilliant, along with her handbrake parallel parking, her donuts were perfect and she even set a fast lap in the Donut Roulette Challenge buggy! The best bit was she remembered every staff members names, along with the other 11 people in her group, she was the most lovely and polite lady I think I have ever met and was truly an inspiration to me and the rest of the group. It was one special day I will remember forever.
A big thank you to Stunt Drive Experience for finding the time to complete one of our Expert Interviews, it is always great to learn more about a great company!
Stunt Drive Experiences found by clicking the links below;
