DAN'S PAPERS, August 13, 2010 Page 86 www.danshamptons.com
Add This to Your Bucket List By Ryan Pilla Have you given much thought to your Bucket List? You know, the list of things you would like to do before you kick the bucket? I want to make a recommendation to all of you car lovers out there. Once in your lifetime, you need to get behind the wheel of a true race car on a real race track. Feel the thrill of taking a car to its limits and at the same time, pushing your own limits. I’m not talking about replying to that postcard invitation to attend a manufacturer sponsored “Driving Event” you got in the mail as a result of your recent Mercedes or Porsche purchase. These usually turn out to be some kind of glorified parking lot rally where some wannabe schmuck polices your every move as you circle orange cones on a flat expanse of asphalt. This, my friend, is not a racing experience. What I’m talking about is a Day in the Life of a Race Car Driver. Go to a professional race track, such as Limerock Park, New Jersey
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Motorsports Park or Watkins Glen. Get into a fully prepared race car–not a street car with bogus race stickers on it, cushiony leather seats and a car stereo. A real race car will not look anything like your street car inside. It will have a welded roll cage, race seats with five point harness belts, race suspension, racing slicks, competition caliber brakes and a Disneyland of gauges and gizmos on the dash, all designed to give you feedback on the rollercoaster ride you’re experiencing. Also, if you want to have the 100% real deal–onboard telemetry and full radio communications is a must. On board telemetry is a computer system that monitors the car’s performance (and yours), then interprets that data. You can download this data and use it to evaluate your on-track performance. Radio communications, which are fed through a driver’s helmet, connect the driver to the pits, so that he can hear valuable information about his performance and what is happening around the track with other drivers. The helmet communications are also valuable for the driver to be able to converse with his instructor, who may be sitting shotgun in the passenger seat. Of course, any ver-
bal input the instructor may have for the driver would otherwise be completely drowned out by the roar of the RPMs. Speaking of instructors...this is a key component of any good driving experience. You are certainly in attendance to get real seat time in a prepped car, but even an experienced driver can benefit from some guidance and performance feedback. So what differentiates a good instructor from the aforementioned wannabe schmucks? Professional experience. Period. Look for instructors that have their accreditation through a professional, national sanctioning body. These guys can provide constructive feedback on your track performance from the prospective of someone who has rubbed bumpers with some seriously intense competitors. Not to mention, these guys provide great trackside war stories that will be guaranteed to make your hair stand on end. There are a handful of operations in the Northeast that offer this type of experience, the best of which, in my opinion, is a company called, Turn Key Drive, right here on Long Island. This group of guys will give you a top notch, first class experience with more seat time than any of their competitors, superior equipment and stellar instruction. They have an impressive array of cars, including Ferrari Challenge, BMW M3s, Mazda MX5s and Mini Cooper S. Contact Pete Spinella through their website TurnKeyDrive.com or call 631-514-7580 to make arrangements. Definitely put racing on your Bucket List. It’s the most exhilarating experience you can have with your clothes on. Forget skydiving or white water rafting. For a real and sustained thrill, nothing beats watching the needle hit the red line while at full speed on a track previously graced by legendary professional drivers. Man and machine working together as one. Now come on, who doesn’t want to go fast?
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