Lamborghini invited us as VIP guests to attend the exciting Super Trofeo Asia race at Sepang International Circuit. While that is already quite an experience, I was even more enthusiastic about another programme on the itinerary - the Lamborghini Esperienza Corsa programme.
The Esperienza Corsa programme puts you behind the wheel of Lamborghini models and experience the emotion of driving these cars on a racetrack with dedicated instructors to guide you along. This time round, the venue is Sepang International Circuit, held right after the Super Trofeo race, and the cars we got to drive were the Urus S, the Urus Performante and the Huracan Technica. Oh, the reason for my enthusiasm isn't simply because I'll be getting to drive the new Lamborghinis, but it was the fact that my first-ever Lamborghini drive will be on a racetrack!
What is the Esperienza programme?
The Esperienza Corsa programme is a basic introduction to Lamborghini cars in a track environment Lamborghini offers two main types of driving programmes for its customers, namely the Lamborghini Esperienza and the Lamborghini Accademia programmes. The former is the one that we are getting to experience on this trip to Sepang Circuit.
The Esperienza is an introductory programme where the emphasis is on creating a conducive and safe environment for participants to experience track driving while exploring the capabilities of Lamborghini cars.
Meanwhile, the Accademia programmes are much more intensive and focused on driver improvement.
The emphasis on the programme is a safe and conducive experience for participants These programmes are not only organised all around the world, but also incorporate on-track and on-snow courses. The goal is to enable students of the programme to practice driving techniques as much as possible under the supervision of Lamborghini instructors.
While the Accademia programme sounds like a really fun idea, we were told that due to the intensity and duration of it, media guests aren't usually asked to participate. Still, knowing that we are going to drive the Urus S, Urus Performante and the Huracan Tecnica on Sepang Circuit is enough stimulation to get my blood pumping.
Ready to go? Have a cup of coffee and take a gander first
The Super Trofeo Asia Hospitality lounge has been given a thorough makeover! Upon reaching the viewing gallery of Sepang International Circuit in the morning, we realised that the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Hospitality lounge had been given a thorough makeover!
Not only are there significantly fewer tables around, the Esperienza lounge also includes displays of paint, leather and seat belt samples along with a Bridgestone booth to showcase the tyres used on the Lamborghini cars.
Like the former setup, breakfast, drinks, and gelato are also served to kick start the day before we got into the cars.
The ultimate Lamborghini experience - on the racetrack
With an instructor pace car leading the convoy, even newbies would be able to enjoy the drive safely After sitting through a safety briefing, we were headed down to the cars.
The programme is structured such that an instructor will drive a lead car, while we will be following behind, with instructions relayed to us through an intercom system inside the helmets.
As the emphasis is on a safe experience, you can tell that the programme isn't designed for participants to attempt to push the car to the limits - the instructor will set the desired pace of the drive.
The Urus S, Urus Performante and the incredible Huracan Tecnica are among the cars we got to experience This programme presented us with the opportunity to drive three exciting Lamborghini models - the Urus S Super Sport Utility Vehicle, the even hotter Urus Performante, and the definitive supercar, the V10-powered, mid-engined rear-wheel drive Huracan Tecnica.
As the fleet of cars are specially earmarked for the programme, they are all left-hand drive, which comes as quite a novel experience, especially for someone who has never even driven a Lamborghini in my entire life.
The first car that I tried was the Urus S, and thanks to its incredulous power (657bhp), this large SUV accelerates at a pace that something of its size shouldn't be able to.
Despite being a two-tonne plus SUV, the Urus S performs amazingly And that isn't the only thing that's un-SUV like, despite weighing in at almost 2,200kg, the Urus S' brakes were able to shave loads of speed off without excessive effort.
The Urus S remains unfazed and flat on corners, even when we were exploring the upper limits of the tyres' roadholding ability. Lamborghini is correct to call the Urus S a Super SUV - not only is it quick and precise, it remains easy to control in the track.
Next, I found myself in the driver seat of the Urus Performante - this hotted-up version of the Urus has plenty of body panels (such as the bonnet and the roof) replaced with lightweight carbon fibre, and it also has been tweaked to offer even more agility and performance.
The hotted-up Urus Performante has been blessed with plenty of carbon fibre components Ultimately, as we were nowhere near the limits of the cars on the drive, the Urus Performante felt rather like the Urus S, though the ride seems to be a tad stiffer and there is even more confidence to push the car even further.
At the end of the day, both variants of the Urus are very capable and easy to drive on the track. That said, for pure track driving fun, the last car I hopped into is undoubtedly the best of all - the Huracan Tecnica.
