Formula III Race
Way back when puberty was impending I discovered and fell in love with sports cars which were virtually non-existent in North America back in those days. I thrilled to the tales of the great supremacy battles among Auto-Union, Ferrari, Maserati, and Mercedes-Benz and always wondered what it would be like to drive one of those puppies. My 73rd birthday present! These cars are to be taken quite seriously – top speed 160 KPH (96 MPH), 950 lb, and 175 HP. The cockpit is really, really small and the accelerator, brake, and clutch are maybe 1 ½ inches wide and 2 inches long. They are quite close together and hard to push. The accelerator travels maybe an inch, the brake less, and the clutch a bit more. The steering wheel is about a foot in diameter and lock to lock is ¾ of a turn compared to the usual 1 ½. There was only one person on the track at a time. The first session was 10 laps on track one, then then 10 laps on track two, and then 10 laps on track one again, the last five being timed for the competition. I came in fifth in a field of seven. What with all the acceleration, deceleration, and side to side forces when cornering, it was really tiring. You get banged around quite a bit. I have great admiration for the grown-ups in the F1s driving for hours at a time. Was I ever happy!
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