[Joxster]

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to share my experience of getting to drive some of my dream cars on a racetrack in France.

But first, a quick prologue of how this event came to be!
I had a gift voucher which my wife (then GF) had given to me on my birthday in the year 2017. This voucher had the possibility of doing various activities, and you could only choose to do one of them. A quick look through the booklet that came along with the voucher, and I already knew what I was going to do! Driving a supercar myself has been a childhood dream, which started out by playing racing games from the time I was very young, and was instilled in me once I saw some on the roads. Some Google searching for Lamborghinis in India led me to this very forum, where this passion grew by leaps and bounds. The deal was completely sealed when I went for a ride in a fellow members' Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2. Driving a supercar became an absolute bucketlist item for me!

I tried many times to book this event for myself throughout 2018, but for some reason or the other, I could not take it forward. Many changes also happened in my personal life through this period, and driving supercars on a track was not on my priority list.

Come 2019, the gift voucher was going to expire, but could be extended for a further two years. This was it for me - I had made my decision that it HAD to happen this year. While in conversation with a close friend about how much I am looking forward to book this experience, he decided to do it along with me as well. This gave me even more motivation to arrange it, as my wife was not really interested in accompanying me to the racetrack.
A couple of months went by in planning the date, but after some communication with the event company, and some pondering over which track to do it at, we finally made a decision to do it on the 18th August.

We obviously decided to drive to the racetrack, and chose to take my Octavia RS 245. Not to dilute this thread, I have typed a brief note about the drive to the racetrack here in case you're interested in reading about it.

Racetrack Chosen: Circuit de Croix-en-Ternois

Track Features: 2 kilometres length in total, 6 corners & a 700 meter main straight.

Depending on which car/s you choose, you either get to do more or less laps on the track for the same amount of money. The cheaper the car/s you choose to drive, the more laps you get to do and vice-versa.
Since both my friend and I were interested in driving the same two cars, which *surprise, surprise* also happened to be the most expensive cars, we could each do only two laps in both of the cars.

Cars Chosen:

• Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4
• Ferrari 458 Italia

Bonus: While filling in and submitting the forms at the racetrack, the lady at the counter told my friend that we could opt to go for a couple of laps with a professional racing driver at the wheel of a Ford Focus RS, and it wouldn't cost us much extra. Since we had already seen this chap drifting the car around every corner, and flooring the throttle at every opportunity while we were still in the parking lot of the racetrack, we didn't even think twice about signing up for this experience!
I'm a bit ashamed to admit that we don't know the racing driver's name, even though they told us twice - we just couldn't get it, and we didn't want them to feel bad by asking again.

This was the line-up of cars that we saw as soon as we finished with the paperwork and walked in to the pit lane:

Briefing: We were told that before going for the discovery laps, we needed to attend a briefing, and were directed to a tent on the side. Upon entering, there was a man giving a presentation with slides projected on a screen. The whole briefing was completely in French, and took around 20-30 minutes. Luckily the friend I was doing this experience with spoke fluent French, so he explained most of it to me. I found this part boring, because I didn't learn very much from the briefing, but I sat through it anyway, and learnt a bit about the entry and exit of the corners based on the cones placed on the track, and also to follow whatever the instructors tell you to do.

Discovery Laps: After the briefing, we queued up to go for the discovery laps in a Porsche Cayenne. We were genuinely shocked with the number of people who had also come to do this experience, as we didn't expect so many. However, we were taken out in groups of four people, and with two Cayennes, it wasn't long before they called our names. Once seated in the car, we were taken for two laps to discover the track, and learn about the entry/exit points and racing lines of each corner.
After the discovery laps were completed, we entered the queue to drive the supercars, and it wasn't long before my friend was told to get in the Ferrari, while I waited for the Lamborghini.

[Joxster]

Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4: Driving a Lamborghini has been my fantasy ever since I discovered the Diablo VT while playing The Need For Speed back in 1996. Also, being a rebel at heart, the story of how the company got into the business of supercars, and really pioneered those futuristic and downright sexy looks always appealed to me more than Ferraris ever could.
So, it was very overwhelming for me to even get into the driver's seat of this car, let alone drive the car! It took a minute for me to soak in that moment, and then I got into the car. I was greeted by the instructor, and told him that I can't speak French - then we started talking in English. While he was talking to me, I remember thinking the whole time "I'm about to drive a Lamborghini!!!", haha.
He gave me some briefing about using the paddle shifters, and not to try engine braking. In fact, I was not to do anything without his instruction. He would tell me when to accelerate, brake, turn, stop etc. I was totally fine with this....but I later found out that he was not the best instructor - purely in terms of proactive encouragement to push the car a bit. You will also notice this when you watch both of the videos.
After he had finished with his initial instructions, I started to slowly drive out of the pit lane. I will now let this video show you how the experience of driving this beast on the track was for me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjqBntFm_20&t=151s

The car I drove:

Drive Summary: It was a short two laps, and as you could see from the video, at no point during my drive did I really push the car, or drive very fast, so it is difficult to determine a lot about the way it drives. Based on the little that I could drive it, let me start out by saying that the car is really low slung, just like a proper supercar should be. However, the headroom is definitely less as experienced by my friend, and that also probably contributes to the feeling of it being low down. From the driver's seat, you cannot see the bonnet of the car, just the road! The car is also wide, and that made me more conscious about the cones. I didn't particularly like the dashboard layout, and thought that the paddle shifts were quite funky.
Since this was the first ever supercar I have driven, I was very nervous while at the wheel, and the instructor didn't give me much confidence with the way he was instructing me, so at no point did I really push the car. Heck, I drive my own car faster than that usually, lol.

