Well…seems like I haven’t blogged here in forever! I guess you could say that is true, but truly, it’s not my fault! There has just been so much going on around here that it’s hard to find the time!
.
I got me a few minutes here, so let me catch you up to speed…
.
.
The 2012 Indianapolis 500
.
The end of May brought me once again to Indianapolis to witness yet another incredible Indy 500 full of crashes, takeovers and surprises. When they say it’s the Greatest Race in The World…these folks are not lying.
.
We started our 1500km trek to Indianapolis right, by loading up our crew truck with all kinds of goodies..(read: Cameras, Cameras and memory cards…and a couple more cameras) and headed off down highway 20. In tow inside was my Dad, my brother and myself. Now this is a feat all on its own what with our schedules matching and all. It’s been a long time since we traveled together and I couldn’t have asked for better company. With my brother claiming shotgun for the first leg by way of a coin toss, I settled in the unnaturally comfortable rear seat and got to work prepping my GoPro and Sony gear.
.
.
Thankfully, the first section to Detroit went unscathed and was fairly easy…seems every year I seem to clip a Tornado somewhere along the route (actually, 5 years in a row) so it was nice to see the clear skies for the first 11 hour drive. The only hang up was a long wait at the Blue Water Bridge which put us right into Detroit rush hour going into our overnight pit-stop in Pontiac Michigan.
.
.
Once we finally stopped the truck, as always we were treated like royalty by our cousins and family there…big steaks, few beers and a whole lotta laughs. And well, I won’t lie…my brother and I did end up visiting the local tavern…ok, taverns which caused somewhat of a rough start to our final 5 hour leg down to Indy. In fact…it was a pretty silent trip rollin’ through the corn fields of Indiana.
.
By the time we got to Indy though, a quick shower and a taste of the hair of the dog we we’re set to take on the world once again. We got our credentials out of the way and met up with my sister and some friends down at the BoatHouse and had a nice settling in time…but of course, as always, Bec had tons of stuff lined up for us the next day and the few to follow.
.
Day 1 was early…we hit the track in time for a walk around the pits and caught the Indy Lights race. These younger guys sure know how to rock an IL car…great show. We also got to go down pitside and watch the Pit Stop competition…which is super cool..these teams are so good, so fast and so organized it makes any mechanic sit in awe.
.
.
.
Afterwards, we were set up to have a meet and greet with Charlie Kimball. It’s a really personal connection for us since Charlie is a Diabetic and as is my oldest Niece and Godchild Cassidy. And not to mention he looks almost identical to my Cousin Jason…it’s almost spooky really.
.
He took the time and explained to us how he deals with his blood sugar levels, juice/water mixes in the car, how his team monitors every side of the car…and driver through live data and can make decisions accordingly on the go. The advancements that his team has brought to motor racing really is truly unbelievable.
.
.
Now that all the fancy stuff was wrapped up…in great celebration of Carb Day, we joined some friends and soaked in all that was Indy weekend. Lynard Skynard was playing on the stage, there was people everywhere and it was all a great time. But, we did have to get back and get cleaned up for the party at the Dreyer Reinbold race shop who were generous hosts. It was a cool event where we got to meet some great people like fellow Canadian Scott Goodyear who took some time to chat with us Canucks. It’s always impressive to see these shops behind the scenes. Mind you, this one was all done up for the party, but really impressive to see where these big teams work.
.
Stay tuned! I’m still updating!
May 25th by Bannon