Live your race car-driving dreams in Washington

BY SARAH SEKULA

When you think of the Pacific Northwest, rugged mountains, log cabins and cascading waterfalls likely come to mind.

What you may not think of is the opportunity to drive a high-performance sports car — like a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche — around a world-class racetrack.

Xtreme Xperience gives adrenaline junkies (must be 18 or older with a valid license) the chance to drive laps at the Pacific Raceways track in Seattle. First, you choose your favorite exotic car from the lineup: Ferrari 488 GTB, Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4, McLaren 570S, Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray Z51, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 or Porsche 911 GT3. You can’t go wrong: Every single car is utterly epic.

After you’ve selected your chariot of choice, you’ll attend an orientation session where you’ll be coached by the pros. Then you head to the pit area, put on your helmet and ride as the passenger while a professional driver speeds along the track in a pack of up to eight cars, spaced out and following a lead car, which is driven by another pro and typically outruns the supercars on the track.

Now, it’s your turn to take the wheel. You can drive three times around the track as fast as your adrenaline-pumping heart desires. Your instructor will be alongside you to coach. And if you’d like to bring some friends to cheer you on at the track, spectators are free, or your guests can purchase a $10 pass for entry to the pit area with tented seating.

If you aren’t quite ready to take the wheel yourself, consider a supercar ride-along. You’ll experience hard acceleration, lateral G-forces, heavy braking and what it’s like to be near the roar of a 500-plus horsepower engine. You’ll be riding shotgun with a professional driver in a machine built for speed. Anyone older than 12 and taller than 54 inches can participate.

Another option is a highspeed ride-along. You’ll hop into a Chevy SS, the workhorse of the fleet, and see what it’s like to be in the passenger seat when the driver accelerates to top speeds around the track three times. Passengers must be at least 12 years old, and three can ride at once.

Whatever adrenaline rush you choose, you will definitely go home with some exciting stories to tell and the photos to prove it.