I never realized I’d love learning and testing cars, at least not until a rally driver sat beside me during a slalom run, speaking words that would calm even the most restless heart.

“Don’t worry about the cones,” he said as I wobbled through my first lap. And when I drifted into something close to perfection, he whispered “you’re good” more times than I deserved.

Those words stuck more than the speed, and definitely more than the skid marks.

This wasn’t in my bingo card. After winning at the 24th Henry Ford Awards, I thought I’d already said my parting words to automotive coverage.

I poured myself into a passion project tied to my life as an endurance athlete, and when that wrapped, I thought I’d simply move on.

Yet here I was, in Zhengzhou, China — invited by ACMobility — to witness BYD’s first all-terrain circuit, one of the first in the country built exclusively for new energy vehicles.

Arriving at a playground built for new energy vehicles

It was a cold Thursday morning when I boarded a bus to the circuit. The ride stretched over an hour, the kind that lulls you into a half-sleep, half-reverie.

My head bobbed against the window, eyes occasionally opening to marvel at the changing landscape outside. Blue skies meeting industrial romance.

When we finally arrived, I was greeted not just by the sheer expanse of the All-Terrain Circuit but also by the stars of the day: the BYD eMax 9 and Sealion 8, parked like models awaiting their cue.

Before diving into the schedule, I warmed myself with a familiar oatmilk latte from the BYD Café and gawked at the base version of the Yangwang U9 — one of the world’s fastest production car — gleaming under the lights as if to remind us that speed, too, can be art.

We were told the facility housed eight experience zones, each a playground for machines and a test of our courage. And with that, the adventure began.

The world’s tallest artificial dune, now a test track

The first stop was the Indoor Sand Dune, a 29.6-meter vertical drop with a 28-degree slope, certified by Guinness World Records as the highest and largest dune-climbing facility in existence.

Constructed with 6,200 tons of sand, it was designed to mimic the Alxa Desert. Watching the Yangwang U8 command the terrain was nothing short of cinematic. Its wheels tore through the sand with authority, moving like a predator that knew no fear.

We didn’t get to try it ourselves, but my mind drifted to the dunes of Ilocos back home. I wondered how it would feel to tame our own desert with a machine like this, if the U8 ever makes its way to Philippine shores.

What driving through water looks like in the future

The Yangwang U8 returned to center stage at the Wading Pool, a 70-meter stretch of water that felt more like a flood zone than a testing ground.

Through the underwater glass, we watched the vehicle maneuver forward, reverse, and even turn while afloat, all thanks to BYD’s E4 platform.

It was an eerie yet comforting sight, technology meeting something similar to a calamity head-on. In a country like ours, where typhoons strike as often as heartbreaks, such a feature could be a lifeline.

For a moment, I wasn’t just watching a demo; I was imagining families safe inside, crossing flooded streets with grace instead of fear.

Riding shotgun in one of the fastest production cars in the world

Then, came the Yangwang U9. On paper, it’s a beast with 1,290 horsepower and 960 kilowatts. In reality, it was an experience that rewrote my understanding of speed.

I strapped myself in, buff and helmet in place, choosing the Moonlight Stone colorway with interiors in regal purple, which perfectly matched my lavender Nike jacket.

The acceleration was like a trail run on steroids. The heartbeat I feel when descending a mountain trail — reckless yet alive — was the same beat that coursed through me as the U9 devoured the 1,758-meter track with its nine curves and long straight stretch.

The seats hugged me like a co-conspirator, keeping me steady even as the world outside blurred. I didn’t even realize how fast we were going until I glanced at the dashboard.

Fear and euphoria danced together in my chest. Now, I get the high and adrenaline from racing cars.

Learning to let go while machines take over

The off-road testing area spanned 27 scenarios, though time only allowed us to try the Fangchengbao Bao 5 in the junior section.

Still, it was enough to excite me. The car climbed 27-degree slopes, crawled down stairways (and not feel anything), and tiptoed over rocks as if they were pebbles.

I had to fight the instinct to control everything. But these machines were designed to carry you safely even when your nerves frayed.

It was a strange kind of intimacy and learning to surrender. I realized that sometimes, letting go is the only way forward.

Drifting in circles I had no business being in

At the heart of the circuit lay a 15,300-square-meter dynamic paddock, our next stop.

The Kick-Plate simulated icy roads, throwing the car into sudden skids while professional drivers demonstrated how NEV safety systems took over with precision.

It was held in a controlled emergency situation, simulating scenarios we pray never happen but feel grateful to be prepared for.

Later, I took the Denza Z9 GT onto the Low Friction Circle, a 44-meter-diameter track laid with 30,000 basalt bricks covered in water. I had no business drifting — let alone in front of a crowd of seasoned drivers — but BYD’s millisecond-level control and Drift Mode made it possible.

For a few seconds, I found flow, spinning in rhythm with the machine. Until the instructor told me to “maintain,” and pressure snapped me out of it, spinning me like I was in a film getting in an accident.

My knees were shaking when I stepped out, equal parts embarrassed and exhilarated.

How a slalom course became my favorite part

What surprised me most was how much I loved the slalom. Maybe it’s because obstacles have always defined my life, on and off the Spartan course.

Driving the BYD Seal EV through cones and curves felt oddly personal. I wasn’t the best.

I hit cones and I apologized to the rally driver guiding me. Yet when I drifted through U-turns and roundabouts, something familiar sparked in me.

It reminded me of growing up on highways filled with those very curves, sneaking in practice at midnight when no one was watching.

This time, though, the sun was setting, and the moment felt bigger. The course ended not just with applause but with reflection. Life, like a slalom, is about moving through obstacles with grace, even when you stumble

The bigger dream behind the Zhengzhou circuit

The BYD Zhengzhou All-Terrain Circuit is more than a playground. It’s a vision of what driving could become in an age of new energy vehicles.

It democratizes technology, making once-distant innovations something you can touch, feel, and experience.

Soon, another BYD circuit will rise in Shaoxing, with a sprawling off-road area set 500 meters above sea level.

Alongside CAMF, BYD is also launching the “New Track Scheme,” a program meant to cultivate 100 professional racers and introduce racing culture to more people.

As I left the circuit, lavender jacket still smelling faintly of rubber and adrenaline, I realized that this wasn’t about cars alone.

It was about rediscovering joy in places I never thought I’d find it. Maybe that’s what the road ahead is about. Not just speed or power, but new ways of dreaming.