Baseball’s star Kris Bryant hits Red Bull Ring

Chicago Cubs star gets out of his comfort zone as he reaches speeds of 125mph.

Click here to subscribe to our print edition!

Now Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant can add “going real fast” to his off-season adventure résumé.

How do baseball players unwind in the off-season?

For Kris Bryant, it’s driving and being driven around the Red Bull Ring in a two-seater racing car at speeds of up to 125mph.

Bryant is no stranger to seeking an adrenalin rush away from his coveted third base with the Chicago Cubs. In the past, he has swum with sharks and played with flaming baseballs.

But on this occasion, the 25-year-old was strapped into a KTM X-Bow and taken on laps of the track by ex-Formula 3000 driver Bernhard Auinger the legendary circuit in Austria, which hosts Formula 1 and MotoGP among other events.

After tearing around the track at a peak of 125mph, Bryant joked to Auinger, “I made it, I’m alive”.

American also had a turn at the controls of a Nissan 370z, hitting a top speed of 111mph and also taking part in some drift training. He said of the experience: “It was a lot of 360s but I got the hang of it towards the end there. “My heart was beating a little fast but super fun. I always wanted to get on the track and see how fast I can go.”