The thing is that in another life, I would have loved to become a rally or motor sports driver. However, as it takes nerves of steel and lightening fast reflexes, neither of which I have in abundance, I am quite content to putter around in my Honda civic. That does not mean that I don't want the chance to step out of my comfort zone to try my hand at something a little more adventurous every now and then. And so I happily booked my rally driving session for Friday the 5th of August.
The night before I was gripped with sudden consternation - what does one wear to a rally driving session? The information package said full length pants, closed in shoes and no singlets but apart for that offered no real advice. Where my figure hugging Bettina Liano jeans appropriate attire? And surely heeled boots were not the best choice for making rapid gear changes? In the end I settled for my jeans a pair of puma sand shoes and a funky tee. Chris had kindly offered to drive me up to Copeley, which is just short of Northam, for the course and we decided to make a day of it.
In hindsight, I think he was motivated more by the thought of the ensuing comic relief I would provide than a burning desire to spend the day with his big sister! Either way I was glad for his company on the hour and half journey. The weather was amazing and once we cleared the city and entered the foothills of Perth we were treated to a beautiful, verdant, green countryside. I had done a little 'googling' earlier in the week and found a winery that sounded promising for lunch. We turned off Great Eastern Hwy onto Old Northam Rd and wound our way round to Lake Charlotte Winery.
I had warned Chris that I had no idea what Lake Charlotte was going to be like so we were pleasantly surprised when we crested the gravel road to look down upon a picture perfect lake on the bank of which rested a decked restaurant surrounded by a lavender and rosemary garden.
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| Entry to Lake Charlotte Winery |
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| Lake Charlotte |
We had arrived rather earlier for lunch (11:45) and the staff were in the process of setting up for the day, that did not stop them from welcoming us in and spending ten minutes getting the portable gas heater going so that we could sit on the enclosed deck. Once we were comfortable the menu was explained to us. Basically Lake Charlotte specialises in meals on 'hot rocks', you choose a style of meat and it is brought to the table on a boiling hot rock for you to cook at your leisure. I had the atlantic salmon, served with lime aioli, while Chris had the 30 day aged beef served with a mediterranean vegetable chutney both meals were served with a side of salad and warm potatoes. Both dishes were absolutely delicious and generously sized.
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| 30 day aged beef on hot rock |
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We continued to soak up the atmosphere sharing a warmed chocolate brownie with strawberry coulis and cream and tried a glass of the fortified Shiraz. The brownie was completely decadent and I savoured every mouthful, while the Shiraz showed promise but was a little young (2010 vintage).
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| Warm chocolate brownie |
It was only 1pm and we were reluctant to rush off, show we ordered coffees and sat back and enjoyed the ambiance. When we finally asked for the bill at 1:30pm and at $50 a head decided the meal was worth every dollar. My final opinion?
Style: relaxed dining
Ambiance: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Wine list: 2.5/5
Well worth the hour trip out of Perth!
We continued on our road trip satiated and content, arriving at the farm on which the rally school is located half an hour after leaving the winery. Upon arrival I was given a declaration form with one of the broadest exclusion clauses I have ever had the pleasure of coming across. I was tempted to cross out 'I have been informed that rally driving may cause injury/disability/death' before signing but did not want to seem like a nit picker. Having signed my life away I joined the other drivers for our safety lesson.
There were eight of us and I was one of only two females participating. In my Bettina Liano's I felt a little out of place especially as everyone else looked a bit more like the typical rev-head complete with extra piercings, tatts and appropriate rev-head automobiles (i.e. Holdens, Fords and four wheel drives compared to us in Chris' VW Golf). Feeling more and more out of my element as the safety briefing continued I tried to look knowledgeable when the instructor asked 'what should you do if you begin to drift?' and 'how do you prevent over steering or spinning?'. Finally we were asked what car we would prefer to drive - the Subaru Impreza or the Mitsubishi Evo? I pretended to be helpful by saying I didn't mind without letting on that I couldn't tell the difference (all I could think was extra virgin olive oil when the instructor said Evo).
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| My turn in the driver's seat |
After grabbing a helmet I was off! Having signed off for any damage I might cause to the vehicle, I started slow. My instructor was fantastic telling me when to accelerate, when to brake and where to go. After a couple of laps I started to gain confidence and put my foot down. Just as I was getting the hang of it my laps were finished and I had to head back to the start the watch the others performances. Exhilarated I jumped out of the car with a ear to ear grin only to be greeted by Chris's 'I don't think you got over 50k's once!' Miffed I replied that if felt pretty fast when I was behind the wheel!
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| Behind the wheel - rounding the curve... |
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| ...and gunning it down a straight |
I settled back to watch as everyone else enjoyed their laps and then it was time for our hot laps! My instructor took me for the ride of my life around the rally course. My knuckles were white gripping my seat but my grin could not have been larger! Speechless, all I could manage was 'Wow' as we drove off the course for the last time, my instructor just laughed.
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| One of the instructors putting the car through its paces |
DL
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