Chances to ride in a high performance car driven by
a World Driver Champion and all time many series great
are now over.
I'd guess misfit will say it was about time!
from https://www.thedrive.com/news/37386/honda-pulls-mario-andretti-from-driving-the-two-seater-indycar-and-we-had-the-last-ride?fbclid=IwAR3XDTFhFZGHXM--dwv7iyx-TaLiPfwLrCBTuIaXQgQXWThGaUp0AmEO4F4
Honda Pulls Mario Andretti From Driving the Two-Seater IndyCar, and We
Had the Last Ride [UPDATE]
Mario Andretti is no longer driving the fastest seat in sports. We took
the very last ride with him.
BYSTEVE COLE SMITHOCTOBER 31, 2020
NEWS
mario andretti two seater indycarHOWARD WALKER
SHARE
Lady Gaga, Channing Tatum, Nick Cannon, Mark Wahlberg and Julian Edelman
have all sat where my substantial rear was parked on October 25: In
Mario Andretti’s famous two-person Honda IndyCar, long marketed as the Fastest Seat in Sports. Andretti's been giving these thrill rides to
lucky fans and VIPs for the better part of a decade. But the iconic
racer, who turns 81 in February, has formally been removed from the
driver's seat by Honda.
And somehow, the fates aligned to put me in the car for his very last
drive.
[UPDATE 11/2, 11:15am ET: Over the weekend, Racer.com published a
rebuttal to our story—though this account never uses the word "fired" as Racer purports—citing both an anonymous Honda source and Mario Andretti himself, who claims he hasn't been told anything to this effect. This is despite repeated on-the-record statements to The Drive from Honda's PR department saying the St. Petersburg race on October 25 was Andretti's
last for the company. We are looking into the situation and will post
further updates as we get them.]
Why is this happening? Honda declined to comment, but “81 in February” may have something to do with it, liability- and insurance-wise.
Regardless, I have never been so polite in a line as I was last Sunday,
when it was, “No, you go ahead,” as I drifted to the rear of the line of 20 or so queued up at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix at 7 a.m. race
morning, paperwork (a lot of paperwork) in hand.
Eventually, it was time for the last and final person: me. I’d suited up
90 minutes earlier, and not one kid asked me for my autograph, if that
tells you something about how I look in a fire suit. I was herded into
the car—this thing moves like a synthetic-oiled machine—and I was strapped in, the crew started the engine, and Andretti roared off.
DEBORAH VAN VALIN
As you likely know, the St. Pete street course is rough and tight and
the walls come at you so fast that...wow. You’d never know the man
driving had 60 years on some of the competitors who’d race later that
day. It's not like you can have a conversation or, you know, even see
the other person's face in a two-seat IndyCar, but watching and feeling
the car react to his preternatural inputs was its own form of
communication. Mario told me later he had been at about 85 percent,
which was good for 165 mph on the main straight of the race track, the
runway for Albert Whitted Airport.
Then hard on the brakes, back to the pits. Unbuckled, as did Andretti,
and we spoke for a while.
“Though the ‘Fastest Seat’ doesn’t necessarily give you a feel for the
racing, I hope it gave you a feel for what it’s like out there, to be in the middle of 20 other cars. It’s pretty authentic,” Andretti said.
It’s a wonderful way to showcase our sport,” he said. “Our sport is very
non-participant. You can go to a driving school, and you’re driving 15 percent. I know, I had one. Then they lie on the speeds. Here, we can reliably run at 80 or 85 percent, and hopefully you come away with an appreciation of what our racers do. That’s the reason I do this. Because
I love it.”
DEBORAH VAN VALIN
Indeed, it isn’t that hard to imagine what a single car can do on the track. But on-the-edge racing for 100 laps – anybody want to argue again that these aren’t athletes?
