Racing's Off Season ... What's a Fan to Do?

TAMMY: Here we are, coming down to the wire of the racing seasons. NASCAR still has 97 races to go, of course (kidding, just 8), but the Grand-Am series has already crowned its champions at a banquet! F1 has 6, IndyCar has 2, and the ALMS wraps up this weekend with the 10-hour Petit Le Mans. Which results in a big, fat, fundamental question. (No, who's going to win championships.) What's a fan to do in the off-season?!?!

Well, personally, I have to do some writing. And I've saved a couple ALMS races on my DVR to help get me in the mood. So I might revisit some past races. But mostly I'll devour racing news from my favorite sites (and expand to others with all the free time I have on weekends), pounce eagerly on Racer Magazine when it arrives, and tell my husband all the racing team/driver gossip I hear that he doesn't really care about. And maybe I'll weep quietly with loss once in a while ... OK, probably not.

Simon, I don't get the sense you watch as much racing as I do. What's your plan for the off-season?

SIMON: I'm finishing up the second of the Aidy Westlake and then jumping onto the third--which means research. I must admit I'm have whale of a time at the moment researching old races, championship stats and looking up long forgotten circuits. I have some awesome Google Earth shots of Reims in France. So I'm happy as a pig in poo at the mo'.

That said, I'm a big IRL fan so I'll be watching the last two races to see who takes the marbles. I must admit I do miss the Winter series that used to run in the UK in the 90's. A short 5-race series featuring a small race card used to be held through November & December. That helped keep me warm through the winter. Sadly unpredictable weather put pay to that after a few years.

If you're not a rally fan or an ice racing fan, the winter months might be the time to discover it. We all need our racing fix any way we can get it.

That's us, but what about you? Where are you going to get your race on?

Father Figures

DID NOT FINISH picked up three really good trade reviews in the last week. I'm really glad because the reviewers got it. They all compared my writing to Dick Francis in that I'm doing to motorsport what he did for horse racing. So yay!

So I wanted to take today to discuss one of the characters in the book. For my wife, the stand out character in the book is Steve Westlake. Steve is Aidy’s grandfather. Julie likes the relationship between Aidy and his grandfather. I suppose it’s because they don’t have a traditional relationship in that Steve takes over as Aidy’s guardian after his loses his parents when Aidy was a kid. He teaches Aidy everything about motor racing and acts as a confidant and friend. So Steve is many things to Aidy.

I can understand why Steve had an effect on Julie because Steve is based on two very important people in my life—my uncle Steve and my dad. My uncle Steve is my mum’s youngest brother and he was the cool the uncle when I was growing up. He always seemed like a free spirit and always made me believe we were all capable of anything. My dad is the opposite of my uncle Steve. He’s grounded and dependable. He was part of my pit crew and a steadying influence on me when things got crazy in the pits. He had a good engineering mind and his thoughts always gave me confidence when it came to coming up with solutions for the race car. It helped me be a far more focused and relaxed driver. And for that I’ll always be grateful to my dad.

By way of a thank you to my dad, I gave Steve an interesting quirk in that he looks like Steve McQueen. Now my dad doesn’t look like Steve McQueen, but he does possess a passing resemblance to Paul Newman (according to some) although he has pale grey eyes opposed to Mr. Newman's baby blues. I thought it would make for a nice tribute. :-)

I do like how Steve Westlake turned out. He’s a far more rounded character than I’d hoped to create, but I have my uncle and dad to thank for that.

This concludes DID NOT FINISH's month in the sun. I hope my stories my experiences and the book have piqued your interest. In the meantime, you can read the first five chapters here:
First Lap
Lap Two
Lap Three
Lap Four
Lap Five

Previewing Petit Le Mans

by Tammy

This week I'm headed out to Atlanta from my Southern California home to attend the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta, home of the American Le Mans Series. The race is, as the name suggests, a mini Le Mans, though "Petit," as it's typically called, goes only 10 hours or 1,000 miles (about 394 laps of the course), whichever comes first. (Yes, it's "only" that long, compared to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.)

