Dave Laycock, who was a car designer, chief mechanic and friend of the late Lloyd Ruby, experienced Indy from the backseat of the 2-seater on Thursday.

IRE Fan Focus: A Seat You Can't Beat
Former chief mechanic for Lloyd Ruby returned to the Brickyard on July 16 to ride in the Indy Racing Experience 2-seater

Dave Laycock has now sat in every type of seat that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has to offer.  A lifelong racer, Laycock has watched the Indy 500 from the first row of the front stretch, sat atop the pit box as a chief mechanic for Lloyd Ruby, driven a roadster across the famed Yard of Bricks in 1964, and as of Thursday, sat in the backseat of the Indy Racing Experience 2-seater.

“It was definitely different,” Laycock said of his ride.  “It was something I needed to do after being it (racing) for all of these years.”

Laycock spent 15 years in the racing industry serving several different roles for several different teams.  He began roaming the Speedway grounds in 1957 when he pulled the battery cart for Herb Porter.  He helped Porter for two more years until he was brought on as the chief mechanic for Bill Forbes Racing the night before qualifying for the 1960 Indy 500.  At the young age of 21, Laycock is believed to be the youngest to have ever held the chief mechanic position in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”  For the next four years, he served in the same role for Shorty Templeman and Lloyd Ruby, who went on to become a lifelong friend of Laycock until he passed away this past March.

“We led the 500 with Ruby in ’66 and fell out of the lead in 1968, ‘69, ‘70 and ‘71 as well,” said Laycock, who also designed the popular wedge-shaped Mongoose that Ruby drove.

Layclock’s bloodlines also run deep in Speedway heritage.  He is the son of Bob Laycock, who was in charge of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Media Center from 1953 through 1995.  In fact, Laycock did not learn of his 2-seater ride until his daughter bought his son-in-law a ride for his 50th birthday.

“I’ve been wanting to do this, but I often don’t take the time to do things for myself,” Laycock said.  “I just like to keep busy.”

He liked to keep his cars fast too.

That’s another reason why Laycock was looking forward to his ride on Thursday.

During his time as mechanic, Laycock’s cars never eclipsed 178 miles per hour.  The Indy Racing Experience 2-seater often averages laps between 175-180 at the Brickyard.

Asked if he was looking to compare, Laycock replied with a smile and wink.

“I had them bring the stopwatches.”

About Us: Founded in 2001, the Indy Racing Experience provides fans the ultimate opportunity of a lifetime by experiencing the high speeds of IndyCar racing with our purposed-built 2-seater and cars that participated in the Indianapolis 500.  The Indy Racing Experience operates daily at the Walt Disney World Speedway, more than 20 dates annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and at every IndyCar Series track in North America each year. Experiential Marketing Incorporated is an experiential marketing company dedicated to providing clients innovative marketing units designed to enhance brand identity.  Through its show car program, interactive marketing trailers and simulators, as well as its quality custom fabrication shop, EMI has expanded its client base to include some of the top organizations affiliated with the IndyCar Series, NASCAR, NBA and NFL. Indy Parts provides quality parts and service to teams in the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Light series, and is the sole North American distributor for Dallara – a worldwide automobile designer and manufacturer for a number of premier motorsports series.