I started taking both my children, son and daughter, to the races at
about that age. They both loved it and have asked to go back every
year. We have only missed one of the VARAC festivals and we always try
to visit Lime Rock and the Glen. My now 24 year old daughter is still
keen on the races and is trying to schedule for us to visit the Lime
Rock Fall Festival. Keep up the good work! Murray Taylor
"clark@dnf.com" wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> This weekend, I took my 5-year-old daughter to the HMSA event at Laguna
> Seca. It was her first race.
>
> I've been hesitant to expose her to racing: too noisy, too dirty, too much
> for someone so young, too un-girl-like. And the constant question of
> whether I was really doing this for her, or really for me. My
> soon-to-ex-wife will surely use this trip against me somehow. I'm sure
> she'd like to kill me for this.
>
> I was hoping I would know at least one competitor who might let her sit in a
> car. As it turned out, I never had to ask. First, the owner of an Austin
> powered BMC offered her a seat in his very un-intimidating little Formula
> Junior car. While Veronica became a bit shy all of a sudden and rejected
> the offer, I was amazed that even though the car's power plant had just
> broken a crankshaft, the owner still recognized the opportunity to make
> someone else happy in spite of his own pain. And I figured she had blown
> her opportunity.
>
> We walked a short while through the paddock only to have the same offer from
> the owner of an incredible, blue Lola Can-Am car (number 5). This one
> looked like Darth Vader might have used it to go to the 7 Eleven, but
> Veronica snapped at the offer. Go figure.
>
> >From then on, every blue car that circled the track was the one she "drove".
>
> She was then ready to "go drive" the little BMC, but instead we had to
> settle for waving to it as it departed on its trailer.
>
> I'm writing this to let you all know how much such a little thing as
> offering a seat and a little fantasy can mean.
>
> I've been intentionally hiding from her my interest in this stuff, but she
> knows I have that Devin out in the garage and she remembers seeing me work
> on it, in her words, "when I was three".
>
> Does anyone on the list have a little girl that likes to go races? Have I
> done permanent damage already?
>
> Clark
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