Renault Sport Experience: touring Europe with hot hatches

The best way to make a small fortune in motorsports? Start with a large one. Yes, the old adage is true as ever, but it need not always be, at least in a few cases. The Renault Sport Experience is one way to get some track time on the cheap, and it's getting ready to hit some of the most famous tracks throughout Europe.

The 2009 Renault Sport Experience merges the Renault Sport Enthusiast Days, which has been going on each year since 2005, with the Twingo Renault Sport Driving Tuition Days. The end result: you can get on track in a Clio Cup car for just €30 ($38.50).

Existing Renault Sport owners can drive during the track days as well, while those who don't own an RS vehicle can rent rides, including the Megane R26.R hatch, as part of a coached lapping opportunity.

Sixteen track days are scheduled, plus an additional four Driving Tuition Days. The tuition days offer a chance not just to drive the open track, but to learn and improve your skills. There's even a chance to drive a Formula Renault 2.0. One of the four days is reserved for women only, to help draw in participation from females. Six additional dates are scheduled to offer a chance to see the Renault-Alpine plant in Dieppe, where Renault Sport's motoring tradition was founded.

Famed circuits on the track schedule include Brands Hatch in the UK, Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans in France, and Zolder in Belgium, among many others.