OT: senior citizen race story
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White Trash Wish Cash
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Indiana
OT: senior citizen race story
Being that most of us here do take our cars out to the track, and some on a weekly basis would appreciate this story that I saw posted in GDD 
Senior citizen sizzles at the speedway
By BILL HUTCHENS - McClatchy Newspapers
Updated: 06/20/07 3:20 PM
Race time. Flame-retardant racing suit: check. Racing gloves: check. Racing helmet: check. Gold wire-rimmed granny glasses: check.
"Sometimes it takes awhile to work the glasses into place underneath my helmet," Evelyn Schmitt confessed before a recent practice run. "But I've got to have them."
The 76-year-old Lakewood, Wash., grandmother was strapped into her race-ready Nissan 240SX, minutes away from hitting the road course at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wash.
Schmitt is anything but the little old lady holding up traffic. At an age when some seniors are content just driving to the grocery store and back, she's a regular on a track where speeds easily exceed 100 miles per hour.
"I love it," she said. "I love every ounce of it. It's so exhilarating. It really gets your adrenaline going. And it keeps me young."
Schmitt has always had a love for fast cars. That passion is "hard to explain to anybody my age," she said. "Most women just want a key to turn on the motor. Other than that they don't care."
Spend some time at the races, though, and "You get bit, and that's it."
Schmitt had watched her son, Doug Smith of Tacoma, Wash., race for a few years before her own need for speed became irresistible. Smith owns Fairlady Motors and UPGarage in University Place and decided to transform one of his old cars into a road racer for his mother. She's been unstoppable ever since.
Schmitt enrolled in classes at ProFormance Racing School, a business at the Kent track that teaches novices how to become race drivers. The silver-haired senior passed her courses with flying colors and learned how to navigate the challenging, winding 2.2-mile road course. The track's 10 turns take drivers through 125 feet of elevation change, 100 of which occurs in a half-mile stretch between two of the course's most treacherous curves.
"It's a tricky course," Schmitt said, "but I love it. There are turns I like better than others, but overall it's a great road course."
Lapping Days are big events for Schmitt. They give her and other drivers the opportunity to take their cars out on the course, work out any kinks and prepare for races.
"The needle pegs out at 110," she said after one session. "I'm sure I'm going faster than that."
Her goal all along has been to work her way up through different International Race Drivers Club driver classifications to become a certified race driver.
"Evelyn is such in inspiration to all of us," said Don Kitch Jr., owner of ProFormance Racing School. "And she sends out such a great message that this sport really is for everybody."
All of Schmitt's training led up to her first real race day in late May, when dozens of drivers brought their vehicles of various classes to the track for some competitive driving.
Schmitt had driven the road course with other drivers before, but this event would have about 20 drivers going all-out for 30 minutes, passing at high speeds as opportunities presented themselves.
After a morning of car inspections and drivers' meetings, Schmitt was ready to hop into her race car.
"I'm a little nervous," she said. "But that's good."
Her son, who had stayed up until 3 a.m. the night before making last-minute required adjustments to the car, helped her with her helmet and glasses.
Evelyn squeezed into the driver's seat, a task more suited for a contortionist given the placement of the bars for the protective roll-cage.
Smith helped his mom strap into the seat, wished her good luck and watched her drive off toward the starting area.
"There's nobody who can convince me that they can't do this," said Smith, watching his mom join about 20 other cars at the starting line. "I think we all have the right perspective on this now."
Schmitt started near the back of the pack, but it took several laps for the faster front cars to catch up to her and lap her. With about 10 minutes left, a yellow caution flag came out (standard procedure), and the cars were bunched up again for a restart - with Schmitt at the front of the pack.
Schmitt finished near the back, but the day wasn't about being the fastest car on the track or winning a race. It was about experiencing true race driving.
Schmitt pulled her car back into its maintenance paddock after the race and got out to receive hugs from her son and cheers from her fans.
"I have never in all my life experienced anything like that," she said.
