The guys and gals from Xtreme Xperience came to Sonoma Raceway last Sunday with 14 supercars, including: a Nissan GT-R, a Corvette Z06 and various Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches, including this 718 Cayman GT4 RS. The GT4’s naturally aspirated flathead, six-cylinder engine puts out almost 500 horsepower to an aerodynamic carbon-fiber body atop a finely tuned racing suspension. It’s Porsche’s version of the “ultimate driving machine.” With speeds reaching almost 200 mph and handling like a wild mouse on rails, this car gets rave reviews. What a thrill driving it with a professional driver sitting in the passenger seat guiding me through Sonoma Raceway’s technical track.
On the same Sunday I got my racetrack thrill in Sonoma, Lando Norris got his in Abu Dhabi. He won Formula One’s (F1) 2025 title in a McLaren, taking both driver and constructors titles. Norris beat Max Verstappen, a four-consecutive-season winner, by only 2 points—423 to 421; 17.6 vs.17.5 average points per race week—during a 24-race season. F1’s 2025 season was likely the most competitive ever. Drivers Norris, Verstappen and Oscar Piastri were within 12 points at the last race, so each had a chance to win the title. Eight different teams placed in the top 13 spots.
Whether out for an Xtreme Xperience or watching F1’s spectacular season finale, it was an exciting Sunday on the track.
Fun Facts: F1’s top speed is 231 mph; the GT 4S’ is 196. Cars reach 60 mph in 2.6 seconds; the GT 4S in 3.2 seconds. In F1, pit crews swap four tires in less than two seconds and drivers lose about 8 pounds per race experiencing 5-6 G’s; for context astronauts experience 3-4 G’s on launch.
There are 10 racing teams and 20 drivers in F1. Each team races two nearly identical cars, thus fans see both cars and drivers compete. F1 refers to a formula followed in constructing and racing the car. Losing more than 1 mm off an allowed 10 mm skid plate—the plate causing sparks during racing—results in disqualification; both McLarens were disqualified in Vegas and scored zero points.
Xtreme Xperience is a company that brings supercars to 40 tracks around the country. Drive-alongs start at $80; driving experiences with safety training are $350 and up. Reportedly, 85,000 rides have been completed without a safety incident, even though they let knuckleheads like me drive.
