Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/385222
photography by Kevin Sennett (MotorSport Lab); JoSh SiMpSon (tributo) " you c a n' t tell people how it feels to r ace ; you h av e to show them." —r. j. va lentine wo hundred four teen m iles sout h of Boston, 4 8 Ferraris are lined up outside the R itz- Carlton in Manhattan's Battery Park in a dazzling display that stops people in their tracks. Pedestrians rush to pull out their cell phones and snap photos, as if they had just spot ted a celebr it y on t he st reet s. A n elderly woman f lashes a thumbs-up, while a policeman tips his cap back and sighs, "Wouldya look at that." Indeed, t hese superca rs a re a sight to behold, prompting the sensory overload of a fashion show finale when the models strut out in rapid-fire succes- sion, each more beautiful than the last. This is the Tr ibuto Fer ra r i R a lly, a n exclusive gat her ing of exotic Ferraris and their owners, this year commem- orating the 60th anniversary of Ferrari USA with an epic drive through the heart of New York City. T here a re about 60 0 Fer ra r i ow ners in New England, and somehow I got the invite—but I don't even own one. I'm a journalist who's been loaned a $300,000 Ferrari along with the keys to this inner sanctum—what they affectionately call the "Ferrari family." I want to know, who are these people any- way? Masters of the universe? Old money? Are they racers? Sunday drivers? Is there an exotic car rac- ing clan in my hometown of Boston? All of the above. Just ask Will Turner, who knows the lure of seductive g rilles and the t rack better than most in Massachusetts. "Once you realize that performance driving on the street can get you in trouble, the track is logically the next step to push your ca r to t he lim it s," he says. "Once someone get s onto t he t rack, t hey're hooked. Next comes the competition involved in racing." After driving in his first amateur race at the age of 25, Turner sped on to t he professiona l circuit , dr iv ing high- performance BMWs in 119 road races and taking 50 checkered f lags as driver or owner. Twenty years later, he ow ns Turner Motorspor t (16 S. Hunt Road, Amesbury, 800-280-6966; turnermotorsport.com), based in Amesbury, and his BMW privateer team is one of the best in the world. "It's the whole pack- age t hat pulls a mateur dr ivers onto t he t rack: a combination of speed, pushing the limits, competi- t ion, ex hila rat ion, a nd intensit y," Tur ner says. "There is just nothing that compares to the feeling you get behind the wheel of a racecar." I understand what he's talking about as I take the cor ner at 43rd a nd Broadway a nd watch Times Square open up across my windshield. Cops line the streets, holding back traffic and pedestrians. They wave me through. I drop my foot on the gas and the accelerat ion pushes my eyeba lls back into t heir sockets. The lights of Times Square st reak across t he w indows. T his wa sn't on my bucket list , but going 60 miles per hour through the heart of New York City in a $300,000 Ferrari was worth adding after the fact. We're not in Cambridge anymore. My mind starts to wander and I begin to visual- ize myself a s pa r t of t his world, pa rading my wheels up a nd dow n Newbur y St reet like M iss Massachusetts. What makes Ferraris so exclusive is not necessarily their exorbitant price tag. You can't just show up at a Ferrari dealership with bags full of Benjamins and pick any car off the lot. You must first develop a relationship with the company. If you're deemed a loyal and good representative of 118 bostoncommon-magazine.com Sign up with the Motorsport Lab at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and feel what it's like to whip around the track in this Ferrari.