Meet the Speed Brokers That Will Help You Drive 200 MPH—Legally

Ever since the automotive speedometer debuted early last century, motorists have been driven to see higher numbers on the gauge. On March 29, 1927, Major Henry Segrave set a benchmark behind the wheel when he piloted a 1,000 hp Sunbeam to more than 200 mph. That mark remains a magnet. Yet while many of today’s top-tier production models are capable of such speed, opportunities to actually reach it responsibly—and lawfully—are extremely limited. “Manufacturers spend millions of dollars to get these cars to be able to perform like they do, and very few people get to really experience it,” says Craig Williams, managing director of Auto Vivendi, an exclusive U.K.-based motoring club. 

To remedy this frustration, Auto Vivendi hosts its 200 mph Challenge. Held at least once a year on a private military runway, it’s open to members and non-members alike—each paying more than $6,400 and required to use a supercar from the club’s own collection. 

According to Williams, those entered are accompanied by an expert trainer the entire time. “The instructor will explain how it all works, where they need to brake, and show them where it can go wrong,” he says. As of press time, the club’s latest challenge will take place on April 30, with drivers set to do initial “sighting runs” in Ferrari and Lamborghini SUVs, before taking examples of the McLaren 750S Spider and the Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica up to 180 mph while receiving further guidance on high-speed braking. When ready for the actual attempt, drivers would move into a Ferrari SF90 Spider or a Lamborghini Revuelto. 

“Many people may have done a track day where they’ve pushed a little bit and have seen the speedo get up to 170 mph, but the leap from that to 200 mph is enormous,” assures Williams, “both in the amount of air that the car has to push out of the way—the power the car needs—and the presence of mind to keep your foot in and to know that you’re doing it in a safe environment.” 

Eschewing runways for a closed public road, the annual Sun Valley Tour de Force, next taking place July 17 through 19 in Ketchum, Idaho, allows enthusiasts to test the limits of their own exotics, such as the owner of a Bugatti Chiron who reached 253.01 mph on a previous edition’s 3.2-mile stretch. The team behind the high-speed spectacle had a 19-year safety record until a nonfatal incident in 2024, which was the impetus for recent changes. These include “a new in-town format,” says executive director Maya Blix, who notes the adjustments “will reduce risk and add more control over course surface, course safety, and driver experience.” Operated with the cooperation of law enforcement, the speed run also fast-tracks funding to local charities, as participants—who paid $3,450 for one run last year—are also expected to donate substantially to the philanthropic component. 

For a more academic approach, Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School, based in Florida but offered throughout the U.S., provides a progressive selection of single and multiday courses ranging from about $500 to more than $7,000. Featured are classroom sessions that include addressing the mind-body connection and plenty of practice. Students vary from those just curious to individuals looking to make drag racing a career. 

“We can give people NHRA [National Hot Rod Association] driver’s licenses, and many of the pros that are winning championships now were all our graduates,” touts Hawley, a former two-time NHRA World Champion himself. But he says that nobody gets near his fastest alcohol-burning dragsters—capable of hitting 200 mph in a quarter-mile sprint—“unless they already are a proven driver in other categories of drag racing that we can verify, or they’ve been a graduate of one of our other classes.” 

Whether it’s done on a runway, a closed road, or a drag strip, achieving the 200 mph milestone, if done methodically and correctly, can ultimately be a means to accelerate personal growth. In his required lectures, Hawley simplifies it to, among other things, knowing “what we can and can’t change, and how to control our emotions… that information is transferable to anywhere else you want to take it in your life.” 

Credit: robbreport.com