How You Look At It

Dear Pat,

You are enjoying a breathtakingly gorgeous day at Road Atlanta for Petit le Mans, and I am enjoying it here from home in Birmingham, Alabama. Oh, how I hate that I can’t be there with you guys! I got in touch with Thomas B and asked him to give you special good luck from me, same from all my friends who will be there, many of whom I know you know. Sniff!

So I was thinking what a rough year it had been for you, but you know, that’s really just the case in ALMS. I guess it all depends on how you look at it. Because in many ways, it’s been a crazy great year for you. In fact, in trying to catch up with today’s WC race results, I see that you WON THE 2011 WORLD CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP! And Porsche has the manufacturer title in that series, thanks to you, in large part. So that is fantastic!

And of course, I am over-the-moon thrilled that my friend and real-life-sometimes-driving-coach, Mike Skeen, came in 3rd in the championship for this year. I am so proud of him. He’s having a great year, and getting some really fantastic rides and some awesome support. And he is taking full advantage and showing what he can do. He will drive anything with wheels, and he’s such a quick study. And just a great guy. So proud of him!

OK so this weekend, I am hoping you and Joerg bring the #45 home in first! That would be so great. I know it’s a total crap shoot, and in a ten-hour race, anything can happen. Literally! At least we ought not need rain gear and row boats to get around Raod Atlanta this year, right? Looks just fantastic. Thomas says the car is really strong. I’m pulling for you guys! Let’s see what happens.

x0x0x0
VroomGrrl

Hot Diggity Dayam! Laguna Seca!

Heya Pat,

I wasn’t able to see the race until Sunday morning, but I knew how it ended on Saturday from Jen’s blog updates, and let out quite the big hoot while everybody else in the bar was watching a football game. Hubby and I have run away to the beach for a long weekend to mark our 5th wedding anniversary – our favorite place, Dauphin Island, Alabama. Nothing but sun, surf, and a great mix of physical activity and total ass-sitting.

So there I sat (on my ass, obviously) refreshing my Smarter-Than-Me-Phone over and over to see what was going on in the final moments of the race. Seriously, I love all the “redundant” coverage, because you never know what’s going to work, for whom, and where. Where I am, my phone and the blog were my only way of following the race in real-time. Everybody else was watching the Alabama Crimson Tide. Me? Staring at my phone! And when I saw Joerg had pulled it off and won the thing, I was so thrilled for you guys! Thanks to ESPN3, I was able to watch a high quality replay of highlights on my laptop this morning. Hell’s bells, that was some driving! Finally a great big win for you two. I assure you that all of your fans are over the moon for you! Just like me!

Well, and your race engineer, too – they had a camera on the Lizard pit box as the race ended, and it was such a treat to see Thomas Blam’s face light up when Joerg came across the finish line in first place. Ear-to-ear smile on that guy – well on both of them, I’m sure, and surely you, too.

Alright. It’s amazing I was able to get a connection here, but I am shutting this thing right back down and getting back to my ass-sitting, and then I need to rest up so I’ll be up for lots more ass-sitting tomorrow. Hee!

Congratulations on the fantastic win today!!
x0x0x0
VroomGrrl

All Apologies

Hi Pat,

Finally, I’m back. I was watching the races from Road America over the weekend, an I got to feeling awful that I was letting this site languish! Sorry I have not really lived up to my self-proclaimed biggest! fan! ever! hype of years back! And I do not want to give the appearance of being a fair-weather fan, which I am not. I just had no idea how true the title of the last entry would turn out to be, “The Year of Me.” Hee!

So the trip for the first 2 weeks of April was AWE. SOME. I can finally tell you that we went to B3irut, L3banon! That’s where my father was born and raised, not coming to the US until he and my mama were about to have me in 1961. My dad died in 2008, not long before I started this little bloggy project, and this trip is something Daddy and I had always talked about doing together. And something I’d dreamed of all my life. So when I found out all the relatives I was trying to hook up with around Europe were all planning to gather in B3irut, right around my birthday, no less, all Le Mans plans were off, and the trip to B3irut was on!

It was only slightly complicated by the fact that I have a top sekrit gubmint j0b and all. Just some extra paperwork, and a cliffhanger of a wait for the final layer of approval which came the night before departure. And we were off! Oh man, it was completely fantastic. I met all kinds of cousins I’d never met before, stayed in the home of my dear auntie with all her kids and grandkids, went walking thru the C3dars, down by the sea, and everywhere in between. I met some car people! And saw all manner of incredible cars. Those L3banese are some car-lovin fools! My daddy came by it honestly.

