Six racing simulators linked to a single virtual course plunge you into the glamourous world of high- octane racing as you throw your car around one of 32 tracks from the comfort of rural Lincolnshire.

It's the latest brainchild of Bernard and Angie Parrish, of Angie's Electric Tracks, riding on the spoiler of their already wildly successful Scalextric racing which has attracted petrolheads from as far afield as Japan and Australia.

Bernard and sons David and Paul put the system together and Bernard said: "I have wanted to get it going for some time, but I have been so busy with other things.

"I met one man who had a simulator and asked him how much it was. He said £40,000 -– and I was looking for six of them!

"But that guy had just found all the bits and put them in a carbon fibre casing, so I went on the Internet and got all the pieces myself."

The family started building the sponsored units at the Weston Hills Road location in June.

The system is based on the PC game Race 07 and incorporates pedals, a steering wheel and paddle shift gear system found in high-performance vehicles but unfamiliar to a Rover 214 driver.

I climbed into the cockpit to take on a 5.4km circuit in Brno in the Czech Republic with my efforts being shown to everyone on a screen near the entrance.

A full effort takes around 50 minutes, including a practice lap, qualifying and two five-lap races.

The circuits were a blend of fun, concentration and at times reckless abandon – and my language was a little fruity at times.

On the straights you can really "feel" the scenery whizzing by before a helpful sign appears advising you when to start turning and which gear you should be in.

Perfectionists can request realistic damage on the car, where one crash results in almost certain elimination.

Having found a new relationship with the steel barriers around the track on a couple of occasions this is not recommended.

You can feel the feedback from the steering wheel as you glide around the corners, the pressure of forcing the brake pedal, and hopefully the satisfaction of a successful manoeuvre.

I improved in different areas of the track each time, averaging around 2mins 45seconds per lap, but Bernard and his sons can get down to around 2.06.

Bernard, who is also applying for planning permission for go-kart tracks, said: "When I got into the first one I thought: 'this is never going to work', but I spent a morning practising and it started to get easier.

"That's why people will come back to it.

"It's not just for young people. I heard recently that the average age of online racers is 34.

"We are looking to eventually get 20 simulators so we can cater for corporate events."

And for those who prefer to stick to Scalextric there's more good news.