Richard Petty Driving Experience

[Robindianne]

Have any of you done this? Is it fun to drive (or too scary)?

What do you think?

 

[DisneyDW]

DH did this on our May 05 trip and loved it. I surprised him with it and he even paid xtra to drive 8 more laps. If you love speed, it is definitely worth it. Do a search on Dis - there are a few threads on it. If you have AAA and maybe AP, you can get a discount. Have to make res in advance because they book up. They have a driving experience and also a ride-along experience.

 

[tiedye602]

My DH did this in Las Vegas about 5 years ago and he went to Texas last year and drove a car there. He LOVED it!!! I am surprising him with the King's Experience in February when we are there for our anniversary. He says it is not scary, the cars pretty much stay in the driving groove by themselves and they don't let you go over about 130 mph. (Fast enough if you ask me!!) You will not regret doing it if you can. Enjoy!!

 

[Mister Incredible]

Kim,

I have to disagree with the cars staying in the groove by themselves. I have done the RPDE twice. Both times I was trying to push the car harder than suggested (getting on the gas prior to the cones that are set-up). Once in NH the car jumped on me and I went close to the wall. Close enough that I said, "S%^T"! Even my brother said, "Got a little high in turn two there didn't you". Make sure you know how to drive a stick shift!

It is great! I would love to do it again. I have done it in Loudon, NH and at Disney. I want to hit a 1.5 mile track next!

 

[Squirlz]

If you like doing these sort of things, do some research on High Performance Driving schools. These can be found all over the country and you can learn how to drive a car at 10/10ths on an actual race course, not just an oval. These are skills that are beneficial everyday on the road, and can save your life in an emergency. Probably more expensive as it is much more than entertainment, but that's my preference for my money.

Just my $.02 worth

 

[kellyg403]

Just to see what it was about, if you have AAA it is a 20% discount and the prices are going up on Monday Nov 7. Just thought this was some useful information if anyone is planning to do it. If you book today for whatever date it will be the rate as of today!

Kelly

 

[eeyore45]

My dad did this on our October trip. I planned it for his first day, just in case it rained, (it did) he'd have all week to try and schedule it back in!! I originally signed him up for the 4 lap experience, then printed out the reviews from deb's site www.allearsnet.com - he paid to upgrade to King, and was so glad he did... he had so much fun, he bought a hat, or a shirt, and told my mom it was wrong, and so together they went back to "exchange" it, when in reality Dad wanted to share the experience with mom, and bought her the "ride along" experience... she was so thrilled!!!

So, be forewarned, it apparently is addicting!!!

 

[snugglebug]

Thanks for the heads up on the price increase. I just called and booked dh's surprise. I wish I had some sort of discount to use, but oh well.

FYI, discounts are available only for AAA, AP holders and Florida residents. I've been searching for others with no success so I asked.

 

[Robindianne]

OK this sounds like a definite "must do." Thanks for the replies!

 

[aubriee]

As another poster mentioned, make sure you schedule it early in your trip in case it rains. You WILL NOT get your money back. I booked this for my son last Janaury for our next to the last day and sure enough it rained. They would give you a raincheck that you could use at any RPDE near you, anytime within the next year, but would not give you your money back, nor would they let us transfer it to my other son, who was going to be at WDW in Sept. They said it was bought for my elder son and that he was the only one that could use it. We were lucky and my son was able to use his raincheck at the Texas Motor Speedway this past April. However, there were some people at WDW that did not have a RPDE near them and simply lost their money. One guy had bought the 'King's Experience' and was very upset that he lost over $1200.00.

By the way, when we went to the Texas Motor Speedway in April, my younger son tagged along to watch his elder brother and at the last minute we were told that they had room if he wanted to drive, so my two boys round up competing against each other. My younger son had the best overall time, but my elder son finally beat him and had the top speed on his final lap. They still talk about how they beat each other and how much fun it was. Afterwards there is a plaque you can buy that has a picutre of you standing next to the Richard Petty car and you inside the car you drive. The plaque is like $70.00 I believe, but worth every penny.

 

[Robindianne]

Aubriee,
Thanks for the info. I'm glad it ended up working out for you. That plaque sounds so cool!
Robin