Christine Jerritts beside the Richard Petty show car at PPIR.
“King of NASCAR” Richard Petty has found a way to wrap the thrill, intensity, and speed of race car driving into an organized, safe and comfortable driving experience package you can purchase. I gave the “Rookie Driving Experience” a shot this week at the program’s grand opening events at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colorado.
Train
Anyone with a valid driver’s license is eligible for the programs, which range from a ride-along with professional drivers to a full day of stock car training. Don’t worry if you’ve never been strapped into a racing harness or launched a race car out of pit lane before - the Petty team will teach you everything you need to know from the ground up. In addition to standard classroom and video instruction, hands on displays teach newbies the look and feel of the gauges, shift lever, window net operation, and even the oil pressure warning light. They have invented a few specialty instruction items like a red flag with a giant white “4” which - if you see it waving at the start stand - means you’ve forgotten to shift into fourth gear amidst all the excitement.
Relax
For some students the prospect of high speed lapping was daunting, but the Petty team created a very relaxed atmosphere. There is plenty of time to fit your safety gear properly, grab a cup of coffee and get settled along pit lane. No question was too silly - “should we use the brakes?” - everyone seemed to leave with a giant grin and some were jumping up and down with excitement. If you are worried about safety, rest assured they take serious precautions. Suits, helmets and HANS devices (carbon fiber neck braces the pros wear) are provided, plus you learn to use your fire bottle and other safety procedures in the very rare event of an emergency.
Go Fast!
Follow the “formula for speed” and your instructor will gradually amp up the throttle on each lap. My graduation certificate and time sheet showed increasing top speeds in every lap. Don’t forget to take in the scenery - an easy thing to neglect when your focus is on driving the perfect line. This is perhaps a once in a lifetime chance to be driving triple digit speeds on a pro oval race track in a 600 horsepower stock car! Although - at least for the beginner experiences - the accelerator is governed you definitely get a sense for what immense capabilities these cars have and you do feel like a bona fide race car driver.
In the event this is indeed a once in a lifetime experience, Richard Petty does not leave any memorabilia avenue untapped. Photographers snap pictures of you throughout the day and a memory stick captures two video angles of your driving habits - expletives and all. You can order plaques and DVDs on the spot.
Special Interview
Denver’s Kurt Hansen, host of Race Central Radio and TV, was also in attendance at the grand opening experiences. Tune in to his Radio broadcast for a live interview with a special guest from Richard Petty’s team. Saturday from noon to 2:00pm on AM 1510 Mile High Sports Radio, re-aired Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00am.
The Richard Petty Driving Experience is now a permanent fixture at Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) in Fountain, located about 10 minutes south of Colorado Springs. Petty also operates a Dodge SRT-10 experience at PPIR and more programs are planned. FInd out more at www.ppir.com or www.1800bepetty.com.
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