Happy Holidays from the Indy Racing Experience!

A Letter of Thanks
The Indy Racing Experience provides lifetime memories every ride!

This holiday season the Indy Racing Experience is giving thanks to all the wonderful people we met at the track this past season. There is nothing more fulfilling than to provide lifetime memories for each and every person that steps foot in one of our cars. Occasionally, we are fortunate enough to receive personal letters from our customers describing their experience and what it has meant to them. In this season of thanks, we have chosen a letter from Mary Haverly to give you an understanding just how much we enjoy what we do.

We wish you the best holiday season and look forward to seeing you at the track in 2010!

A letter from Mary Haverly:

"Sorry this has taken so long to get to you, but as a mother of two, time is precious.  Please allow my father and I to thank you and the Indy Racing Experience for the amazing time we had while at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May.  Everyone was so nice to us and the experience just defies words to do it justice.  If you’re a fan of open-wheel racing, you have to take a ride, and if possible, get to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to do it. 

"When it came time to sign the waiver, I must admit, my father and I didn’t read it…we just gladly signed it. What they didn’t tell you during your briefing on how to drive the car was that everything is not as it seems or feels.  As individuals who have never done anything like this…Oh My Gosh!!  What a ride!!!!  My Dad and I were blown away to say the least.  When you’re speeding towards the turns, they look like 90-degree turns to the left.  In reality, they’re really nice sweeping turns to the left.  While driving through the turn, you ask yourself, 'Why did I lift off the throttle?'   Then you get your answer when you see the next turn swiftly approaching.

"Your ride progresses and you get quicker on the next set of turns.  You get a little braver, the pedal is pressed further down and you’re ready to dive into the turn.  This turn is faster and you feel the car going in the proper direction, but you’re body is being pulled by the G forces to the right.  It doesn’t seem to make sense.  What you’re seeing and what you’re feeling at the time just don’t match.

"Each lap is an improvement in the line you take or the speed you achieve.  By the third lap, I can honestly say that my Dad and I became fairly comfortable.  The ride was definitely too short.  You absolutely gain a much greater respect for the drivers and what they are able to accomplish.  Just the thought of going another 198 laps at 130 mph faster than we were able to go is just, in a way…incomprehensible!

"Television and video can only give you a glimpse of the cars as they run by at these amazing speeds.  To visually see this event puts one in awe that man can travel that fast and maintain control while making a left turn.  The video taken of our drive looks nothing like the speed you thought you were going while driving the Indy cars.  It felt so much faster from that reclined position about 3 inches from the ground.

"The drive in the Indy car was amazing, but the best had to be that I shared this experience with my father.  Since that day, I’ve been able to look at my Dad with a grin and have him grin back.  We’ve created a bond which has no words if we choose.  It was an experience of a lifetime that we encountered together.  My Dad realized part of his dream, and I was happy to share and realize it with him.  I should have listened to my Dad years ago and sat and watched the Indy 500.  I didn’t realize what I was missing. 

"Time has passed since our drive.  We’re ready to go faster, run more laps and sign up again with the Indy Racing Experience.  What a thrill!  What a ride!  What an experience!  What a memory!  What a special time in my life!  You have given my father and I an unforgettable experience in our lives.  Thank you again to the entire crew at the Indy Racing Experience.  A job very well done!!"

Sincerely,

Mary Haverly & Francis Vellutato, Sr.
(True Fans of the Indy Racing League and now the Indy Racing Experience)