A NEW business says it is the first in the UK to offer the chance to race cars around top British and European circuits while having a positive impact on the environment.

Southampton-based Hype Motorsport will host corporate and group track days for up to 12 people at the likes of Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Donnington Park, as well as European tracks such as Spa in Belgium.

It is the brainchild of Mike Jarvis, from Southampton, and Ben Hyland, from Leeds, who has spent almost 20 years working in motorsport. The pair have invested more than £300,000 in the business, which is rated climate positive thanks to carbon offsetting through low-carbon commodity company SCB.

Professional instructors, including the likes of British Touring Car Championship driver Jake Hill and FIA World Endurance Championship driver Alex Brundle, have also joined the team.

The extensively modified cars include a BMW M2 Competition, a Porsche Cayman GTS and an Alpine A110.

Mr Jarvis said: “There has been a huge shift in the race days and track event market, which has been driven by people waking up to the environmental impact of all our decisions.

"As someone who is truly passionate about motorsport, but also concerned about the future of our planet, I was keen to explore how we could improve what we do and create a superb experience for petrol-heads with a conscience.

“We want to offer a pure driving experience that doesn’t cost the Earth, so we’ve worked closely with SCB Group to develop our offering and we’re proud to feature their ClimatePositive seal of assurance.

“The organisation has scrutinised every aspect of our business, from the actual events and cars, through to considering how both our team and guests will travel to the circuits and where they will stay, to ensure we not only compensate for ‘neutral’ carbon emissions – we go further to become climate positive by at least 25 per cent.”

Mr Jarvis said: “Most corporate motorsport events are held at fixed locations, but all the top race circuits in the UK and beyond are interested in our offering and have agreed to host our events. This means we can create truly memorable and unique full day multi-drive events, that can be tailored to the individual requirements of corporate customers and groups of drivers, for less than £1,000 per person.”

Pauline Tainton from SCB Group, said: “When we heard about Hype Motorsport’s ambitions, we knew it was a perfect fit for us and we’re glad to be involved.”