It is the voice that rarely speaks and I have a lot to say. Now that the 2010 season is over we got to sit back and watch some football, enjoy the holiday’s , spend time with friends that you don’t get to see during racing season and really just some enjoy some R&R. Yeah right!!! R&R in our house means “Running Rapid”. My nickname is BamBam but some people call me the energizer bunny.
Well, since we shut down in late October it’s been R&R all the way. We had to break both cars and start making our list. Dina’s car went to “The Shop” for some body and paint work. We didn’t give them the usual five days to turn it around this time. They did an amazing job as always. During this time I decided to redo the ceiling in the work shop. Well when you vertically challenged you need all the help you can get. All I can say is thank you home depot. While in between spackling the ceiling, the house chores still need to be completed. Spackle equals sanding which equals white dust all over you. Many of you know my lovely Wife Dina is a bit of a clean Nut. So, here I am using the air hose to blow myself off to get in the house. Try doing this 5 times a night in the cold.
We finished the garage in time so I can drive to pickup Dina’s car from “The Shop”. The drive is only about 5 hours door to door. I went alone which wasn’t that bad for a change. Quiet time is always good. After a full day of driving, Dina and I unloaded the car into our shop and on to the next activity. In between all of this go to work and get to the gym. We have a lot to do in a short period of time. The weather as everyone knows has been unbearable. The snow storms are just out of control and to get anything done is becoming an issue.
I am not an expert on safety in the race cars but I want everyone to remember it pays to be over safe. We as racers will buy the best blower, the best pistons anything to make us go faster but remember one thing the faster you go the safer your car has to be! I have seen my share of crashes and witnessed things I cannot share, so please check all your SFI ratings, Chassis tags, go over your chassis after each run to make sure all your bolts are tight, torque your wheels after each run, check your engine plate bolts, everything, all the time. Remember this is not your daily driver. Call Safety Solutions for a molded seat, suits, socks, gloves. Whatever it takes to be safe, buy it and wear it. One last point; After you make your pass, leave it on till you fully stop. It’s 100 degrees in the race car and the gloves are coming off, then the belts are coming off. WHY? Safety people!! Remember this, the faster you go the quicker you go you best be safe doing it or you are gone for good. Like they say, if you can’t take the heat get out of the kitchen!!!
We have a lot of fun racing and doing what we really love. But it wouldn’t be possible without the men and woman that give us our freedom every day. We have lost so many throughout all the wars for our freedom. Even though we are extremely busy in our lives, with our race cars, and just being on the go all the time, take a moment and do something for someone that can’t be as fortunate as us. Think about the men and woman at war right now, do you think they are on the phone ordering new heads, going to Starbucks or ordering clothes online? No, they are just trying to stay alive. During your travels , think of picking up something for the men and woman that are fighting for us, and send it using our ‘Support for the Troops ‘program.
And please remember, hats off when the National Anthem starts. It is the respect our Veterans deserve.
Andrew Parise