Race car ‘Accademia’ forgoes book learning for tire-smoking fun
The fighter jets taking off from and landing at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada screech low over the ground, two or three at a time, all flying in formation. It’s an almost constant stream to and from this training facility, with anything from F-15s, F-16s, A-10s and even some F-22s banking and disappearing into the bright blue sky, then appearing out of nowhere as their landing gear drops down, their engines sending a howl across the dry, sandy terrain.
And they are flying low — so low you can see helmets in the cockpits turn to look down to the ground, glancing at pretty well the only thing that could distract a fighter pilot at the controls of such powerful airplanes, short of imminent danger: a race track full of Lamborghini Huracáns making a glorious roar of their own.
On this sunny and gorgeous day, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is playing host to the Lamborghini Accademia. The Prancing Bull’s own driver-training course is offered to owners — and potential owners — of the Italian performance brand.
This is the “Intensivo” version, a one-day course with experts on a closed track to update your driving skills. There is also the two-day “Avanzato” course to further your chops behind the wheel, which also offers the chance of a racing licence on completion and is the final step to the Super Trofeo racing series, should your skills and, ultimately, your bank account be up to the challenge.
But today is the Intensivo, which puts you almost $7,000 out of pocket. This lesson isn’t with the mighty 700-horsepower Aventador (though that is available for a few laps); no, the lighter and more nimble 610-hp Huracán will do nicely, here, considering this is a “training” day. For most of the day, we’ll be in the all-wheel-drive LP610-4 version with a 5.2-litre, naturally aspirated V-10, lapping around the rather bland infield course inside this banked oval NASCAR track.
An instructor is in the passenger seat to give you tips on handling the curves and when to brake, showing off the Huracán 610-4’s grippy carbon-ceramic discs that will make the seatbelts leave a mark on your chest under really heavy stopping. The power pulling you out of the curves is thrilling as it pushes you back in your seat, as you watch the next corner come up frighteningly fast. As the day progresses, the orange cones that denote the braking zones are taken away, with the idea that you’ve got a handle on when to reel in those horses under the hood before turning. Some do and, as it turns out, some do not.
And then we get a chance for a few turns of the wheel in the LP580-2, the 580-hp, rear-wheeldrive version of the Huracán. And after just a couple of laps on the circuit, it’s easy to see that this would be the enthusiasts’ choice. Steering is light, turn-in is much crisper than the AWD, with far less understeer. It just feels like a much sharper car at speed in the corners. Mind you, it’s also more difficult to press to the limit, with its rear end very happy to let loose under ham-handed driving or early acceleration from the apex. The AWD’s front-end push will slow you down if you’re entering a turn too quickly, but it also limits the visceral feel of turning the car on its axis.
The 580-2 was also used on the skid pad. Admittedly, there’s not a lot to learn here, apart from kicking out the rear on the wet pavement with a sharp stab of the throttle and turn of the wheel. But it’s good fun, especially when you get the hang of swinging it from one turn to the next without spinning out.
Ultimately, if you want to be a race-car driver, there are better ways to do it; yes, these will take more time, and in much less powerful cars to start, and that’s the point: It’s not easy. But if you own a Lamborghini, or are thinking of owning one — or just want to experience this Italian thoroughbred in its natural habitat of a race circuit — then one of these Accademia courses by Lamborghini would be a great way to push one to its — and your — limits.