Mikael

Supercar Life: Living the Dream


For $4,995 you too can drive five of the world's fastest cars on the same track on the same day





To many people, getting the opportunity to drive a 520-horsepower Lamborghini Gallardo as fast as they can around a closed track is a childhood fantasy fulfilled. Now imagine also driving a Ferrari, an Aston Martin, a Porsche, and a Mercedes AMG around the same track on the same day, all at illegal speeds without the worry of a police car's flashing lights in your rearview mirror. But it's not fantasy, it's reality.

For $4,995, Osterville (Mass.)-based Supercar Life, lets drivers live that dream. The fee buys them private racetrack access, professional driving instruction, round-trip airport transfers, transfers to and from the track, luxury hotel accommodations, catered meals, coaching from seasoned racers, and time behind the wheel of five of the world's fastest cars. As Supercar Life director Jan Otto says: "You get to be the test driver at a supercar shootout."

Supercar Life's 10-car fleet includes the $178,906 Ferrari F430 F1; the $175,000 Lamborghini Gallardo; the $122,900 Porsche 911 Turbo; the $165,400 Aston Martin DB9; and the $186,000 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG. There are two of each car, or roughly $1.4 million worth of high-priced metal parked on the tarmac.

Gearing Up

The fun starts around 9 a.m. when drivers are shuttled from their hotel to the track. The events are held at Pennsylvania's BeaveRun Motorsports Complex, which is situated about 40 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh.

The night before one track day in late April there had been a rainstorm, but by morning the weather had turned cloudless and dry. The drivers emerged from the SUVs and began eyeing the cars. With only eight in the group, they would be guaranteed a full day of driving.


The 400-acre facility has a test track and training areas for the slalom, 0-60 run, and braking distance drill. Participants utilize this area to get familiar with the cars before hitting the track.

The schedule consists of a morning debriefing and classroom session, which lasts about one hour; the slalom/0-60 run/braking exercise, also an hour; lunch; and track time, which includes being driven, driving with an instructor, and finally driving alone. Between runs, participants can discuss driving strategy and theory with staff, but there is virtually no downtime. All in all, drivers get four to five hours of total track time.

The classroom session includes education on balance and how to remain planted in the face of understeer and oversteer. When negotiating a turn, oversteer occurs when the rear wheels do not track behind the front wheels, but rather slide out toward the outside of a turn; this can throw the car into a spin.

Understeer occurs when the front tires don't follow the direction the driver is trying to impose while taking a corner, but instead take a more straight-line path; this can result in a collision. Supercar Life instructors joke: "When you see the tree you're about to hit, it's called understeer. When you can only hear and feel it, it's oversteer."

Safety First

The cars are equipped with automatic transmissions or sequential manual gearboxes, which can be operated via paddles on or behind the steering wheel. A fully automatic driving mode is available with most of these clutchless manuals, but the paddles offer more control and are a lot more fun to drive.

There are no manual transmissions available in the fleet. Even if someone is competent using a manual transmission, using one at the track requires "heel-and-toe" driving ability. Heel-and-toe involves having your right foot on two pedals almost simultaneously; it is used while the car is under braking, preparing the transmission to be in the optimal gear to accelerate out of a turn.

"This is a rare skill, and we can't risk that someone focusing on the track misses a gear and goes into a spin as a result," says Otto. These paddle shift setups are more appropriate for the track. And, in many cases, they shift faster than traditional manuals. The Ferrari F430 F1, for instance, shifts gears in 150 milliseconds.
But a day at the track isn't intended for drivers looking to become the next Michael Schumacher.

All one needs to participate is to be at least 25 years old with a valid driver's license, deep pockets, and the willingness to sign a long waiver before getting a helmet.

Supercar Life has general liability insurance on all the cars, and they place a high degree of faith in the instructor's ability to keep everyone safe. All they ask of participants is that the stability and traction control systems remain engaged, and that they pay attention to the instructors.

