With weeks of anticipation and excitement leading up to this event, it was safe to say our expectations had gotten really high...

We’re talking about a “Ride Day” hosted by Triple Eight Race Engineering with Team Vodafone drivers Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.  For some of us, this was a dream come true, something that you would never imagine having the opportunity to do.  When the big boss came to us and said he had some tickets, I think it is safe to say we would have done almost anything to get our hands on one.  Luckily it never came to that, but it was an intense moment when our names got pulled out of the coffee pot to determine if we would ride in 888 or 88.  To be honest, the fact that we were getting the chance to experience a V8 Supercar with two of the most prestigious drivers in Australia today, we could have been stuffed in the back and still been as happy as a kid in a candy store.

As the sun rose on Friday 13th, there was some nervous excitement in the air.  Forgetting the superstition that normally surrounds this day, the only fear that morning was “what the heck am I going to say to Craig Lowndes”!  But all that subsided when we arrived at Queensland Raceway and the Triple Eight team were running like a well oiled machine.  It was obvious to everyone that this was a well organised and professionally run event and after signing our lives away (of course not reading the small print) and suiting up we were taken over to watch the cars getting prepared.

You see them on tv, but nothing can prepare you for the thrill of seeing and hearing these cars up close.  For those of you that have been involved with V8 Supercars before you will know exactly what we mean.  The cars are immaculately maintained and if the sound of the engine doesn’t get your ticker beating, the first rev most certainly will.  To say that we felt like the luckiest people in the world was an understatement. 

And then the time came...

The feeling of being sucked back into your seat with the intense acceleration, to being pushed forward with hard out breaking, to being tossed from side to side cornering like you can never imagine might sound horrid to some but seriously, it has to be the best feeling in the world!  And to turn your head for a brief reality check to be looking at the concentration on the face of Craig and Jamie is insane.  The experience is like no other and only enhances the admiration you have for a driver when you see the physical strength, extreme concentration and skill it takes to drive these cars.  We still think they have an awesome job, but now we realise just how hard they work out there.

This was the ultimate experience in a V8 Supercar and we can’t thank the team at Triple Eight enough.  To say that they were putting on such a massive day, around 250 rides, they remained calm and friendly and were never too busy to mix and mingle.  Oh, and the fresh cookies and muffins... perfect way to top off a fantastic morning.  And as I sit here at 7pm writing this, I know the team are still hard at work – we appreciate all the effort that you have put in to give us a memory that we will never forget. 

A very special thanks to Craig and Jamie from all the team at Autofocus.