The Celebration of Speed…I think the name says enough and when I was asked to show up as a guest you can guess my answer was an obvious YES!!! I had the chance to meet a famous Canadian Hall of Fame race car driver named Peter Lockhart. I knew I liked him even before he told me that he had a racing biography… really though, who has that!!! Needless to say, I was very impressed. Peter really came through and hooked me up at the Indy and now the Celebration of Speed at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park! I had only been here 2 times before to watch a friend race and still had no idea what the full track even looked like. To say that I was thrown into the deep end without a life jacket is an understatement. I have gone fast in automobiles before, but I have never ever experienced anything like this. These cars put roller coasters to shame! This could literally be one of my longest posts ever written but I will keep it short, like 2500 words short lol
My first ride of the day was in the cheapest car there…how fast could a Volkswagen GTI be…scary enough to poop your pants and rethink all the decisions you made in the 5 prior minutes leading up the driver strapping you in and asking if you’re ok… He told me he needed to warm up the tires and before we hit the first corner, we were already doing 135km/h. Then came the corner…I have never been more scared, excited and close to passing out as I was on that first lap. I had no idea about the speed and g-forces you feel when going around a race track. I was hooked! That was the first of many laps in cars that I didn’t think existed until I saw them. This is a bit of an exaggeration, but many people never get to see some of these vehicles in real life. Porsche Cayman, GT2 & GT3, Camaro ZL1 LE, Corvette ZR1and Z06, Alfa Romeo Guilia, BMW M3, The Ariel Atom, Audi R8, KIA Stinger, Nissan 370Z Nismo, Dodge Viper ACR (Fastest road legal car available), Mercedes SLS AMG and the list goes on! I would have to say my favourite ride of the day was in a Ford Mustang GT350. I believe it was 2017 and since I found out about this car I have wanted it. Mustangs are my favourite car and I have already owned and crashed one…timing wasn’t right for that one but I’m ready now!!! Being able to see this car, feel the car and then go for a ride in the car let me know that it’s real and attainable! Someone said to me that since they saw me in the morning, the smile hadn’t left my face! And it still hasn’t!!! Every time I think about the track I at least smile. It goes as far as goosebumps but that’s when I turn on the PlayStation and Gran truism because I cannot wait to be behind the wheel of my own car on a race track! I’m not even saying Mosport right now because the way my life is going, I am hoping that next year when its warm enough to get out on the track, I will already have some experience!
I watch a lot of YouTube and have been keeping up with the car culture although not directly involved. When I was injured I figured that I would be able to work on cars and didn’t really let that stop me in the beginning. At some point along the line I gave up…It sucked, and I welcomed the opportunity to use my wrenches to fix anything, but it was mainly my wheelchair. When my sound system fell apart a couple of months ago, I had no money to fix it. With only one speaker working and my life constantly on the go, I need my music! At this point I was basically forced to figure it out. Between YouTube, a couple friends, the mechanic shop and lastly the car audio place I was able to install 2 new speakers and re-wire all the other broken things! My truck sounds amazing and I found my pride and joy. I forgot what it felt like to have a sense of accomplishment, besides making gains on the bike. The Bike is my love but Cars are my passion. I found myself waking up to train earlier than I generally would to be able to make it to these car events, knowing that I’d be dead tired at the end of it, but, it was well worth it. I’m not just a cyclist, not just a speaker, or a wheelchair user, or a regular guy…I’m me, wild, young and free! I will set lofty goals and expect to achieve them, and even if I don’t, I will become a better person in the process. And please stay in the right lane as I pass on the left in my GT350 🙂
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