by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net

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Burning rubber, squealing tires, the smell of petrol, cheering fans, and general excitement abounded as the annual "In The Driver's Seat" day was held at world-famous Sandown Racecourse last weekend.

Sponsored by the Lion's Club, "In The Driver's Seat" has been going for years, and offers blind and visually impaired persons to drive grunty cars on one of the better known racing tracks we have here in Australia.

I was fortunate enough to be able to participate this year, and drove a 2.4 liter Mitsubishi Lancer for about 8 laps around the track.  The cars are tandem driving instructor cars, with pedals on both sides in the front, and the instructor keeping one hand on the wheel in case anything goes wrong.  At a top speed of about 110km per hour on the straight aways, it was a great day, reminiscent of the days when I did drive as a much younger man.



Hats off to the great people at the Lions Club for putting on this annual event.  Other highlights of the day were old car clubs, and motorcycle clubs showing off their fancy vehicles and offering rides to people.  Included in this post are several of the pictures my wife took from the back seat, and I'll post a video soon when I take it off the phone it was recorded on.