A quote from steve mcqueen greets you as you enter Exotics Racing: “Racing is life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.” And in a way, that’s entirely appropriate. After all, McQueen all but invented the modern racing fantasy in the 1968 movie Bullitt. And Exotics Racing has been helping hundreds of thousands fulfill that exact fantasy since 2009.
Exotics Racing is truly the ultimate playground, where anyone with a driver’s license can get in touch with their inner James Bond or Jason Bourne. The facility employs a fleet of 52 “supercars,” everything from a McLaren 5705 to a Lamborghini Aventador, a $403,202 work of art that goes from zero to 60 in just 2.9 seconds! And, yes, you get to drive them.
The minute you enter the facility, you can’t help but feel a surge of adrenaline: While some groups anxiously await their turn, others are taking classes, learning the basics before getting behind the wheel with a certified instructor in the passenger seat. After a 30-minute orientation where you learn that the key word in racing is “smooth,” you’re escorted to your car of choice. Beginner or amateur? Manual or automatic? Five or seven laps? You customize the experience the way you want on the 1.2-mile course.
Once you’ve strapped yourself in, get ready for the ultimate reality show: Everything you do in your car is captured on video, from the way you drive to the expressions on your face to the things you say while you drive. (So, for posterity’s sake, you might want to keep it clean.) You can purchase your personal video if you so choose once you check out.
The in-car experience is immersive, both in driving and instruction. “The instructors may notice that maybe you’re braking a little too early or too late, so that with each lap you complete, you should be improving,” said Bradford Speers of Exotics Racing.
A common occurrence is the tendency of most drivers to revert to what Speers calls “highway mode”—taking it way too easy on turns. If you do revert to highway mode, expect to get a talking-to by your instructor. This is not the DMV—it’s an escape from reality where going the speed limit is highly discouraged.
“This is supposed to be the kind of experience where you kind of let go, especially in cars that can handle it so well,” Speers said. “We want people leaving this experience saying, ‘I learned to drive a Ferrari,’ not just, ‘I got to drive a Ferrari.’”
And even if you’re not racing, there’s always the chance to catch a celebrity or two. Some recent drivers have included Michele Rodriguez and Caitlyn Jenner.
For those who would rather just go fast than drive fast, Exotics Racing also offers ride-alongs in all its vehicles, including ultra-intense“drifting” in a C6 Corvette Z06.
Somewhere, Steve McQueen is smiling.
Track open daily, morning and afternoon sessions starting at $199, 18+, take I-15 North to Exit 54/Speedway Boulevard, approximately 20 minutes north of the Strip. 702.405.7223