Mario Andretti sure as hell is. Fifty-two IndyCar wins and four championships; the Daytona 500, the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb, and the
Formula 1 championship – the last American to win an F1 race (a good
trivia question, the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix). At that moment last Sunday, neither of us knew it would be his last time inviting some mope like me
along for the ride in the sport that made him. To think about it now,
another abrupt ending in a year of abrupt endings, is sad and poignant
all at once.
I’m old and seldom awed. But Mario Andretti, one of the nicest people in racing, has awed me for decades. And hopefully will for a decade or two
more.
Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com
--------------------------
next was:
11 Thoughts You’ll Have While Mario Andretti Drives You Around Indy at
170 MPH
He's too good to crash, right?
BYSEAN EVANSMAY 27, 2016
VIDEO
SharePlay Video
SHARE
SEAN EVANSView Sean Evans's Articles
AngryInParadiseAngryInParadise
(old story)
Mario Andretti is 76 years old. As the greatest living racer of our generation nears octogenarian status, he shows zero indication that he’s willing to slow down. I know this because the man expertly whipped me
around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this month at speeds more
than double his age. And he would’ve gone faster, were we not
constrained to the road course. “On the oval, Mario’ll hit 200 miles an hour easy,” Scott Jasek says. “He’s always looking for more speed.”
Jasek, along with partners Jeff Sinden and Joe Kennedy, co-own the Indy Racing Experience, a company that puts you in a two-seater Dallara, just behind Andretti and a few other race phenoms, for two hot laps you will
never forget. The chassis are original, and purpose-built, as compared
to lesser competitor offerings which are welded together from two donor
cars. That difference is key because the rigidity allows Andretti to get
that Honda 3.5-liter V6 twin turbo fully cranking. That powerplant, the
same found in any other Honda-powered Indy car, generates 700 horsepower
and is mated to an Emco six-speed tranny, also found in any Indy car.
“The only difference between this and what you’ll see in the 500 this weekend is that extra seat,” Jasek says.
After signing many release forms, which ask for your primary physician’s contact information and your blood type, you tug on a race suit, head
sock and helmet and queue up while Andretti and a team run through a
final once-over of the car. When the crew chief beckons, you climb in
and let the team make sure you’re fastened securely. Less than a minute later, the car thunders to life and away you go. Over the next four
minutes, the time it takes Andretti to complete two passes on the road course, a slew of thoughts will fly around your head. Below, a
collection of some of mine.
1) “This open cockpit makes everything feel much faster.”
By the time we’re halfway down pit lane, we barely hit 100 in there,
though the forces pulling on your body are enough to lift your helmet
up. That lifting sensation is so strong, I inadvertently feel myself white-knuckling the hand grips.
2) “I can’t see anything. Just the top of Andretti’s head and the front tires.”
You’re crammed right behind Andretti, with your legs essentially on
either side of his body. Andretti knows when he’s going to turn, so he’s bracing for it. Thus, his head never moves. You have no idea when a turn
is coming, so when it happens, your head ends up banging against the
sides of the car.
3) “Mario may be trying to kill me in the brake zones.”
When the guy wants to scrub his speed, he stomps on the brakes so hard, you’re sure the four point harness is going to snap your collar bone.
4) “What’s this button back here?”
Between the handles you’ll be squeezing the bejesus out of, there’s a small red button. No one explained what it was before we left, though
Jasek later informs me it’s a panic button. Hit it and “PANIC” literally
appears on Andretti’s wheel. “No one’s ever hit that in the 15 years we’ve been doing this,” Jasek says.
DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP
YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
5) “We’re sliding, we’re sliding. Oh shit, we’re sliding.”
As Andretti gooses it through Turn 6, I can feel the back end get a
little squirrely. I remember our chat before the drive, where Andretti estimated he’s driven more than 100,000 miles on at this very track and
try to calm down.
6) “Is my weight affecting the handling?”
Turns out, it’s not. They don’t adjust for the plus one, and Andretti will just punch the gas harder if the passenger is heavier than 200
pounds. Two of the newer chassis are built to accommodate a guest up to
300 pounds.
