Fulfill Your Dreams with the EXR Racing Series
Photo courtesy LewisHamilton.com
The pathway to competitive sports car racing is foggy at best, especially for those of us who weren’t born into a wealthy or racing family. Most motorsports enthusiasts are familiar with stories like that of three-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, and how he got his start as a young child in karting thanks to his family’s sacrifice and support.
But what do you do when life gets in the way and your racing dreams are put on hold, leaving you to find out years later that the price of entry into the world of motorsports is too high, both figuratively and literally?
Enter the EXR Racing Series, an arrive-and-drive program that aims to make racing easy and accessible by providing everything you need to go fast, from safety equipment to driving instructors, and even the car itself.
Like most great ideas, this one came from a place of personal need. EXR co-founder David Perisset gained an appreciation for motorsports later on in life, and found the world of racing to be less than accessible for a working professional.
That’s when he got together with long-time friend and professional driver Romain Thievin to establish the EXR Racing Series. Riding the wave of success from Exotics Racing — the pair’s first commercial venture together — creating a competitive wheel-to-wheel program was a natural next step.
The inaugural season for EXR kicks off on February 20, 2016, but I was one of a handful of lucky journalists to preview the program at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
My day started with a presentation on the series and a brief safety and driver training. Our training was condensed for the sake of time, but customers can opt for a one, two or three day racing school.
All suited up. Photo courtesy EXR Racing.
The next step was getting suited up. EXR provided all of the safety gear, including new socks to go with the custom Sparco racing shoes. I felt like a superstar as the friendly EXR staff assisted me with my gear, connecting the HANS device to my helmet and getting me wired up for in-car communications.
In the paddock, a handful of EXR LV02 race cars awaited their drivers. These front engine, rear-wheel drive cars feature a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 230 horsepower, along with a tube-frame steel chassis and fiberglass body. Each car weighs only 1,653 pounds and is equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission with sequential shifter.
A fellow journalist, ready to race. Photo courtesy EXR Racing.
After strapping in and receiving a quick orientation from the instructor, I fired up the car and pulled out of the paddock. I’m quite proud of myself for stalling the car only once, considering there’s no power assistance on any aspect of the car.
My main directives while on the track were to brake at the cones and shift when the red lights come on. The instructor guided me along the fastest line around the race course, and as someone who’s had his fair share of track days, driving the LV02 was a completely new and exciting experience for me.
EXR instructors demonstration.
The sounds, vibrations, grip, feedback – the assault on my senses were so intensely satisfying. It’s a feeling that only a purpose-built race car can give you.
For those scoffing at 230 horsepower, the LV02 has a better power to weight ratio than the new Porsche 911 Carrera S, and it takes full concentration to squeeze out the last bits of performance from the car. Think you won’t be able to find the limit? Think again.
Now that my first-ever spin was out of the way, I continued to turn in consistently faster lap times, thanks to the guidance from my instructor. I went from a 1:11.46 on lap 4 to a 1:05.54 on lap 8.
And here’s my ride-along with Romain. He drifted most of the corners and still managed a 0:59.43 lap time.
With 12 race weekends per season and flexible scheduling — you don’t need to race all 12 events to qualify for the Superfinals — the EXR Racing Series is much more accessible than traditional competitive programs. The price for a single race starts at $4,990; affordable in the grand scheme of motorsports, but not considered “cheap” by any means. Of course, the more races you commit to, the better the pricing.
EXR will offer both sprint and endurance formats, with a Superfinals event in Las Vegas where the winner takes home $100,000.
To learn more about the EXR Racing Series and the LV02 race car, visit EXRseries.com. Stop dreaming and start racing!
