Aulani Divas husband
By Aulani Diva
When you drive through the Magic Kingdom parking lot you may have glanced over to the left and seen the side of a racetrack with the sign “Richard Petty Driving – Walt Disney Speedway.” We had always driven by it and wondered about it. But on our last trip I decided to buy a package for my husband for his birthday, as we were going to be traveling with one of his good friends who is an avid car enthusiast.
We booked online through the Richard Petty website about 5 months in advance of our trip. This allowed us to pick our prime time and also to pick the cars they wanted to drive. I selected a Lamborghini Gallardo lp560-4 for my husband and his friend selected 2 cars – Ferrari 458 Italia and the Lamborghini Gallardo ip570-4 Superleggera. Obviously the more laps around the track the more money and the changing of cars increases the cost also.
We had a car rental so we just drove to the track. They give amazing directions on how to enter the track as there is a very small entrance around one side with a guard at the gate. Here is where you show your reservation. If you don’t have a car rental you can go to the Transportation Centre and there is a bus that will take you there (check schedules for times the bus departs as they like you to arrive 30 mins prior to the time you book).
So when you arrive the 30 minute leeway, they ask you to have, is more to take roll call and to let you look around their shop and ask questions. At the given time you booked is when you start a classroom lecture. For my husband and his friend the first time we arrived for our booked time it was raining. Well you can’t ride in these expensive cars on the track when it is raining. So we were told we could rebook or take a credit and go to any other Richard Petty Driving School in the US and use it there. This was disappointing but we managed to rebook for 2 days later. So a tip would be to plan your ride at the beginning of your visit so that in case of inclement weather you can still book for a later date. Because of the inconvenience the group got to go and look at some cars in the shop and also go for a ride around the track with one of the instructors.
So on the day of the ride you have a 30 minute lecture to go over what to do in the car. Then you proceed out to an area where all the drivers wait. For family and friends wanting to watch there are stands to sit and if you pick a package where they include a video you will also see it set up in that area.
My husband and his friend loved their ride. They came away with a great love for the cars they drove. They had nothing but good things to say about the drivers/instructors at the track. They also bought plaques with the day and the track engraved on it with their picture. It was an experience like no other for them. And it was so amazing that it could be incorporated in to their Disney vacation.
Disney has truly thought of everything when it comes to Disneyworld. So the next time you drive in to the parking lot at the Magic Kingdom have a look over and perhaps you will decide to go race a Lamborghini!
Aulani Diva