7) “This costs $125 a minute.”
For the layperson to sign up for this thrill, it’s $500 for the two
laps. Divided by the approximately four minutes, and you’re looking at a hefty per-minute fee, though it’s well worth the cost of admission.
8) “The straight is going to suck me out of this car.”
Coming out of Turn 14 which dumps you into the front straight, Andretti
drops the hammer and we’re doing 170 in short order. My helmet feels
like it wants to fly away and take my head with it. Later, I learn that we’re pulling 2gs while an Indy racer would typically experience double that during a real race.
9) “My entire body is tense.”
As we start the second lap, I realize I’m aching all over because I’m so rigid from trying to hold on and brace myself for turns and brake zones
that I can’t anticipate.
10) “Are we getting closer to the wall?”
When you exit the road course onto the front straight, the wall is just
to your left. It comes up blisteringly quick, though on our first lap we didn’t get as close. Our second lap, I could tell Andretti was feeling
more comfortable and pushing it more. The engine was revving higher and louder, we seemed to be going faster (though Andretti would have no way
of knowing since he can only see his RPMs and not his speed while in the car), and that wall drew nearer.
11) “Oh my god. Mario just hit the wall.”
I wasn’t in the car when this happened. I was watching from the Pagoda,
and it was about an hour and a half after my laps had finished. Andretti
came hauling through that same spot though, really trying to find the
limit, when suddenly the car careened into the wall and bounced off.
They kept going and completed the second lap. “Mario white walled the
tires for us,” Jasek laughed, adding that’s the first time in 15 years Andretti had ever done had a mishap like that. “Mario came into the trailer, laughing, asking if we saw. He thought it was funny. To him,
it’s just a part of racing.”
Watch footage of my laps with Andretti above.
MORE TO READ
RELATED
Mario Andretti and the Brutal Magic of Monza
Triumph and death at Italy’s most famous racetrack.
READ NOW
RELATED
Donnie Allison on the Greatest Lap In NASCAR History
The wild end of the 1979 Daytona 500, written by the man who raced it. RELATED
Ferrari Drops Audio of the F12 TDF Lapping Fiorano
Aural fixation and petroleum obliteration.
RELATED
Mercedes-AMG GT-R Caught Hot-Lapping the Nürburgring
AMG's souped-up super sports car seen in flagrante delicto.
RELATED
A Terrifying Lap in the Audi R8 V10 Plus
The Drive's disturbingly calm chief auto critic talks us through a 180
mph Daytona run.
Fake News
https://twitter.com/MarioAndretti/status/1323062940560445441
On 11/2/2020 3:16 PM, a425couple wrote:
Chances to ride in a high performance car driven by
a World Driver Champion and all time many series great
are now over.
I'd guess misfit will say it was about time!
from
https://www.thedrive.com/news/37386/honda-pulls-mario-andretti-from-driving-the-two-seater-indycar-and-we-had-the-last-ride?fbclid=IwAR3XDTFhFZGHXM--dwv7iyx-TaLiPfwLrCBTuIaXQgQXWThGaUp0AmEO4F4
Honda Pulls Mario Andretti From Driving the Two-Seater IndyCar, and We Had the Last Ride [UPDATE]
Mario Andretti is no longer driving the fastest seat in sports. We took the very last ride with him.
BYSTEVE COLE SMITHOCTOBER 31, 2020
NEWS
mario andretti two seater indycarHOWARD WALKER
SHARE
Lady Gaga, Channing Tatum, Nick Cannon, Mark Wahlberg and Julian Edelman have all sat where my
substantial rear was parked on October 25: In Mario Andretti’s famous two-person Honda IndyCar,
long marketed as the Fastest Seat in Sports. Andretti's been giving these thrill rides to lucky
fans and VIPs for the better part of a decade. But the iconic racer, who turns 81 in February,
has formally been removed from the driver's seat by Honda.
