Last month I wrote about inspiration and where I drew
inspiration from as I posted to the National Auto Sports Association (NASA)
digital publication, NASA Speed News. However, when it came time to write this
post my inspiration came from none other than that Indy and F1 legend himself,
Mario Andretti. Yes, I can honestly say that I enjoyed doing a couple of laps
in an Indy car set up as a two-seater, where the racer who piloted me around
the track was Mario.
The post itself was much more than just a glowing testament to
how well Mario can drive in spite of his age and to how it must have been to be
alongside him in any race car when Mario was in his prime. What this post was
all about was friendships and in particular, the friendships that develop from
a shared interest in motorsports. Our accidental encounter with the Kenny
family proved telling even as what makes this post particularly special is that
this friendship that developed entirely by chance all those years ago continues
to this day.
NASA is a very special organization that encourages all individuals with an interest in cars to “have a go,” as we like to say in Australia. I suspect we all have our fears and for many of us, strapping ourselves into our cars and going as fast as we can brings with it nothing but fear. Whether it’s a fear of wrecking our beloved car or fear of hurting ourselves, it’s always present.
And yet, NASA endeavors to make it a fun time
and a safe time and with the encouragement that NASA provides, in time it
becomes a fast time as experience and muscle memory kick in and you improve
with every outing. The fear never really leaves you and no matter whom you
might be paired with, even if it is Mario there is always a sense that it could
all go horribly wrong.
In this fourth post published in NASA Speed News, I not only cover that time at Sonoma where I did two laps in an Indy car driven by Mario but perhaps even more telling, the post provided me with the opportunity to reminisce about other times and places where shared experiences with the Kenny family has proved that even with just a little fear, we did some amazing things.
What I did not cover in this fourth post was how we were able to
witness Colton Herta who that weekend was on track in an Indy race for the very
first time having scored seat time following his second overall in the Indy
Lights series. What I am planning on covering however is his performance this weekend at St Petersburg, Florida where he won it all! Look for an update to this blog shortly.
I may not have enjoyed my own time on track at Sonoma (I backed
our Corvette into a concrete barrier – my only real accident in a decade of
track time), but then again, what an experience!
A Chance Encounter
As I stood looking down at the side pods of the Honda-powered
Indy car, I wondered which parts of the car to avoid stepping on. I had just
pulled on my helmet and, looking at who was on the other side of the car, any
discomfort became incidental, because there was Indy and F1 legend, Mario
Andretti. I was to be his passenger for a hot lap around Sonoma in the fanciful
two-seater Indy car.
As a NASA HPDE driver, I was familiar with track cars, but even
so, this was a different world, and one I essentially bumped into accidently
while heading into a Starbucks for a latte! Having pulled up in my Vette, I was
greeted by the question, “Do you track that Vette?” Without thinking about my
response too deeply, I simply said, “Yes, I sure do and I have joined NASA on
the bottom rung, participating in HPDE1.”
“Get your latte and pull up a chair,” he said. At this point I
had no clue as to who this Vette enthusiast was, or how close to American
racing royalty he would bring me.
During the months that followed that latte, Brian and Jan Kenny
joined my wife Margo and me at numerous NASA events. Brian was a better driver
and started out in HPDE3 and, in time, graduated to HPDE4 and eventually TT.
Together with the Kennys, we have participated at NASA events in SoCal, NorCal
and Rocky Mountain regions.
The Kennys aren’t a household name, so perhaps referring to them
as the parents-in-law of Bryan Herta, or Jan Kenny as the grandmother of Colton
Herta might shake loose some cobwebs. Yes, that Bryan Herta, whose team has won
the Indy 500 with drivers Dan Wheldon and Alexander Rossi, and who today
partners with Michael Andretti.
Our friendship with the Kennys developed over a shared passion
for Corvettes. It also was a big help when I tried to book the two-seat
Andretti experience, and found all the spots were taken. Thanks to the
intervention of Bryan Herta, one more opening was found!
The experiences we’ve shared with the Kenny’s over the years
have included an open lapping day at the Nürburgring Nordschleife where we
rented a pair of Lotus Exige S 240s from Ron Simons Racing. We also took a
couple of hot laps at Sydney Motorsports Park from the passenger seat of a
Ferrari F430 race car driven by a young Red Bull hot shoe. It’s all the more
astonishing that a chance encounter over a latte that day changed everything,
and NASA HPDE was the catalyst for a friendship that continues to this day.
As for those laps with Mario, for those who have experienced
Sonoma and who know the track well, there is no simple way to say wow! Just
when you think he should be lifting for Turn 1, Mario is grabbing another gear
and continuing to accelerate. Nothing quite prepares you for the downforce and
the grip of an Indy car, and nothing quite prepares you for the carousel that
leads onto the drag strip. As for the esses, well, there is a reason why they
surround your helmet with additional padding.
Suffice to say, it was clearly a time when one more item was
crossed off my bucket list together, yet with a reluctance to admit that really
nothing at all could top that ride with Mario Andretti!
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