Track-days are great fun. They give us an opportunity to drive on a race track, no holds-barred in our own cars. Track-days have become popular because performance cars are simply too fast for in normal road conditions and owners could become severely frustrated by not utilising their car's full potential.
Another reason for the popularity of track day is that it can assist your driving skill as there are elements to driving on track that can make you a better driver in the real world. In other words, you learn about car control.
The Press Association team has earmarked seven cars that are ideal for track-days, from a super-lightweight Caterham 7 with an open two-seat body style to multi million rand high-performance cars such as the Ferrari 488 Pista and the Porsche GT3 RS.
Check out the video above for all the cars, and below for a brief synopsis on each one.
Caterham 7 - The lightweight (545kg) sports car perfect for a racing circuit powered by a 2.3 litre inline four Ford Duratec tuned by Cosworth with 190kW.
Ariel Atom - Powered by a high-revving 2.4-litre Honda V-Tec engine bolted onto a lightweight chassis, you're basically steering a piece of scaffolding.
Porsche 911 GT3 RS - A stripped out, more powerful version of the 911 is what the GT3 RS is all about. Its 4.0-litre flat-six engine revs to 9000 r/min with max power quoted at 383kW and 470Nm.
Hyundai i30 N - Hyundai's first real hot hatch contender is powered by a powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged engine with 202kW and 353Nm. Priced from R679 900, the South Korean hatch faces stiff competition.
Image: Quickpic
Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP - A stripped-out performance car that costs a whole lot less than the 488 Pista, is the Mini JCW GP. BMW tweaked with the supermini's best attributes: handling and grip. This turned the JCW GP into a track monster ready to take on performance cars double its size.
Oh yes, did we mention it's the most powerful production Mini yet? It makes use of a 4-cylinder turbo engine with more than 220kW and motor racing technology by John Cooper Works.
Ferrari 488 Pista - What could possibly be done to make the Ferrari 488 GTB even more hardcore we hear you say? Well, the Prancing Stallion engineers added more downforce, saved 90kg weight and pushed the power up to 530kW.
This translates into a 2.8 second 0-100km/h sprint time and a top speed of 340km/h.
Image: Youtube
Honda Civic Type R - A visceral driving experience courtesy of arguably the world's best handling hot hatch. Power is derived from a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, mated to a short-throw six-speed manual gearbox.
Image: Quickpic
Compiled by Sean Parker