Back in Play: Petit Le Mans 2010, and other recent doings...
First up: I returned last Monday morning from my ninth trip to Road Atlanta to cover the 13th annual Petit Le Mans. To say it was a truly epic event would be the understatement of the month. So much about the entire trip was just too cool for words.
If you'd like to read my article, you have your choice of three outlets this time round. I am, as usual, posted at this week's Autoextremist.com, as well as my own personal racing-related blog, but this time I've also been picked up by Sports Car Insider -- and the presentation at SCI is just fantastic.
So, if you please, have a look at the article at any of the sites above, and feel most invited to provide feedback to myself, to the editors, whomever you like. If you're not a gearhead and don't know much about racing (particularly Le Mans-style sports cars), I'm always interested in what you have to say - my goal is to help broaden interest in the sport, and I want to know when my narrative gets a bit out of reach.
I also shot quite a few photos at this year's race. My photo gallery from this year's race is up, and for once I'm actually kinda' proud of the work. If you compare this year's photos to last year's or some from the year before, you should be able to see quite a progression. I'm not a pro by any means, but I'm workin' my ass off and learning every day.
On Race Day (2 Oct), I got to meet Lyn St. James. For my non-racer buds, she's as much a pioneer of women in motorsport as you'll ever find. Without her, there is no Danica. In fact, it's quite a stretch to mention both of those names in the same sentence. I had the opportunity to chat with Lyn for a few minutes, and thank her for giving me such an excellent example to point to when I discuss how motorsports is not just a "boys only" deal. If I ever have a daughter, I wouldn't be disappointed at all for her to follow in Lyn's groove around the circuit.
I also got to meet and spend most of the day with Miss Motor Mouth. We'd emailed back and forth for some time, have a few mutual acquaintances, but I wasn't prepared for just how awesomely we got along once we met on the grid at Petit. Her daughter was with her, and had never shot a race before - so, I helped a little with the photo stuff, with showing the two of them around the circuit... and a good time was had by all. Having a new friend who'd never been to the track, really got me back in touch with aspects of the race that I hadn't taken time to appreciate in years, and reminded me of just why I got into this deal to begin with.
Back here at home, I finally got back to Renn Fest for the first time in about 7 or 8 years. I didn't run into any old friends this time, didn't get to see Cybele or Jim or any of the performers I used to hang with, but still had a fantastic time with tvresq wandering the shops and exhibits for a few hours. As downright Beijing as the traffic was on the way in, it was worth the wait. tvresq got to try mead for the first time, and seemed to like it quite well.
If you'd like to read my article, you have your choice of three outlets this time round. I am, as usual, posted at this week's Autoextremist.com, as well as my own personal racing-related blog, but this time I've also been picked up by Sports Car Insider -- and the presentation at SCI is just fantastic.
So, if you please, have a look at the article at any of the sites above, and feel most invited to provide feedback to myself, to the editors, whomever you like. If you're not a gearhead and don't know much about racing (particularly Le Mans-style sports cars), I'm always interested in what you have to say - my goal is to help broaden interest in the sport, and I want to know when my narrative gets a bit out of reach.
I also shot quite a few photos at this year's race. My photo gallery from this year's race is up, and for once I'm actually kinda' proud of the work. If you compare this year's photos to last year's or some from the year before, you should be able to see quite a progression. I'm not a pro by any means, but I'm workin' my ass off and learning every day.
On Race Day (2 Oct), I got to meet Lyn St. James. For my non-racer buds, she's as much a pioneer of women in motorsport as you'll ever find. Without her, there is no Danica. In fact, it's quite a stretch to mention both of those names in the same sentence. I had the opportunity to chat with Lyn for a few minutes, and thank her for giving me such an excellent example to point to when I discuss how motorsports is not just a "boys only" deal. If I ever have a daughter, I wouldn't be disappointed at all for her to follow in Lyn's groove around the circuit.
I also got to meet and spend most of the day with Miss Motor Mouth. We'd emailed back and forth for some time, have a few mutual acquaintances, but I wasn't prepared for just how awesomely we got along once we met on the grid at Petit. Her daughter was with her, and had never shot a race before - so, I helped a little with the photo stuff, with showing the two of them around the circuit... and a good time was had by all. Having a new friend who'd never been to the track, really got me back in touch with aspects of the race that I hadn't taken time to appreciate in years, and reminded me of just why I got into this deal to begin with.
Back here at home, I finally got back to Renn Fest for the first time in about 7 or 8 years. I didn't run into any old friends this time, didn't get to see Cybele or Jim or any of the performers I used to hang with, but still had a fantastic time with tvresq wandering the shops and exhibits for a few hours. As downright Beijing as the traffic was on the way in, it was worth the wait. tvresq got to try mead for the first time, and seemed to like it quite well.