I visited Vegas Supercars's Las Vegas location in Feburary 2019. I was deciding between renting a car to drive around the strip and maybe to the Hoover Dam or driving a couple of cars at VS. After watching the same guy drive up and down the strip 5 times in a Lambo trying to impress pedestrian crowds by bouncing off of the rev limiter, I started leaning more strongly toward VS. My misgivings on the VS front were whether the experience would be authentic/real driving at the limit or some neutered version meant more for tourist newbies than someone with a bit of driving experience.
I have raced karts since I was 12, done SCCA Solo II, open track events, taken 2 different racing schools (***) and currently run grassroots endurance races wheel to wheel in various series. I was afraid that the instructors would not let me drive flat out or that the cars would have a speed limiter or something equally disappointing.
Thankfully that was not the case.
The experience was authentic, The cars were well maintained. The instructors were professional and excellent. By the second apex both of my instructors recognized that I was experienced and we spent the rest of the time trying to run the fastest lap I could.
It is a bit different from the way I normally try to learn a track. I usually approach the limit slowly. With just a handful of laps you want to get up to speed quickly and the instructors get you there. Having a co-pilot giving you orders and providing feedback mid-turn takes a lot of concentration. Attempting to go so fast so quickly leads to over driving but it is blast.
The part I liked the most about it is that under these conditions I could actually compare the cars I drove against each other at their limits. Trying this is an rental would be dumb and get you a backseat ride to the Clark County Jail.