The Under 17 Car Club is a club where people under the age of 17 can drive motor vehicles. It was started in 1976 by

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

Sandy Barrie who realised there was no opportunity for youngsters under seventeen to drive cars. The Club is run entirely by

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

with no full or part-time paid staff. The aim of the club is "to enable under age drivers to practice and improve their driving skills legally and safely, in a variety of different vehicles, under properly supervised conditions, and to take an active interest in cars and motor sport and ultimately to produce safer young drivers on our roads at age 17 and beyond".

Grading system

The club has a grading system, designed to help members progress to driving test standard. *Ungraded - On first joining you are ungraded *Grade 5 - After taking a skills test and passing you become grade 5 and can go forwards and backwards competently *Grade 4 - You have mastered manoeuvres and roundabouts *Grade 3 - Your driving is smooth and safe and you have good car control *Grade 2 - Your driving shows finesse, you can drive a car at motorway speeds safely and are at the driving test standard *Grade 1 - You are competent at all aspects of motoring including mechanics *Grade X - You show outstanding skill at driving and are an exceptionally safe driver

Activities

The club offers many activities at different venues, including: *Skill Tests *Skid Pans *Advanced Driving *Truck Day *Magic Day - where they raise money for the

Teenage Cancer Trust Teenage Cancer Trust is a cancer care and support charity in the UK that exists to improve the cancer experience of young people aged 13–24. Founded in 1990, the charity's key service is providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. I ...

. The Club has so far raised over £100,000 for TCT. *Motorway Driving *Speed Awareness *Peer Pressure / Distracted Driving *Team Challenge *Caterham Day *4x4 Day

Meeting places

The Club use a variety of venues throughout the year to provide the best possible range of driving experience to Members. The number of events at each site is subject to availability. The locations of the current venues are below: *

Castle Combe Circuit Castle Combe Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Wiltshire, England, approximately from Bristol. The circuit is based on the perimeter track of a former World War II airfield, and was opened for racing in 1950. History The Castle Combe ...

* Bovington Tank Proving Ground *

Kempton Park Racecourse Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track together with a licensed entertainment and conference venue in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 16 miles south-west of Charing Cross, London and on a border of Greater London. The site has ...

MOD Lyneham Ministry of Defence Lyneham or MOD Lyneham is a Ministry of Defence site in Wiltshire, England, about northeast of Chippenham and southwest of Swindon. The site houses the Defence School of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering. Also here is Pr ...

* Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh *

Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The population was 15, ...

(Debden) *

Three Counties Showground The Three Counties Showground is a showground site in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, covering 90 acres owned by the Three Counties Agricultural Society. The first show at the site was held in 1958 and was attended by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mo ...

, Malvern * Seighford, Staffordshire * Science and Technology Park in Berkeley Gloucestershire

Well known members

One of the most famous members of the club was

Richard Burns Richard Alexander Burns (17 January 1971 – 25 November 2005) was an English rally driver who won the 2001 World Rally Championship, having previously finished runner-up in the series in 1999 and 2000. He also helped Mitsubishi to the world ...

, who joined the club in 1982, and went on to become the first Englishman to win the World Rally Championship in 2001. Burns was patron of the club until his death in 2005.

References

{{Reflist

External links

* http://www.under17-carclub.co.uk - Main Club Website * http://www.under17driver.co.uk - Pathfinder Programme Website * http://www.u17ccctrust.org - Charitable Trust Website Under 17 Car Club Youth organisations based in the United Kingdom