And somehow, the fates aligned to put me in the car for his very last drive. >>
[UPDATE 11/2, 11:15am ET: Over the weekend, Racer.com published a rebuttal to our story—though
this account never uses the word "fired" as Racer purports—citing both an anonymous Honda source
and Mario Andretti himself, who claims he hasn't been told anything to this effect. This is
despite repeated on-the-record statements to The Drive from Honda's PR department saying the St.
Petersburg race on October 25 was Andretti's last for the company. We are looking into the
situation and will post further updates as we get them.]
Why is this happening? Honda declined to comment, but “81 in February” may have something to do
with it, liability- and insurance-wise. Regardless, I have never been so polite in a line as I
was last Sunday, when it was, “No, you go ahead,” as I drifted to the rear of the line of 20 or
so queued up at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix at 7 a.m. race morning, paperwork (a lot of
paperwork) in hand.
Eventually, it was time for the last and final person: me. I’d suited up 90 minutes earlier, and
not one kid asked me for my autograph, if that tells you something about how I look in a fire
suit. I was herded into the car—this thing moves like a synthetic-oiled machine—and I was
strapped in, the crew started the engine, and Andretti roared off.
DEBORAH VAN VALIN
As you likely know, the St. Pete street course is rough and tight and the walls come at you so
fast that...wow. You’d never know the man driving had 60 years on some of the competitors who’d
race later that day. It's not like you can have a conversation or, you know, even see the other
person's face in a two-seat IndyCar, but watching and feeling the car react to his preternatural
inputs was its own form of communication. Mario told me later he had been at about 85 percent,
which was good for 165 mph on the main straight of the race track, the runway for Albert Whitted
Airport.
Then hard on the brakes, back to the pits. Unbuckled, as did Andretti, and we spoke for a while.
“Though the ‘Fastest Seat’ doesn’t necessarily give you a feel for the racing, I hope it gave you
a feel for what it’s like out there, to be in the middle of 20 other cars. It’s pretty
authentic,” Andretti said.
It’s a wonderful way to showcase our sport,” he said. “Our sport is very non-participant. You can
go to a driving school, and you’re driving 15 percent. I know, I had one. Then they lie on the
speeds. Here, we can reliably run at 80 or 85 percent, and hopefully you come away with an
appreciation of what our racers do. That’s the reason I do this. Because I love it.”
DEBORAH VAN VALIN
Indeed, it isn’t that hard to imagine what a single car can do on the track. But on-the-edge
racing for 100 laps – anybody want to argue again that these aren’t athletes?
Mario Andretti sure as hell is. Fifty-two IndyCar wins and four championships; the Daytona 500,
the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb, and the Formula 1 championship – the last American to win an F1 race
(a good trivia question, the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix). At that moment last Sunday, neither of us
knew it would be his last time inviting some mope like me along for the ride in the sport that
made him. To think about it now, another abrupt ending in a year of abrupt endings, is sad and
poignant all at once.
I’m old and seldom awed. But Mario Andretti, one of the nicest people in racing, has awed me for
decades. And hopefully will for a decade or two more.
Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com
--------------------------
next was:
11 Thoughts You’ll Have While Mario Andretti Drives You Around Indy at 170 MPH
He's too good to crash, right?
BYSEAN EVANSMAY 27, 2016
VIDEO
SharePlay Video
SHARE
SEAN EVANSView Sean Evans's Articles
AngryInParadiseAngryInParadise
(old story)
Mario Andretti is 76 years old. As the greatest living racer of our generation nears octogenarian
status, he shows zero indication that he’s willing to slow down. I know this because the man
expertly whipped me around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this month at speeds more than
double his age. And he would’ve gone faster, were we not constrained to the road course. “On the
oval, Mario’ll hit 200 miles an hour easy,” Scott Jasek says. “He’s always looking for more speed.”
