Chicago-based company makes the dream of driving a supercar a reality

JOLIET, Ill. - At the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, the roar of Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis, and other high-octane supercars hitting the track signifies more than just speed — it's the symphony of dreams coming true at 5,000 rpm.

"People that have dreamed of this for their entire life that grew up with a Lamborghini or Porsche poster on their bedroom wall and can't afford the car or the insurance for the car," said Andrew Hobbs, general manager of Xtreme Xperience.

In a Fox 32 special report, Scott Schneider found the adrenaline isn't just reserved for drivers at the Xtreme Xperience; even the employees feel the rush.

"Our brand new 296 Ferrari, which is the latest and greatest from Ferrari, it's our first hybrid car that we're very excited about," Hobbs said.

The Chicago-based company started with just five employees and over the past decade has grown into a national brand with tracks all over the country where the rules of the road are always the same. Before anyone climbs behind the wheel of a quarter million-dollar super car, there is required coursework to complete.

"Safety is the number one thing that we watch out for. We want you to be safe. We want our instructors to be safe. We want you to have a great time in that super car and not have anything to worry about taking it off track, having an accident, something like that," Hobbs said.

There’s no driver's exam, but success on the racecourse is dependent on focus in the classroom.

"We have about 150 instructors around the country that we pull from that join us at various events around the year," Hobbs said.

Full confession: sitting there and hanging on the instructor's every word, I found myself growing anxious, and I wasn't alone.

"The classroom experience, it was a little scary," said first timer Samuel Richardson. "A little overwhelming. He showed all the signals, we watched video footage of somebody driving around the track. We kind of got our eyes opened."

"They have not been de-tuned," said Xtreme instructor Todd Peach. "We don't have extra kill switches in them. They don't have the extra brake pedal on the right-hand side that I asked them for. The only thing we do to them typically is to install the video equipment so that you can have that video memento of your time here."

It wasn't just safety I was concerned with. The instructor made it abundantly clear that drivers could potentially be fined for damage caused by reckless racing. I mean how much does it cost to fix a Ferrari?

"He [Peach] shows you where those cones are going to be. He shows you the speeds you're going to be carrying, where you're supposed to be looking and how you're going to be turning and braking. All those very important things. So you learn them in the classroom, you feel them on the track and then you go do your drive with those two experience points to help you on the track," Hobbs said.

After class, participants are given their vehicle assignments.

It was nice to see it wasn't just men looking for a rush.

"It is more of a male-dominated industry, but a lot of the women we're seeing are actually buying the products for their significant other, for their dads, for a family member and it's really neat because they come out to the track and it's bringing back feelings of nostalgia," said marketing manager Laura Nicolescu.

"In Palm Beach a few years ago, we had a woman come out for like her 96th birthday and had just always wanted to drive a Ferrari and so she got to drive that Ferrari finally," Hobbs said.

"It's not a race. It's definitely all about the experience, but you get that comfort level especially with our professional instructor who help guide you along the process. And funny enough it's the women that we see are actually the better drivers," Nicolescu said.

From there, drivers are fitted with safety helmets and for those not quite ready to take the wheel, participants are given the option of a ride-along inside the "lead" or pace car, a 700-horsepower Dodge Hellcat.

I decided it was a good idea and road shotgun as professional instructor Johnson took us for a ride.

"This is called the blend line," said lead car driver Jimmie Johnson. "You don't cross it, so getting into the track you respect the blend line. As long as the blend line is there - you're going to see - we're going to get all the way around to about the middle of the track before it actually ends. Once it ends, then you can actually be in the track."

With my photographer comfortably seated in the back while holding his camera as steadily as possible Jimmie talked us through the various turns braking and acceleration points and instructor hand signals all the while mindful to point out the importance of staying on the tarmac, using the colored cones as our guides, then he picked up the pace.

"We're gonna get out of the gas and then we're gonna really do some hard braking. You can be up around a 130 miles an hour coming into this braking zone," Johnson said.

And then without warning, Johnson punched it.

"You guys ready for a real lap," Johnson asked.

Out of the pace car and ready to take my turn on the track, I caught up with a familiar face from our safety class who had just taken his laps.

"I was very nervous especially driving a however many thousand dollar car. First time behind the wheel of a supercar," Richardson said.

Richardson was in Joliet as part of day-outing with his company. He was as nervous as I was with the thought of potentially scratching a super car --- concerns his side-seat driver quicky set to rest.

"The instructor you know did a very good job of signaling. We made a quick rapport with each other that gave me confidence to trust him and let him tell me what to do, when to turn, when to brake, when to gas it," Richardson said.

Once I got behind the wheel, my nerves quickly faded. My instructor Ronn Hale was a big reason why.

"I tell you what man, you've got the 488 GTB Ferrari out here at Autobahn South Circuit today with a beautiful day," Hale said.

Hale, who hails from South Carolina, travels with Xtreme Xperience to tracks all over the country. Hale and I took our place directly behind the lead car and before I knew it, I was racing.