Hello everyone,
I wonder if anyone has experienced the thrill of race cars whizzing by you at over 180 MPH / 289.8 KM / HR on city streets. Recently had the chance to experience this thrill at the San Jose Grand Prix in California www.sanjosegrandprix.com.
Auto races like these are very exciting for me. You might wonder how a person who is completely blind might like attending or watching; or more precisely listening to races?
Why Would a Completely Blind Person Want To Attend Live Racing?
Great question; I grew up at motorcycle races most weekends. My dad and all local Uncles raced and we would spend a lot of weekends at race tracks. When I was not at motorcycle races I would go to Drag races and Sprint car races. When I was old enough to drive myself (I could see then) I would go to Laguna Seca in Monterey California and watch many forms of motor sport racing. I would also go to the Long Beach Grand Prix in California. Just because I had lost my vision I did not want to stop experiencing motor sports racing live .
What To Expect At Race
If you are completely blind I would not recommend going on your own to this type of racing, unless you have very good orientation and mobility skills. I could not have maneuvered around without help. I have not been completely blind very long and you might be able to handle navigating in this type of atmosphere better than I. The sounds of some of the cars was so loud I could not even hear the person next to me screaming in my ear. I wore ear plugs at times to help block out some of the deafening noise. I do not have a guide dog and am no expert in this subject. I would not think the loud sounds would be good for the dog’s ears. Not the best environment for navigating around the crowds when you need to rely on your ears to be your eyes. I was lucky and found a sighted person to attend the auto race with me.
Time To Get Ready
I loaded up my day pack with lots of drinks, sun screen, snacks, cell phone and other things I might need for the day. Packed my glucose pills in case of a low blood sugar attack (I am diabetic). Put a hat in my pack I could fold up to block the sun. I would be gone all day in the sun and did not want to get burned.
Time For Excitement
With my daypack on I walked down the city streets towards the sound of cars going fast. As we got closer the sound got louder and louder. Soon I was touching the cyclone fence that was between me and the race cars. When I first walked up to the fence and heard the loud roar of the cars really close to me. I could not tell if the cars were coming straight at me or coming from one side. The sound was so loud I could not tell what direction they were coming from. I felt a bit nervous and uneasy at first. I wondered, if one of the cars crashed in front of me what would prevent me from being hit by the car or pieces flying from cars as they collided with each other. I asked the person I was with and he said there were two fences between us and the racing cars. The fence closest to the cars curved towards the street where the cars raced by. If the car hit the fence the curved part of fence would help keep the car from going into crowd. Second fence is added safety. Hearing about these fences made me feel a bit safer and more relaxed. In no time my ears got adjusted to the sound of speeding cars racing by me and I could tell what direction the cars were going.
Smells and Sounds
There were different types of races and different types of cars racing over the weekend. Each type of car had a different sound and smell. One type of race car was called Drifters. In The Drifting race the objective was to create as much wheel spin as possible and thrill the crowd. Cars would slide around most turns and even down straight-aways. The smell of burning rubber was enormous. The crowd would cheer with delight as some drivers waved their hand out the window at the crowd in grandstands as they slid sideways with smoke pouring from tires. Some cars had a very loud deep rumbling growl as they flew by us in packs. Other cars had a high pitch loud fast buzzing sound. Sort of like a bumble bee. I could tell these cars were the turbocharged cars because of the whine from the engine. These were the CHAMP cars; the fastest cars of the weekend. These cars would go by me so fast, that even if I could see it would be a blur. Other cars sounded like a quieter constant swarm of bees. This is because there were so many cars on the track at once and there was very little space between the cars as they raced by. I could even smell hot brakes and brake dust at times. Other types of race cars sounded like a very well tuned and fast stock car that was street legal. I could even smell some of the cars burning oil. When there were breaks in the louder cars going by I could hear the audience talk to the flag people to learn what was going on around the course.
What Else To Do At Race?
I had plenty of good food during the day. There seemed to be booths set up selling all kinds of freshly cooked good food. I walked around course checking out what vendors were selling..I even listened to some live bands including David Lee Roth, formally with Van Halen.
Even though I could not see a thing during my racing adventure I really enjoyed myself. I would do it again in a heart beat, and plan to. I do not want to give up on things I used to like to do, just because I can no longer see.
Key Things To Bring In Daypack To Help With Your Racing Experience
• Ear plugs
• Sun screen
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Plenty of plastic bottled water, must be plastic or they will not let you bring in
• Snacks
•Any medical devices or medication you might need
• Call the group who is putting on the race for more details. They are very accommodating most times and can suggest more things to help make your experience a memorable one.
Do any of you go to motor sport races? Do you enjoy them? Can you add to my suggestions? Any memorable experiences you want to share with us?
Cannot wait to hear from others!
Bill Tipton
Contributing Author,
Global Dialogue Center
http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/