I gingerly took most of the turnings between 20-40 kmph, upshifted the car at very low rpms, and braked when the car was hardly even moving. I don't even know what driving mode was selected while I was driving. The only part that I really enjoyed was being able to go through a couple of gears in succession while on the main straight. There is obviously the special feeling that the car gives you when seated inside it though!

I loved the sound of this car! Hearing the roar even at half rpm gave me goosebumps, so full marks to Lamborghini here! I didn't find the steering to be very sharp, but I suspect that this is mostly due to the lack of momentum around corners, rather than a fault of the car, so I will give it the benefit of the doubt. I found the brake pedal to be hard, and it didn't have much feedback for the first 30% of travel either, which wasn't confidence inspiring. The gearbox wasn't very smooth or fast while changing the gears, which was completely inline with all of the feedback I had read about it online.

The car was overwhelming for me to experience, but the actual experience of driving it was underwhelming, because I didn't experience any of its real capabilities. My friend gave me the exact same feedback about his experience in the car, with the only difference being that since he had driven the Ferrari first, he had a better idea about where he could accelerate and needed to brake.

A better instructor could have made all the difference in the world! I really, really felt this way after driving the Ferrari, but more on that in the next post.

[Joxster]

Ferrari 458 Italia: I have always been an unashamed Lamborghini fanboy, but I always had love and respect for Ferraris as well. My love for Ferraris started out mostly with the F50, and got even deeper with the Enzo. Since I follow quite a few people on Instagram who own cars from both manufacturers, I knew that the general sentiment was that the Ferraris are better to drive, but by what margin? I was about to find out.
After driving the Gallardo, my friend and I had a couple of minutes to talk, and we exchanged our experiences. He had loved the Ferrari experience, and I was awestruck by the Lamborghini experience. We were now each going to drive the other car, and told each other what to expect of the car and the instructor - it was at this point that we already realized the difference between the cars and instructors...
I had to wait a while for my turn in the 458, so had some time to recollect all my nerves. After two people had done their sets of laps, the car came back in to the pit lane, and I was told to go and get in. I took a moment to admire the beauty of this curvaceous car before getting in. Once I was in the driver's seat, I immediately felt more at ease in this car - I will explain why in the drive summary. The instructor of this car was also a much more lively guy, and he instantly gave me hope that we would do a bit more than I had done in the Gallardo. He also told me that the ride will be over before I knew, and he couldn't have been more right!
Once he gave me his instructions, I slowly started driving out of the pit lane. I will now let this video show you how the experience of driving this beauty on the track was for me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4jFJ03co8I&t=116s

The car I drove:

Drive Summary: As I mentioned before, from the moment I got in the Ferrari, I instantly felt more comfortable. It felt roomier, had a slightly more comfortable seat, and I really liked the dashboard layout. But, I could see the top of the front wheel arches, and that meant I had a better sense of where the wheels were, which was a bit more confidence inspiring.
The instructor of this car was a very passionate guy who was clearly enjoying his job! He assured me from the get go that I would have a better experience in the Ferrari, without me saying a single word about my experience in the Lamborghini just a couple of minutes earlier, and he kept up to his word.

Driving the 458 was instantly more enjoyable for me, as the moment I went around the first corner, the instructor already made me accelerate much more than I had done in the Gallardo. He was encouraging me to accelerate and brake more, and showed his confidence in my driving, which put me at much more ease at the wheel.

I found the Ferrari easier to steer around the corners, but this could be due to the momentum I was carrying around them. The gearshifts in either direction were very fast and smooth. I really loved the sound of this car as well, but in a different way. It was a smooth and refined engine sound, unlike the shouty nature of the Lamborghini - I would still choose the sound of the Gallardo just for that V10 though! The brakes had good feel, and were very confidence inspiring. The 458 was quite eager to do whatever I wanted it to do, and felt like a true driver's car. That blast down the main straight was pure ecstasy! Do I wish that I could have gone faster? Yes! But, the straight was not long enough to do much more than I did, and they obviously don't want to risk an accident.
Around the third corner on the second lap, the instructor showed me just how much more the car could turn than what I was doing, if you watch that part carefully in the video, you clearly see the car move much more to the right suddenly - this was an eye opener for me.

After driving both of the cars, my friend and I both concurred that the drive in this car was much more exciting, and that the instructor was way better. We also both wished that we had had the Ferrari instructor in the Lamborghini too, such was the stark difference between them both!

