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EnCompass®
The AAA Companion |
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September | October 2004
Volume 78 Issue 5
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Feature Article
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By Milton Fullman
There comes a time in every little boy's life when he grasps in his pudgy hands a tiny race car and makes those funny zoom, vroom sounds.
Next comes the plastic toy tracks where the cars can be lined up and the racing sounds grow louder. The boy shoves the cars forward, racing, swerving, crashing, careening until one reaches the finish line.
Later on, he turns to the television or to an actual race track to watch real drivers in real cars reaching speeds that almost defy logic. And the boy imagines himself behind that wheel, driving that race car.
As boys become men, though, most find dreams of racing fade as the realities of the world take over.
Imagine that it does not have to be that way. Imagine that you can don a race suit, strap on a helmet, buckle into a colorful race car and stick your foot into the floorboard so hard that the car zooms the same way you had pretended as a kid.
Lap after lap you'd grow more confident, push the pedal a little harder.
Louder the engine would roar as the sound rips the air.
Faster you'd sprint, turning left and left and left again...Only this isn't just wishful thinking. I got to do it — until my palms sweated, my arms ached, my ankle tired and adrenaline rushed through my veins with more force than I've ever felt.
It was one of the most memorable days of my life, lapped only by once having taken photos (on the field) of the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders and (just in case my wife is reading) having married and become a father.
My step into the fantasy of becoming a race-car driver took place at Walt Disney World Speedway in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., as part of the Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE).
Long a NASCAR fan, I had no reservation whatsoever deciding to experience racing first-hand. I felt confident, knowing that every car is inspected before each session. (All are NASCAR Nextel Cup-style stock cars with Dodge, Intrepid, Chevy Monte Carlo, Ford Taurus and Pontiac Grand Prix body styles.)
Arriving about a half-hour before my session was to begin, I read and signed a liability waiver and medical form. Basically, I would be responsible for any personal damage, and RPDE accepted responsibility for any equipment damage (just in case my insurance agent is reading this).
With the paper work out of the way, there followed a brief orientation, including viewing a video and meeting the RPDE staff. On-track instruction in a RPDE van followed, allowing us wannabes to master the track driving line and to learn about acceleration and deceleration points.
The other drivers-for-a-day and I also attended a meeting and had the chance to ask questions. By then, though, all I wanted to know (but dared not ask) was how long it would be until I could crawl behind the wheel.
Soon enough, the time came and I was climbing through a small window opening into my race car. Before I could fully grasp the moment, hands were reaching in to attach seatbelts — over my shoulders, between my legs, across my lap. And, connected to my helmet, a head restraint device that really felt confining.
Officially buckled in, I had the urge to stick my head out of the window and yell, "Look at me!" — my head restraint cut that thought short. The track crew then lifted up a window net to seal me inside the car.
Now it was time to get serious. I quickly remembered my next duty: to assemble the steering wheel. I held the steering wheel toward my chest and pushed it onto a spline.
Then, came a moment of quiet. Alone in the car, I wondered if I could remember all that I had just been taught. Meditating, I slipped into that elusive zone that athletes often mention.
My race face was in place as I was told to start the engine (never look for a place to insert a key). With my left hand trembling, I reached out and hit the start levers on the dashboard. Almost as though I had bestowed life, the motor roared and the dashboard lit up. Gauges were flipping, lights were red and green.
The time had come to put this puppy in gear.
As I looked around to see if I had forgotten anything, my seat began to rumble and a track official gave me a thumbs up. Race time! I felt the clutch pedal engage and the car began to move forward down pit road.
Picking up speed, it was only a blink of an eye before I was on the track and jetting toward a sharp left turn. Taking a car you've never driven into a turn at more than 100 mph is as good a cause as any to scream — I let out a good one.
No sooner had I completed the first turn than the outside retaining wall came dangerously close to the passenger door. No time to worry about that, though, as I raced toward another major turn. The steering wheel vibrated in my hands, talking to me as I began the second turn.
Round and round I flew as a flagman gave me signals with different color flags.
Even after my turn was over and I was waved back into the pit, my mind raced almost as fast as the car had been soaring. Removing the steering wheel, I noticed some grease on the column; some of that may have accidentally gotten onto my face. What better evidence for the world to know that on a sunny afternoon in Central Florida I had, for real, been an honest-to-goodness race car driver.
My eight laps were timed, so what I felt was confirmed — as I grew used to the car and the track, my confidence had increased and my speed climbed. My first time around the one-mile, tri-oval track took 47.98 seconds and I was clocked at 115.03 mph. Ultimately, I reached 123.54 mph.
While the entire experience took a mere three hours, the photo of me — helmeted and clutching the steering wheel of a real race car — will be on my office wall long after all else has been discarded.
Based in Birmingham, Ala., Milton Fullman is president-elect of the Society of American Travel Writers.
| Planning Your Trip |
Walt Disney World Speedway offers experiences from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Ride alongs are offered daily.
The Richard Petty Rookie Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and offers four options:
Ride Along: Offered daily for $99 to sit in the right seat.
Rookie Experience: $379 for eight laps. Total experience lasts about three hours.
King's Experience: $799 for 18 laps. Total experiences lasts about five hours.
Experience of a Lifetime: $1,249 for 30 laps. Total experience lasts about five hours.
Other tracks: Various Richard Petty Driving Experiences are available at other NASCAR tracks around the country.
Requirements: To take part, you must have a valid driver's license and be able to drive a standard transmission. Minimum age restrictions apply and vary from track to track. Participants must be able to climb through a window opening that is 15 inches high by 30 inches wide and is 36 inches off the ground. Generally, a driver should be shorter than 6 feet 8 inches and weigh less than 280 pounds.
Information/reservations: Go to www.1800bepetty.com or call 800-BE-PETTY.
AAA Connection
Contact your local AAA Travel professional
or click on www.aaa.com
to learn more about numerous Disney travel
packages available to AAA members.
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