This perhaps a little off topic as far a midgets are concerned but not to apprehension/fear. Back in 1964 when I was 21 I took up an offer to act as a passenger on a racing sidecar outfit. Although we turned up for our first meeting trouble with the bike meant we were merely spectators but I was all fired up still. Two weeks later at our next race meeting everything was fine until we were in the assembly area waiting to pull out onto the track. Sitting on the chair surrounded by all the other machines blipping throttles with their drivers and passengers apparently completely unperturbed I was consumed with fear for what I was about to do and how dangerous it potentially was, particularly for a totally inexperienced novice such as I. At that moment I had a real longing for something mechanical to go awry so that once again we would not make the grid but I would have the opportunity to save face and not have to admit to being just plain scared.
However it was not to be and the marshal waved us all out on track and with a big gulp I grabbed the bar and we were gone, part of a jostling pack of screaming machinery, and I loved it! I did it for another four years until moving on to cars but I never lost that initial moment of apprehension before a race although later it was of not doing my best not of fear.