We went by the street that bears our family name, saw my parents’ first apartment, met the ancient auntie I’d heard about my whole life, saw the chapel where my parents were married, on the corner of what used to be the old family homestead, back in better days. Now all that’s left is the old family chapel (actually a stunning piece of 1960′s avant garde style) that’s been turned into a little neighborhood church. My grandparents are entombed below in what used to be a basement chapel – now storage! Kind of sad, but still good to “see” them, see this place, see all these places.

Some decent drivers took the wheels of various conveyances, and it’s hard to say which was more exciting, the wild-west inner city driving, or the wild-west-plus-livestock-and-deadly-drops-with-no-guardrails mountains. Obviously, the latter. We saw ruins of ancient palaces; we ate like kings and queens. And we had birthday parties! Several of them, one for each of us, with a different kind of cake for each. Stout Arabic coffee. Mmmm. I came home with my own coffee pot and enough training to do it right for myself here at home.

OK well anyway I could go on for WEEKS. Enough about that.

Then right back home and into a patch of really crazy time at work. I had a HUGE challenging assignment, which I may have referred to in the past. Professionally, it was one of the biggest challenges of my career. All eyes on me. Gladiator suit? CHECK. Oh, I was readier than ready. I was Olympics-ready. I completely kicked ass every step of the way, won every little battle. Kicked the entire thing’s ass every step of the way! But the big decision at the end? Oh man, I lost that bigger than SHIT. I lost. I HATE LOSING.

Yeah, I know, you do too!

I have been keeping at least a corner of an eye on you and the Flying Lizards over the year, and man, it’s been rough. Did I jinx you by rooting against you? Remember, Pat, the blog has your name in it, but it’s all about… (say it with me)….ME! Yes. So. Really crazy year out there in GT! We saw it coming over the end of last year, all the other marques finally got their $hit together and they have mounted a serious challenge to Porsche this year. When it’s not random stupid luck or crazy conditions, it’s mechanical crap, something you guys have not had to deal with as much in previous years.

Well I was going to try and come here and write a quick note, but I am constitutionally incapable of writing you a quick note, it seems. So I’ll just have to end abruptly and come back with photos and further catching up and commiseration on the whole concept of feeling good about all the work that went into fucking NOT WINNING.

Have you seen “Senna,” the just-released long-awaited documentary about Ayrton Senna? It’s rolling out all over the world, the past week or two in the US. It won Sundance for documentaries. I get to see it this weekend, and I’m looking forward to it!

Bye for now
x0x0
VroomGrrl

The Year of Me

Hi Pat,

It’s crazy time around here! I don’t even have time to be writing this note. We are going on a big adventure, my husband and I, to celebrate my upcoming 50th birthday. Fifty freakin years. And Pat, I don’t feel a day older than you look! Hahah! But really, I don’t. When you are 50, you will know exactly what I mean. Strange, that.

Anyway. so I dubbed this, milemarker 50th birthday year, as The Year of Me, and I’ve been doing all sorts of stuff I want to do. Starting The Year of Me off with a trip to Daytona – and getting my hair done the day before I left. JUST BECAUSE. Following through with getting my 911 ready for the track. Getting signed off to drive solo at Barber! And all along, the feature event began to take shape. A great big trip to an exciting, very very far away place. The original plan began as a trip to experience a big week or so of Le Mans love this summer. I have relatives all over the world, and was sketching out this awesome itinerary all around Le Mans, with stops to see family along the way. I could rent a Porsche….

But then! Then an opportunity to do something even special-er came along. And you know if it beat out going to Le Mans for the first time, and taking a great trip around Europe visiting familly, it had to be really special. I’ll tell you all about it when we get back! In the meantime, I have a list about ten miles long of things that I have to get done in about a quarter-mile’s worth of time! So off I go. Wish us luck.

And drive real purty while we’re gone!
x0x0x0
VroomGrrl

“The Lost Spyder” – a Mystery Novel by Sean Michael

Hiya Pat,

Wonder where this weekend will find you? Hmm. I could go check! Well anyway now that you are driving in the WC series, I need to go check their schedule. Is there a WC race in conjunction with the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, mayhaps? Ooh I will hate it if you are right here and I don’t get to see you! Alas, I will be away for that weekend.

So in my last note, I alluded to this post, in which I want to tell you about my friend Sean Michael’s first mystery novel called The Lost Spyder.

So there I was, walking across the parking lot of the Cantina restaurant from where I’d just parked my 1988 911. It was the night of our monthly club social with my local PCA. As I approached the restaurant, I saw a couple of men and a woman standing at the open trunk of a speed yellow Boxster. One of the men was getting out a box, and taking something out of the box, and handing it to the other man. I overheard as I passed, “Yeah, it’s my first novel….” So me being me, I walked up on the conversation.

