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11:30am A clutch of excited boys cleverly disguised as middle-aged writers take turns sampling assorted sensations of speed at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The reason were here: its nearly time for Torontos Honda Indy and Honda Canada is gearing up for the big race with this event featuring Indy racing rock star James Hinchcliffe. The event features track time in three different cars: a Formula F race car; a 2014 Honda Civic Coupe Si, a zippy street monster whose 2.4L 4-cylinder engine emits 205hp and 174lb.-ft. torque; and some dangerous-looking go karts that speed up to 70 km/h mere centimeters from the ground. Hinchcliffe is just the big draw for our editors. Its driving the cars that were here for! To be fair, Hinchcliffe is a draw. Not only are his racing credentials impeccable—Hinch managed three Indy victories last year and took home 2011s ‘Rookie of the Year title—but hes a rare Canadian who has made a name for himself as a professional racer. Calling my own experience on the track “racing” is something akin to sitting in a 25-cent grocery store ride-on space-ship and calling that a trip to the moon. But, let me try to explain what it felt like anyway, because its about as close as most of us normals will get to the moon—or to being a professional race car driver. 9:00am Appropriately Lightening Crashes and rains falls until just minutes ago. So, despite the rising heat, the three tracks are patchily damp and puddled. My group is driving the go karts first. 24 year-old Daniel Morad, already a Canadian racing legend (he won the 2007 American Formula BMW championship and 2010 World Championship in the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in La Conca, Italy), warns us of oversteer. We have rear brakes only on this wet, yet wonderfully challenging track. In spite of Morads warnings, for a half hour, we all spin 360 degrees in turns tighter than LIVE performing a third encore after a four-month tour. 10:30am ‘Use the whole track. The peppy Civic Si is my flying classroom. Voice crackling instructions via walkie-talkie, pro driver Jeff Boyce coaches us. We take turns flying through the circuit behind Boyce, observing where he floats, brakes, begins and completes turning. Pylons at corner apexes beckon the eye (briefly) into turns. Other series of cones, grouped into threes, twos and ones inform when to brake, then turn. Theres a lot to know and years of poor habits to overcome. It occurs to me how fortunate my group is. We began with fun go karting to quell nerves, then this technically challenging and massively educational hands-on schooling in Civics to heighten awareness — saving the best for last. Then we see the Formula F racer up close. ‘Will we even fit in that? 11:20am Im a sausage, zipped inside a Honda suit that restricts breathing, shimmying into the Formula F ‘casing. They remove the steering wheel for driver access. My small Caucasian keister and broadish shoulders barely fit. Its uncomfortably tiny, like the suit. Then they say, “Go!” Suddenly, this restrictive cylinder magically expands to an angelic extension of my consciousness — a roaring vengeful angel! The steering is too precise; it feels unreal. Marking then finding apex and braking cones becomes almost second nature. The shifter is the width of a pencil and tempting to shift with pinky extended as though drinking tea. Power? The uninitiated may scoff at the 2013 Honda Fit engine, outputting 110 hp. But this speedster weighs just 1,125 lbs with driver (keep in mind that a driverless Smart car weighs 1,650). Then theres the speed sensation. Consider: why does sliding prone on a skateboard, face near the ground, trump 900 km/h at 20,000 ft? Perspective. The VanDiemens view is about as high as the go kart — but 17 times more powerful. Imagine driving a really fast and stiff sleeping bag. And the feeling? Like a sunny Friday June afternoon when you got a raise and your boss was fired. 11:40am Im shotgun as Hinchcliffe rips out a hot lap. Weirdly, its nothing compared to the crack hit I was riding just minutes back. The car is so much higher up, it feels more normal, and when youre just a passenger youre not the one with all that power at your disposal. For Hinch doing these hot laps must be about as thrilling as an unintended afternoon nap. Leading up to lunch, I poll the events professional drivers for tips on driving better. * James Hinchcliffe: “Safety is the most important thing for people who want to drive better. For young people interested in racing, theres a whole other side to your career — the marketing.” * Chris Bye: Three-day racing courses re-teach important basics. They cost thousands