Tim Paul Checks In
First off, I hope everyone had a good time at Mosport, although I already know that a lot of you probably didn't because of the rain. I'm sorry we couldn't make it, missing races is not my idea of a good time. We'll be back for Watkins Glen, stronger and faster for sure. The time off was spent well. The cars are going to look and perform better than they have thus far this season.
We've spent a lot of time in the shop working on the cars after Atlanta. My car was pulled apart down to the frame, and completely reworked as we repaired the crash damage. We're also adding a new driver - to be announced - in the #14 Race House car. He was fast out of the box in testing, and I have high hopes that he'll put that car on the podium for the two race weekends he's entered in at Lime Rock Park and Watkins Glen.
Speaking of Watkins Glen, who else is as excited as I am to race on the same weekend as the IndyCar guys (and girls)? I've been watching IndyCars since I was very young, and every time I get to watch them race in person is an exciting experience for me. This is the race I'm most excited for on a pure “fan” level. I mostly look forward to Lime Rock Park on a competitive level because it's the only track we go to this year that I've been on before, and the first lap isn't going to be a series of complete surprises.
So getting back to it, while you guys were up hammering in Canada, we were doing maintenance and repairs, but that's not the reason we didn't make it. Our tow rig was out of commission, and a host of other details couldn't be worked out in time to go. Fortunately we're not in a points fight with anybody, this being my rookie season and all, so I don't think missing Mosport will affect us too much one way or the other. Other than a loss of track time, our time off went as well as can be expected. We did some testing as I mentioned earlier, and the cars are in top form. Now it's up to me and my new (to be announced) teammate to drive them hard and keep them in good shape. We're planning on doing better for the second half of the F2000 Championship Series schedule, and so far all signs are pointing to “Go”. I'm indescribably antsy to get back to competing. It seems like an eternity since Atlanta.
How about the NASCAR race from Sonoma and the IndyCar race from Iowa? Those races were mind-blowing! Those IRL guys were running up, over, underneath and through each other all day. They really put on a great show. The same can be said for the NASCAR guys. I'm not a stock car fan by any means, but that was an entertaining day of racing for me. Something about seeing those big tanks sliding through the corners and eating each other’s trunks, hoods and doors tickles me the right way. Marcos Ambrose made one heck of a mistake at the end. He can only blame himself at the end of the day, even if it was on team orders to shut down the power plant to conserve fuel. My question is the same as everyone else's: Why were they trying to conserve fuel when they could easily run the distance on what they had? Maybe they were planning on one of those ridiculous triplets of green-white-checkers.
Not to mention throughout the day there was also AMA races and CORR trophy trucks on as well. CORR is one of the most exciting racing series out there in my opinion. I would love to get my mitts on one of those 2-wheel drive class trucks. That looks like a blast!
See you at Watkins Glen!
- Tim Paul