Your Office

Hey Patrick,

I really enjoyed your latest column for SpeedTV.  Given the kinds of challenges you face on the track, I found it hard to believe you could be so nervous about a speaking engagement. But I totally  understand, too. You said it went great, and I’m sure it did. Who better to talk to the media about the 2010 GT3 RSR than the man who considers a GT3 his “office”? I’m sure they were delighted to hear a driver’s perspective.

The video linked in that article was so much fun to watch. Finally, a nice long look at some of the great driving that put you on the podium in St. Pete. It was cool to see the driver change. I noticed that just before you hopped out, you shot the seat  back to accommodate your taller partner in crime, Joerg. I wish I could see that whole damned race from your car’s perspective. I know the charge you made to the front had to have been exciting as hell. The clip was such a tease! But great fun.

Sunday Driver

Dear Patrick,

I thought I’d take a little different approach to things this time around. I am downloading the Long Beach circuit for rFactor, and I’m going to fire up my rinky-dink simulator and take a spin out there myself. Hopefully I can steal a few minutes between now and next weekend so that I can get to know the track, and have some clue what you guys are talking about when you talk about it.

Good Luck at Daytona

Hey Patrick,

I’m so glad to see you’re going to try “Blackberrying” through the race weekend. I’ll check back often to see what you’re up to. I’m going to be following several cars – along with you, I’ll be watching Hurley with his Brumos team, and the Farnbacher Loles Children’s Tumor Foundation car.

My local SCCA buddies are having a watch party, which turned into a Virtual 24 Hours of “Simtona” party. As in, we put together a team to run the whole 24 hours on a top-of-the-line simulator (running GTR2) – at a guy’s house outside Birmingham, Alabama. And that has morphed into a fundraiser for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, sort of parallel to the FL team.

I’ve taken up a bit of sim racing myself as an off-season thing, and what I’ve learned so far is that if you don’t already know how to drive on a racetrack, you are going to suck on the simulator. I am improving, but not better enough fast enough for this weekend. Hence, I will not be one of the team drivers! I couldn’t convince them to let me drive a virtual pace car either. Alas, I will be there for a while doing something, probably entering live updates on the facebook page, maybe firing up my webcam to do some reporting, and passing out Red Bull (this is what passes for “crew” in a virtual endurance race).

All the fruitbasket-turnover in the racing world lately has me totally confused.For my own very selfish reasons, I am glad to see you back in a GT. I guess because I love those cars and have actually ridden in one at Barber. How self-centered of me! Because if I had to guess, I’d guess you prefer the faster cars. However you feel about it, you are clearly making the best of it.

I sincerely wish you a great weekend, and a great year!

VroomGrrl