Senior citizen sizzles at the speedway
By BILL HUTCHENS - McClatchy Newspapers
Updated: 06/20/07 3:20 PM
Race time. Flame-retardant racing suit: check. Racing gloves: check. Racing helmet: check. Gold wire-rimmed granny glasses: check.
"Sometimes it takes awhile to work the glasses into place underneath my helmet," Evelyn Schmitt confessed before a recent practice run. "But I've got to have them."
The 76-year-old Lakewood, Wash., grandmother was strapped into her race-ready Nissan 240SX, minutes away from hitting the road course at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wash.
Schmitt is anything but the little old lady holding up traffic. At an age when some seniors are content just driving to the grocery store and back, she's a regular on a track where speeds easily exceed 100 miles per hour.
"I love it," she said. "I love every ounce of it. It's so exhilarating. It really gets your adrenaline going. And it keeps me young."
Schmitt has always had a love for fast cars. That passion is "hard to explain to anybody my age," she said. "Most women just want a key to turn on the motor. Other than that they don't care."
Spend some time at the races, though, and "You get bit, and that's it."
Schmitt had watched her son, Doug Smith of Tacoma, Wash., race for a few years before her own need for speed became irresistible. Smith owns Fairlady Motors and UPGarage in University Place and decided to transform one of his old cars into a road racer for his mother. She's been unstoppable ever since.
Schmitt enrolled in classes at ProFormance Racing School, a business at the Kent track that teaches novices how to become race drivers. The silver-haired senior passed her courses with flying colors and learned how to navigate the challenging, winding 2.2-mile road course. The track's 10 turns take drivers through 125 feet of elevation change, 100 of which occurs in a half-mile stretch between two of the course's most treacherous curves.
"It's a tricky course," Schmitt said, "but I love it. There are turns I like better than others, but overall it's a great road course."
Lapping Days are big events for Schmitt. They give her and other drivers the opportunity to take their cars out on the course, work out any kinks and prepare for races.
"The needle pegs out at 110," she said after one session. "I'm sure I'm going faster than that."
Her goal all along has been to work her way up through different International Race Drivers Club driver classifications to become a certified race driver.
"Evelyn is such in inspiration to all of us," said Don Kitch Jr., owner of ProFormance Racing School. "And she sends out such a great message that this sport really is for everybody."
All of Schmitt's training led up to her first real race day in late May, when dozens of drivers brought their vehicles of various classes to the track for some competitive driving.
Schmitt had driven the road course with other drivers before, but this event would have about 20 drivers going all-out for 30 minutes, passing at high speeds as opportunities presented themselves.
After a morning of car inspections and drivers' meetings, Schmitt was ready to hop into her race car.
"I'm a little nervous," she said. "But that's good."
Her son, who had stayed up until 3 a.m. the night before making last-minute required adjustments to the car, helped her with her helmet and glasses.
Evelyn squeezed into the driver's seat, a task more suited for a contortionist given the placement of the bars for the protective roll-cage.
Smith helped his mom strap into the seat, wished her good luck and watched her drive off toward the starting area.
"There's nobody who can convince me that they can't do this," said Smith, watching his mom join about 20 other cars at the starting line. "I think we all have the right perspective on this now."
Schmitt started near the back of the pack, but it took several laps for the faster front cars to catch up to her and lap her. With about 10 minutes left, a yellow caution flag came out (standard procedure), and the cars were bunched up again for a restart - with Schmitt at the front of the pack.
Schmitt finished near the back, but the day wasn't about being the fastest car on the track or winning a race. It was about experiencing true race driving.
Schmitt pulled her car back into its maintenance paddock after the race and got out to receive hugs from her son and cheers from her fans.
"I have never in all my life experienced anything like that," she said.