Comfort Zone

Supercar Life track days are no free-for-all. The events were designed to eliminate any competitive tendencies that people may bring to the track. Drivers are not compared to one another, lap times are of no concern, and instructors are focused on safety at all times. If you are looking for an unsupervised joy ride then go somewhere else.

"This is not a racing school," says instructor Matt Plumb, who had seven podium finishes and two wins in the 2006 Grand American Rolex & Cup Sports Car Series. "We are not promoting racing behavior. This is supposed to be fun, and there is nothing fun about driving past your own limits."

Throughout the day, instructors let you know if you are driving outside of your comfort level. Supercar Life reserves the right to dismiss without a refund those who do not listen to instructions.
All 10 cars are in operation throughout the day. Participants either drive with a professional in the car or follow one in the car ahead. When not behind the wheel, participants ride with a pro and get tossed around the track like a rag doll. There are no open laps without professionals. Drivers are never given permission to drive completely alone on the track.

Business Acceleration

Supercar Life plans to offer more than 25 of these exclusive track events in 2007 and is finalizing plans to add a winter track venue at Moroso Motorsports Park in Jupiter, Fla. There is a 15-person limit on all events in order to maximize each person's time in each car.

Participants get about 20 minutes of wheel time in each car, which makes for a total driving time of around two hours. Supercar Life says that equates to about 30 laps. Additional time in the cars is spent with the pros driving, which is helpful in getting a feel for the track and learning when to brake and downshift.

Along with Supercar Life co-founder and fellow gearhead Michael Crissan, Otto wanted to offer people the opportunity to drive supercars as they were meant to be driven, fast and hard—albeit in a controlled, safe, and educational setting. After attending several track events and manufacturer-sponsored driving programs, such as the Mercedes AMG Challenge, the pair bounced around the idea for a cool track event that offers plenty of wheel time without being too corporate.

The idea was casually discussed for some time before a car accident prompted some action. "I was driving in my [Porsche] Carrera GT with Michael, and the car spun into an oak tree. I realized in a very real way that I needed more training in the car and that driving around with 600 horsepower in uncontrolled conditions was risky," Otto says.

The goal then became to offer a unique approach to fun and safety in supercars. Supercar Life opened for business last December.

Niche Market

Supercar Life exists in a niche "drive experience" market that is less instructive than racing schools like Skip Barber but more substantial than many corporate driving events, which always seem to squeeze in a sales pitch. Probably the most direct competition Supercar Life faces is from Wilmington (Del.)-based World Class Driving, which offers four-hour supercar drives on scenic public roads throughout the country for $1,295. World Class Driving also offers a track event similar to Supercar Life's, but it is only being offered one day this year, costs plenty of money—$2,995—and provides less track time.
Companies such as Ferrari and Porsche have racetracks for their owners, but the catch is that you have to buy one of their cars to enjoy the privilege. And many local driving clubs arrange track days for members.

But Supercar Life is one of the only companies that provides top-end cars to enjoy, useful instruction, and ample track time, all in one tidy package. And because the company utilizes a diverse roster of cars, there is no bias or favoritism from instructors or event organizers; they really want participants to experience every car.

Supercar Life has observed three distinct groups of drivers who attend track days. First there are the die-hards who just have to drive these cars at some point in their lives, and this is the only way that they are ever going to get a chance to do it.

Then there are the people who are looking to own cars like these and want to decide what to buy. The third group is made up of people who like to do things together, like fathers and sons.

The Supercar Life audience also consists of groups that buy motivational rewards and client perks for corporations. There have also been some inquiries from women requesting to have their own track day, so in either August or September there will be a women-only day. "No matter who comes, everyone has left with a big grin so far," says Otto.

From BusinessWeek Online

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Mirage77

Damn, no fair. I've been looking for this in Singapore and the closest I can get is getting one or two cars in a package (to let you drive for a day or two) for SGD60,000 a year.

siko

If I had 5k to spare I would do this... seems like a pretty solid package.

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