buckle-up

As I was looking back over posts written in 2022 I came to realize that there weren’t quite as many posts about young Colton Herta as there had been in previous years. And yet, this was a tumultuous time for Colton and the whole family as his rise up through the Indy driving ranks directed the spotlight more brightly on him than ever before. The expectations for an even better year in 2022 seemed to be there for the taking. The year started well for Colton. In case we forget about triumphs outside of the Indy Car program, it’s good to reflect on how Colton drove his DragonSpeed LMP2 sports car to first place in the opening round of the IMSA Sports Car Championship. Putting this in context this now means four starts in this series for Colton that delivered two wins for him and his team. Batting .500 is nothing to be ashamed of – two Rolex watches from four starts? Margo and I knew of Colton through family connections. It was during a track weekend back in 2010 or thereabouts at the Auto...

There was a lot to consider. Should we keep the BMW i8 Roadster for one more road trip? Given how it would be a transit across several state lines before we make it to Las Vegas and with the price of gas having passed through US$5.00 for a US Gallon, electing to take the hybrid sports car seemed quite logical. Then again, the car was coming off lease and the potential for mishaps to occur along the way was enough deterrent from taking it for this trip. With heavy hearts we turned the roadster in, a couple of weeks early, and in taking that option off the table, we still had a decision to make. Faced with choices all of which would work, we arrived at the obvious conclusion. Let’s drive the Corvette. The F Pace came a close second and for a short while was the leading candidate, but when we looked at how large a volume of baggage space existed in the Corvette, it won the day. Now it’s all about the route and behind the wheel of a Corvette it will not include a lot of interstate driving....

Indy cars driver, Colton Herta, is very much in the news of late and I have covered him in numerous posts to this blog but it’s a pure coincidence that he just happened to be referenced in this penultimate post to the National Auto Sports Association (NASA) publication, Speed News. However, there is a lot more to cover this time then just references to Colton. In particular, rereading this post I was reminded of a recent email from my good friend and colleague, Robert Rosen. “Think about where and how to go off the track if necessary,” Robert wrote. Particularly if you show up for your first track experience in a bright red powerful car! And this is very good point to make to every reader who is being encouraged to take their car to the track. As you get into the post below you will read of how, our SoCal NASA region’s chief instructor, told this one particular group of first-timers, “Yes, you will drop two wheels on occasion and perhaps even have all four wheels off the track, but u...

  For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. In these volatile times as economies begin to grapple with some semblance of normalcy it takes very little to move the stock indices either up or down. For those with a penchant for investing, it’s not about timing but rather, investing in stocks about which you know something. I was reminded of this when I read on the CNBC news channel, “Don’t just do something, stand there!” While whoever made this comment – some say it was President Eisenhower, while others recall it predates him - the point is well made. Having written this it is also worth remembering that it’s not just stocks that change but the seasons and here in Colorado, there are many reminders with each turn of a calendar’s page. For Margo and me it has been about adjusting to life at home. We have now recovered in full from the terrible car crash we had a few months ago, with bruising and lacerations no longer visib...

Absolutely a dominating performance to take the pole in Nashville How can we start out with anything less than reminiscing over what could have been at the inaugural Indy Car event through the streets of Nashville. Around the carpark of the NFL Titan’s football stadium, across the bridge, around a tight Nashville city triangle and back over the bridge! Margo and I have been following the Indy racing this year and haven’t missed one weekend watching practices, qualification as well as the races themselves. When you have almost-family members as full time Indy racer it brings with it just that added spice of excitement. Following a brief summer hiatus which we think had a lot to do with the Olympics being televised by the same network that covers Indy races, there were back-to-back races in Nashville and Indianapolis. A twisting and unforgiving street course in Nashville followed by a proper road course in Indianapolis. Before we cover the race at Indy, it’s worth revisiting the wee...