We play matador with Lamborghini's new flagship in Sepang

Just ahead of Vesak Day, we visited the fine Formula One circuit in Sepang, Malaysia, to sample Lamborghini's new flagship offering - the Lamborghini Aventador. The V12 titan made its debut nearly three years ago in Geneva, and has since demanded a dominant spot on some people's bedroom wall, thanks to its performance capabilities, advanced engineering and above all - a timeless, albeit commanding, design.

Armed with nothing more than a radio that established a connection with the lead car, we were - on most accounts - free to unleash the potential of the vehicle, constrained only by our own aptitude and valor.

There were just two rules from Lamborghini.

First, to maintain a safe distance between the cars. And second, under no circumstance should the ESP be disabled - not that we were planning to anyway, in a car that holds 690bhp and costs just S$1.5 million. Although the Sepang track is wide, long and to a certain degree - forgiving - we didn't want to take any chances.

The track activity was split into two cycles - consisting of three laps each. Each lap in the first cycle allowed us to have a go and feel the differences between the three driving modes - Strada (road), Sport and Corsa (race).

The first round focused on demonstrating the capabilities of the Aventador including a standard slalom course to experience the handling and an exposure to the ferocity of the bull during an acceleration course at the long straight - parallel to the pit building.

The three laps in the second stint allowed drivers to bring the car up to its mechanical limits - although the drivers were advised not to utilise the 'softer' Strada mode and once again - the ESP system had to be engaged.

More importantly, the Lamborghini track day was part of the marque's new Esperienza programme, and is similar to track activities other automakers offer - where customers can experience the true ability of their super sports cars.

Lamborghini's Esperienza programme welcomes customers to the exclusive world of Lamborghini, in addition to offering an elementary experience of production Lamborghinis on a race circuit.

The Italian marque strongly believes the race track is the best place to fully exploit the performance of a raging bull.

The Esperienza programme is the first tier in a four-stage structure - under Lamborghini's new Squadra Corse Motorsport department. Each stage caters to customers with different aptitudes and interest levels - from an enthusiastic owner who has a need for speed, to a professional grade race driver.

From Esperienza, drivers can progress to the Lamborghini Academy before moving on to the one make Super Trofeo series and GT3 competition - where you function as a professional racing driver under the helm of Lamborghini.