Princess Vespa
I’m told that Rome was not built in a day. To me that seems like a reasonable enough assumption. I mean I’ve never even been to Rome, so how would I know? If what I’m told is true, and it probably is because I hang out with smart people, then the power of deduction tells me that our 2012 racing program as it stands has a lot of potential. This is good news I think. Also, this means I am comparing my racing program to Rome. Of course, this is made a bit awkward by the fact the Rome really is of minimal significance compared to my racing season. That was a joke. Doesn’t it feel good to laugh?
Lime Rock was a valuable lesson for the John Walko Racing tribe. As a team still acclimating to our RFR chassis and me as a driver doing the same we finally managed to find some Navin R. Johnson style rhythm. The weekends as they have gone previously saw us making smaller than normal developmental progress. Following VIR, the car has been mostly reliable, however Road Atlanta did not see us run hiccup free by any means. Specifically, we had one driver related issue and one mechanical oversight that decreased our effectiveness in each race respectively.
For Lime Rock, reliability was perfect and for the first weekend this year we were in a position to tune. This fact is only made more credulous in that the Lime Rock schedule was an intensive one where there was little down time between sessions. Yet, I did not miss a single session. Additionally, we managed to get our minds dirty and keep our hand clean by analyzing some squiggly lines and then adjusting some of the areas we found deficient. It appears as though this worked for us because at the end of the weekend our results were very positive having scored a 5th and a 3rd. Lime Rock proved to be tasty, refreshing, high in calcium, and indeed a great addition to our racing season. I expect more of the same from the upcoming events.
Now, if you throw a dog a bone what happens when that bone is gone? That dog wants another bone. This being written just a few days after our return from Lime Rock, the dogs are hungry. Their mouths are open, their tongues are flapping in the wind, the slobber is dripping, and they are pawing at your foot for another opportunity to race. Our Lime Rock results were solid, they proved that I’m not a washed up old man just yet, and they have given us a huge shot of motivation.
This motivation is already returning results. These results are in the form of refinement. We are getting to the point where we can sit down and look at the little things, because just like in life, it’s the little things in racing the make the difference. In our case we completed our first laps of the year at VIR. This left us less prepared than many of our peers. Time of course is our number one enemy, and if time was unlimited, our level of preparation would be too. Alas, this is our conundrum, but at this stage of the game we realize that there exists a plethora of little things for us to look at. This plethora was brewed within the cobweb-laden emptiness of our racing trained noggins and is not overly lofty but rather fundamental in nature. It is only a shame that we have not yet been able to allow our craniums to belch nerd knowledge all over the car, but this is reality, one we hope to change.
Overall, this truth instills confidence and focus in my racing team in that we see definite and obvious room for improvement. All the while, I am sure that the guys I have behind me are incredibly diligent in making my equipment the best on the grid. As a result, if I can summon a fraction of my teams focus and determination I hope that collectively we will perform at a winning level.
For the time being I’ll stop it with all this sillyness, as I am sure you have grown tired of it. Before I go I’d like to announce that my new car is officially named Princess Vespa. So with a nod to Yogurt, I’ll see you all in few weeks in New Jersey for my next attempt to defeat Colonel Sandurz and Dark Helmet. May the Schwartz be with you!
Chris