Exotics Racing

What is it?

A performance driving experience that gives you the keys to a fleet of exotic sports cars.

Where is it?

At the Las Vegas Motor Speedway north of The Strip.

Is it worth the cost?

It’s very expensive but it is an almost ridiculous amount of fun.

What else do I need to know?

Go early in the day to beat the crowds and the heat, which can affect a car’s performance.

What’s the bottom line?

Feel the need for speed? Now you have a place to go.

Admit it: as you are sitting there in rush hour traffic in your sensible Ford or Toyota or Honda, what you are really wish was that you were behind the wheel of a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, a McLaren, or some other exotic supercar. And you wish that all that traffic would disappear so that you could really put the petal to the metal.

For you I offer Exotics Racing, a driving experience that puts you behind the wheel (or in the passenger seat) of some of the most gorgeous pieces of automotive artwork ever produced. Their fleet of more than 40 cars is like a teenage boy’s fantasy: Ferrari F30 F1,430 Scuderia, and 458 Italia; Lamborghini Gallardo, Superleggera, and Aventador; Porsche Cayman, 997 Turbo S; McClaren MP4-12C; Mercedes SLS AMG; Audi R8; Aston Martin Vantage; Nissan GT-R; and more. Each of these machines is more car than most people will ever need, both in terms of performance and price, but they are perfect to at least play with for a little while.

The facility is located at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway but they have their own proprietary 1.2 mile road course with 7 turns (one of which features an 11% banking), a chicane, and an 1,800 foot straightaway where you can really let loose. It is marked with various colored cones to give you visual cues on when to break, when to turn, and when to hit the gas.

You are able to book 5, 7, 10, or 20 laps in any of the vehicles and can do combinations of vehicles if one will just not do. Your experience starts with an opportunity to see all the cars, sit in them, and take pictures. Then its off to the classroom where you are given the basic rules and strategy, a track overview, and a lot of upsell pitches (add a video, add extra laps, add a second car, etc.).

Next you hop in a Porsche Cayenne SUV to get a quick ride around the track to give you a bit of familiarity with it and then it’s off to meet your instructor.

Each instructor is well versed in the intricacies and eccentricities of each car, knowing how far they can be pushed, when, and where on the track. In other words: listen to them. They will guide you to your best possible lap times.

I got to do the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and it was a thrilling, and kind of scary, experience. I drive fast whenever I am not sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on the 101, but there is a huge difference between 85 on the open, straight interstate to Vegas in my Edge Sport and 115 in a Ferrari barreling down the straightaway toward a 90 degree right-hand turn. You want to go faster, throw it into the curves harder, and wait longer to hit the brakes but your brain just won’t let you at first. The only bummer in getting the cheapest 5-lap packages is that you are just starting to get the hang of it when the experience is over. If you can afford it, go for one of the packages with more laps or multiple cars.

Although you definitely will want to do the driving, also throw in a couple of laps in the ride-along experience if you really want a sick thrill. The professional race car drivers take a Corvette Z06 and put it into terrifying, almost sideways drifts around the corners that will have you either screaming like a little girl or grinning like an idiot. For the record, I did the latter.

Thrills like this certainly aren’t easy on the wallet. Prices vary by car with the cheapest Porsche coming in around $200 for 5 laps and the most expensive Lamborghini around $500. Throw in extra laps, extra cars, a recording of you piloting the car along with lap times and speed, a t-shirt, and other commemorative stuff, and you could easily go over $1,000 for a couple of hours of entertainment.

If you are impressed by supercar level technology, can appreciate fine automotive craftsmanship, or simply want to drive really, really fast in a totally cool car, Exotics Racing is worth every penny.