In the last few years many companies have claimed YOU can ride, or even drive, a V8 Supercar. You've probably seen the advertisement in newspapers, magazines and on the internet. There are plenty of businesses describing themselves as the "real deal" V8 experience or even "Drive a V8 Supercar". Well - this is often wrong!

I receive many calls saying "I've seen an advertisement about driving a supercar" that will allow me on a racetrack with no restriction on revs or speed.

My reply is that this type of advertising is misleading. Frankly I don't know how may of them get away with it.

One of our customers summed it up pretty well in this recent article :

I recently attended a "Drive a V8 Race Car" event at Eastern Creek adn found that is was nothing like the real thing. It was like the whole program was designed for the inexperienced driver, so the cars power was at a level where it would be difficult for a dumb driver to get into trouble... while the cars didn't handle too badly, the power was not great and the red line was a pathetic 5000rpm. It idled like a standard, unmodified motor without mufflers... Whilst I was able to actually drive the car, the track at Eastern Creek was shortened by a short crossover which removed turns 5 to 8. Even though I knew this upfront, I still felt a bit ripped off. On top of this, I felt that the instructor was too obtrusive and treated me as a total novice, commanding me when to change gear, accelerate and brake. The session was over before I got used to the car... .. so my personal feeling was that this drive experience was disappointing overall. GW

The fact is these are not real V8 Supercars. Real V8 Supercars are very fast, powerful and tricky and without lots of experience you could seriously hurt yourself. So far there is no team or business in Australia that allows the public to drive a V8 Supercar - or could obtain or afford the public liability insurance to do so. The only types of cars you can drive yourself have been designed around the "production based" Holden Commodore SS or Ford XR8.

But a real V8 Supercar has over 600 horsepower and a racing six-speed Holinger gearbox (with no syncromesh). The throttle is very touchy and the clutch very sudden. If you don't know what you're doing, it is very easy to burn out a clutch or give the motor a huge valve-bending rev. Without gated synchromesh, you have to be very precise and decisive in selecting gears. But it is quite possible to slot virtually any gear at any time - so you easily could come out of 6th and slot 5th, 3rd or even 1st gear if you're not skilled and confident. The potential for novices to rack up a big repair bill is very high. That's why they only let you drive production-based race cars. Some are OK and some are pretty ordinary, but one thing's for sure - real V8 Supercars are in a different league.

If you have a road-registerd V8 Ford or Holden or any performance car and you really want to drive on a racetrack, then Oran Park Raceway, Eastern Creek Raceway & Wakefield Park (near Goulburn) have days called " No Speed Limit days " this cost typically between $100 - $200 for an ALL day experience (not a 5 laps cruise).
If you would like to drive your own car fast, legally - then why not give them a call.

BUT if you wish to RIDE in a real V8 Supercar in a four-car race with experienced Bathurst drivers then please continue back to our bookings page!
 

Twenty years ago, a professional driver took a teenage Mal Rose around a real racing circuit in a real racing car. From that moment, Mal was hooked. He has never forgotten the thrill of that ride, and now he wants to share it with you - in a much faster car - his V8 COMMODORE and FALCON SUPERCARS -
Australia's premier motorsport sedan car.

From the outset, Mal decided that he would provide only the REAL racing car experience, as close as possible to real racing acceleration, braking and cornering. And he would only use experienced, champion drivers (like himself - no time for modesty!). The result is that you get the closest possible thing to actually being in Konica or Shell series race. You simply can't get two people together any faster around the circuit!

Why don't the others do the same? Well, the answer to that is simple too. The costs involved in buying and maintaining a real V8 supercar are an order of magnitude greater than a souped-up road car. Everything on Mal's V8 Supercar Commodores is custom-made, race-spec., and very expensive.

TOP DRIVERS, CLOSE RACING

We want to make your ride experience as real and as safe as possible.

Our drivers are all very experienced and accomplished in V8 Supercars. Most of our drivers are also senior driving instructors, and all have Bathurst experience over many years. Because they understand each other so well, you can feel comfortable and safe travelling at high speed in close proximity to the other cars.

Here are some snaps from our on-board video that show the trust and understanding our drivers have for one other.

Some cost examples:

• Cars that costs, second hand, about $150,000 each. Without a motor!
   
• 600hp Chev engines that cost between $50,000 and $75,000 each, and need to be rebuilt every 3000 km.
   
• 11 inch "control" slicks that cost $450 each but only last a couple of hours under Mal's lead foot.
   
• Six piston brake calipers capable of stopping a 1350kg car from 290kph, all day long, without fade.
   
• Amazingly strong brake pads costing $1700 per set (and that's just for the front pads)
   
• 6-speed Holinger gearbox $20,000. Clutch $12,000. Diff $15,000. And so on.
   
• State of the art Safety systems - rollcage, bodyshell, harnesses, dry-break fuel and fire systems, etc.
   
• A two-car team that costs, conservatively, a million dollars a year to compete in the Konica or Shell series.

You're probably getting the picture.

It all adds up to a ride at a pace just a couple of seconds outside current qualifying pace at that circuit. So, if you're looking for a high adrenalin gift, please do shop around before you commit to a ride. But please ask this question - do you want the REAL V8 SUPERCAR EXPERIENCE, or perhaps just a ride in a warmed-up road car?

The difference is chalk and cheese.