Track Day Novice Passed By Minivan In Fastest Lap, Questions Life Choices

A first-time track day participant in a modified Subaru WRX was overtaken on the back straight of a regional circuit by a stock Honda Odyssey minivan driven by a woman who described her attendance as "a birthday present from my kids."

Braden Turbo, 26, arrived at Summit Point Raceway with a freshly installed turbo-back exhaust, coilover suspension, and a set of track-compound tires he had purchased specifically for the event. He was placed in the novice run group alongside a Honda Odyssey driven by Linda Apex, 54, a suburban mother of three.

"I saw the minivan in the paddock and thought, 'Well, at least I'll be faster than that,'" Turbo recounted. "She passed me on lap four. On the straight. In a minivan. The sliding door was slightly ajar. I could hear 'Let It Go' playing from the rear entertainment system as she went by."

Apex, who had never been on a racetrack before Saturday, explained that she simply "drove the way the instructor said" and "used all the road like he told me to."

"He said brake before the turn, not during the turn," Apex elaborated. "And look where you want to go, not where you are. And be smooth. That's what I did. Is that not what everyone does?"

Turbo's instructor, riding in his passenger seat, observed that Turbo's primary issue was over-driving. "He was braking too late, turning too aggressively, and getting on the throttle before the car was straight," the instructor noted. "Linda was smooth. Smooth is fast. The WRX has more power. Linda has more discipline."

Turbo completed the day with a best lap time of 1:42.8. Apex completed the day with a best lap time of 1:41.3, a gap of 1.5 seconds that Turbo has described as "statistically insignificant" and that his instructor has described as "a full corner."

Apex has registered for next month's event. She plans to bring snacks for the paddock.