The Wench on a Track

One of the things that is important to The Lazy Wench is actually doing the things that she dreams about. The Bondurant School is in Arizona and that's where you go to learn how to drive a race car. The Lazy Wench signed up for a four day class on formula racing.

Four days! Yikes! She already knew how to drive a stick shift. How much more could there be? A lot. She spent three days in a Corvette C5, learning about arcane things like trail braking, late apexes and heel and toe shifting. She also learned about ABS (Able to Brake and Steer), skid control and evasive moves. The instructors were great and the facilities and equipment were top notch. She was constantly pushed to find her limits and then go beyond them. Much to the Lazy Wench's surprise, her limits were not where she wished they were and it was very difficult for her to keep moving beyond them. She was a slow learner, but continued to improve through the entire class.

The final day was the day she wasn't sure she was ready for. Formula racecars. These are the helmet in the air, butt on the ground cars with open wheels and no fenders with wings on the back that really do something. Think Speed Racer but without the buttons on the wheel. After a brief practice on a small oval track, the class moved out to the 1.6 mile track and got moving. Gradually, the instructor support decreased and the class started using everything that they'd practiced. The photographer captured a few images and the day was spent on the track, going faster and faster.

At the end of the last day, The Lazy Wench wanted more time on the track to master everything that was still giving her trouble. But, it was fun, it was fast and it wasn't something you get to do every day.

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