but nobody ever told him it wasnt worth it, even if they never raced afterwards. * Jeff Boyce: Take his race-school training. * Daniel Morad: Using a different language, he said the same. What acute irony that Hinch emphasized marketings importance just before his colleagues shilled for their driving schools. Yet they werent wrong. If dangerous idiots were forced to buy track lessons and learn the essentials of speed and motion, our roads would be far safer. Noon Aglow from driving the light speed Formula F, I spy a pretty woman grilling meat and accept the rawest steak she has. Steven Bochenek is a freelance contributor forAutofocus.ca, Canadas pit stop for auto enthusiasts and car buyers alike. Custom Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys . Cain departed in the fourth inning of a 10-5 loss to the Pirates on Thursday. X-rays on Cains bruised forearm were negative. He was hit when Sanchez led off the fourth with a groundout. Wholesale Penguins Jerseys . Napoli hit two home runs, Jonny Gomes and prized rookie Xander Bogaerts also connected, and the Red Sox kept up their dizzying scoring spree at Yankee Stadium by bashing New York 13-9 Saturday for a fifth straight win. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/. George Hill had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Pacers, who stayed atop the overall NBA standings despite losing twice on their West Coast trip. Los Angeles kept it close into the second half before the Pacers finished an easy win over the injury-riddled Lakers, who have lost five straight. Cheap Penguins Jerseys .C. - Brent Sutter scored 1:32 into extra time as the Charlotte Checkers came from behind to defeat the visiting Abbotsford Heat 5-4 on Sunday in American Hockey League action. Pittsburgh Penguins Gear . -- David Ortiz saved his only hit for a key moment for the Boston Red Sox.Manchester City showed no mercy on beleaguered West Ham by romping to a 3-0 victory in the second leg of their League Cup semifinal on Tuesday, completing a 9-0 aggregate thrashing. Alvaro Negredo scored twice and Sergio Aguero added the other goal to ensure City will contest its first League Cup final since 1976, against either Sunderland or fierce rival Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on March 2. Having grabbed a hat trick in Citys 6-0 win in the first leg two weeks ago, Negredo ensured there would be no miracle turnaround by heading in the opening goal at Upton Park after less than three minutes. Aguero clipped home a deft finish in the 24th for his third goal in as many matches since returning from a calf injury and Negredo powered through some weak defending to wrap up the scoring in the 59th. It took Citys goal tally for the season in all competitions to 106 in 35 games. Most neutrals will likely be hoping for an all-Manchester final, but Sunderland leads the other semifinal 2-1 after the first leg. The return match is at Old Trafford on Wednesday. British bookmakers were offering odds of 500-1 that West Ham would complete an inconceivable turnaround. Many in the media dubbed it "Mission Impossible." And even though City fielded a weakened lineup, the visitors maintained a professional, positive attitude to the second leg and had far too much class for West Ham, which has endured a miserable season and iis marooned in the Premier Leagues relegation zone.dddddddddddd. Its the biggest aggregate margin of victory in a League Cup semifinal. "It was important the way we reached the final, winning all our games," Pellegrini said. Pellegrini started with his first-choice strikeforce and Negredo opened the scoring after just three minutes, emphatically heading in a cross from 18-year-old Portuguese winger Marcos Lopes. Aguero, who was making his first start since returning from injury, ran onto a pass from the impressive Lopes, beat his marker and chipped the goalkeeper. Negredo then moved onto 23 goals for the season -- one more than the entire West Ham team has managed in 22 games in the league -- by muscling his way through the home defence and applying a deft finish on the slide. "We didnt want to lose," City defender Joleon Lescott said. "We wanted to keep our winning streak going." The 60-year-old Pellegrini is now the brink of winning his first piece of major European silverware, having left Spanish football empty-handed after spells with Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga across nine years. City is also in the running for three other trophies -- it is second in the Premier League, through to the last 16 of the Champions League and in the fourth round of the FA Cup. To make matters worse for West Ham, midfielders Joe Cole and Mohamed Diame went off injured in the second half. ' ' '