A variety of great storylines are coming together to make this race a potential epic. The race organizers will start 53 cars, and there are 58 entrants, so qualifying sessions will have an urgency not often seen in the sportscar world. Petit is both the last race of the American Le Mans Series season and the second-to-last race of the International Le Mans Cup series, which means championships are on the line and many will be decided here. And because anything can and will happen in 10 hours of racing, it's inevitable that at least one class of competitors will be turned on its head by a spectacular collapse or mechanical failure, and at least one underdog will take a sentimental podium spot. Added to the drama is some extra incentive: class winners at Petit gain automatic entry to the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year.

And the diesels are coming over from Europe to play, as well. This will mark only the second meeting of teams Peugeot and Audi (at right) with their diesel-powered prototypes in North America this year, and the first time North America will see the new Audi R18, which won Le Mans on its debut this year (with a female race engineer at the helm!). The action on the track should be riveting.

What I also know for sure, is that the action off-track will be equally frantic and fascinating. If I've learned anything with my half-year of promoting my book at the races, it's that the business of racing happens in double- or triple-time during race weekends, and sometimes only happens at races. Add to that truism the fact that this is the last race for one of the U.S.'s major sportscar racing series (ALMS) and post-season for the other (Grand-Am), and we'll have "silly season" in the extreme. Team owners, manufacturers, suppliers, drivers, crew, and you name it, will all be shaking hands and trying to line up deals and opportunities for 2012. The paddock will be a who's who of the racing world this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

All I can say is, it should be fascinating! And I'll report back.... Anything you want me to watch out for or see?

Bernie Ecclestone ... Discuss

TAMMY: I'm seriously looking for anyone with insight here. Bernie Ecclestone runs Formula One. There are a lot of details about him actually being the president and CEO of two organizations that control ... blah, blah, blah. He runs the show. With an iron fist. I've been watching F1 more or less faithfully for four or five years now, and my impression of Bernie is that he's a money-grubbing, dictatorial, self-centered jerk. (I'm sure he doesn't care for me either, but I'm not the one demanding $50m for the pleasure of paying to put on a race in a city.) Bernie's exploits and rude comments are nearly legend, such as when he effectively called driver Jenson Button a wimp for thinking he was about to be mugged (with his bodyguard and driver) at machine-gunpoint in Brazil on the way home from the track. What he said was, "They look for people who aren't too bright...." Of course, Bernie was mugged and punched on a London street some months later....

Anyway, I don't mean to wish the man harm. But as in many of these columns, I'm looking for understanding. I get that Bernie runs the most expensive and glamorous racing spectacle on the planet with outrageously cool technology. But at some point, I have to ask: Why does everyone put up with him?

SIMON: Tammy, what do you expect from a secondhand car salesman? :-)

For me, Bernie has been a loveable rogue. His antics have been entertaining. His comments regarding ground effect cars still make me giggle.

I always feel that Bernie is a necessary evil. He’s a wheeler and dealer and I don’t think Formula One would be where it is today without him. And one thing you can say about him is that you know what kind of person he is. He's an open book, so at least you know who you’re dealing with.

TAMMY: What does everyone else think?

Clothes Make the Man, But So Does His Car

Last week, I talked about the racecar featured in DID NOT FINISH.  This week, I want to talk about the road car used in the book.  I could have easily come up with a throw away vehicle for the characters to drive and left it at that.  But these people are gear heads.  They'd drive something that goes hand in hand with their personality. 

The book’s protagonist is Aidy Westlake and he’s broke, so he doesn’t have a road car, but his grandfather does.  Steve Westlake is a retired Formula One mechanic and now runs a classic car restoration business.  I wanted to give Steve something a little different, but not something that’s so exotic that it wouldn’t ring true.  So Steve drives a 1972 Ford Capri RS2600.  For those that aren’t too au fait with British cars, the Capri is the European equivalent of the Mustang.   They were in production in from the late 60’s through to the late 80’s.  The RS incarnations refer to Rally Sport and the designation was usually used to establish homologation for a race series and usually equated to limited production numbers.    The RS was produced in such low numbers, it wasn’t even sold in the UK.  It was primarily for the German market and there’s only about a handful of right-hand drive examples in the UK. 

