Nine years after the last Indy 200 sped around the 1-mile Walt Disney World Speedway, Indy Racing has returned in the form of an attraction that leaves other Disney car adventures in its dust. For $109, thrill seekers can take a minute trip in comfort, hurtling three times around the track at speeds of up to 165 mph.
Aside from the fact that Indy’s open-wheel cars also sport open cockpits, a big difference between the attractions is that Indy’s vehicles are driven by veteran race car drivers. Last week, Davey Hamilton, whose first Indy race was at the Walt Disney World Speedway, took the wheel.
“I’ve been doing this game a long time and I’m very fortunate to race when I want, where I want,” Hamilton said. “As you get older in your career, it’s all about championships and the bigger events.”
Hamilton has raced in the past two Indiannapolis 500’s following a devastating crash in 2001 that left him sidelined for six years and nearly two dozen operations. He has driven fans and media on Indy Racing Experience rides in the past at the Brickyard and before other races.
The rider sits in a second cockpit behind the driver in a modified Indy car. Wearing a flame-proof coverall and a flame-retardant hood under a racing helmet, the small hole can quickly heat up. As soon as the car takes off, the air starts flowing through the helmet and by the time the car hits the first turn, the feeling is a pure adrenaline thrill.
Hamilton said most riders are surprised by the feeling of being so low to the ground and the car’s grip on the asphalt.
