Penticton Western News sports editor Emanuel Sequeira and driver Stefan Rzadzinski give the thumbs up prior to their navigation of the Area 27 track Saturday in Oliver. Mark Brett/Western News

Penticton Western News sports editor Emanuel Sequeira and driver Stefan Rzadzinski give the thumbs up prior to their navigation of the Area 27 track Saturday in Oliver. Mark Brett/Western News

From the sideline – or in this case, passenger seat

My hot lap experience during the Area27 grand opening

There are some perks to being a member of the media. Among them are some of the experiences presented to you.

For its grand opening on June 3, Area27 invited media out to the facility and allowed them a hot lap in either a super car or bike.

Holy crap.

That was the thought in my mind in the passenger seat of a Porsche Cayman GT4 Club sport as Area27 instructor Stefan Rzadzinski wasted little time getting that car humming. It was overwhelming to say the least. My mind was going crazy, while my body may have curled up a bit. There was a part of me that wanted to tap Rzadzinski on the shoulder to indicate I’d like him to slow down a touch. However, I also had my cell phone in my hands attempting to broadcast on Facebook live, which didn’t work out as I lost the internet connection. I thought it’s probably not a good idea to tap him on the shoulder.

Hot lap video

There was a moment at the start where he braked hard heading into what I believe was the second corner. I actually thought maybe he was about to stop the car as make he could see me semi freaking out, but no, it was just about hitting the turn with the right speed.

After getting used to a couple of speed bursts and turns, I went to freaking out to thinking this is so much fun.

Rzadzinski said he figured our highest speed topped out at 220 km/h. That’s the top speed of my GMC Terrain. Rzadzinski was incredible with the way he handled the car.

Members are going to have a blast when taking laps on the track. There are parts of the track in which there are dips and can cause your stomach to drop. Near the end of the hot lap, I remember thinking I was glad I had not eaten anything before hand. If I had, I’m sure I would have been puking all over that car.

It’s crazy how much fun I had in what was roughly about five minutes. Thank you Area27 for that wild ride.

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