The Capri isn’t considered a classic car by many.  However, I enjoyed the one I got to drive and I always loved the one that my dad’s work friend owned.   It wasn’t the best handling car out there, but like the Mustang, it was affordable and accessible.  The performance wasn’t exactly earth shattering, although the RS2600 version was pretty swift for its day.   But it’s these elements that seem to suit Steve Westlake.  The car is recognizable and a little unusual and it’s those qualities that help flesh out the kind of person Steve is.

Clothes do make the man/women, but so does the car he/she drives.  So what does your car say about you?

Things That Would Surprise You About a Race

There's so much that goes on during a race weekend that the race is almost the least of it. Almost. No one forgets that the point of the weekend is the racing, but there's another truism I've learned about race weekends, and that is that the business of racing happens on race weekend.

What does that mean? Well, it means that there if you want to make connections, make deals, pick up work, woo or secure sponsors, sell, promote, buy, or view ... you're likely to get more accomplished in a three-day race event than in three weeks of phone calls and e-mails leading up to it.

What this also means is that there's a lot of business happening at all times on the racetrack, and there are a lot of people around who aren't paying much attention to what's happening on track. And that can be pretty odd, especially when you consider that a race might be happening at a classic circuit with great viewing opportunities. Fans will run all over (as they're doing now at a six-hour race I'm attending) and watch from key corners (like Laguna Seca's famed Corkscrew, above). But most of the staff of the series and teams watch the race on TV.

On one hand, that's pretty silly, watching the TV feed from the middle of the track. On the other hand, it's understandable, if their jobs or meetings keep them in the pits or a hospitality tent. Of course, staff usually have a sixth sense for when to turn to the screen to catch a replay.

I'm usually torn at a race. Part of me thinks I should run around to different corners and get a first-hand view of the action. The other part of me accepts that (a) the view of the race is better on TV than from a single corner and (b) I've usually spent the better half of two days making contacts, deals, sales, and promotions. So I usually sit in a hospitality tent in comfort, with shade and ready access to food and water, and watch the television.

I only feel a little silly about it.

Free Association and Fast Answers

Simon and I are both on the road this week, so we're going with some quick opinions.

Best track for driving
SIMON: Oulton Park, Cheshire
TAMMY: Road America
Best track for spectating

SIMON: Brands Hatch (Indy Circuit)
TAMMY: I haven't been there, but I suspect it's Bristol Motor Speedway
Best corner on a track
SIMON: Craner Curves (Donnington Park) a downhill S-curve
TAMMY: The Corkscrew, Laguna Seca
Best track food
SIMON: Oulton Park (The sausage guy) or Donuts at Castle Combe
TAMMY: Johnsonville Brats, Road America
Best town outside a track
SIMON: Monterey, CA
TAMMY: Monterey, CA
Worst town outside a track
SIMON: Cadwell Park (Lincolnshire and me don't mix)
TAMMY: Whatever's outside Mid-Ohio
Best car paint scheme
SIMON: The 2012 Formula Ford promo car (at right, top)
TAMMY: Extreme Speed Motorsports' Ferrari (at right). Awesome.
Worst car paint scheme
SIMON: Anything with Red Bull on it
TAMMY: The F1 Renault from a couple years ago, bright blue and yellow
Best teamwear
SIMON: Any I don't have to pay for
TAMMY: The suits that match the car at right, all black, green piping
Worst teamwear
SIMON: Those Sparco jackets that are based on a racing overalls
TAMMY: Any where the bottom half of a driver's suit is white ... do you realize how those look after they sweat through them for a couple hours???
Silliest team sponsor
SIMON: Durex (cuz it's naughty).
TAMMY: Marlboro (cuz it's gross and they can't even show the sponsor name half the time)
Most underrated driver
SIMON: Dan Weldon (cuz he deserves a drive) or me.  :)
TAMMY: Dan Weldon (have to agree with you there) or Patrick Long
Most over-hyped driver
SIMON: Danica (sorry)
TAMMY: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (sorry)
Best driver in the world (right this second)
SIMON: Sebastian Vettel (he really impresses me)
TAMMY: Tony Stewart (he can drive anything)

That ought to give you readers plenty to throw mud at. Tell us what you think!