SITTING in the passenger seat of a Renault Clio was nothing new to me.

My parents had owned one many moons ago and from what I remember it was a fairly nippy little car that could be relied on to get you from A to B with the minimum of fuss.

Fast forward to 2016 and I again find myself riding shotgun in a Clio – but this time I’m being driven around Rockingham Motor Speedway at 115mph, securely strapped into my seat and wearing a crash helmet.

I’d been invited to a media day at the Northamptonshire circuit by Newport’s Rory Collingbourne.

This weekend sees the 18-year-old start his second season racing for Team Cooksport in the Renault UK Clio Cup, a championship regarded as the breeding ground for the next generation of British Touring Car Championship drivers.

Collingbourne finished sixth in his rookie campaign in 2015 and has big hopes of challenging for top honours this time around.

I’d set off for Rockingham at ridiculous o’clock, slapping the best of Led Zeppelin in the CD player in a bid to wake myself up properly for the journey ahead.

Having eventually reached my destination – a wrong turn and search for a petrol station had set me back a good hour – my heart sunk as I was told that I had missed my slot on the track.

However, I was informed there was still a chance they could fit me in later, something which fortunately did come to fruition.

In the meantime, I spent the morning in the company of Rory and his family, namely dad Jon, mum Fay and sister Paris.

They are a very tight-knit bunch, living and breathing motor sport as they travel around the country, with Jon very hands on when it comes to his son’s career.

Cars are a big part of life for the Collingbournes.

The family business, Newport Auctions, has sold more than 200,000 of them in more than 25 years, and when he’s not competing or practicing, Rory works alongside his mum and dad.

Rory’s passion for driving was evident at a young age and he contested his first race when only 15.

Things took off from there and, after racing in the Ford Fiesta Championship, the teenager made the transition to the Clios.

He is also a member of the MSA (Motors Sports Association) Academy alongside a host of other top young talents from across the country looking to make a name for themselves.

With my narrow window of opportunity to get in a few laps approaching, Rory and I sit down for a chat, and he tells me just what it takes to succeed out on the track.

“Ultimately, if you’re not confident on track you’ll be bullied, so when you are out against these guys who are fierce you have to be fierce back,” he explains.

“When you’re on that limit and you have two cars next to you, and they’re trying to overtake, it’s just another level.

“You have to have concentration and control because it’s so dangerous, and a lot of people don’t really realise that.

“There are special techniques to slow down your heartbeat, keep calm and not worry about the car behind you.

“If you’re worrying about the car behind you then you’re always looking in your mirrors and not forwards at your racing line.”

For Rory, racing can be “absolute carnage but great fun”, and he admits that driving is something that seemed to come naturally to him.

He adds: “I could always drive, and I could always teach myself to drive. No-one would teach me and I would just figure it out.

“I’m dyslexic so it’s really weird that driving for me is easy.

“I had a dune buggy when I was younger and I couldn’t drive it any quicker. From there I’ve always wanted to do something.”

The teenager is eternally grateful for the support he is given by his family, support which one day could help him make the step up to touring cars.

Now, I’m not superstitious but one of the first things I had noticed about Rory’s Clio was that the youngster’s racing number was 13.

I was told later it was because of the number of letters in his surname.

Anyway, tightly strapped in, we set off from the pit lane, although time constraints would limit us to two laps.

We were also being filmed by a GoPro dashboard camera, so my main aim was to look cool and collected, and not bring up the burger I’d had for lunch.

The speeds we reached really got the adrenaline pumping but it was the braking and cornering that made you feel like a ragdoll being thrown about by a young child.

Jon had told me earlier that Rory likes to get close to the wall on the start-finish straight at Rockingham, and I think he got extra close with me in the car.

Let’s put it this way, if the window had been open I could have reached out and touched the concrete.

I couldn’t really hear above the noise but at one stage I think Rory asked if I was okay. Anyway, I gave him a thumbs up and before I knew it we were back in the pits.

It may have been brief but it was a great experience, and one you have to go through to fully appreciate what it takes to do what these drivers do.

Rounds one and two of this year’s Renault UK Clio Cup take place at Brands Hatch on Saturday and Sunday.

The Clio Cup then makes its way to Donington Park, Thruxton, Oulton Park, Croft, Snetterton, Rockingham, Silverstone and then Brands Hatch again on the first weekend in October.