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Driving Fast--Legally this time

Linda and Santa Claus last year went together to get me a driving experience in a Ferrari 458 last week end at the Corvette track in Bowling Green , Kentucky.   This gift did not disappoint anyone!  This experience is like an amusement park ride, so to speak.  You get a 20 minute training session and have a co driver that gives a lot of voice and hand commands on how much brake, turning in and various other instructions to keep you up right and on the asphalt.   The track is about two miles in length and has a long  main straight and an inner short chute that is almost as fast that are connected by a hairpin, in between is some gnarly off chamber and blind corners that were fun once you figure out where to find the line.
This track is basically new which means smooth grippy asphalt!  The weather was warm with a storm brewing, so the traction was really good. 

After the training, I also purchased a ride along in the 'lead car' that paces the other cars and a professional driver basically thrashes the Chevrolet SS for 3 laps.  Hanging on was tough-- I was all over the seat as we made our laps.   It was really helpful for my laps.  I got a chance to see the line and get a feel for where to have the car for the best lines in and off the corners. 

My car was a red Ferrari 458.  It is a mid engine V8 with 560 HP and 400 Ft Pounds of torque and all the racing brakes and anti lock and anti spin controls you need to make it go quick.  The interior was tan leather with red thread for a nice Ferrari look.   Nice vehicle.  Getting in--literally-- means crawling in, because it is really low to the ground.  But it fit me very well and we had the controls set to "sport" mode.  Which means spinning the tires is really hard to do, that was fine with me.  Spinning makes you go slower--I wanted to go faster. The co driver gets the mirrors and  your tach and speedo are covered with camera gear. You watch the road--nothing else  I had been up to 130 MPH twice in my life--once in my brother's Pantera on a country road and one other time in a Mach 1 Mustang--both were 351 Ford V8 engines.   I was not driving either time. I was wanting to get to 131 if I could, you need goals, you know.   

If you look at this pictures, from the video you can buy of your 3 laps, there is a red dot on the track indicating your position and a speedometer.   You start the main straight at 30 MPH and get up to about 110 before your co driver starts to go ballistic to slow down.  I do not think he was as comfortable as me at speed--I do it all the time on my own little tracks.  It feels good to me all the time.   I was the first car after the pace car and that was great because I did not have to worry about slower cars ahead and I actually kept with the pace car pretty good.  


This shot is off the short chute right after a hair pin turn off the main straight.  The Ferrari had massive grunt coming off the corner and it really responded in this section, which was slightly uphill as well.  The torque really came on here.  The car accelerated well from 40 to 110 MPH, but as the wind resistant build up, it did not have the big top end as I wanted.  During hard acceleration, I had it to the floor a lot, it behaved really well and just --went!  I could put one of these in my driveway anytime.  It was fun to nail the throttle coming off the main straight hairpin.

I did not make my goal, but my co driver did not have it in him to try-- he was not going to let me get it wound up long enough to make 131.  Too bad, that car had a lot more in it. 
Would I do it again?  More than likely.  I did not even scare myself or have any fears as we hammered around the track.  But the car was awesome and that makes a big difference in your levels of fear.  Plus I like going fast whether it is on spikes or Pirelli's.

I am still thinking about racing in Birmingham next weekend at the SE USATF event, but I am not sure what day they are running and what day is the pentathalon.  Their web page is horrible and I am not sure how to plan a trip to race.  I need to do some more racing this year, but I am clueless on their schedule......  I will try again next week to figure it out.   I have been getting in some better training lately.  The lingering effects of the pneumonia are gone and warm weather has been a plus.  Hopefully I can get past my early season malaise and finally compete.  

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