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As I sit here writing my second April article. Last night in a fit of pissed-off-ed-ness I wrote my first article. Oh what a dark article it was too. There is a lot lousy things going on in the world right now and it's easy to let yourself get buried in it. So in an effort to lift everyone spirits (instead of dragging you down) I will keep things on the light side. Besides, that's what I do best. So, A-A-A-A-A-A-A-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H! (Tension breaker). It’s almost Northeast Track Season Time. Yippee! I keep thinking if I can only get to a track event things will be OK with the world. That gives me 2 weeks from the writing of this article before the 3 days at VIR for the Zone 2 event. I get a lot of members tell me that they could never justify driving 13 hours one way for a total of maybe 4-6 hours of track time. For me the event starts the night before I leave. I love to pack for these trips. I bring all sorts of stuff to make the event as complete as possible. Just recently I bought a 20" TV with built-in DVD and VHS for the trailer. I always hated bringing my laptop so we could view our in car videos at the track. Now we plug in and we can watch it BIG without that puny laptop sound. There is nothing worse than viewing in car video with wimpy sound, it has to be BIG and loud so you can hear your throttle application and lift-offs. This is really important when we find ourselves at a race weekend. Because none of us are pros, it helps if we watch practice videos at night. It is amazing how much you don't consider while driving. You can watch yourself and say I can take that corner faster or I am breaking too early. It also helps when we view each other's tapes. For instance I can see that Andy or Steve enters a corner a bit differently than I do and it seems to be working for him so it brings it to my attention to try it too. Anyway back to enjoying the day before. After packing up the truck and trailer I just hang out a bit and get ready for a night of not sleeping. It's like Christmas to me. I just want it to be morning. I love to get in the truck at 5:30 in the morning (and I am not a morning person) and get on the road. I don't care how long the drive is; we all have CB radios in the trucks and chitchat all day. I always bring a bunch of tunes but seldom get to listen to them. I'll be into a good tune when someone blasts across the CB, "I have to pee, so look for an exit with a gas station". You get the idea. We talk about enduro pit strategies, how poorly each other drive compared to you, and whom we have to watch out for on the track. It may be my imagination (and trust me I have a good one) but the air always smells better when you are on your way to doing something fun. Even the occasional wind breaking reminds you of the warm spring day you first learned to ride a bicycle as a kid next to the raw sewage treatment plant. No really I love the smell of the different airs we get to breathe by going to different tracks. Southern tracks are particularly good. There is something wonderful about the thick southern air compared to the thinner, less aromatic air of the Northeast. It's like the difference between Campbell's Tomato soup and Jambalaya. There is just more to smell and I personally love the smell of Magnolia trees. While at Mosport last year Andy, Sean and I spent the night at the track. Andy and Sean shared a tent while I stayed in the trailer with doors wide open. I even found myself walking about the paddock under a blanket of stars and the crisp Canadian air. It's hard to imagine the amount of misery that exists elsewhere in the world. It all seems so peaceful. I even think that the air and starry nights in Iraq are a site to behold. Can you imagine sitting on a dune in the middle of the desert at night? The sky has to be twice as big as it is here. OK back to upbeat. Once we get to the track area it becomes Hotel Check-in Time. There is always a feeling I get when checking into a nice hotel. I know the room consists of 2 beds, a TV and sometimes a little refrigerator but what else do you need? I don't know why they put in a bureau with drawers. Isn't that what suitcases are for. Instead they should design suitcases so the top handle area looks like a draw front and give us a slot to slide it into. The beds aren't even anything you would want in your own home but boy they feel good don't they? It also never fails that your buddy is from another climate zone. Andy and I bunk a lot at the tracks. He is from somewhere just north of Arctic Circle. While I am from somewhere around the equator. I like toasty and Andy likes chilly (Sean's the same way). But even in a hotel room where you have to scrape the TV off in the morning doesn't bother me when I am in a town with a racetrack. After check in it's DinnerTime! I don't know if it's because I've lived alone for 20 years or the fact that I can't cook something unless one side tells me how, but I really enjoy eating out. Sure quiet candle lit dinners have their place but so does fun, friendly track talk filled feasts. There is something about a bunch of really cool guys (that's us) in a strange town having good time that simply drives the chicks to the next town. After a good night's sleep with a full belly it's time to leave for the track. It is always better if we are able to get into the track the evening we arrive so that in the morning we just hop in the trucks and head in but it isn't always possible. It just requires a lot of work setting up the Klubhaus. Of course the length of stay dictates the amount of stuff we set up. Day trips (which we don't do very many of) require very little set-up. On the other hand a 3-day at VIR or any Club Race requires the works. We travel with enough car tents for 4 cars. These are good for the hot VIR sun or the wet Watkins Glen rain (that reminds me we need to bring a canoe to the Glen Race this year). We also have complete sides for the tents if the wind allows us to set them up. It's really amazing how big of a kite we can actually make with little or no hand tools. I sometimes wonder if we bring rain tires to drive on or to hold the tents down. As for getting out onto the track, aaahhh! Strapped in tight, helmet on snug, windows down, breathing the combination of new air and race fuel (should be bottled, "Essence of Esses") and of course your friends in the rearview mirror (well most of the time). I think they find the back of my car comforting. Kind of like the feeling, "I'm home again". No, just teasing! They don't like being back there at all. But that's life, huh? Assuming the car stays together and stays running the weekend is off to a great start. When we travel to DEs we travel with a much larger group and actually set-up our own little carmune. The Webers are always good to travel with because they supply breakfast to the NE crew and we all pitch in for a big communal lunch with all the fixin's. It's really cool hanging at the track with a big crowd. Races are different; we keep the groups small - although Team Northeast is growing. The official members are Me (Director of Operations), Andy (Director of Directions and Scheduling), Sean (All the mushy stuff you're not supposed to do at the track), Steve Berry (Technical Advisor), Dennis Cataldo (Keeping us entertained) and Peter Dikeman (Inventor of some of the weirdest electrical stuff you have ever seen). Peter didn't spend much time with us last year due to the ever popular #2 rod bearing deciding it wanted to see the world on it's own and poked it's little head through the block. This unfortunately happened at a DE the day before the Glen Club Race. As we were first in line to get in Peter was first in line to get out. Hopefully he will be ready in time for a test weekend with us at VIR the beginning of April. After a good weekend the ride home can even be fun. At least it's relaxing. I always fine it strange to spend a day just inches above the ground and jumping in the truck that is just feet above the ground. Nosebleed sometimes comes to mind. But honestly, I sometimes have the feeling like I have had a spiritual experience. I remember the first few times I did track days. On the way home I thought the S#*% Eating Grin would never like my face. I felt warm all over (thinking about the first time on a bike again). I still feel that way after a good weekend or race. Unfortunately it wasn't so when I blew the motor last April and I had to drive home by myself from Virginia after one 25-minute session. But we all have had or will have a day like that; it's part of allure. Do you think mountain climbers would get the adrenaline rush if mountains were horizontal or skydivers if there were no gravity? Think about it. They wouldn't need a plane just a long rope. Danger! It's such a draw! Deal with it! Respect it! Overcome it! Well I hope I gave you a chuckle or two but the suns out so the Driver's Window is officially back open. |
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