Riccardo Patrese was once one of the most dependable F1 race car drivers in the world. While he never claimed any titles or championships, he did manage to enjoy a long career behind the wheel. He was also a record holder for several statistical achievements such as most Formula One race entries for many years.

Even in retirement, he stayed close to both racing and his sponsors. The video above is the secret recording of Riccardo taking his wife around the track in a then new Honda Civic Type-R. Her reactions are priceless, and his smirk is hilarious. If you're curious what she's screaming, here's a lower resolution vid with captions.

While not a fan of racing myself, when a professional driver offers you a hot lap, you take it. I've been a passenger in a 4 second quarter mile the drag car and was given a 160-ish mph lap around Texas Motor Speedway. It was both terrifying and exhilarating! Definitely worth the anxiety and inevitable pre-run upchuck.

One of these days, maybe I'll weasel my way into a fast lap in one of those V8 supercars. I remember NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip even had a hard time with it. See that bit of awesomeness below.

 

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