State Of IndyCar
Way too many announcements were made Monday, February 13th at Hilbert Circle Theater for me to cover in this space. I am a lowly amateur word smith hack so I leave that to the folks wearing their BIG boy pants and holding a quill pen. With the recently completed PUBLIC version of the State of Indy Car, the catS have been let out of the bag. In hours prior to the event, the vaunted Pressdog posted a timely piece on February 13th that hit many nails on the head with regards to the state of IndyCar. Now, Pressdog can be a bit snarky at times and I am sure that comes as a complete shock. However, I have asked you to add reading Bill’s blog to your list of important things to do. So, you had best rush over to his site and begin getting up to speed and as a public service, here is a killer, yet snark free link for your review:
http://pressdog.typepad.com/dogblog/2012/02/state-of-indycar-all-snark-aside-.html
State of Pippa Mann
I am an unabashed fan of upcoming talent amongst the ranks of IndyCar drivers. I can honestly say that no one works harder to secure funding than the young lass from around London, Ms. Pippa Mann. She goes about her days and sleepless nights relentlessly chasing $$$$$ and comes across as a sponsor’s dream. I have mentioned Pippa in the past and I suggest that you start today following her on Twitter @PippaMann. She is a prolific producer of tweets that are informative as she slugs through her day, keeping in top shape at Pit Fit and wearing out her phone. She is not so much a long shot to land a ride soon this season and I understand that she is pretty close. So, get your rich uncle to pony up a bit for the cause de Pippa…….support her in any way that you can. Click links to vote for her in different awareness raising endeavours or simply FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER.
http://www.pippamann.com/default.aspx
State Of Winter Indy Tweetup
I am about to wet my pants in anticipation of the upcoming Winter Tweetup (WIT). If you call yourself an IndyCar fan and are in Indianapolis and do not make it to WIT on February 25th than you get to wear an “L” on your forehead for the rest of the day. The two drivers behind this event (get it, drivers; man do I amuse myself sometimes) are Monica Hilton and Elizabeth Wurtz. Hey, both of them run companies in addition to their day/night jobs. Monica is one of the few bloggers to obtain the coveted REAL position with a REAL race team doing PR work. She is one of the testaments to hard work, diligence and a sprinkling of snark and deserves her place in front of the doors that are beginning to open for her. Along with her friend, Elizabeth, they put on the preseason event that just melts my winter blahs away. Elizabeth is no stranger to a sustained high level of effort. To put it mildly, her night job involves saving lives in a neonatal ICU. As a sidebar of note, she recently married and this just adds to her mix of things that make up a balanced life. If you think you are a busy person, take a look at their calendars to see how you measure up. I do not see a lot of time marked as free………so hit the jump- and become informed about the upcoming WIT. Fun with a capital PH.
http://winterindytweetup.wordpress.com/
State of Simona
The incomparable Tony Johns over at Popoff Valve (yeah, read his stuff so that one day you too can be accepted into a school of higher education otherweise you get a big, fat “L” on your forehead too) sent a lovely Valentine’s day poem(s) to his fav ladies of racing. I liked that he used a header photo that was a shot of Simona’s helmet. Along with the bouquet of flowers, it is a very nice touch. Will they remember Tony for his words, actions or the restraining order????? But I digress. Not a single driver in 2011 had a more challenging season and many would have lost their mojo, never to get it back. Simona offers a few highlights and lowlights in a fine article written by Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times. This also was posted on Monday, February 13th so I guess the number 13 really is kind of lucky! Ponder this thought for a few moments, St. Petersburg is pretty close to being a hot bed of NAS-TAY Kar racing and here is an article about Open Wheel. Six weeks before the event. Maybe there is hope yet for the turnaround we fanatics yearn for.
Epilogue
I have liked Randy Bernard from the moment he started to listen to Robin Miller and then begin to ignore him and listen to the fans. Props to his recognition that the bloggers are giving lame stream media a run for their money (actually more like being pecked to death by ducks). Granted, the lame stream has far more bandwidth, bucks and bribes than the amateur hacks, but how did Randy really come to understand the interest level about double wide restarts, or the three abreast flying start at Indy? I think that he has gone about the business of IndyCar quietly and efficiently and has finally generated a positive trajectory for the sport. I was afraid that he would end up asking himself “what have I done” after a dust up or two with some of the death star teams. I was mentally prepared for the crush of events at Las Vegas to distract or even demoralize and eventually drive away Mr. Bernard. I almost cried during his speech Monday evening when he revealed that he would like to work in his position for as long as the Hulman George family will have him. I do not know many that can keep up with his pace. Good on ya, mate!
Talk to you next time!
GForcePaul
WideOpenWheel 
Leave a Reply