I drove a Ferrari 488 GTB at Speed Vegas last year. This year I decided to try something totally different and drive the Mustang GT500 at Exotics Racing at the Las Vegas Motorplex. I booked it the night before but when I got there, the car was in the shop so they asked me what other car I would like to drive instead. I already had 2 at the top of my want list: The Porsche GT3 RS and the Porsche GT2 RS. I was able to upgrade to the 991.1 GT3 RS for no additional cost so I went for it. Exotics Racing does it a bit different than Speed Vegas. The biggest difference is the 2 laps ride in a Macan to orient you with the track. That is a nice touch.
The track is 1.2 miles long with some small elevation changes and banking on turn 2. The longest straight is still short (1800ft) but it is enough to have a great time and get a good feel of the car. The mild elevation changes give you a feel of the cars balance under dynamic loading pretty well. There are 2 turns that are well over 90 degrees. This track was a bit easier to learn than Speed Vegas since all the corners are very unique. It is very helpful to have an easy to learn track when you only get a few laps on it. The drift car leaves a bunch of rubber on the track and much of it is off-line and that can throw you off as your eyes tend to follow it and not the true line. The section of the track up near the building can get confusing too as the track appears to have been shifted but the old route still shows. Here again the drift car makes a bit of a mess of it as it takes a different route out of the pits.
This is one of my favorite cars. I am a big Porsche fan and the GT3 RS is the most engaging drivers car in the lineup. I suspect the GT2 RS is even better in some ways (power obviously) but the GT3 RS just fits perfectly and does everything you want with no effort. The sound from the high revving naturally aspirated flat 6 is one of the best engine sounds out there. The engine response is very crisp too. Being used to my Cayman S on tracks really helped as this car felt very familiar. On this track we only shifted up on the main straight and back down in turn 2. Of course I was plenty sloppy not being at all familiar with this track, or the car. I never got the car to even squeal a tire. The grip was fantastic with the Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. I looked at my ranking compared to other GT3 RS times at this track and I ranked 1500 out of about 3382, and 6451 out of 43165 for all cars. I think the GT3 RS times included both 991.1. and 991.2 GT3 RS as they don't show them separately.
You may recognize some of these folks at the top in the GT3 RS
This car is amazing. Even with my sloppy 5 laps around this track I got a good feel for what this car may be capable of. I was never at the limits of grip at any time. I had plenty of room for more speed everywhere. The 5 laps were over real fast. In retrospect, more laps might be worth it. I think I could easily trim 5 seconds a lap off my least bad time with just a few more laps (and a less nervous copilot). He had me braking early and corning slow which I suppose makes sense until you get used to the track. I don't envy these instructors sitting in the passengers seat in a very fast car at speed on the track and no idea what kind of nut they have behind the wheel. I highly recommend this, or Speed Vegas, next time you are in Las Vegas. Next time I might try out Dream Racing so I can compare these three.
We all have different needs and opinions about many things in life. Even among car enthusiasts we have many different things we like about them. If you narrow down the car enthusiasts to a specific brand and type of car, you still have significant diversity in what people want from the car. Owners of the same car model still have this diversity. Some enjoy detailing their car and showing it. Some like a fall drive down a twisty road. Some like driving full out on the track. Even within one of those more narrow groups we still have many differing opinions about priorities.
One thing that can come from the Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman flat 4 engine experiment is Porsche found out what a priority engine characteristics are over performance. This also happened with the PDK only GT3 years ago. While in both cases Porsche made a car that outperformed it's predecessor, many fans were unhappy. If you just look at the performance numbers, the cars were better so what was missing? The term "experience" may get overused these days but that is what this comes down to. Even for the track crowd (which I am part of) the cars soul really matters. While lap time is the measure of driving skill there is much more you get from track time that making the quickest laps. It is the experience from the drivers seat. The driver and car become one. If you have never driven full-out on a road course it is hard to understand. When you are there though, it is the very definition of living. Your heart rate goes to an aerobic pace. The adrenaline kicks in. The feel and response of all the drivers inputs to and feedback from the car are critical to this experience. The feel of the g-force as you and the car accelerate, brake, and corner give the driver the information needed to make time critical decisions that optimize lap time. When you get it right it is very rewarding. You may not think the engine sound should be very important to this experience but it actually is.
