The highest form of automotive road racing is Formula 1. This open wheel class features the highest driver talents as well as the most technologically advanced

systems and racecars on the planet. The teams in this class of racing do nothing else but push the limits in every respect, from design, manufacturing, marketing, funding and of course, driving. Only the best, richest and most talented ever get to this level of racing and even then, only the drivers get to experience what its like to be in the car. That is, until now...

The Yas Racing School opened its doors to the public just recently and they have, as an added feature, an experience that rivals nothing else I've ever tried in my many years on this earth- a ride in an honest to goodness Formula 1 car! Bringing the Formula 1 experience closer to the public, now more people can do more than just watch the races live or on television. The Yas Racing School can actually strap you in to one of two F1 2-seaters and go for fast-- VERY FAST-- laps around the Yas Marina Circuit in the hands of a capable driver.

These cars are not just look-alikes. They are REAL Formula 1 racecars, designed to be 2-seaters. These cars were built by Minardi for use in corporate drives and, yes, a corporate racing series. So, whoever gets to ride in one of these monster cars will get the full sensation of what its like being in a Formula 1 racecar.

Since the performance of these cars are to say the least, well above anything one might have experienced, getting in to one of these cars is not as simple as jumping in to one. First, the passenger must go through a physical examination to make sure they are fit enough to withstand the G-forces while being in the car. As I will share with you in more detail later, if you aren't fit, you will probably lose consciousness. Yes, it's that strenuous.

Another requirement is height and weight. Too tall and you won't fit in the passenger cockpit. I would estimate a maximum of 5'10". Any taller and your head gets in the way of the intake scoop for the engine and your legs would interfere in the driver's ability to steer. Weight would be estimated to around 180lbs. maximum. Again, it all boils down to fitting in to the VERY tight confines of the car as well as the maximum overall weight that the car is designed to carry.

The Yas Racing School provides all the required safety gear- fire-retardant suit, gloves, shoes, balaclava and helmet. These are all high-quality gear from Alpinestars.

Now, once you have passed your medical evaluation, deemed to be able to fit in to the car, now it's time to describe what you are in for.

I will dispense with describing the procedure of getting strapped in to the car but let me just say it's a lot more complicated than it may first seem. After a lot of wriggling and body positioning, you'll be strapped in and ready to go.

The first thing you will notice is just how tight and confined everything is. I have read many other accounts of what it's like being in an F1 car and it's tighter than that! I'm talking about millimeters of clearance and barely a few inches from the front of your helmet to the backside of the driver's headrest (which is directly in front of you). Standing at 5'7", I could barely see out of the cockpit and can just make out the tops of the front tires as I try to peek to either side of the driver's headrest.

Once the engine fires, you hear for the first time, an actual F1 engine roaring from within. And since these engines don't like standing still (they easily over heat when the car is sitting still), you are on your way out of the pit garage and on to the racetrack.

The driver doesn't take any time to pick up the pace. Remember, this is an F1 car so going slow is relatively... well, much faster than in any other type of car.

As the car accelerates in a blindingly quick fashion, I can liken this to being in a finely tuned mid-9 second drag car on launch. Again, keeping things in perspective, this is just your out lap and the tires are still cold so this is still relatively "easy" going. You shoot left then right through a chicane with G's much like a shifter kart. The driver accelerates to one of the hairpins with a bit of a "jiggle" from the rear tires as they scratch for grip. Then, it hits you-- like a ton of bricks-- the driver hits the brakes for the first time. All I can say is that I had lost my ability to keep oriented for that split second and I didn't know where up was, down and forget about left and right. Moments before the braking marker, I was looking on the left side of the cockpit (it was a left hand corner) and when the brakes were applied it felt like my brain and eyeballs flew out of my helmet! And when he let off the brakes and transitioned to turn in to the corner and accelerate, everything just snapped back in to place.

At this point, we were on the long back straight, accelerating hard going up the gears. I was still try to recover from the braking from the corner before. As I finally gain my senses back, I realize were approaching the entry to another chicane at what I estimate to be well over 280kph! And then, just like that, the brakes were applied once more, but this time, with much more force. Oh my God! I was once more temporarily disoriented, and it lasted from corner entry in to the chicane all the way through it. I felt the rear tires struggle with grip and the rear of the car jutting left to right quite violently, which just added to the whole disconcerting feeling.

From most accounts about Formula 1 cars, you will always read about the G-forces in cornering. But what I took away from this whole experience, more than anything, is just how hard and quickly these cars can slow down. If anything, that's where I felt the most G's.

Back on track, as we go through the rest of the Yas Marina Circuit, I have to mention that this was the quickest I have ever gone through the course, I got a glimpse of how high the limits are for an F1 car. We swept through all the corners faster than my brain could calculate and braked so close to the turn in points that it felt so strange that we didn't go off track. And this was just the out lap. The tires were not even up to temperature yet!

Needless to say, the next two laps were just amazing. I had been able to come to grips (somewhat) with the braking forces and started to really get the feel of the car working underneath us. Each corner is gobbled up with such ferocity and the long straights are done with in a matter of seconds before you feel the incredible force the binders have.

After the fast laps were done, we pull in to pits and the crew starts to unbuckle me from the car. It had not been ten minutes in total from the time I was belted in to the car, we've done 2 hot laps and now I was already getting out of the car. Wow!!!

As much as I didn't want this article run as long as it has, the experience that I had which lasted mere minutes, just cannot be expressed thoroughly by my words. I sincerely don't feel that I have given this justice. If you do ever get the chance or can afford to spend the 7500 AED fee for this ride, I can tell you for sure (unless you are an F1 driver) that it is something you won't soon forget. And that price, though seemingly expensive, will be worth every Dirham. It's not cheap to run these cars as you may know and this experience is truly authentic.