BROWSE CAR REVIEWS BY:
MAKE
MODEL
Click on a car body type for search results.
 |
 |
| SUVs (two rows) | SUVs (three rows) |
 |
 |
| Crossover | Minivans |
 |
 |
| Sedan | Hybrids |
 |
 |
| Wagons/Hatchbacks | Just for Fun |
Confessions of a Closet Racecar Driver
Sep 14 2007 by Emily Hansen
9/14/2007
Doesn't Fit the Mom Profile, But I Like to Go Fast
Here at Mother Proof, not only do we test drive cars at home with our kids in tow, but we also travel far and wide, over the river and through the woods, to get information about upcoming models. In doing so, I've learned something about myself: I'm a mom who really likes to drive cars fast.
I'm not talking about inviting-the-police-to-give-me-a-ticket fast, I'm talking racing-around-a-track-at-speeds-upward-of-100-mph fast. Two of my recent Mother Proof trips took me to racetracks that gave me a taste of speed. The first was at Chrysler's proving grounds in Chelsea, Mich. I rode with automotive journalist Emilio Lezcano, who has extensive racing experience and was willing to take some time out of his day to coach me around the track.
After a couple of laps as a passenger, I got into the driver's seat of a new 2008 Chrysler Crossfire. Just riding along with someone who knows their way around a racetrack is exhilarating enough, but I swear my heart was going to jump right out of my shirt when he asked if I wanted a turn. After the first lap, my confidence grew, and I took the second one with wild abandon. When we came to a stop, Emilio was elated; he couldn't contain his enthusiasm for my new skills. I left the track that day ready to sign up to be the next big thing in car racing. The reality of motherhood, however, arose, and my racecar dreams were relegated to the bottom of my priority list.
I didn't give that placement a second thought until a couple of weeks ago, when I got to drive at another racetrack, this one outside Indianapolis. This time I donned a helmet that made me look and feel like a real racecar driver. I had a bigger track and some space to open up my 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4. Thanks to the calm nature of my new coach, James Finck of Chrysler's SRT division, I easily hit the century mark on the straightaway and confidently negotiated a series of zigs and zags.
The Caliber SRT4 is actually a pretty attainable, family-friendly car — it has four doors and a vanity mirror. OK, it has some other stuff, too. SRT stands for Street and Racing Technology, and Chrysler has an entire division dedicated to modifying several of its models to achieve superior performance. This kind of treatment, which several automakers use, sounds like the perfect way for me to indulge in my guilty pleasure of driving fast (on a track, of course) in a package that could actually accommodate my children and their accoutrements. Of course, I am not the target market for this car — that person looks a lot more like my 15-year-old son, but somehow I don't think they would send me home.
Just don't tell my teenager about my penchant for all things speedy; I'd like to keep him thinking I drive like a little old lady.
