A true all-American hero
FROM INDY race drivers to cowboys, heroes like these have always been part of American culture. The American who most appealed to me was US Air Force test pilot Charles ‘Chuck’ Yeager (Octane 214), the first person to break the sound barrier. He flew with two broken ribs, having fallen off a horse two days before.
From ridin’ a hoss to wrestling the first supersonic jet, Yeager was blessed with ‘the right stuff’, as immortalised in Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book of that name.
Before the Indianapolis 500 in 1992, the organisers laid-on track tours for media, driven by celebrities in convertibles. There were two ride queues in the pit lane and I joined the shorter one without hesitation. Only later did I learn that the longer queue was for legendary three-time Indy winner Bobby Unser.
My turn came to ride around the most famous and historic track in racing. I boarded the Cadillac convertible to be greeted by an
