How To Get Picked For The Nissan Ride Of Your Life

How To Get Picked For The Nissan Ride Of Your Life
CAN WE DO THAT AGAIN THREE MORE TIMES?!?
Nissan turned a typical day at the Santa Anita Mall, into something much more memorable. See how they surprised me with the ride of my life. ChooseNissan.com today and take the Ride Of Your Life! #RideOfYourLife.
Yet another example of social media as a place to connect with your core.

 

Adam asked me if I had seen the Ride Your Life commercial from last year, yes I had and yes I thought is was pretty boss, very creative and I remember starting to notice Nissan Altimas after that campaign.

Next Adam asked if I wanted to play, and that if I did I needed to send him a video of myself on why I should go on the 2015 Nissan Ride Of Your Life.  Lucky for me we are a car family, I even drove a perfect little blue racecar of a 280z last century, my Dad being a Vette guy, who is also crazy enough to let me drive. So here is the vid of me obeying all traffic laws of my state...

 


You may be right... I may just be crazy enough to go for that!
response from @wildanimas you got my vote!

So on April 7 my Dad and I drove up to the Santa Anita mall in Arcadia California, right next door to the Historic Santa Anita Racetrack to meet Adam and his buddies,

I arrived a little late because of the traffic from San Clemente to Arcadia, parked and found Adam, was asked to leave my DSLr at the door and to embargo anything I do take until May. Ok this is not my normal social media experience, Groups like LavaCon, The Pageant of the Masters & Knotts Berry Farm invite us to events so that we will Tweet and Instagram and Blog about it. I almost didn't know how to act!  So I just chilled and started interviewing the folks around me, asking how they were found, twitter? facebook? everyone had a different story and everyone was very friendly and excited. On arrival we were all given hang tags with a number, so we were trying to guess what was going to happen as Adam walked us to the center of the Santa Anita Mall, there was already a crowd when we arrived and a countdown taking place on a big box in front of us. 15 min until the nissan ride of your life...

We knew when, we did not know what, for the next few minutes we all chatted together, #10 asked if I wanted to exchange tags, but with my youngest daughter Kate being 4, I did not want to give it up, and loose my good fortune. 10 min untill the nissan ride of your life...

Nissan Ride Of Your Life Contestant 04
04 Kate
I begin to notice the number of people watching growing and also, hey there is a camera, there is a camera... 5 min until the nissan ride of your life...

Nissan Ride Of Your Life Contestants?
Wait a sec, an I the only one with a iPhone? 
Ok now I am starting to get a little nervous, this is looking like a big deal here, what have I gotten myself into this time!

Nissan Ride Of Your Life Contestants Selfie
Here Is A Group of Social Media Types, Can You Spot The Mark?
ZERO! ARE YOU READY FOR THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE?

and one by one we took turns pushing the red button on a pedestal in front of the huge countdown display, one by one They were asked in a perfect radio voice, Press to unlock the NISSAN RIDE OF YOUR LIFE , and one by one they were greeted with, ACCESS DENIED, ACCESS DENIED, ACCESS DENIED!

Then is was my turn, by this time there must be 300 people standing around watching the shenanigans,

Nissan Ride Of Your Life Button
So I pushed this button... 
ACCESS GRANTED! 

The "Display" in front of us turns into a big glass case holding a Nissan Altima, next thing I know I am being whisked away into the box and placed into the car with my professional racecar driver for the day Doriana Richman of LA MOTORSPORTS and as the crowd cheers on we thread our way out of the mall and on to the streets of Los Angeles with a full police escort no less! I was is shock and awe and it took Doriana prodding me a bit to get me talking about the car. What I wanted to know was were were we going?  Were we going to start drifting thru the city like those crazy red bull commercials?

Doriana Richman of LA MOTORSPORTS
Nice Comfy Sedan Ride, Great Seats, Nice Clear Dash Controls 
In no time we found ourselves pulling into the Irwindale Speedway, and I knew this was about to get real, and I was READY TO GO!

We pulled onto the track, were given helmets and came out with a bang thru a big cloud of smoke and a large scream from me as we burned rubber out onto the track!  After about our third lap, and my heart had stopped pounding, I noticed the 4 Nissan Altimas from last years Ride of your life add taking to the track. Were we going to race with friends? Yes we were! We were going to race with friends!!! And in an amazing demonstration of skill and expertise Doriana and the rest of the Altimas proceed to race around the track in a blue angels-esq synchronized driving exhibition inches of each bumper of our Altima!

I screamed so hard I lost most of my voice on the track...

But wait, theres more! after coming back into the winners circle to kick the tires and take a breath, they asked me if I wanted to drive.. HECK YES!! so they strapped me back in and sent me back out to rip around the track on my own! Ok there is nothing like flooring it and not having to look in the rearview to be sure no lights are blicking with your name on them, and no I did not look down at the speedometer, I floored it and ran!

It was all over way too fast, and it is something I will never forget...


I give you the 2 min youtube version of the 2015 Nissan Ride of your life, are you ready to race with friends!

After they were done with their shoot I started mine, knowing that the Irwindale Raceway is scheduled to be demolished to make way for yet another outlet mall, like we need another outlet mall, I asked everyone to stay still as I made my photosphere... sorry about cutting you in half guy!

 

Google Maps Link to Photosphere

Thank You Nissan, LA Motorsports, Match Marketing Group, for giving me the Ride Of My Life!

How To Get Picked For The Nissan Ride Of Your Life
Darin R. McClure
Nissan ROYL 2015

How Do You Get Picked For The Nissan Ride Of Your Life? When someone talks to you on Twitter, say hello back! and make sure you have a video on hand of yourself doing something crazy, You will be glad you did! ~ Darin R. McClure
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