This weekend, I fulfilled one of my long cherished dreams. Since the time I had landed in US, I was looking for an opportunity to go to a Car Race. I missed one - Indy 500 (Indianapolis is just 100 miles from here). So when Indy 300 came to Kentucky Speedway, I booked my tickets well in advance. And boy, what fun it was.
The two evil families - I convinced my neighbor (and good friends) to join in as well.
I had not expected so many people. It was rather a large gathering of cars.
A dedicated bike park as well...
In all our excitement, we reached there well ahead and so had some time to leach around.
This Harley and the Truck were being given in prizes. But no event seemed around where these can be won…
Ford had put up a shack for the car display. Here’s there car that came out of their Sprint Cup participation (NASCAR event).
The abused slicks
The Ford Fiesta 2011
Is this the car coming to India as our own Fiesta replacement?
The shopping ambience
A photo op with the actual scale Indy 300 cart
And then started the actual fun.
That’s all I can zoom with my 8x on P&S. It is equivalent of 280MM zoom on 35MM censor.
After introducing the drivers, the stage was towed away
And bingo – the track was the stage now.
As the cars left the pit stop for the tracks
YouTube - Indy 300 - Race Starts (September 2010)
Once the escort car left the scene, the cars soon became a bunch of bees attacking you every few seconds.
We had purchased the tower seats. And in all my naivetés, the first question that I asked myself was – I will have a good view but will I get enough sound of the roaring exhausts that are etched to eternity on this forum?
But it no time, I was having a ball. The exhaust notes were so intoxicating that first 140 laps were completed in blink of an eye. It all looked extremely surreal except for a few misfiring cars and a few crashes that made it more real.
YouTube - Magnetic Storm or Bee Attack (Indy 300 - September 2010)
Towards the end, the fatigue from the energy dissipated on the track started showing on the stands. And not knowing the rules and the drivers didn’t help much either. The kids were busy in their own racing…
YouTube - I will race as well (Indy 300 - September 2010)
More photo ops with the carts zooming in the background
There were three crashes. While we were there they became apparent only by the slowing exhaust notes but the video below (of the telecast) makes them much more spectacular.
YouTube - Highlights from the Kentucky Indy 300.
When I go again…
- Will carry a good pair of ear plugs. The note is intoxicating but if it is a 200+ lap race, the torcher is huge. Actually my ears were so numb when the race completed that I could barely hear the fireworks to mark the end.
- It should be a no brainer - Knowing drivers and rules will make the race much more engaging. Following someone so to say.
- Will carry a nice set of binoculars. The crashes will be missed anyways unless you have your eyes everywhere.
The fiesta is absolute drool material. Now you have set me thinking of selling my Ikon, coming to US and buying that one over there. And do you have the specs of that fiesta? Did you get to drive one?