You see, we needed a speaker for our next club meeting. And his book, a mystery involving a search for a long lost Porsche 550 Spyder, sounded like a great feature. I listened to him talk about the book, and he’s just a great guy. His wife Kristy was equally engaging. So that’s how I learned of Sean’s book. We hatched a plan to have him be the guest speaker at our next meeting.

Then the club gang decided we needed a special venue, since Sean was willing to actually bring his 550 replica which is just gorgeous (and sounds great!). So we chose Ted’s Garage in downtown Birmingham, which we learned had just been taken over by a team including John Copeland of TRG fame. John is a fantastic supporter of our local club and I was so happy to get to see him and get a little caught up with him. Awesome guy. We got the details worked out. I was standing in the venue chatting away when I heard the 550 motor fire in the distance. My head whipped around in the direction it came from, and I saw it coming across the street from where they’d off-loaded it. What a beautiful piece of work, a really nice replica. Yes, I know you’ve driven the real thing!

The evening was almost magical in feeling. The space just has this great feeling with fantastic cars stacked floor to ceiling, historic endurance race posters everywhere, along with other memorabilia. It was one of the first great warm spring-ish evenings, and they threw the actual garage door wide open, giving us this huge indoor/outdoor space to mix and mingle. Sean had prepared a presentation with some history of the 550 Spyder, and some backstory on the writing of the book.

He’s a great speaker, and it made for a wonderful night. He brought a box of books and stuck around to sign them for folks. He sold the whole box and could have sold two! All good things must come to an end – and I managed to capture a little snippet of him driving the car back out of the venue to load up for the ride home

Our friend Dede has posted her review, and links to some of Sean’s short videos about the book. I need to figure out how to put a copy into your hands. If you enjoy a good, quick mystery, you’ll love it. I loved that part of it was set in Birmingham, and got a kick out of recognizing touches of several local characters and places.

Here you go, please click thru to Dede’s write-up, and have a look at Sean and his book. Watch your mail, I’ll find a way to get one off to you before…um, before, well. I will tell you about that next time!

Porsche 550 CLICK HERE for more on “The Lost Spyder” – a Mystery Novel by Sean Michael.

x0x0x0
VroomGrrl

Pat Long: From Behind

Hi Pat,

You must still be reeling from your balls-to-the-wall racing weekend. I re-watched both races uninterrupted online last night, at least the footage they have out there. The TV broadcasts will air around April 8, I think (bad fan!). I’ll have to miss that. But I’ve been watching all the in-car video Mike Skeen has posted. In the second race, he started from the back (engine change from the bang-up in race 1). He finished in 3rd. And he gained most of that ground in the last 10 minutes of the race, which makes for some great watching!!

Big congrats again on your weekend sweep, too! The more I watch the race footage, the more amazed I am at the depth of your skill. And Mike is a real talent, too! He has posted video from the first race, and he spent a little chunk of time at the end there nipping your heels. Wanna see what you look like from behind? Here ya go, he catches up to you around 5:20:

You really are at a place in your development as a driver where you can drop in and master whatever is before you. Any car, any track, any format. I’m sure part of the reason you are so successful at everything you do is that you choose your opportunities well. And dayum you are just gooood! Such a joy to watch at work. I know you know what I mean, because I know you get that same joy watching others do well, on the track and otherwise. The talent. You’ve got it good. Just awesome. And very entertaining. So allow me to thank you for that, and for being so great about keeping your followers so entertained with all the social media and stuff.

Anyway enough about you. Snort!

Parting shot: My friend Tom from Denver, the SCCA corner worker who related my best wishes to you in the autograph line on Saturday at St. Pete, well he needed a place to crash on his drive back to Denver. In his Honda Civic that has about 350,000 miles on it. Seriously! Last time I saw Tom was when he was down to work Petit le Mans in 2008. It was sooooo great to have him here at our home, even for just a little while. He got here late and left early, but we got lots of catching up done in our short visit.

Alrighty then, lots going on, lots to do. I’m already working on my next note to you – it involves the 550 Spyder. Stay tuned!

x0x0x
VroomGrrl

Double Whammy! Way to Go!!

Hi Pat,

OK OK well you showed me, didn’t you? Ha! You know I was over-the-moon thrilled to see you take home the trophies this weekend, back to back victories in St. Pete! Yes, I really wanted it for Mike Skeen, but if it wasn’t to be for him, I’m glad it was you with all the booty at the end of the weekend.