Thread Starter
White Trash Wish Cash
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,374
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From: Indiana
Re: (JjuuN R)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JjuuN R »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">2 for grandmas on the track. I'll come back and tell you why in a bit.</TD></TR></TABLE>
for grandmas on the track. I'll come back and tell you why in a bit.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Armed and Ready
Re: (rino924)
My mom (who is a grandmother 
) just bought this Ron Fellows Z06 Corvette, 1 of 300 made and 1 of 2 in the state we live in. She's been to Spring Mountain Raceway with me to watch and claims she can't wait to break it in and that she's "IN" for the next track day. She got it about a week ago and has about 360 miles on it now. She came over with the car yesterday, and I'll get to drive it once I recover a little more from my operation. Car is very nice...
) just bought this Ron Fellows Z06 Corvette, 1 of 300 made and 1 of 2 in the state we live in. She's been to Spring Mountain Raceway with me to watch and claims she can't wait to break it in and that she's "IN" for the next track day. She got it about a week ago and has about 360 miles on it now. She came over with the car yesterday, and I'll get to drive it once I recover a little more from my operation. Car is very nice...
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Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 9,925
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From: Milwaukee, WI, USA
Re: (JjuuN R)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JjuuN R »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My mom (who is a grandmother ) just bought this Ron Fellows Z06 Corvette, 1 of 300 made and 1 of 2 in the state we live in. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Badass!
) just bought this Ron Fellows Z06 Corvette, 1 of 300 made and 1 of 2 in the state we live in. </TD></TR></TABLE> Badass!
Thread Starter
White Trash Wish Cash
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,374
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From: Indiana
Re: OT: senior citizen race story (Doespike)
thats a sick car, even rareR then the ARRRRRRRRR
i thought this story was cool because i work at a golf course and see people this age everyday doing NOTHING but come out and get on a cart an golf, and then these people tracking a car?! madness
i thought this story was cool because i work at a golf course and see people this age everyday doing NOTHING but come out and get on a cart an golf, and then these people tracking a car?! madness
Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 8,201
Likes: 1
From: Notgrapebutgreat, S.C./N.C., USof A
Re: OT: senior citizen race story (JjuuN R)
z06 is hot, but it still gm product...import stuff is such better quality.
z06 is fast and powerful.....it is the best car for the money...i drive a honda so i guess i can't hate
z06 is fast and powerful.....it is the best car for the money...i drive a honda so i guess i can't hate
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,401
Likes: 0
From: Chicago, IL
Re: (JjuuN R)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JjuuN R »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My mom (who is a grandmother ) just bought this Ron Fellows Z06 Corvette, 1 of 300 made and 1 of 2 in the state we live in. She's been to Spring Mountain Raceway with me to watch and claims she can't wait to break it in and that she's "IN" for the next track day. She got it about a week ago and has about 360 miles on it now. She came over with the car yesterday, and I'll get to drive it once I recover a little more from my operation. Car is very nice...
</TD></TR></TABLE>
Your Mom rocks haha
) just bought this Ron Fellows Z06 Corvette, 1 of 300 made and 1 of 2 in the state we live in. She's been to Spring Mountain Raceway with me to watch and claims she can't wait to break it in and that she's "IN" for the next track day. She got it about a week ago and has about 360 miles on it now. She came over with the car yesterday, and I'll get to drive it once I recover a little more from my operation. Car is very nice... </TD></TR></TABLE>
Your Mom rocks
haha
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,082
Likes: 2
Re: OT: senior citizen race story (penpen)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by penpen »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">neato will need to look for her if i ever get my license and congratulate her myself! i hope i hold up that well.</TD></TR></TABLE>
i can see penpen tracking her ITR when she's grandma
will need to look for her if i ever get my license and congratulate her myself! i hope i hold up that well.</TD></TR></TABLE>i can see penpen tracking her ITR when she's grandma
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Joined: Jul 2005
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From: selling YOU a Honda or Acura
Re: OT: senior citizen race story (Padawan)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Padawan »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Twenty-three replies, and not a single GK comment? 
</TD></TR></TABLE>
I'm sure, he would say, "She's hot."
</TD></TR></TABLE>I'm sure, he would say, "She's hot."