Budding racing drivers in the North-East had a rare opportunity to experience the thrills of Formula One recently. Gavin Englebricht - who normally drives a 'racing' 1.4-litre Nissan Almera - decided to go for a spin

THE exhilaration of belting around one of the toughest Grand Prix tracks at the wheel of a Formula One racing car is sheer and complete.

The heart quickens and adrenaline courses through the veins in anticipation of sharp hairpin bends and chicanes that leap up at 200mph.

Knuckles whiten, the neck tenses and back muscles knot as the steering wheel tugs against the force of the turns and the car judders over rumble strips. And when the straights beckon again the whole body involuntarily slumps in relief at the brief reprieve.

After two short, sharp and very intense minutes the car has completed two laps, leaving the driver physically shaken by the experience, which is very real. . . well virtually real.

Hundreds of staff who work for telecoms company Orange in the North-East had the chance to see for themselves recently.

The mobile phone company is a sponsor of the Arrows Formula One team competing in this year's series with German driver Heinz Harald Frentzen.

Orange has got together with the team to create a virtual reality racing simulator. The machine - which uses computers and hydraulic rams attached to a real car - is the closest anyone outside of F1 can come to experiencing the racing reality and pitting their wits against the likes of racing champion Michael Schumacher.

Prior to the machine's departure for the Spanish Grand Prix this month, staff at Orange call centres in Darlington and North Shields had the chance to try it for themselves.

Interactive helmet equipment gives the user full control of the view, changing with a swivel of the head. With the helmet on and visor down the driver is immersed in the real Magny Cours racing circuit in France - made all more real by sitting inside a replica of the AX3 racing car.

Multi-media company i2i.net managing director Nick Roe, the firm that developed the simulator, said: "Real film footage was captured using the advanced digital camera technology with a 220 degree fish eye lens placed in the exact height to film the track from a driver's perspective .

"It took five days to capture perfect race line footage of the track with a special filming vehicle driven by a former racing driver at only three mph."

The good news is that it is impossible to crash.

"We thought about realistic damage but, in the end, it was felt to be in poor taste," said Mr Roe.

Further refinements he has in mind would enable to the driver to change gears and control the speed - taking the old racing arcade game to its logical conclusion.

The OrangeArrows Virtual Reality Experience will tour other Grand Prix circuits this year and other public events in the United Kingdom.