IN THIS FEATURE Driving the Indy 500 pace car Racing driver precision TV brings racing alive

To show me the ropes, Parnelli Jones hopped in the car. He said try and get as close as possible to the wall. So I did. But obviously it was not close enough. He says "Oh, give me the wheel and he leans across, grabs the wheel and drifts the car closer and closer to the wall. So close in fact that I start to hear the mirror going ttt..ttt..ttt..ttt against the wall. We are close enough to pick up white paint off the wall but not so close to scrape the paint off the mirror. It was amazing. When we stopped, he got out and wipes the white paint off the mirror. That's a good driver. That's the kind of precision it takes to be a racing driver. And that's why I am never going to be good enough to be a racing driver.

Real racing drivers are a different breed. Yet so often you see rich guys trying to be racing drivers. They turn up with their car on a shiny aluminium trailer and when they put on their race suit it is bursting at the stitching! Out on the track they get their doors blown off. Like golf, it's the only sport I can think off where amateurs try and beat the real racers. What's the point? I remember hearing once that Stirling Moss had eyesight good enough to be able to read newsprint at 20 feet. Geez, I can't even see a newspaper at 20 feet! What hope do mere mortals have.

...close enough to wall to lose paint

I prefer to go out and drive on my own, to drive by myself. I don't want anyone to see how bad a driver I am. I am okay with a wrench and enjoy driving my cars to my limits. But I am aware it is often not to the cars limits!