C is for Choices

One of the exhilarating things about racing is that it requires making critical decisions within a fraction of a second. Some of those decisions, like when to brake, shift, turn, and unwind, are so practiced that they hardly seem like decisions anymore. But every time there’s an incident like a vehicle running off track or car-to-car contact, you’re forced to make a choice, and the result of that could mean heroic success or painful failure.

Imagine the two cars ahead have just made contact. They are fighting for control and to stay on track. Do you brake to make sure you don’t get caught in the melee, or do you gun it and hope for the best? This is your moment…

That clip comes from the Ferrari Challenge racing series, which features a mix of drivers from novice to whatever. A Ferrari 458 will set you back only $300,000. There’s a saying that if you can’t afford to throw it off a cliff at the end of the day, don’t bring it to the track. The driver, Gautam Singhania, is a billionaire, so I suppose a Ferrari is chump change to him. But I’ll bet that crash still hurts to this day. You don’t need to be Gautam Singhania to go racing. Seat time in my car is about $300/hour and the build cost is about $6,000. To find out more about budget endurance racing, check out The 24 Hours of Lemons, American Endurance Racing, ChumpCar World Series, Lucky Dog Racing League, and World Racing League. Racing isn’t just for rich idiots, but all idiots.

If you want to come racing with me, drop me a note at ifkorf@gmail.com. I have special rates for billionaires.