A Taste Of The Fast Life

For you IndyCar fans, what would be on your bucket list?  An autograph, a selfie or just hanging out in the pits near your favorite team and driver?

The Workout

Today, I had the opportunity to do some interval training with Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan, who pilot the #9 and #10 Indy cars for Target. Being a 50 year old former gym rat and Army Veteran, I did not think interval training would be so tough, after all I used to be in the gym 3-4 hours a day...ten years ago.

Our trainer, Adam Rosante, let us know ahead of time that we could work at our own pace and the session would be brought down several notches because Scott and Tony needed to conserve energy for the weekend's driving.

I survived about half the workout before I had to quit, as the limitations of past injuries made themselves known. I will now be relaxing with a bottle of Motrin 800 for the evening, but it is well worth it!

The Drivers Answer A Few Questions

I asked Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan a few questions regarding practice, tuning the car to the track and ergonomics.

They both agree that the course here in Long Beach is challenging. They enter turn one doing about 175mph, and halfway through they have slowed to about 90mph. The G-forces involved in this turn are nothing like a Pace Car lap. You are at about 2-3 G's.

All the while, you are in a seat not only designed to keep you safe, but with ergonomics in mind as well. The track here in Long Beach is part asphalt, part cement. Transitions you feel in your daily driver are multiplied to the Nth degree at speeds nearing 200mph. Needless to say, the restraint system which keeps them in place and able to safely pilot these cars through turns, dips, bumps and sometimes a warning rut is designed to pin them in tight.

After experiencing just a taste of what they train for to drive with flawless precision has given me a new respect for the sport.