WASHINGTON 鈥� When I attended the , I was there among the spectators, trying to get a feel for the event as an attendee. The unfettered access and ability to get up close to the cars was unlike larger, more corporate races, but it only left me wanting to know more.
Was there a way I could take a ride in one of those things?
At the time, there wasn鈥檛. But there was for this year鈥檚 race, which begins with practice and qualifying Friday and features the main races Saturday at RFK Stadium.
I鈥檓 riding with Sebastian Eriksson, a 23-year-old Swede who is currently running sixth in the Supercar championship standings heading into this weekend鈥檚 race. Eriksson took the time to chat with me from his homeland via Skype a couple weeks back to help prepare me for the ride.
While Rallycross may be new to many American racing fans, it鈥檚 something Eriksson grew up with.
鈥淚 always wanted to race in this kind of racing,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e had it for many years back in Europe, so we鈥檙e quite used to it.鈥�
Unlike NASCAR or IndyCar, there isn鈥檛 a single, uniform track running the course. It鈥檚 perhaps the single most glaring difference in this type of racing.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big challenge, because it鈥檚 so many different surfaces,鈥� said Eriksson. 鈥淲e race on tarmac, we race on dirt, and we have big jumps. It鈥檚 really fun.鈥�
Ah yes, the jumps. Fun.
Eriksson鈥檚 Swedish accent isn鈥檛 too thick, but as I ask him about the Washington track layout and trying to improve upon last year鈥檚 sixth-place finish, something he tells me gives me pause.
鈥淟ast year, I did some crashes, so I got some impact on the car,鈥� he mentions, offhand.
Wait, did he say impact? This is the guy who鈥檚 supposed to be giving me the ride-along?
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know for sure, but I hope it鈥檚 with me,鈥� he laughed. 鈥淚 will try to scare you my best.鈥�
Ha. Ha ha ha.
A note about these cars 鈥� they are light, agile, and designed to get up and down to speed as quickly as possible. Needless to say, the human body is not designed to do those things.
鈥淭he car does 0-60 in under two seconds, so it almost feels like getting hit by a 20-ton truck from behind when you leave the line,鈥� Eriksson informed me.
He said he does special exercises, particularly for his back, to help him adjust to the force and impact of the races.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a big problem, as long as you鈥檙e driving and not thinking about it,鈥� he said.
I will not be driving, so I will almost certainly be thinking about it. But in my head, I think may be more consumed with the heat.
Thankfully, this is not taking place earlier in the week — when heat indexes were creeping near 110 degrees —聽because it鈥檚 already close to 140 degrees inside the fire suit and helmet, mandatory wear for the drivers and anyone dumb enough to join them. Lucky for you, you get to watch from whatever air-conditioned office or couch you鈥檙e聽occupying.
As it turns out, there鈥檚 no time to think about being hot. Before you know it, you鈥檙e hurtling down the track, ever faster, looking for something to grab onto. It鈥檚 not the raw speed itself that gets you, but the quickness in which you achieve it. It鈥檚 like being shot out of a cannon, except that each new gear provides an extra explosion forward.聽By the time you hit the jump, you aren鈥檛 even really worried about it.
Instead of fixing the camera to the car or my helmet, I decided to just hold it for the trip, to give you a sense of the force and turbulence it exerts on your body. Enjoy the ride, and if you want to see the real thing in person, tickets are $35 for .
