Thank you very much for the comprehensive Key Learning Points you sent over following my recent Total Control Masterclass; I found the whole process invaluable, from the start to the finish of my two day course.

I personally believe that everyone who has a high powered car should consider a course a must, I have made such great progress even in two days and have now applied various techniques on my drive around Scotland on the Cannonball.  I especially found the ABS braking session, the wet handling and over-limit session particularly interesting, plus learning to overtake safely: I had no idea I was doing so many things wrong!!

Thank you once again and I look forward to another session soon.

J. Emmett

The F-Type R is mostly reserved for ‘pure pleasure’ driving – and I find myself enjoying it all the more since my Dynamic Handling Masterclass. I really appreciated your explanations, the level of detail, and relevance to my vehicle’s performance. You’ve certainly heightened my appreciation of the balance of the vehicle, the loading on the tyres, and how to gain the most feedback – in practice, opening the envelope of both performance and safety. Of course, with this I’ve also developed more confidence – in myself making accurate and timely inputs, and also in the knowledge that Jaguar’s technical wizardry (DSC / Torque Vectoring) are waiting discreetly to assist should things get a little too exciting! It was great to explore the capability of the Jag’s protective systems, and to get a feel for just ‘how’ provoking I need to be to exceed the levels of grip and road holding available, even in the wet.

I’d come to you with some apprehension about wet/greasy roads, having recently bought the car with legal but very worn rear tyres. New tyres for my session with you, and the space and time to explore the limits have really sorted that out. I honestly thought that trail braking with the left foot was going to be a stretch too far on the day, but wow it just seemed to fall into place – I can only attribute that to the confidence you inspired in me as the day progressed. Lastly – you highlighted the importance and advantage of good planning. Having that longer view, using the side windows where necessary to see the road ahead, looking through bends and linked sections to find the apex early, allows for a smoother, flowing drive – through early gear selection, minimal changes to steering input, and timely throttle. Using balance to enhance grip and performance – like magic!

Overall it’s a very rewarding feeling, knowing much more about what ‘good’ looks and feels like now, to be able to drive a section of road just how I want to – accurately, smooth and safe, and occasionally fast of course! You’ll remember my initial objectives were to explore both the car’s and my own limits, learning more about us both to allow me to get the most from our time together: job done!

I really appreciate your feedback notes, which I’ve copied for easy reference and now keep in the car! Thanks again Ivan.

M. Baillie

I wasn’t sure what to expect from my Total Control Masterclass but the quality and depth of the course is outstanding. From start to finish the focus was on improving my driving techniques and Ivan’s attention to detail is amazing. Whether at Millbrook Proving Ground or on the open road, Ivan gave me the confidence to get the very best out of my pride and joy (an Aston Martin DB9). Having driven for almost forty years I thought there might be the odd ‘tweak’ to my style but it was a real eye-opener to find out how many improvements Ivan offered me. All of Ivan’s efforts over the two days were aimed at improving my skills as a driver and I was grateful for his patience, his sense of humour and, at times, his lack of nerves!

I can think of no way that this course could be improved. The day at Millbrook was fascinating, challenging and intense, and on the open road it was a joy to put the skills I had learned on the track into operation. I have no hesitation in recommending Ivan to anyone who wants to learn how to drive a powerful car in the correct manner.

I. Sims

The pleasure was all mine. The impact of your On Road Masterclass last week was evident in the number of times I yawned on the way home – you provoked more concentration in me than usual, clearly demonstrating the extent to which we usually switch off our brains when driving. Driving well (quickly and safely) requires, I now know, a level of concentration and awareness well beyond what I was used to.

My Dynamic Handling Masterclass last year was pretty much what I expected, because we spoke beforehand about what I wanted from it and your tuition was therefore well targeted. The On Road Masterclass, on the other hand, gave me a lot more to think about. I always thought I was a safe driver, but having you point out my vulnerabilities was eye-opening. Realising just how much pertinent information was escaping my consciousness was, frankly, disturbing.

In summary Ivan, you have taught me so much more than I expected, and I realise that my learning is not yet complete. Many thanks for your patience and coaching. I suspect we shall meet again.