Jasek, along with partners Jeff Sinden and Joe Kennedy, co-own the Indy Racing Experience, a
company that puts you in a two-seater Dallara, just behind Andretti and a few other race phenoms,
for two hot laps you will never forget. The chassis are original, and purpose-built, as compared
to lesser competitor offerings which are welded together from two donor cars. That difference is
key because the rigidity allows Andretti to get that Honda 3.5-liter V6 twin turbo fully
cranking. That powerplant, the same found in any other Honda-powered Indy car, generates 700
horsepower and is mated to an Emco six-speed tranny, also found in any Indy car. “The only
difference between this and what you’ll see in the 500 this weekend is that extra seat,” Jasek says.
After signing many release forms, which ask for your primary physician’s contact information and
your blood type, you tug on a race suit, head sock and helmet and queue up while Andretti and a
team run through a final once-over of the car. When the crew chief beckons, you climb in and let
the team make sure you’re fastened securely. Less than a minute later, the car thunders to life
and away you go. Over the next four minutes, the time it takes Andretti to complete two passes on
the road course, a slew of thoughts will fly around your head. Below, a collection of some of mine.
1) “This open cockpit makes everything feel much faster.”
By the time we’re halfway down pit lane, we barely hit 100 in there, though the forces pulling on
your body are enough to lift your helmet up. That lifting sensation is so strong, I inadvertently
feel myself white-knuckling the hand grips.
2) “I can’t see anything. Just the top of Andretti’s head and the front tires.”
You’re crammed right behind Andretti, with your legs essentially on either side of his body.
Andretti knows when he’s going to turn, so he’s bracing for it. Thus, his head never moves. You
have no idea when a turn is coming, so when it happens, your head ends up banging against the
sides of the car.
3) “Mario may be trying to kill me in the brake zones.”
When the guy wants to scrub his speed, he stomps on the brakes so hard, you’re sure the four
point harness is going to snap your collar bone.
4) “What’s this button back here?”
Between the handles you’ll be squeezing the bejesus out of, there’s a small red button. No one
explained what it was before we left, though Jasek later informs me it’s a panic button. Hit it
and “PANIC” literally appears on Andretti’s wheel. “No one’s ever hit that in the 15 years we’ve
been doing this,” Jasek says.
DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP
YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
5) “We’re sliding, we’re sliding. Oh shit, we’re sliding.”
As Andretti gooses it through Turn 6, I can feel the back end get a little squirrely. I remember
our chat before the drive, where Andretti estimated he’s driven more than 100,000 miles on at
this very track and try to calm down.
6) “Is my weight affecting the handling?”
Turns out, it’s not. They don’t adjust for the plus one, and Andretti will just punch the gas
harder if the passenger is heavier than 200 pounds. Two of the newer chassis are built to
accommodate a guest up to 300 pounds.
7) “This costs $125 a minute.”
For the layperson to sign up for this thrill, it’s $500 for the two laps. Divided by the
approximately four minutes, and you’re looking at a hefty per-minute fee, though it’s well worth
the cost of admission.
8) “The straight is going to suck me out of this car.”
Coming out of Turn 14 which dumps you into the front straight, Andretti drops the hammer and
we’re doing 170 in short order. My helmet feels like it wants to fly away and take my head with
it. Later, I learn that we’re pulling 2gs while an Indy racer would typically experience double
that during a real race.
9) “My entire body is tense.”
As we start the second lap, I realize I’m aching all over because I’m so rigid from trying to
hold on and brace myself for turns and brake zones that I can’t anticipate.
10) “Are we getting closer to the wall?”
When you exit the road course onto the front straight, the wall is just to your left. It comes up
blisteringly quick, though on our first lap we didn’t get as close. Our second lap, I could tell
Andretti was feeling more comfortable and pushing it more. The engine was revving higher and
louder, we seemed to be going faster (though Andretti would have no way of knowing since he can
only see his RPMs and not his speed while in the car), and that wall drew nearer.
11) “Oh my god. Mario just hit the wall.”
