West race day finals in Brno this weekend.

This Friday and Saturday, 20th/21st September, sees the finals of the West Race Day competition take place at the Brno Circuit in the Czech Republic.

The competition, which started back in June, will see one lucky member of the general public get to drive a MP4/16 West McLaren Mercedes grand prix car, at Brno on Saturday.

West Race Day is unique in that one of the conditions of entry was that competitors should not have any past motor racing experience. It drew a huge response with contestants from seven countries taking part in regional heats over the summer, competing in karts, before the winners went on to the National Finals.

Based on several criteria, including their talent at the wheel, their ability to learn and communication skills, seven finalists were chosen to come to Brno, where they will undergo two tough days of driving instruction and assessment.

It would be an understatement to call the judges well qualified: West McLaren Mercedes F1 drivers, David Coulthard and Alex Wurz will be joined by Mercedes-Benz DTM stars, Peter Dumbreck, Bernd Schneider and Bernd Maylander, who combines competing in the DTM with driving the FIA Grand Prix Safety Car. They will all be involved in giving contestants tuition at the wheel as well as choosing the winner.

The format of the event involves the seven finalists driving Mercedes-Benz AMG cars on the Friday with four contestants going through to the final day. On Saturday, they will get their first taste of single seaters, with just two candidates moving, experiencing the ride of a lifetime, when David Coulthard and Alex Wurz will show them how it's done in a two-seater sports prototype car. Judges will be looking for consistency rather than pure speed.

Then, at around six in the evening, the winner will finally get to drive around the Brno track at the wheel of the West McLaren Mercedes MP4/16.