Sixth Gear

We Leave for Daytona Practice Session 1 Today

All I can think about is entering the bus stop chicane at 160 mph, feeling the harness pressure my chest and the seat bolster chaffe where my lats should be. As a driver, you feel so in the groove, so in control, there is little that compares. To borrow a phrase from Car & Driver, “…the car has more stick than a life insurance salesman…”

I’ve broken the cardinal driver’s rule, however, by falling in love with our car. Maybe it’s the livery, maybe it’s the look or feel, but it’s definitely the sound. The throttle is so responsive making the motor revv both up and down so quickly, you could almost talk with the it. Every time I get in, I think of Peter Frampton’s famous 1971 song, “Do you feel like we do.” That’s probably the $64,000 question isn’t it?Any excitement however, is quickly eclipsed by my anxiety over turn one. As I study it, turn one is entered at 174 mph, has little run off and a favorite place for the Daytona Prototypes to capitalize on their superior speed, better braking by wedging slower cars (us) in between themselves and those in their pursuit. In other words, the annoying GT cars are used as cannon fodder here. Not a role I’m excited in playing.

Yesterday the boys helped me pack my race gear into my gear duffle. That consisted of Ryan (Ceasar) sitting in the bag and barking orders at the rest of us to hand him things to play with. He then dictated we be quiet while he worked on his ‘computer’. His ‘computer’ is my very sensitive tire pyrometer and multiple car lap timer. He was less than impressed when dad put that one out of reach. Colin, on the other hand, strapped on the radio holster and accompanying head set talking VERY loudly to make sure he could hear himself as well as we could. A very low stress event…..Oh my.

I forwarded the Grand Am press release to my mom in the hopes she’d find some sense of pride in it. She flagged me down at my daughter’s soccer game yesterday and asked me what made me think I was qualified to race with Roger Penske…………uh……hmmm……… I don’t even know where to begin in that reply.

I hope that the market cooperates these next few days so that I don’t feel anxiety of things I can’t control and can focus on the task at hand. Regardless, I’m looking forward to it all.

Loose Bruce
Co - Pilot
www.GuardianAngelMotorsports.com