Any place to drive an F1 car in the US?

Klaas Zwart has a very nice resort with private track in southern Spain where you can drive a Benetton F1, among other cars:

http://www.ascari.net/subsecciones.php?idioma=2&&seccion=16&&subseccion=9

 

I smell a business opportunity for someone with money and a connection to some '80's Cosworth cars......

 

http://www.hemmings.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/dealers.detail/hmn_vehicle_id/222020&CFID=14494462&CFTOKEN=97116429

 

http://www.raceinc.com/

 

What happens in Vegas . . .

http://www.racingschools.com/rs/LRS-Formula-1-c-946.html

. . . won't stay in Vegas if you do this!

 

Las Vegas now offers basically the same program and the same price for what you could do it in Europe. Basically 3k give you ten laps in a F1, which is very similar to what I did in France some years ago.

There is also a similar program in Canada, but it is about 10k, so Vegas is really the most economic way to get this done.

Also Vegas uses the 2001 Prost car, which used to have the Ferrari engine in it when it raced.

 

Interesting driving opportunity. $3k for 4 laps in the F1 car is pricey, but i suppose worth it for access to that kind of machinery. Not sure if the extra 2 warm-up laps are worth $1k though. Definitely would be interesting to pilot one of those high hp beasts, and try out the carbon brakes.

 

I enjoyed Skip Barber but once done with it I really wanted to "move up". It is not easy to experience more powerful cars (I wish there was a Skip Barber school with e.g. Formula Dodge or Formula Atlantic cars), yet here you can go straight to the top. Having done Skip Barber or similar first does definitely help and make you understand and appreciate the F1 experience even more.

 

Shanhai Have a pair of F1 Renaults they hire out for a day, I believe you start in a baby car in the morning and work up to the F! by late afternoon. Dont live in Shanghai anymore so I do not know waht it costs, Wont be cheap though

 

Yes and yes.

1990 (or thereabouts) AGS F1 powered by a V8 Cossie. Stick shift and slicks. Go as fast as you like on a road circuit, just don't spin or crash. In the morning we did like 20 laps in a F3 which was already fun and a good step up from Skip Barber. Yet the F1 was so much more. Endless power, incredible acceleration and deceleration. The thing I found most impressive though was how good, solid and precise the car felt. Of all the cars and racecars I ever drove this was the best of all of them. It did exactly what you wanted it to do and there was no wiggle in anything. It felt like a fighter jet (but that's another story...).

 

To be honest it was "only" a subsonic jet trainer (did have a jet engine though). But then again that was only the first day of an incredible week at Star City. As I said, another story.

Yes, the F1 experience doesn't come cheap, but I think it is worth it. Actually I am planning on doing it again. Next time I'd like to drive a more modern F1 (as the ones in Las Vegas e.g.) that also has a paddle shift. Just to experience the difference.

My life's to do list is long (and expensive). And it has a bunch more race cars on it.

 

I remember reading an articel back in the '90's where a car and driver reporter took a ride in a modified demo F1 car with 2 seats (front/rear) with a pro driver (can't remember who). The car was otherwise full-on, same power/brakes etc.

What I remember was that the guy was complaining at the beginning that he only got 2 laps. By the end, he just wanted to get OUT! The G's (especially braking) were so severe that he was about ready to toss his lunch. Gave me lasting respect for the drivers, and I think about it whenever I am watching. I am sure it would be better driving vs. riding (and not being a pro) but it made me move the F1 thing into the "better left undone" category for me.

 

I did the Mario Andretti Driving experience at the Las Vegas Moto Speedway. The only thing that I didn't like was that they say its 6 laps. But they count lap 1 starts as you are leaving the pits, and at the end of lap 6 they are bring you into the pits.

So really you only get 4 full laps at full speed.

I know it's another company running the F1 program, but I'm sure the 4 laps for the F1 car is going to be the same setup, so you only get 2 real full laps at full speed.

Too much $ I think.

 

totally serious question:

How much would you pay per lap to run a detuned F1 car ?

Let's put a top-end cap of 50 laps on it. (we'd have to figure out how many laps at x rpms we can run, and what a rebuild would cost....)

$500 a lap for the first 10 laps, $250 for the next 20 laps ? $150 a lap for the last 20 ?

 

$500 is fine, but 10 laps is plenty, I wouldn't need more than that.

 

Benetton F 1 car