Grand Prix
My first thought: “I've made a terrible mistake.”
“I hope I don't pass out,” was my second.
But I clung onto consciousness by picturing my editor's disappointed face when I informed him I couldn't complete the assignment because I had no memory of the ride. I also appealed to my ego by reminding myself that he had accomplished the same feat in 2019 without fainting or vomiting — two unwanted maladies I now felt on the precipice of.
Consciousness secured, the next task was to open my eyes. They had immediately sealed shut in what I felt was a rational reaction to our blindingly fast take off.
Unfortunately, my story would be scant on detail without the power of sight, so like the good reporter I am, I commanded by nervous system to calm down and obey my orders.
At first, they opened in fleeting blinks, only to be slammed back shut by the blasting wind and ever-present nausea. But eventually, I managed to get them propped open — just in time to see us hurtle toward a cement wall
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
When: April 19-21 Where: Downtown Long
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and the driver slam on the breaks.
Right as I prepared to utter my final prayers, the car turned sideways and careened around the corner. To my surprise — and delight — we had not crashed, but instead expertly navigated one of the circuit's eight turns.
Reinvigorated by my survival, I tried to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime, adrenaline-fueled journey.
The ride gave me a new sense of appreciation both for the sport of race car driving and the skill it requires of its competitors.
At times, the car seemed to float on air, bestowing a sense of weightlessness as we accelerated along the straightaways and breaking with shocking grace as we whipped around the course's corners.
It was a far cry from the rattling turns and skids I was accustomed to in my brief dabbles with gokarting.
The incomprehensible speed at which the race
Beach $40-$1,275 gplb.com
car hurtled along the course messed with my perspective. Palm trees blurred, my eyes watered and the two-minute-long ride seemingly lasted an eternity. But paradoxically, it was also over in the blink of an eye.
And there I was, right where I had started, sitting in the pit, alive.
I was jacked up on adrenaline as I leaped out of the vehicle and thrust two triumphant fists in the air — I had survived!
In truth, I had done absolutely nothing other than sit still for 120 seconds. The actual accomplishment was all thanks to Hamilton.
I gave him a huge thanks before blurting out the question that had been on my mind the entire ride:
“Have you ever been in a crash?”
“Oh yeah,” he grinned in response, “a big one.”
At a 2001 IndyCar Series race in Texas, Hamilton
was involved in a crash that almost cost him his life.
“A guy blew an engine in front of me,” he said. “I was along for the ride at about 225 mile an hour, so I hit the wall, got airborne, ripped the front of the car off. I sustained some massive leg injuries.”
The injuries were so extreme, in fact, that at one point doctors thought amputation would be his best option. Hamilton underwent 23 operations to reconstruct his feet and legs. He was unable to stand for five months after the crash and was in a wheelchair for a year.
And yet, this was not enough to turn him away from the sport. Hamilton returned to the cockpit in 2005 and continued racing until his retirement in 2011.
What an inspirational story, I thought to myself. But, boy, was I glad I heard it after my ride.