I will never do anything like this again. When you drive a car you have boundaries, or a line to follow. But here all I can see is a constant brown curve where the lake bed meets the hills or the horizon and it looks like I am free to drive at limitless speed in any direction.

It's the disorientation that slows you most. I have no idea if I'm heading straight down the track or off at an angle. I’m in a constant state of mental turmoil about how far to push this unrepeatable opportunity. I know the dangers are out there and that I'll arrive at them very quickly, maybe too quickly, but you can’t come here and not do a big speed, right?

The Jaguar surges up to three figures. In the rear view mirror I can see the plume of dust we're leaving and occasionally, bizarrely, catch sight of the helicopter in my wing mirrors as it follows me just feet from the ground, the pilot even freer than me to indulge himself. I'm aware that this big white limo streaking over the brown earth, dust billowing behind it, must look sensational and I'd almost rather be up there looking down than here in the driver's seat, wrestling with how hard to push. In the end, 130mph feels about right, the car just starting to shimmy over the dust at that speed. 130mph off-road is quite fast enough.