I wasn’t in the car when this happened. I was watching from the Pagoda, and it was about an hour
and a half after my laps had finished. Andretti came hauling through that same spot though,
really trying to find the limit, when suddenly the car careened into the wall and bounced off.
They kept going and completed the second lap. “Mario white walled the tires for us,” Jasek
laughed, adding that’s the first time in 15 years Andretti had ever done had a mishap like that.
“Mario came into the trailer, laughing, asking if we saw. He thought it was funny. To him, it’s
just a part of racing.”
Watch footage of my laps with Andretti above.
MORE TO READ
RELATED
Mario Andretti and the Brutal Magic of Monza
Triumph and death at Italy’s most famous racetrack.
READ NOW
RELATED
Donnie Allison on the Greatest Lap In NASCAR History
The wild end of the 1979 Daytona 500, written by the man who raced it.
RELATED
Ferrari Drops Audio of the F12 TDF Lapping Fiorano
Aural fixation and petroleum obliteration.
RELATED
Mercedes-AMG GT-R Caught Hot-Lapping the Nürburgring
AMG's souped-up super sports car seen in flagrante delicto.
RELATED
A Terrifying Lap in the Audi R8 V10 Plus
The Drive's disturbingly calm chief auto critic talks us through a 180 mph Daytona run.
On 3/11/2020 1:02 pm, leonard hofstatder wrote:
Fake News
https://twitter.com/MarioAndretti/status/1323062940560445441
Did you not read this in all of the text that you top-posted over?
[UPDATE 11/2, 11:15am ET: Over the weekend, Racer.com published a
rebuttal to our story—though this account never uses the word "fired" as Racer purports—citing both an anonymous Honda source and Mario Andretti himself, who claims he hasn't been told anything to this effect. This is despite repeated on-the-record statements to The Drive from Honda's PR department saying the St. Petersburg race on October 25 was Andretti's
last for the company. We are looking into the situation and will post
further updates as we get them.]
On 11/2/2020 3:16 PM, a425couple wrote:
Chances to ride in a high performance car driven by
a World Driver Champion and all time many series great
are now over.
I'd guess misfit will say it was about time!
from
https://www.thedrive.com/news/37386/honda-pulls-mario-andretti-from-driving-the-two-seater-indycar-and-we-had-the-last-ride?fbclid=IwAR3XDTFhFZGHXM--dwv7iyx-TaLiPfwLrCBTuIaXQgQXWThGaUp0AmEO4F4
Honda Pulls Mario Andretti From Driving the Two-Seater IndyCar, and
We Had the Last Ride [UPDATE]
Mario Andretti is no longer driving the fastest seat in sports. We
took the very last ride with him.
BYSTEVE COLE SMITHOCTOBER 31, 2020
NEWS
mario andretti two seater indycarHOWARD WALKER
SHARE
Lady Gaga, Channing Tatum, Nick Cannon, Mark Wahlberg and Julian
Edelman have all sat where my substantial rear was parked on October
25: In Mario Andretti’s famous two-person Honda IndyCar, long
marketed as the Fastest Seat in Sports. Andretti's been giving these
thrill rides to lucky fans and VIPs for the better part of a decade.
But the iconic racer, who turns 81 in February, has formally been
removed from the driver's seat by Honda.
And somehow, the fates aligned to put me in the car for his very last
drive.
[UPDATE 11/2, 11:15am ET: Over the weekend, Racer.com published a
rebuttal to our story—though this account never uses the word "fired"
as Racer purports—citing both an anonymous Honda source and Mario
Andretti himself, who claims he hasn't been told anything to this
effect. This is despite repeated on-the-record statements to The
Drive from Honda's PR department saying the St. Petersburg race on
October 25 was Andretti's last for the company. We are looking into
the situation and will post further updates as we get them.]
