It is quite a leap from London’s gridlocked South Circular to the highest racetrack in Europe, but it was the school run that delivered me to the icy madness of the Andros Trophy.
While the hottest of hatches screamed around the hairpins of the Alain Prost circuit in Val Thorens, letting fly a volley of snow at each turn, I could only thank Doris and Ken of Catford for getting me there. Dithering at the lights? Come on, Doris. Reverse parking blunder? Really, Ken! It is not road rage, I assure the children, just good driving sense.
But am I any better? Could I control a skid or compensate for oversteer? How about pulling a handbrake turn through 180º - on sheet ice?
This is what the Andros Trophy is all about. The insane winter rally series, featuring pumped-up, four-wheel-drive hatchbacks with 350bhp V6 engines, heralds the start of the ski season in Val Thorens in the French Alps each...