As its name suggests, the Club is where youngsters under the age of 17 can drive motor vehicles.
There are currently about 300 members and the Club is open to anyone - waiting list permitting - who is tall enough to drive and is between the ages of 12 years and 15 years during the year of joining.
This means youngsters can join when they are 11, provided their 12th birthday occurs during their first season but once they have had their 15th birthday they are too old. 


The club was started in 1976 by author Sandy Barrie who realised there was no opportunity for youngsters under seventeen to drive cars. The Club is run entirely by volunteers with no full or part time paid staff.
In recognition of its activities, the Club has also been presented with the Prince Michael of Kent Road Safety Award.
 
Once they have joined, Members can stay in the Club up to and including the season they reach their 17th birthday. By the time a Club Member is coming up to 17, they will probably be driving better than many licence holders on the road.
Members are taught to drive by their parents in the parents’ cars with the help of the Club Instructors who try to do a progress check every 3 or 4 meetings.

These are held on the Sunday of most weekends between March and November at one of our venues and there are usually in excess of 30 all-day meetings per season. Venues vary from year to year but this season the Club will use six different sites, but occasionally we may use more than one for selected different grades tackling different disciplines. We are always on the lookout for additional venues, especially in the Midlands.
It is impractical to base your membership of the Club upon the idea of only ever visiting one particular venue as each different venue presents its own challenges and the Club encourages members to experience as wide a variety as possible.
 
Each Full Member (i.e. under the age of 17) MUST have an Associate Member(s), (who is preferably, but not necessarily, a parent), responsible for him/her who will be present at each meeting. An Associate Member must have held a Full Driving Licence for at least three years AND be over the age of 21. Active participation is needed from all Associate Members to run the Club, and in particular, to ensure safety at meetings.
The Club uses a grading system to assess progress. New Members start as Ungraded and work up through Grades 5 to 1. Grade 5 is generally obtained quite early, often on the first visit, but subsequent grades are more difficult and have to be earned by hard work and practice.

Tests based upon the DSA Theory Test are conducted as part of the process of moving through the Grades and a First Aid qualification and skid pan instruction are required to reach Grade 1.
Upon reaching Grade 2, Members are permitted drive the car with their Associate(s) as back seat passengers and they also then get the opportunity to learn to handle a car safely at higher speeds.
When they achieve Grade 1, Members can finally drive without supervision and the first solo drive is always a big moment in the life of a Club Member.
 
 
For more information, please contact Jennifer Stone by e-mail by clicking button below.