A Day at the Races: An Ode to My Love of Fast Cars

In addition to all of my particular interests, I am a huge fan of racing. Race cars, to be exact. I like anything that goes fast, especially cars. Italian are best, but I don’t discriminate. My first car was an Alfa Romeo with a drop top, and ever since it’s been a long term obsession.

Italian Heritage Italy has a long history of auto racing, and it has become something of a cultural icon. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Italy has been embroiled in the culture of car racing, and things got even more exciting during the 1930’s with the emergence of Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, and others hitting the streets for racing.

Is Car Racing Actually a Sport? Though some question the legitimacy of car racing as an actual sport, it is no ordinary activity. You could compare it to horse racing, replacing the animal with a vehicle that relies on the person managing it to control the settings. Racing does not necessarily involve the same physical training most other athletic pursuits require, but it demands an extremely high level of skill, precision, ability, confidence, knowledge in the field, and the ability to handle driving a piece of machinery at extremely high speeds within mere inches of others doing the same, wearing a firesuit, and managing the G-force… So, it’s not exactly athletic, but it takes fearlessness and mastery to handle it, plus an ample amount of mental concentration. As far as I’m concerned, this is what makes it a sport.

Why is it Challenging? Well, just about anyone can get in a car and drive it with basic skills and awareness of safety rules, but to handle the mental challenge of a race car at 200+ mph, is something entirely different. Race car drivers need to be disciplined, and it is far from easy to be able to drive in a continuous loop for hours on end. Monotonous and taxing, racing is a sport that challenges a driver from so many aspects of stamina.

There’s nothing like a fine, Italian sports car, offering the thrilling power of a well-engineered vehicle that straddles the line between performance and art. Being behind the wheel takes ability and expertise; few things compare to the beauty and excitement.