Blog: Introducing Timothy Paul
Here we are, on the cusp of starting another season. This season is going to be a whole new ballgame for SMR and The Race House teams. Coming over from Midget racing to Formula cars is a bit of a strange transition. The differences between road racing and oval track racing is huge, and the only things I can bring with me into the cockpit this season are going to be a certain amount of car control and an understanding of the basic physics that are in play when it comes to driving in a race situation and knowing where other people are going to end up at certain points based on their braking points or turn in areas in relation to my own and putting together the right moves.
Outside of the car doesn’t change nearly as much as things out on track. I’ll still be putting all my energy into learning the fast way around all these new tracks, and doing the best that I can to be mentally and physically focused and prepared. Meeting all the new faces around is an exciting prospect as well. The community with this series is incredible. I’ve been fortunate enough to already meet or talk to some other drivers through my facebook or twitter accounts and I’m very excited about the level of camaraderie and sportsmanship in this series.
Each morning I wake up the first thing on my mind is driving. I’m lucky my job affords me chances to drive karts pretty regularly, or I would have driven myself and everyone else around me crazy already. The more I think about it, the more I realize what an opportunity the F2000 Championship Series is for SMR and The Race House teams. I just hope that we can take advantage of it and get as much out of the experience as possible.
Bringing in our experience is going to be a huge boon for us this rookie year. We know enough that we can’t be narcissistic in our approach, and we know enough that we know we don’t know anything, if that makes any sense. The biggest piece of the puzzle this season is going to be becoming a sponge and soaking up all the knowledge we can from those more experienced in this series. It’s never a good idea to enter a new arena thinking you know everything there is to know because you will limit your potential to succeed and to evolve as a team, or more personally, as a driver. It is, to a certain extent a “close mouth and open ears/eyes” type situation for us, and I can’t wait to see if we have what it takes to tackle the challenge.
The question I get the most is regarding expectations from this first season with F2000. I’ve said in the past that I’m tentative to put too much emphasis on finishing position; at least in the early part of the season because I feel like that can sometimes hinder the ability to learn. You can become so frustrated that it can cloud your brain up, less like a sponge and more like a rock. My goals for this season is simply to be competitive.
In closing for this first blog, I would just like to thank the F2000 Series and all involved with it for the opportunity to run with the series. Everyone has been amazing in making sure that we are making the right moves in preparation for the season and generally being accessible and communicative in what can be a very difficult transition. Thank you everyone!
I can’t wait for the first VIR weekend to get here. I’m healthy and raring to go this season. See you there!
- Timothy Paul