Then, as the car was pushed from behind, I put it into high gear. After brief instruction on the use of an unusual clutch, Rosenwaks and I were belted into the open wheeler back to back - ie, me in front with her directly behind. The next day it was back to the track for the more complex Indy car. Ride-along passenger steps up to be strapped into the Mario Andretti Racing Experience Indy car, Jim. From the look on Rosenwaks’ face and the “that’s awesome” that came from her mouth, I knew I had done my job. We had gone out and done the stock car ride-along without mishap. When I finally received the command over the radio to pit, I felt relief. In a single-seater, I probably wouldn’t have, but the living cargo I was carrying affected me more than I thought it would. It was fast enough, but when I got the urge to take a corner a few mph quicker, I backed off. But because of intense focus, I did so only a few times, just kept running each lap a little faster, on some hitting over 160 mph. Occasionally, when I glanced over, I could see Rosenwaks out of the corner of my right eye. On the back-straight and in fourth gear, I looked for other cars, then blended onto the track from the apron. I put the 550-plus-horsepower stock car into first gear and roared out of pit lane. Could I really do this? I had no time to think. Rosenwaks, an oceans explorer with seemingly no fear, had volunteered to take the joy-ride.Īs I watched the instructors belt Rosenwaks into the passenger’s seat next to me, I nearly unbuckled and got out. To remove some of the pressure, my first passenger would be Gaelin Rosenwaks, a colleague at The Explorers Club. But how would the modified two-seaters handle with the added weight of an extra passenger? How would I react knowing that I had someone else’s life on the line? I have driven there several times at high speeds, over 180 mph. Sure, I know the Auto Club track like the back of my hand. To say I slept well the night before would be a lie.
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