C. Davies

I really enjoyed the day and got lots out of it. I shall be back!

B. Goodberry

Transformational. Brain reset after 37 years’ driving is what I’ve had after my recent two day Total Control Masterclass. Understanding the abilities of me and the car in a controlled environment and then transitioning to a road environment is just the start of this journey, and I’ll be returning over the coming months to improve further.

I feel more confident and competent behind the wheel and will build on the new skills and observational techniques you shared. Thank you very much.

R. Morgan

Thank you for the extraordinarily useful follow up to our day together. I am already reaping the benefits of my learnings but these Key Learning Points really help to consolidate everything. I found the Dynamic Handling Masterclass hugely helpful, both in developing my driving abilities and in allowing me to explore some of the handling characteristics of my Aston Martin at and beyond the limits of adhesion, something one simply cannot achieve safely on the public highways.

I find I now naturally take my eyes to the full extent of the range of vision when driving and that in a bend the effect of looking at the exit is to draw you naturally through the corner on a more efficient line. I am also enjoying working on my left foot trail braking technique, with the emphasis being on that smooth transition from braking to applying throttle. The greatest ‘eureka’ moment from the course for me was driving on the High Speed Circuit. It changed for ever the way I will look at ‘the road ahead’!

Apart from being hugely instructive the day was also great fun and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Millbrook and with you. I’m going to give myself some time with the car now to get to know and understand it and to put into practise what I learnt with you. Thereafter I will come back to do the course again and build on what I’ve done so far.

P. Draper

I have always been someone who enjoys driving and is keen to improve their driving skills (on road and track). Prior to attending the Total Control Masterclass course I had tried to learn via reading bookings, watching videos and attending track days etc, with limited/mixed success. 1:1 instruction is certainly the way forward.

I have always had the opinion that in my case the driver was the limiting factor in terms of extracting performance from my vehicle. I found the Millbrook day fun, challenging and frustrating all at the same time – it highlighted my theory that I was the limiting factor. Even though I enjoyed the Millbrook day I came away feeling a little disappointed in myself.

I had chosen to have a 2 week period between my Dynamic Handling day at Millbrook and my day On Road, during which time I noticed how much my observation skills on road had improved, even on my heavy traffic daily commute. Ivan provided subtle observations and associated small tweaks to my driving skills which have added up to a large improvement. The On Road session was for me when it all clicked into place. The skills I learnt at Millbrook made more sense and several new on road skills were learnt.

I am not a driving god and probably never will be, BUT I enjoy driving even more now and have learnt valuable new skills which help me maintain a safe pace on road. I enjoyed Ivan’s approach to the training and it certainly worked for me. It was also refreshing to see that Ivan had no negativity towards my Mini Cooper S vehicle as opposed to his more usual supercar clientele, an attitude not shared by some other advanced driving instructors in my experience.

N. Regan

Ivan has a great ability to mix clear communication on what needs improvement, with a great deal of fun! He was very happy to tailor the day to what I wanted to cover, adjusting throughout.

I learnt a lot and indeed learnt that I have a lot more to learn! I strongly recommend the Dynamic Handling Masterclass and am sure I will be back for more. Thanks Ivan.

H. Bolton

Ivan… I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed and learned on your Total Control Masterclass. The time taken to understand what I wanted to get from the sessions, your ability to adapt the content to help achieve my objectives, and the constructive feedback was invaluable.

Although my driving is still mostly in and around London, I have been able to put into practice much of what we covered – made easier as you tailored aspects of day 2 to the ‘perils’ of city driving. I gain greater enjoyment from my Bentley now that I am more conversant with and confident in the car’s and my own capabilities. I would recommend Total Car Control without hesitation. Thank you, again.

G. Doran

Many thanks for the day’s tuition at Millbrook, I enjoyed it immensely and picked up a lot of good car control points from you.

A great day out and very educational.

D. Gutteridge

I don’t really have any constructive criticism. I thought the course was perfect as it was. You asked me what I wanted out of it, and I didn’t really have any expectations, but am very happy with what we did. I was going to suggest a written write up afterwards to help reinforce the course but you already did that, so thank you.

D. Grindstaff