Why is this happening? Honda declined to comment, but “81 in
February” may have something to do with it, liability- and
insurance-wise. Regardless, I have never been so polite in a line as
I was last Sunday, when it was, “No, you go ahead,” as I drifted to
the rear of the line of 20 or so queued up at the St. Petersburg
Grand Prix at 7 a.m. race morning, paperwork (a lot of paperwork) in
hand.
Eventually, it was time for the last and final person: me. I’d suited
up 90 minutes earlier, and not one kid asked me for my autograph, if
that tells you something about how I look in a fire suit. I was
herded into the car—this thing moves like a synthetic-oiled
machine—and I was strapped in, the crew started the engine, and
Andretti roared off.
DEBORAH VAN VALIN
As you likely know, the St. Pete street course is rough and tight and
the walls come at you so fast that...wow. You’d never know the man
driving had 60 years on some of the competitors who’d race later that
day. It's not like you can have a conversation or, you know, even see
the other person's face in a two-seat IndyCar, but watching and
feeling the car react to his preternatural inputs was its own form of
communication. Mario told me later he had been at about 85 percent,
which was good for 165 mph on the main straight of the race track,
the runway for Albert Whitted Airport.
Then hard on the brakes, back to the pits. Unbuckled, as did
Andretti, and we spoke for a while.
“Though the ‘Fastest Seat’ doesn’t necessarily give you a feel for >>> the racing, I hope it gave you a feel for what it’s like out there,
to be in the middle of 20 other cars. It’s pretty authentic,”
Andretti said.
It’s a wonderful way to showcase our sport,” he said. “Our sport is >>> very non-participant. You can go to a driving school, and you’re
driving 15 percent. I know, I had one. Then they lie on the speeds.
Here, we can reliably run at 80 or 85 percent, and hopefully you come
away with an appreciation of what our racers do. That’s the reason I
do this. Because I love it.”
DEBORAH VAN VALIN
Indeed, it isn’t that hard to imagine what a single car can do on the
track. But on-the-edge racing for 100 laps – anybody want to argue
again that these aren’t athletes?
Mario Andretti sure as hell is. Fifty-two IndyCar wins and four
championships; the Daytona 500, the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb, and the
Formula 1 championship – the last American to win an F1 race (a good
trivia question, the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix). At that moment last
Sunday, neither of us knew it would be his last time inviting some
mope like me along for the ride in the sport that made him. To think
about it now, another abrupt ending in a year of abrupt endings, is
sad and poignant all at once.
I’m old and seldom awed. But Mario Andretti, one of the nicest people
in racing, has awed me for decades. And hopefully will for a decade
or two more.
Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com
--------------------------
next was:
11 Thoughts You’ll Have While Mario Andretti Drives You Around Indy
at 170 MPH
He's too good to crash, right?
BYSEAN EVANSMAY 27, 2016
VIDEO
SharePlay Video
SHARE
SEAN EVANSView Sean Evans's Articles
AngryInParadiseAngryInParadise
(old story)
Mario Andretti is 76 years old. As the greatest living racer of our
generation nears octogenarian status, he shows zero indication that
he’s willing to slow down. I know this because the man expertly
whipped me around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this month
at speeds more than double his age. And he would’ve gone faster, were
we not constrained to the road course. “On the oval, Mario’ll hit 200 >>> miles an hour easy,” Scott Jasek says. “He’s always looking for more >>> speed.”
Jasek, along with partners Jeff Sinden and Joe Kennedy, co-own the
Indy Racing Experience, a company that puts you in a two-seater
Dallara, just behind Andretti and a few other race phenoms, for two
hot laps you will never forget. The chassis are original, and
purpose-built, as compared to lesser competitor offerings which are
welded together from two donor cars. That difference is key because
the rigidity allows Andretti to get that Honda 3.5-liter V6 twin
turbo fully cranking. That powerplant, the same found in any other
Honda-powered Indy car, generates 700 horsepower and is mated to an
Emco six-speed tranny, also found in any Indy car. “The only
difference between this and what you’ll see in the 500 this weekend
is that extra seat,” Jasek says.
