Anybody who considers themselves a car enthusiast has undoubtedly held the fantasy of being a race car driver, even though the closest most of us get is kart racing at the local mini-golf course. However, thanks to advances in camera technology, we can get a pretty good idea of how it looks to be behind the wheel of one of these modern day racing machines, reigniting the embers of our desire to go find a car and just race it.
So hop behind the wheel of this 600 horsepower Pratt & Miller-built Camaro as it races around the idyllic Ridge Motorsports Park in rural Washington, and imagine it was you behind the wheel, rather than Brady Goble.
Driving for Brown-Baljet Racing, Goble’s Camaro had to be rebuilt from its original Grand Am specs to participate in the Olympic Grand Prix, giving it more power and a six-speed transmission, rather than the old 5-speed manual. At just 2,450 pounds, it’s also lighter than in its usual Grand Am spec, meaning faster straightaways and tighter turns, according to Goble and basic physics.
Alas, the camera seemed to be mounted just a little too low, making it hard to see what’s going on in the road ahead at times. However, it also makes us feel a bit more like we’re the ones sitting in the driver’s seat, a 600 horsepower monster motor unfettered by mufflers snarling just a few feet in front of us. It’s mechanical poetry in motion, and something few people ever get to experience for themselves.
To those lucky and skilled few like Brody Goble, who get to drive race cars for a living, we salute you.