We find out what it is like to drive a Tank

Owner/Director, Karen Robson, shares her experience of driving a British Army FV432 Tank.

Totally out of my comfort zone, into the tank I went. The inside was very cramped and I could barely move. This gave an insight into battle conditions giving me a newfound respect for our Armed Forces.

The tank was surprisingly straightforward to drive, with two levers. Push forward to drive, pull backwards to steer left/right. Handbrake is a button on the top of each lever. Automatic gearbox. Accelerator pedal and off you go.

Strength was required to operate the levers and my arms knew after 3 laps of the track that I had been steering 15 tons of armoured tank through deep mud!

As the last drive of the day I had the task of reverse parking the tank into a designated space, which I completed successfully. No luxury of wing mirrors, just the guidance of someone who could actually see where we were going.

My son, Jamie Robson, came along for moral support and thoroughly enjoyed being a passenger. Jamie also works for MEC part time in a business support role while studying for his degree.

If you get the chance to drive a tank, do it!