Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Special Treat – Sharon Bryant

February 23, 2008

HELL DRIVER

Sharon Bryant

Last night someone emailed me a video of a vehicle doing some crazy climbing and speeds.  Suddenly my memories began from a vehicle back in the 60's.

We were working at a county fair with our food concession trailer.  One of the highlights of the fair was the Hurricane Hell Drivers.   They traveled all over the country with their hell drivers.  I'd seen them in the past at other fairs, do their tricks on race tracks.  They jumped ramps, they drove the cars on two wheels, and they drove at speeds that were unbelievable.  They did all kinds of tricks in those vehicles.

My dear mother somehow got to chatting with the head honcho of the drivers one morning.  The first show was later that afternoon.  I walked up on her conversation with the man.

"Would either one of you ladies like to take a spin since we're doing test runs this morning?" one man asked.  I backed up and shook my head no.  Mom stepped forward and said, "Sure, I'll take a run with you."

I watched as mom got a helmet on and was strapped into the car with a harness. 

"Oh boy," I said to myself as I watched my mom.

Suddenly the engine roared and in a split second, my mom was flying around the race track.  I saw the big ramp and KNEW there was NO WAY my mother would allow the driver to take her on that ramp.

I was wrong.  I watched as my mom was flipped sideways, the passenger side of the car almost touching the ground.  My heart began beating hoping the car would settle back on all four wheels.  It did.

A few rounds around the track and my mom was brought back to the starting point of the track.  She climbed out of the car grinning and said to me, "Try it, it was fun."  I shook my head no when another crew member stepped forward.  Boy was he good looking!  About my age too.

"Come on, I'll take you for a spin," he said.  His grin did it. 

They strapped the helmet on me and put some kind of belt around my stomach.  I saw another driver bring another car to where we were standing.  It was the brightest blue color with the number 7 on it.  "Gee, with a number 7 on it, this can't be so bad," I said to myself.   (So much for number 7).

They got me in on the passenger side.  I had to crawl through the window ledge.  There was no glass just an open hole where a window should have been.  Soon I had straps around me and some kind of neck piece.  The driver got in on his side, looked at me and asked if I was ok.  I told him I was fine.

The engine roared.  I remember laughing and telling him I just wanted to go fast, I didn't want to go up by the ramps.  "Sure," he grinned.

I have no idea how many miles per hour we took off at but it felt like 150 mph.  I saw trees that were a blur as we sped past them around the track.  The car was shaking and I was holding onto a bar.  I decided I wanted to go back to the starting point. 

As we rounded the track for the second time I yelled to the driver that it was fun, but take me back. 
"Already?" he asked.  "I want to show you some tricks first."

I saw the ramp as we rounded the big curve.  I saw the second ramp several feet from it.  And I saw my driver headed straight for it.  I remember screaming as we hit the ramp.  I remember shock as we went airborne.  I felt I was in a plane shaped like a car.  I felt the thud as we hit the other ramp coming down.

My heart was beating as fast as it could.  The speed we were going at was still very fast.

I screamed, "TAKE ME BACK."  He yelled, "In a minute."

On the next curve we hit another ramp that was erected sideways.  Suddenly from my side of the car, all I could see was the pavement of the track.  I was so close to the pavement I could have reached out with my hand and touched it.  I just knew we were going to flip over and I'd be trapped in that car.  We were flying at an ungodly rate of speed on the front and back wheel on my side.  My knuckles were turning white from gripping the bar I held onto.

We were going so fast the gum I had in my mouth slid out of my mouth and dropped into my blouse.  My mouth was drooling and the air I was breathing in felt so heavy.  All I could think of was that I was only 19 years old and I was going to die of a heart attack.

The car didn't flip.  Matter of fact when we went back on all four wheels, the thud we made wasn't even that bad.  The car finally slowed down.

The cute driver (who wasn't so cute to me at this point) grinned and said, "Well, how was it?"

I could barely breathe with my heart racing the way it was.

"I don't know how you do this for a living," I told him.  "I like speed, and I love entertaining the audiences," he replied.  "So how did you like it?"

"It was ok," I said.

He then asked me out for supper that evening.  I remember asking him, "Do you have a normal car or are you taking one of these?"  He laughed and said, "I have a normal car."

I went to supper with that hunk that night.  He drove a very nice Corvette.

Every time I see vehicles doing crazy things, I remember the day I rode with that hunk hell driver.

Sharon Bryant