Some have asked me what do I race? Well, the answer is that I don’t exactly race, but I do participate in motorsports with the National Auto Sports Association (NASA) in their High Performance Driver’s Events programs (aka HPDE) and their Time Trials program.
So, what does that mean? Basically, it means I get to take my car to a racetrack, and drive really fast around that track in a controlled environment, for a fee. No, I don’t get the track all to myself, I have to share it with others, and there are strictly controlled passing rules, as well as corner workers, safety flags, safety vehicles, and plenty of other things to keep you (and your car) safe. And there are few things as thrilling as coming out of the last corner before the front straight, getting my G35 up to 147 mph, and then threshold braking before I go through turn one at 90 mph. Or pulling through the ‘Attitudes’ at Miller Motorsports Park, a set of descending S turns, almost a corkscrew.
Being chased by a 350Z in the Attitudes
Yes, my car is my daily driver, and yes, there is certainly a risk of damage to my car, or worse, a crash on the track. But in 1 1/2 years of doing this, I have not had any accidents, nor has anyone I know ‘traded paint’, in the NASCAR vernacular.
Other things I have done include being pit crew on the 25 Hours of Thunderhill in Dec 2008