I’m a seasonal Cast Member at the Indy Speedway, and I do believe that certain things could be changed as far as the setup of the ride, but I don’t think it should go anywhere. Even before I began working there, the “racecars” were something that I’ve always remembered. In returning years afterwards I never had an interest in riding the cars, but just looking at them and seeing the look on kid’s faces is astounding. You have no idea how great it is to see a kid’s face LIGHT UP when they jump behind the wheel of the car. If you ask any boy between the ages of 5 and 9 what their favorite thing was about the Magic Kingdom, I guarantee you they will say the Indy Speedway. I’ve provided so many Magical Moments for children by letting them jump the line because it’s their birthday or because their parents don’t want to ride. I cannot see Disney ripping something out of the park that makes kids so happy. But I agree that the cars should be powered by electricity. But I don’t think that’ll be happening anytime soon.
On the other side, for those who complain about how slow the cars go- they are slow for a reason- safety. Cast Members have really gotten hurt on the job out there. I worked with one lady who got hit by a car and because of it, her finger is paralyzed, and at the time, the impact knocked her kneecap to the side of her leg. She had to have all kinds of surgery. Also, I’ve had to see doctors about my foot because a man bumped a car that I was unloading while my foot was on the outside pedal. It feels better now, but anytime I have an injury involving my foot (i.e. I twist my ankle), that same area gets effected over again, and before this accident, I’d never had problems with my foot in that area.
And the cars can go fast- during grad nites, a few people that I worked with played with the gears and that car was going close to 30mph. They put the car on a track where no other cars were and they sped by the people at grad nite several times. It was kind of fun looking at the expressions on their faces when this car came speeding by and they were going 7.5mph. If the cars that we worked with went even as fast at 15 mph, seriously, Guests would kill us. For these to be adults that complain about the speed of the cars, they certainly can drive irresponsibly.
One side note as well, it also makes me smile when I see little women and men from India, Asia, etc. that have never driven in their life come to Disney World. Indy Speedway is their first time driving ever, and these people are in their 50’s, 60’s and higher. But they can really hold up the line! If you think that the cars already go slow, wait until you get behind someone that age that’s never driven before. We almost always have to end up letting everyone behind them go twice…
On the other side, for those who complain about how slow the cars go- they are slow for a reason- safety. Cast Members have really gotten hurt on the job out there. I worked with one lady who got hit by a car and because of it, her finger is paralyzed, and at the time, the impact knocked her kneecap to the side of her leg. She had to have all kinds of surgery. Also, I’ve had to see doctors about my foot because a man bumped a car that I was unloading while my foot was on the outside pedal. It feels better now, but anytime I have an injury involving my foot (i.e. I twist my ankle), that same area gets effected over again, and before this accident, I’d never had problems with my foot in that area.
And the cars can go fast- during grad nites, a few people that I worked with played with the gears and that car was going close to 30mph. They put the car on a track where no other cars were and they sped by the people at grad nite several times. It was kind of fun looking at the expressions on their faces when this car came speeding by and they were going 7.5mph. If the cars that we worked with went even as fast at 15 mph, seriously, Guests would kill us. For these to be adults that complain about the speed of the cars, they certainly can drive irresponsibly.
One side note as well, it also makes me smile when I see little women and men from India, Asia, etc. that have never driven in their life come to Disney World. Indy Speedway is their first time driving ever, and these people are in their 50’s, 60’s and higher. But they can really hold up the line! If you think that the cars already go slow, wait until you get behind someone that age that’s never driven before. We almost always have to end up letting everyone behind them go twice…