Take a listen to the GT3 RS in this video (starting just after the 4 minute mark). Also notice the comments of the driver and instructor.
Porsche now makes electric cars. By the way, I am a fan of electric cars. I love the direct response to throttle command. I love the fact there is no shifting interrupting the power delivery. It is by far the best way to make a commuter car. I would like to have one for my daily commuting. No more gas stations, oil changes, spark plugs, filters, belts, etc. Far less, almost no maintenance really. One pedal driving significantly reduces most brake wear. No cold engine operation. It can warm up or cool off the interior while its sitting in the garage. More luggage space. However, when it comes to a track car I don't want all-electric. The Porsche 718 is supposed to get an all-electric version in the future. I may actually want one as a commuter car but it will stay home when I go to the track. I want the flat 6 engine for that. The electric 718 would probably put down quicker lap times, but still I want the flat 6. It may seem odd for a logical engineer such as myself to say these things but even us logical engineers have things we are passionate about that defy pure logic.
This starts to explain some of this behavior of why we do some irrational things. He describes three key elements of human satisfaction: purpose; autonomy; and mastery. This passion that drives High Performance Drivers Education (HPDE or track day) participants is here in these elements. I think the strongest correlation is with the mastery element. Mastery is the desire to be good at something. This is "practice makes perfect" that we have all heard. It's our desire to achieve perfect and the thrill that comes with it. So, what does engine sound have to do with this? That sound, and the non-linear, high RPM power-band of a high performance naturally aspirated engine, give an extra element of feedback and challenge to achieving mastery. Even more, the same is true for the PDK versus manual with a clutch pedal. Mastering these extra challenges are part of achieving greater mastery. If it was easy, the challenge would be gone and mastering it would mean nothing. I actually like the PDK but I certainly understand those who prefer a clutch pedal.
There is something more to the sound of a great engine though. It is certainly a much wider crowd than just track people who love the sound of a great engine. To a real enthusiast it is better than music, or maybe a form of music. The sound of a great engine is very hard to replicate with audio equipment since you feel it as much as you hear it. Also, from the drivers perspective it is synchronized with acceleration which is a big part of this experience. Even the experience between driver and passenger in the same car at the same time is quite different because of this. I actually was not a huge fan of the sound of a Porsche flat 6 until I drove one. From inside the car it is quite different. Driving it is even better. If you never had that experience, the flat 4 718 would be great. But those of us that have experienced a Porsche flat 6 at full throttle redline know what I am taking about and that is missing in the flat 4. I actually love the combination of induction and exhaust sound. In fact, full throttle induction sound is even sweeter than exhaust sound in my opinion. Put them together and it is blissful.
Other manufacturers are understanding the importance of engine sound. One great example is the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Check it out on the dyno.
They could have easily turbocharged a V8 to get this performance but instead they went a much harder route of building a naturally aspirated V12 with a very high redline. Obviously this car is not just about quick lap times but rather driver engagement. Another is the Shelby GT350 with the Ford Voodoo engine. The list is starting to grow.
I think the future of performance drivers cars will be more hybrids. Porsche made the 918, Ferrari made the LaFerrari, and McLaren made the P1 years ago showcasing what street performance hybrids can do. The Valkyrie is also hybrid, as are many other performance cars. Now Vonnen has made a hybrid conversion for many Porsche models. These are very different hybrids than the economy focused ones. These use hybrid drive that is focused on performance. The batteries are small so as not to increase the weight. Just enough battery to add the extra power when you need it, and where you need it. The hybrid drive augments a high-revving often naturally aspirated performance engine very nicely filling in power down low where these engines lack it. Yet you still get all the sound and engine characteristics you like, just with more power. Formula 1 went hybrid (KERS) back in 2009. Most of the top Le Mans race cars have also been hybrid, such as the Porsche 919.
