We recently witnessed the unveiling of two great new additions to the Richard Petty Junior Ride-Along experience at the Walt Disney World Speedway. Sage VanDerSpin and Aiken Axler, from the 2006 animated film Cars, rolled on to the track for the first time. Jay Ward, who was on hand for today’s media event, created these two full-size “character” cars. He is the Creative Director for all Cars-related projects involving Pixar.
The event started with the General Manager of the Richard Petty Driving Experience, Bill Scott, describing the new ride-along experience. He talked about how children ages 6 to 13 (and at least 48 inches tall) would have the chance to experience the excitement of riding in an actual race car that is designed to look like a familiar character from the “Piston Cup.” He emphasized how the custom cars were built for safety and how the passenger seat was created specifically for children. Jay Ward spoke next about how important it was for him to make the cars really look like they were right out of the film. As the “guardian of the Cars franchise,” Jay spoke about the attention to detail that went into the creation of the new cars.
Once the initial discussion wrapped up, we were invited out to the garage to get a close-up look at both Sage VanDerSpin and Aiken Axler. Many of us at the event had our children with us, since this new program is geared toward them. My son, Christopher, was blown away when he first laid eyes on the new cars. It was like these animated characters rolled out of the movie into real life.
At first glance, we had to wonder how the driver and passenger would see through the windshield with the eyes apparently covering most of it. However, much like the movie advertising overlays that we’ve seen on the monorails over the past few years, these “wraps” don’t interfere with the view from the inside of the cars. Although the paint jobs make the cars look amazing from the outside, the interiors are built for function. You can see that safety is the number one priority when looking at the restraint systems.
While in the garage, I had the opportunity to chat with Bill Scott directly. My son actually had the first question for him. He wanted to know why Aiken Axler was primarily black in the movie but is mostly orange in “real life.” Bill explained that race cars can actually have several different paint schemes and that “the orange color was Aiken’s Florida paint job.” I then asked Bill if we’d see any of the cars from the Richard Petty Driving Experience at Car Masters Weekend at Downtown Disney over the next few days. He said that they would have some of the “exotic” cars on display. During our discussion, Bill once again talked about the saftey of the cars. He said that with all of the protection built into Aiken and Sage, you were safer on the race track than “driving home in your mini van on I-4 today.”
So, after seeing the cars up close, my son Chris couldn’t wait to go for a ride. But first, he wanted a picture with his driver, Josh, and Sage VanDerSpin himself. We then headed out to the track so he could suit up.
With help from crew-member Chuck, my little man climbed through the passenger window and got all strapped in. Before long, Chris, Josh, and Sage were racing down the track at speeds approaching 90 mph. The ride-along consists of three full laps and typically reaches speeds of close to 120 mph, but the track was damp from earlier rain so they slowed things down a little to be on the safe side.
After the ride, I had the interesting opportunity to interview my own son about his experience. Here is what Chris had to say: “It was amazing! It didn’t feel as fast as Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster but it was definitely faster than your car, dad. At first I was a little scared, but then it was just fun. I loved it and want to do it again!”
This new ride-along opportunity officially opens to the public tomorrow, June 14th and will cost $59 per ride. This is certainly a reasonable price for this incredibly unique experience. If mom or dad would like to go for a similar ride, they can do it in a non-character race car and the cost is about $85. The adults typically reach speeds of close to 140 mph.
Dave Drumheller is a lifelong Disney fan. He operates WDWGuidedTours.com which offers private guided tours to help guests avoid the lines, avoid the stress, and get the most out of their vacation. He also runs the DigitalDisneyWorld.com website where he features a daily photo from Walt Disney World.