WTOP rides shotgun at 140 mph on DC’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix course

20 hours ago 6

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A front-seat view of the IndyCar Grand Prix track

Less than 24 hours before the first checkered flag waves at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in D.C., drivers got a chance Friday to put the 1.7-mile street course through its paces.

WTOP got to ride shotgun in a 670-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette Z06, reaching about 140 mph on the streets surrounding the National Mall.

Behind the wheel was Ken Morris, General Motors’ senior vice president of product programs, product safety and motor sports.

“Oh, inspiring!” Morris said after the run. “D.C. is such a phenomenal place. I’m starstruck by it every time I’m here and to be able to have a track in the middle of it is fantastic.”

Bumpy streets

Morris said racing through Downtown D.C. will require drivers to adjust to conditions they would not necessarily encounter on a permanent track.

“Street circuits, especially in the race cars, they have to be very careful because they are bumpy, and those cars have less travel these days,” Morris said.

Of all seven turns on the 1.7-mile course, his favorite is the final combination of Turns 6 and 7, the last section before drivers finish the lap near the National Mall and the Capitol.