And what a weekend it was! That course looked super challenging. And given that it was a real street course, passing opportunities were scarce. Add to that the challenge of multi-class traffic and oh my stars, it was some wild and crazy racing! You are so at the top of your game, too, to drop into a format like that and dominate. Incroyable!

Mike had a mixed weekend. He was so close on your tail in the first race but that S2000 incident took him out. Then on Sunday, he was in the back and worked his way all the way up to P5, and ahead of him, you were dogging Sofronas for the lead. My jaw just dropped watching some of those passes. The live feed, which was available for replay soon after the race, was not a real production, and while they had several cameras in use, it wasn’t..well, produced. I am hoping that the final broadcast version will be much better in terms of showing the real action.

For example, on the live feed/replay, you are doggong Sofronas one lap, then the next time you come around, you’re in the lead! But the announcers fail to notice until about 2 laps later, and there’s no information about how that happened. Same with Mike Skeen. He worked from the back to P5, and by the last lap he was P3, but I have no idea how that happened either. He’s going to be posting some in-car video and I cannot wait to see that. He said it was some of the wildest, craziest racing he’s ever experienced. He loves it, and I’m so happy for him to have a decent ride for the whole season.

So in Pat Long Fan Club news, you must really be thinking I’m a stalker by now. First Eddie from Redline with his phone call during Daytona 24. Then my corner worker friend from Denver tells me he stopped by the autograph table and told you, “VroomGrrl wishes you all the best this weekend,” (using my real name) and he swears you seemed to know whom he was talking about. I know you probably recognize me as one of your many fans when you see me out 2-3 times a year. And I do keep this blog and all. But I promise you, I am not going all stalkery on you! I have some great friends who love to look out for me.

So you’re not mad at me for rooting against you, are you? I hope not. I have never claimed to be the PERFECT fan, but you know I’m almost always rooting for you, right? Except when you run up against Skeen. I may have to split my loyalties, depending on how often that happens as we go forward, or maybe there’s a way to be all Zen about it and root for you both and let the Universe sort it out. Which is what happens anyway. This weekend proves that the Universe does not necessarily take my preferences into account when choosing race winners. LUCKY FOR YOU, BUDDY.

OK OK OK really I’m done with that for now. Until the next WC race, anyway.

Again, heartfelt congratulations to you and your team for the back-to-back victories in St. Pete this weekend.

Life calls…back soon.
x0x0x
VroomGrrl

Your First Pirelli World Challenge Victory! CONGRATS!!!

Hi Pat,

I trust you are taking all my teasing and taunting in the good spirit which it’s intended. I hope you are. Because…it continues until the checkered flag tomorrow! Muuuhahahahahaah!

The race was streamed live at www.world-challengetv.com and you know I had that baby up and running today! I was secretly glad to have been sidelined from autocross today by my tire that won’t hold air. Because I was able to watch you guys go at it. What a crazy race! Early and looong caution, and then a real 5-minute sprint to the end. That was what, 3 laps??

So there you were, leading the charge! And right on your heels, MIKE SKEEN! You got some space between you a couple of times, but once you caught up to the back of the pack, the traffic got dicey. I understand how this works. Traffic can either create your opportunities in a race like this, or it can be your undoing. I not-so-secretly hoped that you would get caught up behind a slow car and that Skeen would get his chance to get out front! Well, here’s how you described what happened next as reported at www.racer.com:

“Mike was running very strong and certainly keeping me honest,” Long said. “As we came into the back of the traffic on the last lap, the black S2000 lost it just coming out of the first of the double rights in the back session. I missed him narrowly, literally by inches, and unfortunately that left Mike with a blocked racetrack and I was able to just slither through. It was unfortunate for him, good for us, and that’s what it’s all about with multiple classes.”

Alas, you got right around that little incident that caught up Mike. Dammit! Heartbreak!!! He got the car fired and took off with bits and pieces of his front end left behind on the track, and timing & scoring shows he finished 9th. He just emailed me to let me know that the car is going to be good to go tomorrow. Maybe you two will end up splitting the weekend! Hopefully it will not be quite as messy.

That course is absolutely breathtaking. I doubt you have time to enjoy it as you’re driving it, but the aerial views and panoramic shots with the water behind yall are just gorgeous. Looks like nice weather, too.

So the autocross I had to miss today? The mayor of the small town where it took place came down to the civic center lot where the event was going on, and WALKED OUT ONTO THE HOT COURSE, ignoring the safety stewards who yelled at him and ran at him to stop him. They had to red flag the driver on course and deal with this buffoon, who made the club give up half of their space. That they paid to use. THE RENTAL OF WHICH HE HAD PREVIOUSLY APPROVED. Unbelievable. They got the course redesigned and had an abbreviated day of it, as it turned out. I’m guessing the club will be looking for a new venue!

