An elderly daredevil raced into her 90th birthday at 220 kilometres per hour on Monday.
Maire Hollo came to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ont., to celebrate the milestone in style, by being driven around the track by Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame member Peter Lockhart.
The senior said she had no nerves before hopping into the powerful Porsche.
“Nope. Never. I wasn't nervous when I went skydiving,” she told CTV Toronto.
Hollo jumped out of a plane to celebrate her 89th birthday, a feat that saw her featured on American TV show Inside Edition. To celebrate her 84th birthday, she did the EdgeWalk on top of the CN Tower.
Back on solid ground for this year’s celebration, the adventurous senior was thrilled with her three laps in the racecar.
“Loved it, every second. So much power and lots of fast curves,” she said.
“I’m thinking I heard ‘faster,’ I'm not sure,” joked Lockhart. “But (she was) very calm, very collected and totally enjoying the experience.”
While Hollo did get to indulge her need for speed at the track, she didn’t take the wheel and hasn’t done so since voluntarily giving up her driving licence in her early 80s.
“I got two speeding tickets and one parking ticket when I was driving,” she revealed. “I gave up, I don't want to be one of those stupid old people who drives a car.”
And the thrill-seeker has an idea for her 91st birthday celebrations already.
“Maybe dog sled in Quebec. Maybe,” she added.
WIth a report from CTV Toronto’s Scott Lightfoot
