Nice read about the fun of racing
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 10:50 am
Jalopnik article is humorous and poignant.
Here are some of my favs.
Here are some of my favs.
jalopnik wrote: All I've got is a pillow, a loaned sleeping bag that was first used in the Korean War (not a joke), and a small picnic blanket.
12:30 AM: Go to sleep on a fully inflated air mattress, under the blanket, on top of the sleeping bag. Temperature 61 F.
2:30 AM: Pounding rain, half inflated air mattress, under the blanket, in the sleeping bag. Temperature 45 F.
3:45 AM: More rain, ass on the cold trailer floor, curled up in the fetal position in the sleeping bag, the blanket wrapped around me, fully clothed, a sort of wimpy gringo seven-layer burrito of cold terror. Temperature 40 F.
5:00 AM: Light rain. I've now completely wrapped my head in the blanket, I'm breathing through a tiny hole. It's pitch black but I can still see my breath. Temperature -3,051 F.
5:30 AM: Go to complain, realize Jerry was sleeping under a slow leak and is half wet. Jerry also realizes this. Jerry isn't pleased. I run my ass to my car and blast the heat and seat warmers so I can get feeling back in my feat. Temperature 85 F.
A fatal pause. I crash knee-first into the barricade but don't spill the water. I limp to the car and hand it over. He takes maybe four sips. But maybe they're the FOUR SIPS THAT SAVE HIS LIFE. Probably not.
Two hours later I'm back at our pit, sad to hear they violated my request that they pause all pit stops until I was done with my volunteer duty. Something about the car needing gas. Nonsense.
I scream "Go BIll! Go Bill! Go Bill! Go Go!" until I can't breathe anymore. So loud, Bill later tells me, he could hear it through his helmet and over the hum of the race cars.