This is the first time that I am getting to drive a mid-engine rear-wheel drive supercar on Sepang Circuit and I am extremely excited, yet slightly nervous.
I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent balance of the Huracan Tecnica Getting into it, fully expecting the car to be quite a handful, I was pleasantly surprised by how balanced the Huracan Tecnica is on track. Even with hard braking deep into corner entries, the car does not unsettle easily. And as expected, the car is incredibly nimble and agile.
Braking performance, like the Urus, is amazing. Being almost 900kg lighter, you can really feel the difference between either of the Urus variants and the Huracan Tecnica. In fact, you'll notice how braking at a higher speed than the Urus takes less effort, and the car remains stable and settled even with the brake pedal to the floor.
My first taste of Lamborghini's cars sure was an excellent one! Even when I accidentally accelerated too abruptly and too much at the corner exit of Turn 15 in Sepang Circuit, the Huracan Tecnica remained highly controllable even when the tail did step out a little. It truly is an amazing work of engineering.
Through the Esperienza Corsa programme, I got to have my first taste of Lamborghini's cars in a safe and fun environment, and it couldn't have been much better. I had so much fun in the cars that I admittedly didn't even have much time to think of how the cars drive. All I can say is the experience was a really enjoyable one, and I would definitely recommend anyone to go for it if they get the same opportunity.
The Esperienza Corsa programme puts you behind the wheel of Lamborghini models and experience the emotion of driving these cars on a racetrack with dedicated instructors to guide you along. This time round, the venue is Sepang International Circuit, held right after the Super Trofeo race, and the cars we got to drive were the Urus S, the Urus Performante and the Huracan Technica. Oh, the reason for my enthusiasm isn't simply because I'll be getting to drive the new Lamborghinis, but it was the fact that my first-ever Lamborghini drive will be on a racetrack!
What is the Esperienza programme?
The Esperienza is an introductory programme where the emphasis is on creating a conducive and safe environment for participants to experience track driving while exploring the capabilities of Lamborghini cars.
Meanwhile, the Accademia programmes are much more intensive and focused on driver improvement.
While the Accademia programme sounds like a really fun idea, we were told that due to the intensity and duration of it, media guests aren't usually asked to participate. Still, knowing that we are going to drive the Urus S, Urus Performante and the Huracan Tecnica on Sepang Circuit is enough stimulation to get my blood pumping.
Ready to go? Have a cup of coffee and take a gander first
Not only are there significantly fewer tables around, the Esperienza lounge also includes displays of paint, leather and seat belt samples along with a Bridgestone booth to showcase the tyres used on the Lamborghini cars.
Like the former setup, breakfast, drinks, and gelato are also served to kick start the day before we got into the cars.
The ultimate Lamborghini experience - on the racetrack
The programme is structured such that an instructor will drive a lead car, while we will be following behind, with instructions relayed to us through an intercom system inside the helmets.
As the emphasis is on a safe experience, you can tell that the programme isn't designed for participants to attempt to push the car to the limits - the instructor will set the desired pace of the drive.
As the fleet of cars are specially earmarked for the programme, they are all left-hand drive, which comes as quite a novel experience, especially for someone who has never even driven a Lamborghini in my entire life.
The first car that I tried was the Urus S, and thanks to its incredulous power (657bhp), this large SUV accelerates at a pace that something of its size shouldn't be able to.
The Urus S remains unfazed and flat on corners, even when we were exploring the upper limits of the tyres' roadholding ability. Lamborghini is correct to call the Urus S a Super SUV - not only is it quick and precise, it remains easy to control in the track.
Next, I found myself in the driver seat of the Urus Performante - this hotted-up version of the Urus has plenty of body panels (such as the bonnet and the roof) replaced with lightweight carbon fibre, and it also has been tweaked to offer even more agility and performance.
At the end of the day, both variants of the Urus are very capable and easy to drive on the track. That said, for pure track driving fun, the last car I hopped into is undoubtedly the best of all - the Huracan Tecnica.
This is the first time that I am getting to drive a mid-engine rear-wheel drive supercar on Sepang Circuit and I am extremely excited, yet slightly nervous.
Braking performance, like the Urus, is amazing. Being almost 900kg lighter, you can really feel the difference between either of the Urus variants and the Huracan Tecnica. In fact, you'll notice how braking at a higher speed than the Urus takes less effort, and the car remains stable and settled even with the brake pedal to the floor.
Through the Esperienza Corsa programme, I got to have my first taste of Lamborghini's cars in a safe and fun environment, and it couldn't have been much better. I had so much fun in the cars that I admittedly didn't even have much time to think of how the cars drive. All I can say is the experience was a really enjoyable one, and I would definitely recommend anyone to go for it if they get the same opportunity.
