My Long Beach Highlights

by Tammy

It was a long (loooooong) and really fun weekend for me at the Long Beach Grand Prix and the LA Times Festival of Books. If you see me the next couple days, I'm not talking to you ... because I'm not talking to anyone, as my throat is about to give up. But I had a ton of fun catching up with race friends and mystery fans, and in the meantime, here are a few pictures.

Winners of the action for a signed book and named characters in the next Kate Reilly Racing Mystery: Tommy Kendall (racecar driver, auctioneer), me, Chris Syfert (ALMS scorekeeper)

(left) the view on the way into the track on Thursday

(right) ALMS Technical Director Charlie Cook giving a talk on inspection processes

 Me and Pattie with her pace/safety car

Simon, mega-fan (of racing, mysteries, and authors) and friend Barb Kreisel, and me in the bar at the convention center, taking a break from the race-day sun

My view for the first part of the race (Turn 6) 

My view for the last part of the race (Turn 10, from the ALMS Patron VIP terrace)

Still sporting my racewear on Sunday at the LA Times Festival of Books!

Go Grand Prix of Long Beach!

The trucks have rolled in, the drivers and teams have arrived, and the banners are almost posted. It's time for some racing!

First, however, it might be time for some rain, so it's going to be interesting to see what the ALMS teams do for their only practice session Friday morning if it's raining. It makes the most sense to not go out and risk the car when race day promises to be dry. But qualifying and/or racing with no other on-track minutes? Wild.

And a testament to how much the teams and Series want to be here in Southern California.

IndyCar teams should be in better shape with more practice time over three days. But I think so far weather is the story of the weekend. I'll be on-scene and will report back!

Here are a couple photos from the very tight ALMS paddock (lots of cars means not much space for their rigs!).

Simon, anything you want me to investigate for you?




Simon: I want to know how those Lotus powered IndyCars sound. I think they've bitten off more than they can chew racing in F1 and trying to be an engine builder. I'd like to know if those engines are on song. If they sound like a bag of nails, it's going to be a long season for 6 drivers. It'll also be interesting to see how the Indy cars perform this year on a tight street circuit. Remember the cars have more power, smaller wings and are weigh less. It'll be interesting to see how they handle the bumps.

Tammy: I'll try to report back. Of course, the breaking news I didn't hear until dinner is that Chevrolet replaced all engines on the cars they supply, so the (possibly better?) third of the field will all take a 10-spot penalty after qualifying. Someone was speculating that if Hondas are all up front, Lotuses are in the middle, and Chevys are at the back ... the first corner could be extremely messy. We'll see!

Black Friday Racing Recommendations

It’s Black Friday today, where everyone goes crazy on their holiday shopping. With so many choices it can be tough deciding to what to buy the gear-head in your life. So let Tammy and I guide you.

SIMON’S GIFT SUGGESTIONS:
1. Tammy Kaehler’s book, DEAD MAN’S SWITCH, is the perfect book for someone who wants a good mystery and the chance to live the racing life vicariously. It’s available from all good bookstores and a couple of crappy ones. :)

2. The 2-disc DVD set of the movie Grand Prix that Tammy
recommended last week. Well worth checking out, especially the bonus extras.

3. If you're not a Top Gear fan, then you should be. It’s time to check out the box DVD sets. It’s an institution in the UK and will be in the US.

4. For those in the US will never have heard of the first Stig, Perry McCarthy. His episodes were never shown here. So it probably worth checking out his autobiography: Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way. Sometimes getting to the top is a tough assent.

5. Buy tickets for a race in 2012. Whether you're into NASCAR, IndyCar, sports cars, go see a race in the flesh. Dollar for dollar, motorsport is pretty good value for money compared to other sporting events or live entertainment in general.

6. Finally, a jerry can full of gas. Gas is never going to get any cheaper, so why give the lead foot in your life something they’ll appreciate.

TAMMY'S GIFT IDEAS FOR THE RACING OR CAR FAN:

1. Simon's book DID NOT FINISH. You don't have to be a racing fan to enjoy it, just a fan of a great story. Simon's books are always thrill-rides, and this one's no exception, with the added bonus of the racing thrills added to the intrigue. Get it, you'll like it!

2. For you Formula 1 fans, the ultimate in sleek desktop accessories, an F1 letter opener from Griot's Garage.

3. For the gearheads among us, a chrome piston mug from Genuine Hot Rod.

4. Tickets to a race! That's a great idea. There are races everywhere, and there are multiple days of entertainment to choose from (most of the time my favorite day is the one before the race, when there's more time to see cars up close in the paddock and on the track). Pro series, club racing, or the 24 hours of LeMons ... it's all an experience.

5. Send someone (or yourself) to racing school. It's an experience you'll never forget.

Anyone else have good ideas for us race fans?

Racing Movies

by Tammy

It took me long enough. I'd been excited about Cars 2 for months, but I never made it to the theater to see if on the big screen. And then came the reviews, which mostly consisted of "not as good as the first one" and "just kind of 'eh'." But we finally watched it on our new BluRay player last night, and I loved it.

Was it the best Disney/Pixar film ever? No. But it's cute, clever, visually awesome, and tickles me especially because it's about racing. That makes it aces for me. I mean, how many movies do we get about racing at all? And how many are clever send-ups of that world? I mean, "Jeff Gorvette" (above) and "David Hobbscap" (below)? Brilliant!

I'll grant you, Cars 2 isn't the best racing movie (not that I think it aspires to be). That honor would have to go to Grand Prix or Le Mans, right? But you can't argue those were heavy on a believable plot either. What they offered were incredibly real depictions of what it's like to race and what the world was like at the time. For that matter, maybe we should also count Bullitt in this list, though it's not about racing exactly; it's simply got the best car chase scene ever.

So tell me, what are your favorite racing movies? What do you think are the best ones out there?