thedrifter
04-29-08, 08:04 AM
BMW takes Marines for a ride
Troops drive specially equipped cars
By Susanne M. Schafer - The Associated Press
GREER --Thirty wounded and recovering Marines cast care and pain aside Monday to zip around BMW's high-performance driving course and have some fun.
"Its a rush!" shouted Lance Cpl. Jeremy Stengel after slipping through a series of left-right slalom turns and bringing his retrofitted 650i coupe to a punching halt on the rain-soaked asphalt.
A wide smile broke across the Marine's face at the joy of handling the powerful $85,000 vehicle with a 360 horsepower, V-8 engine.
Stengel, of Waterford, Wis., was among about 10 veterans with leg injuries or amputations who drove vehicles outfitted with special controls. The 22-year-old was a quick learner, using a knob on the wheel and a left-hand lever to control the car.
Stengel was hit by a roadside bomb in Anbar Province, Iraq, in February 2007 and has been recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
"It's been about two years since I've been driving," said Stengel, who suffered severe internal injuries and wounds to both legs. "Doing this over and over again, I'm getting the hang of it."
The Marines spent most of the day at BMW's high-test driving school in a course that normally costs $695. The visit was designed to give them a break from their lengthy recuperations.
The event was sponsored by the luxury automaker in cooperation with the Injured Semper Fi Fund, a privately funded group that supports injured veterans and their families.
Other than the five outfitted vehicles, the Marines' program did not differ from what any driver would take, said instructor Dan Doot, who's been at the school since its founding in 1999.
"It's our way of giving back," said course director Dan Gubitosa. "These are the guys who have given so much."
Ellie
Troops drive specially equipped cars
By Susanne M. Schafer - The Associated Press
GREER --Thirty wounded and recovering Marines cast care and pain aside Monday to zip around BMW's high-performance driving course and have some fun.
"Its a rush!" shouted Lance Cpl. Jeremy Stengel after slipping through a series of left-right slalom turns and bringing his retrofitted 650i coupe to a punching halt on the rain-soaked asphalt.
A wide smile broke across the Marine's face at the joy of handling the powerful $85,000 vehicle with a 360 horsepower, V-8 engine.
Stengel, of Waterford, Wis., was among about 10 veterans with leg injuries or amputations who drove vehicles outfitted with special controls. The 22-year-old was a quick learner, using a knob on the wheel and a left-hand lever to control the car.
Stengel was hit by a roadside bomb in Anbar Province, Iraq, in February 2007 and has been recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
"It's been about two years since I've been driving," said Stengel, who suffered severe internal injuries and wounds to both legs. "Doing this over and over again, I'm getting the hang of it."
The Marines spent most of the day at BMW's high-test driving school in a course that normally costs $695. The visit was designed to give them a break from their lengthy recuperations.
The event was sponsored by the luxury automaker in cooperation with the Injured Semper Fi Fund, a privately funded group that supports injured veterans and their families.
Other than the five outfitted vehicles, the Marines' program did not differ from what any driver would take, said instructor Dan Doot, who's been at the school since its founding in 1999.
"It's our way of giving back," said course director Dan Gubitosa. "These are the guys who have given so much."
Ellie