I visit Las Vegas often to visit family. I am not a gambler, it's just not my thing. I am also not into the night life. While there are the biggest attractions in Las Vegas, what can non-gambler car people do when in Las Vegas? I have found many very fun things to do so I thought I would capture some here.
Update 2023: I moved to Las Vegas now.
Drive high-end cars on the track
There are several great venues to drive supercars and sports cars in their natural habitat, on the track. By track I mean a proper road course and you drive them at speed. While there are also places to rent them and drive on the street, this would be a frustration for me as you would be stuck in traffic and not get to experience even a fraction of what these cars can do. I wrote a blog article here: http://ltrpca.blogspot.com/2019/03/next-time-you-are-in-las-vegas.html describing some of the main experiences at the track. I also went to Speed Vegas and drove the Ferrari 488, and Exotics Racing and drove a Porsche GT3 RS. Update 2020: Exotics Racing now bought Speed Vegas and merged to the Speed Vegas facility south of town. Another venue is Dream Racing where I drove a C8 Corvette in 2023.
There are others. You can drive off-road or NASCAR experiences too. The Las Vegas Motorplex is a center of much of this. This is my favorite car thing to do in Las Vegas by far, but it is also the most expensive. Plan to spend a few hundred dollars but it is well worth it. Many exotic cars are ridiculously expensive to buy and own. Once you spend that much, most people don't want to risk that investment by taking them to the track and driving them hard. Here you are just renting the car (insurance included) so no worries. You can really have fun in them and give them back when you are done. You get an experienced instructor to show you the line and how to get the most out of these cars at their track. It's the best way to experience these cars.
Note: in 2020 Exotics Racing bought Speed Vegas and merged these operations to the Speed Vegas track.
Drive your own sports car on the track
Spring Mountain Motorsports is just around the mountains near Pahrump (less than an hour away). It features many tracks, my favorite being Charleston Peak (shown below).
Driving here requires that you find an HPDE, register well in advance, and have your car inspected and prepped for the event. Find and register for most events either at MotorsportsReg or Club Registration. Caution: this is very addictive!
Drive Go-Karts
There are many places too drive go-karts as well, both indoors and outside. Exotics Racing offers both supercars (above) and go-karts. I have driven the electric indoor go-karts at Pole Position which is close to the strip. It's inexpensive and fun and since it's indoors and the karts are electric you don't have to deal with the weather. There are many others.
Being a Porsche fan I found a rare Porsche Design outlet shop. I think there are only 2 of these in the country, one being at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets mall North of the strip. Porsche Design merchandise is not cheap so finding it at a discount is great. Of course the Shelby store is a great place to shop and every Saturday morning they have a cars & coffee.
Go for a road trip
While Las Vegas is in a desert, it is close to mountains and lakes too.
Hoover Dam and the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge
It's a short drive (about 40 minutes) from Las Vegas to Hoover Dam. There is also a great view from the bridge to the South of the dam. You can walk across the bridge.
Mount Charleston is a short drive (about an hour) from Las Vegas where you can get away from the desert and enjoy the mountains and pine trees. In the winter it is often snow covered. In the summer it is much cooler than Las Vegas, often by 30F. My Charleston can be very crowded at times. You can see the traffic and congestion in the video below taken the day after Christmas.
Red Rock Canyon is the most visited park in the country with over 2.5M visitors each year. There is a scenic drive and many hiking trails but you must get a reservation to enter.
On the way to Red Rock Canyon there is also Calico Basin which is very colorful and has several trails as well.
Zion National Park
Zion National Park is less than 3 hours away. There are great hiking trails and camping as well as hotels and lodges.
Mountain Biking
The Las Vegas area has many mountain bike trails. I use Trailforks to find most of them: https://www.trailforks.com/region/las-vegas/?activitytype=1&z=9.2&lat=36.19202&lon=-115.28210 . In the winter the lower elevations are great. When it gets hot in the summer, go to higher elevations like Mt Charleston. Some bike shops offer bike rentals, including some offering electric mountain bike rentals. Las Vegas is also a bike friendly community with many paved road biking paths.