[Joxster]

Car Comparison: The feel of the brake pedal in the Gallardo was not very good, and my friend also felt the same, but that could possibly be down to that specific car. However, the gearbox in the Gallardo felt way behind the 458 in terms of both shift quality and speed, which is in line with all the feedback online about the gearbox in the Gallardo. My friend also found the Gallardo very cramped to be in for his height (6'3) compared to the 458, and he was deeply uncomfortable while driving it. I didn't experience any lack of space for my height (5'10), but like I mentioned earlier, I was overall more comfortable in the 458 as well. My friend didn't enjoy the dynamics of the Gallardo either, and told me that next time we do this, he will not drive the car. We both agreed that with a better instructor, the drive in the Gallardo would have been a lot more fun.
On the Lamborghini vs Ferrari bit, I think that both of them have their strong points. In my humble opinion - the Gallardo is all about the drama, evil looks and sinister sound. The 458 is all about the precision, beautiful looks and driving pleasure. Both of them appeal to me in different ways, and I would ideally love to have them both!
Also, since I have been in a Huracan before, I know that the experience of that car is on a completely different level compared to the Gallardo on all aspects, and we both would have probably enjoyed driving it much more, but alas, they didn't have a Huracan to drive.

Ford Focus RS - Professional Race Driver: After we had both finished our laps in both of the cars, we got in line to go for the drive with the professional race driver for two laps in the Ford Focus RS. It was three people along with him on each drive, and we both got into the back seat. You might have also noticed from the Ferrari video above that we were always instructed to stay out of the race driver's way, so that he could give his passengers the ultimate thrill.
O-M-G! What an experience this was, and thank god that we chose to do it last! If we had done this first, we probably would have lost all hope in our own driving skills, because this guy's skills were otherworldly. From the time he started driving out of the pit lane exit, he just mashed the throttle, then slammed the brakes and drifted us through the zig-zag cones, before we knew it, we were drifting around the first corner. My friend and I just looked at each other with the widest possible grins just plastered on our faces....this is exactly what we had signed up for, haha.
The driver continued driving like this till he reached the last corner before the main straight, and then he asked us if we were alright, when we all replied in the affirmative and cheered him on, he went even harder in the second lap. At times under such hard braking, it almost felt like we were crashing into a wall. The seatbelts helped keep us in place somewhat.
This experience with the professional race driver really opened our eyes to how much more practice we needed in order to have complete control over a car at its limit! Unfortunately it was not possible to have videos of this experience though.

Conclusion: This was one of the most memorable experiences in my life, and I will never forget it! I learnt some lessons about forgetting your own instincts, and just completely relying on the instructor, because he knows best.
Both my friend and I were not very happy that you get to drive on the main straight only once, even though you are doing two laps of the track, which is because you start your first lap from the pit lane. So, for anyone else who does this experience and signs up for only two laps in any car - floor that throttle on the main straight on your first lap, because you won't get a chance to do it on your second lap!
A big shout out to the team at Sprint Racing for being very well organized, and ensuring that the whole experience was smooth and well organized. They were very friendly and helpful throughout, and their excellent coordination ensured that there was hardly any waiting time for us.

Sorry for the long write-up, and the lack of pictures, but if you made it through the whole thread, thank you for taking the time to read it, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Cheers

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the International Scene. Thanks for sharing!

[Nilesh5417]

Originally Posted by Joxster

Sorry for the long write-up, and the lack of pictures, but if you made it through the whole thread, thank you for taking the time to read it, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Cheers

Joxster - this is what dreams are made of! A lap or 2 isn't the topic, the very fact that you checked the experience off your to-do list itself is an amazing story. Most don't go beyond standing next to these two beauties! I would have loved you to have said i survived to tell the tale but even getting to do this drive is what most could hope for.

I loved your write up cause its coming from someone who dreamed of this experience and managed to fulfill his little dream. Instantly connected with your emotions.

[bigron]

I am glad you had such an awesome time.

Some experiences indeed stay with you for a life time and this appears to be one of them.
Ferrari vs Lamborghini has been going on for decades now. And you summed it quite realistically.
Good read!

[Joxster]

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

Joxster - this is what dreams are made of! A lap or 2 isn't the topic, the very fact that you checked the experience off your to-do list itself is an amazing story. Most don't go beyond standing next to these two beauties! I would have loved you to have said i survived to tell the tale but even getting to do this drive is what most could hope for.

I loved your write up cause its coming from someone who dreamed of this experience and managed to fulfill his little dream. Instantly connected with your emotions.

Thank you! Well, I did a skydive not so long ago, I would say that I survived to tell this tale, because I survived that experience, haha. Due credit to my wife for the gift voucher, without which I wouldn't have known about events like this anytime soon.
P.S: Now that the bucket-list is getting shorter, I need to find new things to add to it

Originally Posted by bigron

I am glad you had such an awesome time.

Some experiences indeed stay with you for a life time and this appears to be one of them.
Ferrari vs Lamborghini has been going on for decades now. And you summed it quite realistically.
Good read!

This is indeed an experience I can never forget. Will probably do it again next year, but with different cars. Oh, and thank you for the compliment!

Cheers

[Maverick0986]

Very well written experience and glad that you were able to drive the finest super-cars.

Does anyone know of such joyride experiences in India?

Could recommend my wife this gift option