McLaren Ride

IMG_2179, originally uploaded by The Thompsons in Parker.

So the car I thought I was going to be in wasn't the car I was actually going to be in, but it all ended up good in the end.

I had originally thought (hoped) that I was going to get a couple of laps in a McLaren F1, but it turns out it was actually a McLaren racecar, with an extra seat somehow fitted into the cockpit (it was pretty tight in there). Unfortunately, there were some issues with the engine (suspected vapor lock, fuel pressure and a pretty serious misfire) by the time it was my turn.

While the guys tried to get everything sorted out for me, I was treated a ride in an R8 (thanks Mike!) and a Porsche 911 Turbo. Both were fun, although the R8 ride was by far the better of the two. Mike can _really_ drive, and he doesn't hold back in his cars, so he took me on what turned out to be the fastest laps I got that day.

Getting back to the paddock, I was told the McLaren was fixed, so I made myself as thin as possible to get back into that tiny seat and slid down. After a couple of false starts, we did make it out onto the track, but the engine was misfiring so badly it was tough to get any speed (although we did still pass a Gallardo Spider on the way around). We tired for a couple of laps to see if it would magically fix itself, but no such luck.

Anyway, it was a good day out at High Plains, and now that I've been around the track, I can't wait to get out there in my own car.