Melbourne Driving & Motorsports

Driving experiences in Melbourne run from V8 laps at Sandown Raceway to rally cars at Mount Cottrell and stunt driving with handbrake turns. You can take the wheel yourself or ride shotgun with a pro, and there's a defensive driving course for anyone who'd rather improve their everyday skills. There are also F1-style Formula Ford drives further out in Wodonga, in north-east Victoria.

V8 and Mustang driving experiences at Sandown Raceway

Sandown Raceway in Springvale is the home of Melbourne's V8 laps. The V8 6 Lap Drive Experience puts you in a race-engineered V8 with an experienced personal coach beside you, around a circuit with 13 corners and 2 drag strips. Race suit and open-face helmet are provided, and you check in a quarter hour before your start time.

If you'd rather ride than drive, The Qualifier 2 Hot Laps puts you in the front seat with a professional racing driver. The V8 Mustang 8 Lap Drive swaps the V8 for a NextGen Mustang, with an instructor, a safety briefing and a communication headset.

Rally driving at Mount Cottrell

Rally School VIC runs its rally cars at Mount Cottrell, on selected weekend dates. The Rally Car Hot Laps experience straps you into the co-driver's seat of a turbo rally car for 3 laps in a 30-minute ride. To drive, the 8 Laps Package gives you 8 laps at the wheel, plus a bonus hot lap in the navigator's seat, in a 2-hour session.

Wear long trousers and closed shoes, because the floor of the car gets dirty and hot. There's no public transport to the venue, and spectators are welcome to come along and watch.

Stunt driving in Melbourne

The Stunt Driving Wild Ride hands the driving to an expert while you ride through 180-degree handbrake turns, 360-degree spins, jumps and two-wheeling, and your family and friends can watch the whole thing. To do the driving yourself, the 90-minute stunt driving course at Sandown has you practise handbrake turns and spins in a modified Toyota 86, then compete in a timed motorkhana.

F1-style Formula Ford drives in Wodonga

At the Wodonga TAFE Driver Training Complex, you drive a Formula Ford, an F1-style race car that sits you only inches off the ground. The 10 Laps experience comes with instruction from professional race drivers and a helmet, race suit and boots. The Drive and Hot Laps Combo adds 2 laps in a two-seater with a pro at the wheel.

A defensive driving course, and how to choose

The Defensive Driving Course is a full-day course at Sandown, running from 8.15am to roughly 4pm. You bring your own car and practise braking technique and vehicle dynamics under qualified instructors.

For a first go, start with a passenger ride or a short lap package, since the laps go quickly. Choose V8 for the circuit, rally for gravel and dirt, and stunt driving for spins.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a licence for a driving experience in Melbourne?

Bring your driver's licence to the driving experiences. The F1-style Formula Ford drives in Wodonga require a P-standard manual licence, and the rally packages ask drivers to be proficient with a manual transmission.

Are all of these driving experiences in Melbourne?

No. The V8, Mustang, 90-minute stunt driving course and defensive driving experiences are at Sandown Raceway in Springvale, the rally experiences are at Mount Cottrell, and the F1-style Formula Ford drives are in Wodonga in north-east Victoria.

Can I ride as a passenger instead of driving?

Yes. The Qualifier 2 Hot Laps puts you in the front seat of a V8 with a professional driver, the Rally Car Hot Laps put you in the co-driver's seat, and the Stunt Driving Wild Ride has an expert driver at the wheel.

What happens if the weather is bad on the day?

Sandown V8 experiences are rebooked to another date if weather stops them. The Wodonga F1-style drives go ahead in wet or damp conditions and are rescheduled if the track is unsafe, and the rally school decides after a track inspection on the day.

How old do you need to be for the Stunt Driving Wild Ride?

Participants must be 16 or older, and anyone under 18 must tell the Stunt Driving School at booking and bring a parent or guardian on the day.

Pick your speed and your car, from a few laps at Sandown to a rally package at Mount Cottrell. If you're after more adrenaline in the city, the Melbourne activities page has plenty.