Cheryl Cloux, a native of Geneva, Switzerland, recently traveled to St. Petersburg, Fla., to "experience" IndyCar racing firsthand.

IRE Fan Focus: Swiss Bliss at St. Pete
IndyCar fan travels from Switzerland to St. Pete for race and ride in Indy Racing Experience 2-seater

Simply put, the popular IndyCar Series tagline “I AM INDY” resonates with Cheryl Cloux.  A native of Geneva, Switzerland, Cloux has experienced the IndyCar Series since 2002 by way of the IMS Radio Network, indycar.com, and a particular European television network that often airs IndyCar races.  But at the season-opening contest at St. Petersburg, Cloux was able to experience IndyCar racing in a whole new way. 

“I came to St. Pete for the race and thought that it would be pretty cool to get a ride on the track before the IndyCar drivers raced on the weekend,” said Cloux, who initially heard about the Indy Racing Experience while listening to a race on the IMS Radio Network.

Cloux is a diehard fan of Vision Racing, so much so that she includes the team name in her personal e-mail address.  But she is quick to point out that her favorite drivers in the IndyCar series extend beyond Ed Carpenter and the Vision Racing roster, saying that she has followed the careers of Buddy Rice and frequent Indy Racing Experience pilot Davey Hamilton for years.

During her time at the track with the Indy Racing Experience, Cloux met a couple of new favorites, including Arie Luyendyk, Jr., and Stéphan Gregoire. 

“I met Stéphan before the ride and he was very nice,” she said.  “We talked in French for about 15-20 minutes about a lot of things.  I really appreciated having him as the driver!  I also met Arie and got the chance to get a picture with him as well.”

And suffice to say, she will be holding on to that picture for quite some time.

“He’s very nice and really cute!”

As for the ride itself, Cloux was taken down pit lane and around the 1.806-mile, 14-turn street circuit.  Following her ride, Cloux could only sum up her ride with one word:  “Awesome!”

“I didn’t think Stéphan would get on the gas so hard,” she said.  “I mean on the first straightaway, it’s like you are loosing consciousness, but after the first turn, it was just so awesome… so exciting.” 

Cloux went on to say that she now has much more of an appreciation of what IndyCar drivers experience each week and the speed at which they race.

“I didn’t have any idea about what they can feel.  Now I know!”

Cloux also had the chance to catch up with Hamilton for 20 minutes following qualifying for the Firestone Indy Lights race.  She spoke highly of one of her favorites, as well as Luyendyk and Gregoire, mentioning how nice it was to be up close and personal with real IndyCar drivers.

Cheryl Cloux crossed the pond from Switzerland to the Streets of the St. Pete with the goal of experiencing IndyCar racing in its truest form.  She traveled back with a newfound respect for the IndyCar Series and its drivers, which included a couple of new additions to her list of favorites. 

And following the Honda Grand Prix of St. Pete, she was probably quick to add Vision Racing’s Ryan Hunter-Reay to her list after he posted a second-place finish – the best result in team history.

So what will she do next?  That plan is already in the works.

“My next dream is to get a ride at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Davey behind the wheel,” she said.  “You can pass the word!”

Cheryl, he already knows.

And he is looking forward to it.

The Indy Racing Experience operates daily at the Walt Disney World Speedway and opens for both riding and driving experiences at 4 p.m. ET.  Reservations can be made online or by calling (888) 357-5002. For more information on the Indy Racing Experience, which also operates at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and at all North American IndyCar Series tracks, please contact us by phone or submit questions and comments HERE.