After signing many release forms, which ask for your primary
physician’s contact information and your blood type, you tug on a
race suit, head sock and helmet and queue up while Andretti and a
team run through a final once-over of the car. When the crew chief
beckons, you climb in and let the team make sure you’re fastened
securely. Less than a minute later, the car thunders to life and away
you go. Over the next four minutes, the time it takes Andretti to
complete two passes on the road course, a slew of thoughts will fly
around your head. Below, a collection of some of mine.
1) “This open cockpit makes everything feel much faster.”
By the time we’re halfway down pit lane, we barely hit 100 in there,
though the forces pulling on your body are enough to lift your helmet
up. That lifting sensation is so strong, I inadvertently feel myself
white-knuckling the hand grips.
2) “I can’t see anything. Just the top of Andretti’s head and the
front tires.”
You’re crammed right behind Andretti, with your legs essentially on
either side of his body. Andretti knows when he’s going to turn, so
he’s bracing for it. Thus, his head never moves. You have no idea
when a turn is coming, so when it happens, your head ends up banging
against the sides of the car.
3) “Mario may be trying to kill me in the brake zones.”
When the guy wants to scrub his speed, he stomps on the brakes so
hard, you’re sure the four point harness is going to snap your collar
bone.
4) “What’s this button back here?”
Between the handles you’ll be squeezing the bejesus out of, there’s a >>> small red button. No one explained what it was before we left, though
Jasek later informs me it’s a panic button. Hit it and “PANIC”
literally appears on Andretti’s wheel. “No one’s ever hit that in the >>> 15 years we’ve been doing this,” Jasek says.
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5) “We’re sliding, we’re sliding. Oh shit, we’re sliding.”
As Andretti gooses it through Turn 6, I can feel the back end get a
little squirrely. I remember our chat before the drive, where
Andretti estimated he’s driven more than 100,000 miles on at this
very track and try to calm down.
6) “Is my weight affecting the handling?”
Turns out, it’s not. They don’t adjust for the plus one, and Andretti >>> will just punch the gas harder if the passenger is heavier than 200
pounds. Two of the newer chassis are built to accommodate a guest up
to 300 pounds.
7) “This costs $125 a minute.”
For the layperson to sign up for this thrill, it’s $500 for the two
laps. Divided by the approximately four minutes, and you’re looking
at a hefty per-minute fee, though it’s well worth the cost of admission. >>>
8) “The straight is going to suck me out of this car.”
Coming out of Turn 14 which dumps you into the front straight,
Andretti drops the hammer and we’re doing 170 in short order. My
helmet feels like it wants to fly away and take my head with it.
Later, I learn that we’re pulling 2gs while an Indy racer would
typically experience double that during a real race.
9) “My entire body is tense.”
As we start the second lap, I realize I’m aching all over because I’m >>> so rigid from trying to hold on and brace myself for turns and brake
zones that I can’t anticipate.
10) “Are we getting closer to the wall?”
When you exit the road course onto the front straight, the wall is
just to your left. It comes up blisteringly quick, though on our
first lap we didn’t get as close. Our second lap, I could tell
Andretti was feeling more comfortable and pushing it more. The engine
was revving higher and louder, we seemed to be going faster (though
Andretti would have no way of knowing since he can only see his RPMs
and not his speed while in the car), and that wall drew nearer.
11) “Oh my god. Mario just hit the wall.”
I wasn’t in the car when this happened. I was watching from the
Pagoda, and it was about an hour and a half after my laps had
finished. Andretti came hauling through that same spot though, really
trying to find the limit, when suddenly the car careened into the
wall and bounced off. They kept going and completed the second lap.
“Mario white walled the tires for us,” Jasek laughed, adding that’s >>> the first time in 15 years Andretti had ever done had a mishap like
that. “Mario came into the trailer, laughing, asking if we saw. He
thought it was funny. To him, it’s just a part of racing.”
Watch footage of my laps with Andretti above.
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