Traveling down to the Lime Rock Grand Am race on Thursday, the 3 D Guardian Angel race team got a chance
Maynard Fueling Up
to bond as only a trailer haul can create. The team took two 40′trailers. That’s what it takes to haul all the gear and the car to a Grand Am race . The preparation and equipment needed to support a single car team can make you do a double take.
The two trailer’s required two trucks and the team split up to fill the seats in each. Interestingly, the trucks divvied up by age and musical taste. The Young truck with speed metal spilling out of the windows. The Senior Race team members (40 plus) old men in this game. I am proud to be a member of the old guys in racing. I am 41 and I do feel it. Dan Maynard is the glue on the team. This guy is incredible. I was having trouble diagnosing a trailer break problem and had spent the early part of Thursday pulling fuses and relay’s attempting to fix the lack of trailer breaks. I had driven back from Ohio in this state. Continue reading ‘Bonding as only a trailer haul can’
- By Tommy Sheehan Guardian Angel Emptor Co-Driver Continential Challenge ST #82
Texting last minute details and delegating tasks that I am incapable of delivering ( that list is quit long) Preparing for the May 20th Guardian Angel Motorsports presents “Liberty for Lime rock “ I am walking a fine line between doing the good work and being a road hazard that will result in more good work needing to be done. I am managing but at moments I may have been a road Hazard texting while driving a F-350 with a 40’ goose neck half way across American in search of Mid Ohio.
I heard it on the radio in a song “Misery loves company but she will never foot the bill” I had a day that will flip that lyric
This all feels good there is no doubt, I am on the right side of this. I am traveling to mid Ohio. I needing to familiarize myself with the race track. This is my first trip to Mid Ohio. I will be returning latter this season to Race the BMW flying the Guardian Angel wings. I want to be ready I want to be worthy.
O crap I have to be honest. I am really escaping. I am escaping the madness of life. I am living the dream traversing the county in search of track time. Did I say that out loud? Continue reading ‘Driving half way across America…..’
Daytona, FL - At 6:03 a.m. Guardian Angel Motorsports was forced to withdraw from the 48th running of the Rolex24hr at Daytona. The car suffered a catastrophic gearbox failure resulting of the loss of gears; 1; 2; 3; 4; 5 & 6…yes, that’s ALL of them. The 3rd gear cog had suffered some difficult shifts earlier in the race which led to it’s split into three pieces which then navigated around the gearbox taking everything with it.
Driver Bruce Ledoux was completing his double stint which had begun at 3:53am. Ledoux was quoted as saying, “…the car was handling superbly, the crew & team had done an excellent job…” Ledoux was able to set fast lap of the day at 4:47a.m. on the 93rd lap for the tires. When asked about his feelings on the team’s defeat, he replied, “…it’s so sad……We coulda’ been a contenda’s…” The team was in 14th position at the time they withdrew.
When the team was asked what they wanted people to recall about their valiant effort to complete Laps for Love146, they’re reply was one of solidarity and unanimity, they drew upon their iconic idol, Theodore Roosevelt and his speech from Sorbonne, Paris that they had all recently attended…;) Continue reading ‘….6:03 a.m. - Catastrophic Failure’
About this undertaking this year. It’s been such a battle royale. Last year’s race had us signing contracts and commitment checks in August. This year, we were doing that just 18 days before the race….a huge testament to Debra & Kevin Buckler. Talk about magicians. They gave us world class, championship quality preparation in days & hours when other teams can’t get it done in years. I love you guys
2010 Rolex24hr GT Field
I find I’m feeling SUPER guilty about the expense vs. the family and find myself asking lots of questions, like, Is this over indulgent? Am I being selfish? Is this fair to Linda, Emily, Colin & Ryan? and most importantly, Is this worth it? I mean, who really cares? Then yesterday, amid all of the fury of packing and getting ready, Linda hands me this note that Colin’s aid at school sent home with him. “Mr. Ledoux & Team GAM” (btw - I’m 41, Mr. Ledoux is my dad). I want to wish you luck on your race this weekend. I think it’s truly amazing that you get behind the wheel not to win a race but for the purpose that goes beyond getting a trophy at the end. In your blog on the web, you said that you were a ‘nobody’, (basically comparing yourself to the professional drivers out there) and I disagree. I think there are a substantial amount of people that would agree with me on this. You truly ARE a hero in the eyes of not only your own children and family members but to everyone who knows what it actually is that your driving for. Christopher Reeve once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” This is exactly what you and your team stand for! Congratulations already on everything you have accomplished and I wish you the best of luck in all of your races to come. Good Luck this weekend, Go Get ‘em!!! “Miss A*****” PS - I hope that my small donation to FAAN will somehow make a difference.
