Best laid plans

Rain falls on average one day in two in England, making it the green and pleasant land we love. Pity it had to come today, though. Spanish car company Seat laid on an excellent driving event for its sporty new Leon Cupra, with road routes and sessions on the track. Sadly a heavy downpour most of the day made the circuit treacherous and curtailed our exuberance.

We still had a lot of fun though, with a big line-up of cars to try, some of them wearing 'wraps' in vibrant shades of yellow and orange. A highlight was a hot lap of Mallory in the passenger seat of a race-prepared Cupra, driven by Spanish race ace Jordi Gené, the man who holds the record for the fastest lap of the Nurburgring in a front-wheel-drive car.