What it's like to drive a racecar

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Well, a NASCAR; but still, I'm sure I'd be bricking it.  This is a really well written article, with some video as well.

http://www.sbnation.com/2010/3/23/1384834/nascar-talladega-the-amateur-epic-mustaches

I like the following excerpts......

The lead car holds an American flag out the window. It ripples in the breeze, and suddenly I'm more American than you'll ever be because I took part in this while wearing a mustache standing on the biggest, fastest racetrack in NASCAR, 2.66 miles of unbastardized, unflitered evil speed. Only Chuck Norris riding Truckasaurus with a freshly devoured Hitler in his jaws could have made this more American. It trashes the word patriotic for being so inadequate.....

....At this point, the driver should be running on DOS. Just like the car itself, speed like this requires little but the basics. Your brain becomes like the interior of the car: a few dials, a wheel, and nothing you don't absolutely need. Your most basic operating systems are in control, the ones that navigate your bedroom silently in the dark of night without stubbing your toe, the involuntary framework standing when life and circumstance has blown away all of your higher functions. If my brain was a modestly priced Dell laptop going into the experience, it was an Apple 2e coming out of the third lap.

Sound is obliterated by your surroundings, sight is limited to a tiny window in front of you, and all focus is directed to staying on track and following the line in front of you. A good comparison would be scuba diving at depth going 170 miles per hour. A better one would be going scuba diving at 170 miles per hour in a car full of roaring bees.  How drivers do anything but avoid other drivers is beyond understanding, since at even higher speeds with more on the line they are prisoners of mechanical circumstance, half-blind conductors of forty bullet trains all running on the same track.

[MD]

How hard can it be?

It's a left turn followed by a left turn ad infinitum..

[Victor Lee]

I recall in the late 80's (or was it early 90's?) when the Thunderdome was open, the MSCA had Thunderdome days.  I think AROCA had a day or two there also.

First thing was we went clockwise (driver side away from the wall).  I was in my road GTV6 (on Yoko A008R's!) then and it was only mildly modified compared to what we are driving now.  The sensation of driving flat stick on the level part of the track and approaching the embankment and saying to yourself "don't lift off" was pretty scary for an amateur.

Then suddenly you were on the embankment and you had to look up at the top of the windscreen (in my case duck down a bit because of my height) to see where you are going, because the bitumen fills the ENTIRE windscreen.  Then you're back on the flat bit again and waiting to do it all over again 15 (?) seconds later.

Whilst it was exciting doing it, at our skill level and in our types of road cars, the likelihood for something major going balls-up was high.  I think they stopped road cars using it soon afterwards because of the G forces generated was forcing fuel into places that fuel normally should not go to ...thereby causing leaks and potential fires.  (can someone recall that?)

For the observer, the Nascar short circuit racing looks very boring.  But recalling my brief taste of embankment work, the skill level and intestinal fortitude level must by very high.