Ever wanted to go rallying in a classic car?

THAT'S what one of the big names of historic motorsport - the Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation, better known to most enthusiasts as HERO - are offering visitors to this weekend's Race Retro.

The event, which takes place at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry, gives petrolheads the chance to get up close to all sorts of mouthwatering motorsport machines but HERO are actually offering you the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a host of rallying star cars from the Sixties - a Mini Cooper S, an Alfa Romeo GTV, a Ford Cortina, a BMW 1602 and a Triumph TR6.

In a statement about the experience, called Arrive & Drive, HERO says on its website: "You can experience the thrill of driving classic rally cars - cars that have done the Scottish Malts, Summer Trial and LE JOG, yourself as you navigate through our specially designed test. This is not an event but a demonstration drive allowing you the opportunity to experience an actual classic car rally test.

"You get two attempts at the test, each attempt in a different car. Every challenger will receive a certificate confirming that they have completed the test."

The event, for which you must bring a valid driving licence plus a copy that HERO can keep for their records, costs £30 to take part in.

If you're already planning to go to Race Retro this weekend, the chance to actually get behind the wheel of a classic rally car has got to have a certain appeal...