I quickly forgot about the heat as we peeled out on the opening straightaway and went through the gradual turn 1. You'd be pinned to the side of the car on the turns if you weren't strapped in so snugly. (Andretti is maybe 5-5.) There's not much legroom. Anybody taller than 6-foot, by the way, can forget about a career as an Ind圜ar driver. It wasn't a particularly hot day, but the fire suit, helmet and other protective gear made it hotter in the car than Death Valley. You think you're prepared for the speed of one of these babies, but you're not. These days, Andretti gives the media, sponsors and other people rides for a group called the Ind圜ar Experience. Knowing my lap would last considerably short of that, I relaxed. He pointed out, "The average life of these tires is 10 minutes." That was before he won a Formula 1 title and four Ind圜ar championships. In fact, if Andretti slowed at all, except for the hairpin turns 7 and 11, it escaped my attention.īefore the ride, Andretti, 74, recalled finishing second to Dan Gurney at the track, then known as Sears Point, back in the '60s. It helps that the car is low slung and that decades of advances in suspension and handling have greatly reduced the need to slow down in the corners. These tires must have the grip of a vise. Each car will go through about six or seven sets over the next few days, culminating with Sunday's GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. The big, bald Firestones supposedly cost $2,600 for a set of four, although I'm guessing the series gets a promotional discount. In this two-seat Ind圜ar there were no squeals - at least, none that I could hear over the engine noise. The tires were screeching like a chase scene from "Fast & Furious." I had ridden around the twisting course before in a NASCAR vehicle, and that was fun.
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