So can you believe

That as a blind person

I actually raced a car?

Usually this site is only dedicated to tech news and information about nerdy things, however this experience was just so amazing I had to break my own rule!

Who would have imagined that it were possible for a visually impaired person to do something like drive a car. Add to that driving a race car on a track? Believe it or not, but the folks at the Edmonton International Raceway, located near Wetaskiwin outside of Edmonton Alberta Canada, have made this possible.Not only have the staff of the Edmonton International Raceway organized this program, but all proceeds generated from it have gone toward the funding of future guide dog training, a lofty goal with each dog costing roughly $50000 for training.

Probably the biggest achievement of this event has been the experience to the individuals taking part. I can speak as a blind person myself who has been lucky enough to share this opportunity.The concept of high speeds has always been a thrill for me since I was a child and this feeling has never faded. I am still a lover of midway rides particularly the wilder ones, have been in control of jet-skis and pretty much love anything fast and with a smattering of risk and though I have always had a thrill for risk and speed, I never dreamed I would drive a car at high speeds in a racing setting and that was exactly what I was able to do.

At the Edmonton International Raceway several different classes of stock-car are raced. A stock car is a street car which has reached the end of its life, but is still functional in terms of the engine and mechanics. The car is stripped of all non-essentials such as seats, carpets, inner door panels, electronics and other items which add weight. The car is fitted with a roll-cage and special seating appropriate for racing, but typically still uses the stock engine it came with. Higher speeds are possible because the cars overall weight is greatly reduced by the removal of non-essentials.In this case, i was racing a 100 horsepower 4 cylinder car which was once a small 2-door street car. These are the same cars used by race car drivers starting out in the sport.

You would think that the blind person would sit in the passengers seat while the experienced racing driver took them around the track, however this is not the case. The visually impaired person does actually drive the car, having full control of the steering, gas and break petals. The sighted person assisting the visually impaired person in driving sits in the passenger seat giving verbal directions to the blind driver behind the wheel, who is given in single-syllable commands such as left, right, go and stop. A command such as left, left, means to turn the steering wheel left in small measured amounts two times, with subsequent commands of right meaning to straighten out. The favourite command, go means to press the gas slightly more, and stop means to of course, press the break. This does not mean that safety is not considered; of course both people are strapped in using the typical five-point racing harness, as well the sighted person has access to the steering wheel, gear-shifter and emergency break should things get out of control.

After about a half hour of instruction we were off, despite some minor technical difficulty.It turned out that the battery terminals needed some cleaning, which just goes to show that race car drivers also need some mechanic skills as well.Of course getting in the car is an experience itself, since stock car doors are welded shut, you climb through the window which of course has no glass with the exception of the windshield.At long last we were on our way. Ironically enough the most daunting part of the whole experience was not the racing itself, but the moment when the car first started rolling forward out of the pits and the realization that I was actually in control of a machine that was capable of speeds far behind legal highway driving.

I should take a time-out here to explain that this was not the first time I had sat behind the wheel of a car; I had driven a car in a field when I was younger, along with a few golf-carts in my day which was more or less successful though with some exciting moments. However if you have any belief that driving a car in an open setting or on a street is anything like driving on a race track, you have no idea about racing at all. In a situation such as a vehicle in an open field one in theory has nothing to run in to for a long ways, so you can just press the gas and go for it with not much concern, however on a track there are things like walls to worry about, which of course does make a big difference. The goal I was given from Alar Aksberg (president of the Wetaskiwin Stock Car Club and the person who organizes the event and who I was driving with) told me that he wanted to make sure that I got to a speed that if I were on a street I would receive a speeding ticket.

Ok so back on to the racing! We rolled our way out of the pits and I was soon on the track itself. the thing that struck me first as most difficult is likely the amount of steering corrections that were necessary. This of course is one of the most difficult challenges to racing in general, not just blind racing. This is especially difficult in the case of blind racing because we as the visually impaired person behind the wheel need to wait for the verbal instructions to be relayed from when to turn, then actually implement them and hope that the steering is good enough. Apparently I did quite well as I was given the signal to “go”, which means faster!So guess what faster means? It means turns!Sooner! There is nothing to quite describe the feeling of the car going around the track, the g-forces involved and the level of tension and adrenalin generated as well as the level of excitement and concentration which is all amalgamated into a feeling which is impossible to describe, other than maybe saying that it was a rush, intense and on the edge.I think the biggest difference between driving a race car and being on a midway ride is that a midway ride implies a level of safety, that you know that you will not get hurt, where in this case you know that it’s all up to you and that you could get hurt if you do the wrong thing.

After a few laps I was definitely picking up speed, with only one casualty, a pylon on the track which was sent on a nice ride of its own. In fact a lot of the people sitting in the stands or waiting to take their own turns on the track were unaware that I was blind and only learned this after I finished at the end. I couldn’t help notice the cheers I were generating though as I went passed the stands though at the time I was so focused that I couldn’t think of much else other than the next turn of the wheel.It sure seems that time stands still because while I was racing for a good 15 minutes, to me it only felt like 30 seconds. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was holding speeds of 70KM/H on the track, which I think is certainly a thrill for a beginner racer.

I don’t think words can describe the thrill I felt during the experience and honestly if I were sighted I’m sure I’d be out at the track racing every weekend if I could. That being said, I am extremely grateful to people like Alar and the Edmonton International Raceway for making experiences available to individuals like myself. It is one thing to watch it happen on TV or in a movie, to read about it in a book, or to virtually drive a car in a video-game, but nothing can compare to the real thing.I was allowed to get my picture taken in Victory Lane and truth be told I was feeling pretty victorious. Though of course I’ll have to actually earn my place in Victory Lane next year when the next Blind Behind the Wheel races are held officially. Whether I actually manage to win though is beside the point, as win or lose, the experience is unforgettable and the thrill and fun of the event is reward enough.

In closing I would just like to thank Alar Aksberg and those at the Edmonton International Raceway for providing an event which few people (sighted or blind) get to participate in and that I appreciate their efforts to not only raise funds for guide dogs but also to provide such a fun and exciting experience.