2011 World Challenge Summer Break

Summer is here and that means afternoons by the pool, hamburgers, watermelon, fireworks and racing.  However, those of us who run in the Pirelli World Challenge series aren’t racing at the moment.  For the first time in forever we have a big summer break in our season which means we get to be lazy and spend our time by the pool or beach!  Well, not really.  Racing in a professional road racing series like World Challenge means that when you do get a break, it ultimately means more work.  It’s time to test, redesign, rebuild and for our CRP Corvettes a little touch up paint and a nice detail.
I got to see my #12 Hawk Performance Corvette last weekend as we were doing some testing at a vintage event and the car looked better than ever.  The spectators at the event agreed too and we got hundreds of compliments on not only the look, but the sound!  There was some pretty nice hardware that showed up for the vintage weekend.  I was surprised to see two Audi R8 prototypes, an LMP2 car which was driven very well and a big group of Trans Am cars which were great fun to race with.   It was refreshing for Mike, myself and the rest of the CRP team to be at the race track with very little stress or obligation.  We got to see and relish in the enjoyment people were getting out of what we do and it was a great reward for us.  It was also fun watching Dave Roberts, the CEO of Carlisle, take the Hawk Corvette around the track.  He may be one of the biggest car nuts I’ve ever met and his enthusiasm for driving is contagious.  I left our test weekend smiling and with a great feeling about the second half of the season.  Watch out GT field!
Although my team has been busy working on the cars, I did manage to sneak in some play time in California.  I jet skied over to Catalina where I spent the Father’s Day weekend with the family.  I also played golf with dad and last month I passed my check ride for my pilot’s license.  It’s not as fun as racing against the best in North America, but I am still enjoying my summer.
One other thing I managed to do away from the track was see a movie.  I know, not that exciting, but this wasn’t just any movie.  I had been scouring theaters and box offices to find a showing of one special film:  “Senna”, the documentary of Ayrton Senna, the three-time Formula 1 champion from Brazil.  I saw a showing in New York at a small independent theater and was totally blown away.  The passion and emotion with which Senna had for life is really best shown by his actions on the race track.  God blessed Ayrton with talents that are just not comprehendible to me even as a racing driver.  The things he did in that race car would seem impossible yet somehow he made it happen.   Besides being a fantastic driver, Ayrton was a philanthropist in his home country of Brazil.  When thinking of his life I find myself challenged to be a better driver and a better person.  There is always room for improvement.
So I hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as I am.  I love the Facebook posts of my fellow racers swimming, hiking, biking and of course testing.  You guys and gals be careful out there because we are back on track at Mid Ohio August 5th… I’m counting the days!  Our CRP Corvettes will be strong, but I am expecting our competitors have been just as busy on our little break.  The second half of the World Challenge season will be a great one; points battles are heated in every class and the remaining races take place at some fantastic tracks.  You will not want to miss even one race!
 To my fellow World Challenge racers, crew and officials and to the best fans in motorsport have a happy and blessed Fourth of July and see you in August!      

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 at 1:58 pm. It is filed under Coast to Coast. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.