Here are some physically challenging New Year’s resolutions for your undertaking
If your New Year’s resolution is to challenge yourself, physically, then we’ve got the perfect examples on where you need to go and what you need to do.
DRIVE AN F1
For a tidy sum you can take a page out of Bernie Ecclestone’s book and be a ‘paid-for’ driver with one of the Formula 1 teams. The Lotus Renault F1 team for example has a successful sponsor-related program, which basically allows you to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for a few laps around the famed Paul Ricard test track in France. Participants are taught the fundamentals of racing and how to push each machine in a safe and controlled environment. The experience is divided into both classroom and practical sessions inclusive of track time with several race-tuned machines like the Formula Renault 2.0 and Renault touring cars. To complete the total experience, each participant will be taken on ‘taxi rides’ in twin-seater Formula 1 cars by pro drivers.
COMMANDEER A TANK
Pierce Brosnan took the wheel of one in Goldeneye, so why not take a page out of 007’s book by driving and commanding your very own tank. Tank School, which operates out of South Wales, UK is one of the few establishments in the world where ‘civies’ are allowed to drive and operate a combat-ready, 42-tonne, battle tank. For a nominal fee of USD707, you’ll be taught to operate and drive a Russian made T-55AM2, a tank which is still in military service in certain parts of Europe. For nominal add-on fees, the operators will even let you roll over a car and fire one of the turret guns.
OLYMPIC DREAMS
The Lake Placid Olympic Village in New York hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980 and it has now been converted to offer a taste of the games to visitors. Fancy a zip down an icy bobsled run like you saw in Cool Runnings? Tick that box, and while you’re at it, tick Winter Biathlon and Speed Skating off the list as well because there are lessons on offer for you to try those two distinctions too. Or you can also participate in a mock torch run or enrol yourself in a friendly skiing and snowboarding race or biathlon target shooting exercise. All of it done on the actual Olympic grounds.
SWIM WITH JAWS
There are a few places on earth where you can dive with Great White Sharks but in terms of abundance and ease of connection, Port Lincoln, South Australia is easily your best bet. Accessible via a short one hour flight from Adelaide, Port Lincoln is notoriously known for tuna farming but of late, it also ranks as one of the best places on earth to interact with a Great White. To see them up close, you’ve got to stomach a three-hour boat ride on the open seas to Neptune Island and wrestle with hypothermic-inducing waters while being confined to a small steel cage. The upside to that though is that you get to stare down the ultimate ocean predator in complete safety.