Crap. Tornado siren? Eegads. Bye for now!
x0x0xx0
VroomGrrl

P1 – Long, P2 – Skeen: What’s a Girl to Do?

Dear Pat,

Wow I had no clue this was brewing! My friend, Mike Skeen, about whom I have raved to you in previous notes, is in the No. 2 CRP Racing Crager Wheels Corvette in the World Challenge races at St. Pete this weekend. I’ve had my head up my own ass the past week, heavily involved in my work and trying to get my own car out on the track this weekend (AL SCCA Solo Points #1!). I have two friends working corners at this race in Florida, one who’s flown in from Denver at Turns 10-11, and my other buddy from here in Birmimngham, I’ll find out where he is.

AN. Y. WAY. One of them posted the standings in qualifying to Facebook and it came up on my new, smarter-than-me-phone, and wow, I was so psyched! I read up a little. I’ve confessed to not following you as closely as perhaps your Ultimate Platinum Level Fan might do, but if you had said anything about this in any of your press before this week, I think I’d remember. Looks like it came together rather last-minute….

Long’s journey to the front of the grid for Saturday’s opening round at the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit was an eventful one. Signed just this week to drive the No. 45 TruSpeed./Privacy Star/Entrust Porsche 911 GT3, Long arrived from another commitment in Germany in time for Friday’s on track activities. Quickest in the opening practice during the morning, Long set out during the 20-minute qualifying knowing he had a shot at pole position.

I kind of love that you guys are competing against each other! Did you set a lap record? I think you did. Awesome! Now, while the title of this note would suggest that I am in a quandary about who I should root for, I am really not at all concerned or divided in my loyalties. Not a bit. ONE of you has my absolute 100% support in this race. And only one of you. The other of you…MUST GO DOWN! Please don’t be mad at me, Pat, but I am rooting for my buddy Mike Skeen to kick your ass this weekend!!!!

Are you surprised? OK, look. This is how it is. In ALMS? In Le Mans? In NASCAR Camping World East AND West? Zuhai in the Hybrid? Australian V8 Supercars? Daytona 24 in a DP Porsche? I’m your girl. The last time you and Skeen met up, perhaps the first time? Was Daytona 24 this past January. And while I supported Mike’s efforts at Daytona, I was your girl there as well. You are my number one man. But my buddy and real-life kinda-coach, Mike Skeen, is just getting a foothold, long-deserved, in pro racing, and as far as I’m concerned, he’s just gotta get out there and kick you to the curb and do his thing. And by the way, his thing happens to be being the underdog and kicking the ass of the rock star. (It’s not lost on me that that has, at times, been YOUR thing as well….go figger!) Look ouuuuuut! SKEEEEEEN IS COMING FOR YOU!!

OK OK sorry I don’t want to be mean to you. You know I’m crazy about you. You know I’m a HUGE fan, probably, literally, your biggest fan. I have been your faithful one-way correspondent here on this website for over two years now. It’s not called “Dear Mike Skeen,” is it? No. You are my main man MOST of the time. But right now, I’ve gotta root for my awesome friend in his awesome Corvette!

Being a racer and a gentleman, I know you understand.

I do wish you well! And I absolutely do not want you or your car to get hurt in any way whatsoever (I know you had an off earlier behind a slow car and then a flat, and even then you kicked ass!). But this time? Look out, my friend. My OTHER friend Mike Skeen is COMING FOR YOU!!!!!!

Tons of love,
x0x0x0
VroomGrrl

PS I just stole the tiny mini air compressor out of the PCA door prize box in the back of my car and am using it to pump up the right rear tire of my 911 which has gone down to 10 lbs. WISH ME LUCK getting to, and hopefully competing in, autocross tomorrow!!

Photographic Evidence

Hi Pat,

I still don’t have the CD of photos from last weekend, but I have a couple of shots to share. Nothing flashy, just me and my little 911 at Barber.

Here we are braving the rain down the front straight:

And here, coming over the tunnel turn on my first solo run:

It’s a big day here in Birmingham. Indy cars have been arriving all weekend for today’s testing at Barber, and I just got a Tweet about one of the cars having just arrived at the airport, waiting for a lift to the track. It’s threatening to rain but so far it’s holding off.

You have either been at Sebring testing in Florida, or at Le Mans testing in France. Bad, bad fan, I’m not sure where you are! I’m really curious to see what kind of NASCAR fun you may be having this year after your brilliant showing at Miller in the Camping World series last year. What DO you have in store for us??

Back to the grindstone…
x0x0x
VroomGrrl