This might seem a strange comment but what do you think about passing a motorbike CBT and the main test before driving a BEC locost?

Would you benefit from understanding more about a bike engine and where the power is, how to drive then (learning the gears) etc

IMHO it would be better to take a skidpan or rally type HPD course to learn to control a REAR wheel drive.

There will be a large number of drivers on this forum who have little or no experiance of a rear wheel drive car.
Not thier fault mind you , only because manufacturing of cars was streamlined to enable robotic systems to build them. The one package engine/ transmission design became the norm.
Front wheel drives are forgiving rear wheel drives are less so (How many drivers here reporting spins on roundabouts) I count my self as lucky to have grown up in a country that was behind the times cause of political reasons....this left us to play with rear wheel drives a plenty. I cut my teeth on 3 litre ford cortinas and Nissian pickups ALL RWD company transport. Some left RWD to go play with FWD Golf Gtis and that was when they lost the joy of RWD.

I have a transit RWD and that has stepped out a few times in the wet , brownware download moment! Power off straighten up and away it goes.

So how much current RWD experiance do you really have guys ?

And what experiances have you had going from your FWD enconobox to a lightweight steriod induced rollerskate.

RWD cars I have owned and driven:

Escort Mk1
Capri 1.6
Capri 2.0
Capri 2.8
BMW M3

Then I'm afraid it was to FWD... much less fun.

I used to have the 2.8 Capri's arse out on many occasions... ahhh bliss!!! Such a fine handling car over the former Capri's!

Personally I have limited experience of RWD cars. Had a couple of goes in my Bros 320, but that's about as far as it goes. I'm pretty confident about putting my foot down on wet roads (FWD 2.0 Cav) and confident about my abilities to induce and control under-steer at speed. However, my friend, who has also never owned a RWD car, borrowed his Dads Elise last summer. He got about 4 miles from the house before a little light rain (on an otherwise glorious day) contributed to a spin on a roundabout. Needless to say he drove it with a little more respect on the way home. I deffinately think that skidpan training should be a mandatory part of the modern driving test, including experience of both FWD and RWD cars. I would have loved to have done it when I sat my test. Exciting and far more practical than a lot of the curriculum.