***************************************
….and then I could sleep…..for a few hours anyway…
Thank you Miss A*** for letting me know that we are in some how, some way making a difference. Bruce Ledoux Rolex GT #18
….using his index fingers to painfully hunt & peck out each letter….gives you the complete mental imagery that you need when you read Guardian Angel Pilot Tommy Sheehan’s tomb below. As I was casting around the house, awaiting my airport ride (at 3:38am), I sent him an email with the subject line reading: “What gear are you in?”
How far do i have to go to get to you
Many the miles
Many the miles
Jamie, Colin & Emily are grade-school students with severe food allergies. If someone accidentally spills milk on Jamie or gets peanuts or sesame near Colin and
Emily during school lunch, the resulting anaphylactic
Jamie in headband, Emily facing on right
shock would be life threatening.
More than 12 million Americans have food allergies. That’s 4% of the population.
The incidence of food allergy is highest in young children, 1 in 17 among those under age 3.
Anaphylactic reactions requiring hospital treatment appear to be increasing.
Authorities in England report a threefold increase between 1994 and 2004.
Peanut allergies doubled in children over a five-year period, 1997 to 2002.
How far do i have to go to get to you Many the miles
Many the miles
Little girl #146 is missing. If you have a daughter, her story will sicken you. That someone would rob a girl of her childhood innocence erodes our humanity. The recent stats released by the U.S. Department of Justice paint a bleak picture for young women and girls.
More than 1,200 incidents of human trafficking were reported in the U.S. over the 21-month period from January 2007 to September 2008.
Over 90% of the victims, overall, are female. Hispanics are particularly hard hit, constituting 37% of all sex trafficking victims and 56% of labor trafficking victims.
83% of reported incidents involve sex trafficking, and one-third of the total involve sex trafficking of children. 71% of sex trafficking victims are under age 25.
U.S. citizens account for 63% — a clear majority - of sex trafficking victims.
How far do i have to go to get to you
Many the miles
Many the miles
But send me the miles and i’ll be happy to follow you…
Guardian Angel Motorsports’ founders Bruce Ledoux, David Quinlan & Dan Watkins triumphantly return for their sophomore effort at the 2010 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona with co-drivers Bob Doyle and Tom Sheehan. Their mission - as a team of amateurs - is not to win on the track, but to win in the paddock & in race fans’ hearts. The goal is simple: Raise over $100k for children’s charities by driving 1750 laps at four events in 2010.
It’s deeply personal.
“Thru our own experiences as fathers of children with disabilities and allergies, we want to help as many children as possible by simply giving them the luxury of a chance to win. Right now, so many don’t have the luxury of even a chance.” (Bruce Ledoux, father of Colin & Emily)
In 2009, Guardian Angel Motorsports raised over $75,000 for Children’s Hospital of Boston. This year they race for two charities: www.LOVE146.org, working toward nothing less than the abolition of child sex slavery and child exploitation, and FAAN, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (www.foodallergy.org), raising public awareness, providing advocacy and education, and advancing research on behalf of millions affected by food allergies.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona is a chance of a lifetime for Guardian Angel Motorsports
…and a chance of a life for the kids we support.
Would you please help us to defend the defenseless?
Cc: David Quinlan; Travis Hill; Bob Doyle; Tom Sheehan; Kevin Buckler; Debra Buckler
Subject: Data Report
Hello all. This is your friendly neighborhood data guy.
At several people’s request I have gone through all of the data from the weekend and found a few problems. The main thing is shifting needs to be cleaned up. There are many instances of poor shifting. These will land you in the garage with a broken gearbox or out of the race completely with a blown motor. For some of you I know we discussed specific issues, but I wanted to bring these to everyone’s attention. Below are some specifics that I have found.
Tom Sheehan
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