NASCAR's Vickers gives Chambliss a Qualifying boost in Windsor
WINDSOR, Ontario (Canada) – Brian Vickers said he would love to give Kirby Chambliss an unforgettable ride in a racing car going up to 215 mph after the Red Bull Air Race pilot treated the NASCAR driver to a white-knuckled ride in an Edge 540 racing plane last year. “I’d try to scare him just as much as he scared me,” Vickers said on Saturday after giving Chambliss a bit of a helping hand to win “pole position” for Sunday’s Red Bull Air Race World Championship race in Windsor, Canada with an amiable chat in the American’s hangar. “I’d like to spend some more time flying with him. Maybe we can one day set up a deal where he can drive with me in the car and I’ll fly with him in the plane.”
Chambliss had been stuck in second place after his first Qualifying run on Saturday before Vickers dropped in for the friendly visit during the hour-long break between the two sessions. Chambliss, who clearly enjoyed meeting Vickers again, then flew the 4-mile course nearly two seconds faster than in his first run to move ahead of Britain’s Paul Bonhomme into first place.
Vickers clearly brought good vibes to Windsor for Chambliss after having just won the eighth pole position of his career on Friday for a NASCAR Sprint Cup race on Sunday race at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. Vickers admitted he is a big fan of the Red Bull Air Race on television and was eager to witness the racing in person at Saturday’s Qualifying.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the race and love watching it on television,” said Vickers, who is looking for his first NASCAR career win with Red Bull Racing on Sunday.
“I enjoyed flying with Kirby and he’s a great guy, just a good down-to-earth fun,” Vickers added. “You can also tell he’s driven and he’s good at what he does. We just talked about the race course. Last time we flew together it was more stunts and tricks and all kinds of crazy things out in the desert. Today we talked about racing and what this sport’s about and what it takes to win.”
It’s impressive, very impressive. What these guys do is very difficult, challenging, dangerous -like any motor sport should be. It’s very similar to our sport. When you really sit down and talk to them about what they go through and the nuances of the rules, there’s a lot more to it than people realize. There’s also a lot more to our sport too than most people realize.”
Vickers said his car can hit up to 215 mph while Chambliss said his Edge 540 hits 230 mph. “They’re probably faster but it’s close,” said Vickers. “We’re not too far off.”
Chambliss said he would love to take a ride in Vickers’ car.
“He probably could scare me,” he said. “I’d like to go for a ride with him. He’s a really nice guy and we had a good time together last time.”
