And so ends season two. I suppose I can't really call myself a rookie anymore. I still had a lot of firsts this season .... they range from really getting to understand the "rush" of a good start (both rolling and standing), leading races, breaking parts, going pro and the highlight - running a street course with SPEED World Challenge on Belle Isle, Detroit Labour Day weekend.
There has been a delay since finals in adding this post to the blog because I really needed to decompress from racing for a bit. There is tremendous uncertainty about 2009 with Dodge on the brink, the Viper Racing League sold and the economy (especially the currency roller coaster) really adding to the mix. Having run several races with Lux Performance this summer in the World Challenge, we were hoping to explore a run at the Rookie of the Year at World Challenge for '09. Unfortunately, with the hopes of a Mopar sponsorship gone and the aforementioned uncertainty, we are in a holding pattern for next year. Moreover, one can't ignore the call to refocus on the businesses that allowed the racing in the first place.
Overall in 2008 we had a moderately successful year with top three finishes in all but one of our Viper Racing League races with an overall third for the National Championship. Our hiatus from the VRL during the summer to run pro had some impact on our points, however, I would not trade that experience for the world!! In our SCCA Pro Racing debut we had respectable results with our best at Mosport with a twelfth overall. I really do feel that I developed more this year as a racer than even my rookie year.
Racing at this level can become quite an effort. We ran twelve events in '08 which translates into a pretty hectic schedule. Our family had a chance to embrace the lifestyle and at times had to get home to get a rest!One of the most memorable moments of the year (besides narrowly missing a catastrophic crash at Mosport) was experiencing all that pro racing had to offer from the crowds, the competition and the chance to be on the other side of the fence with people and drivers that you admired when one was a spectator. It was really surreal to be next to Bobby Rahal in the pits as a competitor (he was managing his Aston Martin team) when I remember him winning the inaugural Molson Canadian Toronto Indy in the eighties as I watched my first live race.
I would like to thank everyone who has helped me in this journey .... to my friends at the VRL who brought me along nicely, to Skip Thomas and his family who introduced me to this sport in the most professional way, to John Archer and company for supporting our car and our team literally from "minute-one" and to Gary Johnson, Tom Francis, Mike Stevens and everyone through the Dodge/Mopar channel who helped me take the plunge into pro this year. I owe a special thanks to Cindi Lux who gave me the opportunity to paddock with Lux Performance and for showing us the best side of World Challenge.
On a parting note, I wish I could say that some really exciting things are in the works for 2009 but we really do not know at this point. The Viper program is for sale from Dodge, the auto industry is about to implode, sponsorships are non-existent and almost everyone you talk to in the racing business is kind of holding their breath. Who knows .... but with a 30% premium to race in U.S. dollars, I am not sure I want to hold my breath. Then again, like the very nature of racing, things can change in a heartbeat and we will see what we can do for 2009.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season and a fruitful "off-season" for my fellow racers!!
Please take a moment to enjoy some of the video below of our pro debut.
