Xtreme Xperience - drive a supercar

[tirwin]

Never heard of this company before until this week.

Drive REAL Supercars on REAL Racetracks - Xtreme XperienceXtreme Xperience | You're in the Driver's Seat

My wife came across some kind of coupon/discount and signed me up. (Pretty good, right?) The deal is you get to drive a supercar around a racetrack. They apparently operate all over the country. The discount she had was only good for the new Atlanta Motorsports Park, and unfortunately, all the slots for the 997 or 911 Turbo were taken, so I'm just going to have to "make do" driving a Lamborghini Gallardo.

The one thing she didn't realize until the very end of the sign-up process is that you have to pay extra for insurance if you want to drive versus having a driver drive you around in the car.

Just wanted to pass this along to my brethren. I'll report back after I go next month. Nothing like driving your own car on a track of course but still, you have to admit it's pretty cool.

[dshepp806]

Nice Wife...congrats!

BEST!

Doyle

[tirwin]

Guys,

I thought I'd check in and let you know how it was since I just got home.

First, it was completely awesome to get to drive a Gallardo under those kinds of circumstances. For those of you who are regular DE and AXers, this would not be that big of a deal, other than maybe getting to drive a different car.

Let me also say this was my first track experience so I only knew what to expect from reading a lot here and watching Jack Olsen videos. My instructor was a BMWCCA instructor. Older fella. Very seasoned. Reminded me of an old crusty high school football coach. You could tell he was the kind of person that knew how to instruct.

The track was the new Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville, GA. Don't let the name fool you as to the location. Saying Atlanta Motorsports Park is kinda like saying the U.S. Virgin Islands. The course is ~2 miles. 16 turns with only one significant straightaway. Lots of elevation variation too. It supposedly has the 16 best turns from F1 courses around the world.

Before going on the track there is a 30 minute instruction where they go over the rules and basics. They have the in, apex and out lines marked off.

You follow a pace car with 4 or 5 cars. Today there were 2 Gallardos, a Ferrari California, a MB SLS and an Audi R8. The quantity and types seem to vary from location to location. I'm going again to the Talladega track in AL (not the Speedway) at the end of the month because I want to drive the 997. And each of my kids will get to do a ride-along in the pace car.

Most of the emphasis is getting the right line, braking and accelerating at the right spots. In the classroom it looks great on the whiteboard. On the track, and I think this track in particular, it is hard to put it into practice because the turns are happening so quickly. By the time you're just getting the feel for the car, what it can do and what you're doing... well, next thing you know you're pulling back into the pit. So that's a bummer. But, hey, it dang sure beats a day in the office!

I have to say that I got a whole new appreciation for just how much is going on in the mind a pro driver on the track. They definitely make it look easy and I realize how much I have to learn. I'm also hoping that this will be a great educational experience for the kids when they go. My daughter will be driving in 3 years and frankly, I hope this will give her a healthy amount of respect for what is involved in driving.

So, bottom line is that it was fun and educational. I think I got bit by the track bug. This could be the beginning of a slippery slope.

[asphaltgambler]

We are considering something similar. There's a facility in Or-gun where you get to drive Full -blown all-wheel drive Subaru rally cars. They have half day, full day , etc. Looks very cool, something that is very challenging and fun.

Problem is the round trip airfare on a decent aircraft and limited stops is making the package a little too pricey for us now.

[Gogar]

Miller Motorsports Park in SLC has a similar thing with . . . um . . .. . Mustangs. It's a great time actually. You can do 4 hours, all day, or 3 days.

The thing I enjoyed the most was the concept that if your car craps out they hand you a freshie. Fun!

[cstreit]

Originally Posted by asphaltgambler

We are considering something similar. There's a facility in Or-gun where you get to drive Full -blown all-wheel drive Subaru rally cars. They have half day, full day , etc. Looks very cool, something that is very challenging and fun.

Problem is the round trip airfare on a decent aircraft and limited stops is making the package a little too pricey for us now.

Oh man, I've always wanted to try a Rally car. Can you post the info on that?

[stuttgart46]

I work for them when they're in Texas. I have a ball doing it.
Most people are really easy to get along with but there are the occasional Schumacher wanna be's.