Thrill-seeking Saskatoon woman clocks 323 km/h, earns high-speed licence in desert race
'I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest,' says Carolann Houle
Carolann Houle admits you could call her "a little bit" of a thrill seeker, but some might say that's an understatement.
Last week, the Saskatoon race car driver flew across the surface of a dried-out Utah lake at 323 kilometres per hour, earning herself an "A" category driver's licence.
Now that she has the permit, Houle can race at even faster speeds of up to 398 km/h.
Racing heart
Finding words to describe the experience is hard for Houle. The 24-year-old said she wished she was wearing a heart rate monitor.
"I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest," she said.
"But then as soon as we pushed away from the car it just sort of felt like back to business."
Carolann was behind the wheel of a 1929 Ford Model A Roadster she built with her father, Omer.
Salt, not asphalt
Houle was one of hundreds of drivers who converged on the Bonneville Salt Flats for the South California Timing Association's 68th annual Speed Week from Aug. 13-19.
Omer said the race was a long time coming as it had been delayed for two years dur to poor weather and salt conditions.
Carolann clocked 323 km per hour, speeding across the surreal desert landscape in her car, which is powered by an 850 horsepower engine running on methanol racing fuel.
Despite the rapid speeds, Omer said he was not afraid to watch his daughter race because she is competent behind the wheel.
No fear
"She's grown up around the cars and she's got so she can really enjoy it and I feel confident in her abilities, that she can handle it," he said.
For Carolann, racing is not only about the thrill but the hours spent on working on her car.
"It's for the thrill and I get to do it with my dad and my boyfriend and some really close family friends so that's ... it's just kind of a little bonding experience," she said.
with files from CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning