If you read my new editorial we are buried deep in project cars and SEMA preparations. When we got the invite to head out to Detroit, Michigan for the Octane Academy no one in the office had the time on our hands. I called on our newest pit reporter Victoria Lo who cut her teeth on the mean streets of New York City for years and finally got enough sense to move to California. Below is her story on how she beat a bunch of boys doing car things while Formula D champions Tanner Foust and Vaughn Gittin Jr. stood by, coached, and watched. -Joey Redmond
Last week I was fortunate enough to participate in a condensed version of Ford
Racing’s Octane Academy at the Michigan Proving Grounds. If you watched this
year’s X-Games 17, I’m sure you saw the commercials for Octane Academy featuring
its four well-known instructors: Vaughn Gittin JR., Brian Deegan, Tanner Foust, and
Ken Block.
While the full Academy program lasts 4 days, our media “tease” allotted the 5-
person groups about 90 minutes with each rotation. Each driver had a specific
expertise: Vaughn – Drifting, Deegan – Off-Road Racing, Tanner – Stunt Driving, and
Block – Rallying. Each session had a challenge to complete and the person with the
most points at the end of the day would be crowned Champion. The competitor in
me was awakened.
My group started off with the 2010 Formula Drift Champion, Vaughn Gittin JR. Each
person received a hot lap with Vaughn in Ford’s 300hp V6 Mustang to experience
riding sideways at 90mph. While the ride was thrilling and filled with adrenaline,
I spent a lot of the time concerned that my helmeted head would at any point bash
out the passenger window. It was an awesome ride but it was time to switch seats
because it was now my turn behind the wheel. The goal for this challenge was
simple: Drift the longest around an oval. I watched JR intently during the hot lap so
his instructions seemed easy enough: “… accelerate to that cone at about 3000rpms,
whip it right and then turn it left while slamming down on the throttle. Then, when
you feel it catch, let off the throttle for a second and then follow with gas, no gas,
gas, no gas, and steering the wheel accordingly.” Got it! But with only enough time
for 3 attempts, it became clear that drifting is not as easy as it looks (or sounds)!
JR’s feedback was I’m too throttle-happy – apparently I just want to go fast. All the
time… I took this as a compliment. Although I did the second best in my group, it
was nothing compared to the winner’s (Alex from Rides Magazine) 6 full-laps. My
session with Vaughn was awesome and I’m sure with some more practice and a
healthy supply of tires (hello sponsors!), I could drift circles around Alex.
Next up was off-road racing with X-Games 17 Rally Cross Gold Medalist, Brian
Deegan, in a Ford F-150 SVT RAPTOR. Surprisingly, this was one of the most exciting
hot laps, as Deegan’s excitement after every jump was equivalent to mentioning
Justin Bieber to a 12-year-old girl. On one of the jumps, we launched so high and
landed so hard that the power steering went out. Did that end our hot lap? Not
a chance! With cameras on us, we had to power though and Deegan muscled the
RAPTOR like a champ. He really is a talented driver as it’s no wonder he’s doing so
well in off road racing – he just won the Pro Lite and Pro 2 in the Lucas Oil Off Road
Racing Series! Keep kickin’ ass, Brian!
The folks at Ford Racing knew letting us loose on the off-road track behind the
wheel of the RAPTOR would be a cluster fuck filled with flipped trucks and mud in
their hair, so they opted for a calmer, more controlled, Reverse Raptor Challenge.
The task? Navigate the muddy slalom course in reverse using ONLY the Raptor’s
back-up camera in less than 5 minutes without knocking over any cones. The
challenge required no real driving skills except a little depth perception, knowing
your left from your right and then flipping that, but definitely left us trusting those
nifty back-up cameras a bit more. And although I got extremely nauseous watching
the screen while driving, there was something else I took away from this challenge…
A Rockstar Energy Drink Refrigerator! That’s right, I won, bitches! I can’t wait for
my apartment to look like a college dorm room. Part 2 is coming soon so stay tuned!
Posted in Lifestyle, Tanner Foust, Vaughn Gittin Jr., Video | 2 Comments »
