MY TRIP TO THE 2007 GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON - 5.25.2007
I've attended a couple of NASCAR races. One was in Myrtle Beach, SC in 1998. The other was in Talladega, AL in 2001. Ricky Bobby ain't got nothing on my Talladega Nights!...
OK, sidetrack over, let's get back to the subject. About a month ago, I took some of the very little vacation time I had and went to Houston for the Grand Prix. The main event on the card was the Champ Car World Series, with the American Le Mans Series, Champ Car Atlantics, Star Mazda Series, and Mazda MX-5 Cup as the supporting cast. Let's talk about my experiences from that awesome weekend.
A month before the event, I requested time off work, bought tickets, and got a hotel room. On Thursday, I was so anxious for work to end. Once 4:30 hit, I was outta there and on my way. After making a stop at an Olive Garden to grab some dinner and getting stuck in Baton Rouge traffic, I could really make some time. After hearing bug after bug splatter on my windshield in western Louisiana, and after trying to figure out the weird-ass exits in Texas, I made it to my hotel room at 11 PM.
The next morning, I was awakened by the sweet sound of Wankel (Mazda rotary) engines at full song. I ate some breakfast, showered, dressed, and walked over to the track. After watching all the Friday morning practice, I went and grabbed lunch. I guess it's important to note that track food and drink is expensive ($3.75 for a bottle of water!), so I would go away to eat and then come back.
On Friday afternoon, I went on a paddock tour. Our guide for the afternoon was Brandi Latimer, the 2006 Face of Champ Car. Brandi is a fountain of knowledge, shares the same interests, and is hot to boot -- damn, it sucks that she's not available! Anyway, fun times. Got to watch more practice and qualifying.
Friday afternoon was the Champ Car autograph session. Unfortunately, it was kinda rushed because it was only an hour. Probably a good thing though... that meant that a lot of people came. Simon Pagenaud struck up a conversation with me, and Alex Tagliani was busy texting someone. Mario Dominguez was just signing hero card after hero card, not really paying attention. I got a bunch of hero cards that I can frame now.
Friday night, I got to go hang out with Star Mazda driver Charles Anti and his team, John Walko Racing. Anti is a frequent poster on champcarfanatics.com, so he invited forum posters to come. Got to put some faces to screennames there, and a great time was had by all. I was surprised to learn that even Star Mazda teams invest in a lot of technology to go faster.
On Saturday, I got to take advantage of my Champ Car Inner Circle Club membership to go on a couple of 'behind-the-scenes' tours. In the morning, I got to see Timing & Scoring, and went to Race Control in the afternoon. It's always interesting to learn what makes these races tick. I wonder if they're hiring any Data Analysts? Midday Saturday, they also had a fan forum. Justin Wilson (the British one, not the Cajun dude) and his car owner Paul Gentilozzi were on the panel. Needless to say, Gentilozzi easily verbally smacked down a "fan" who said that Champ Car NEEDED to merge with the IRL. I think it's the other way around. They need us. "I am Mindy! Hey!"; and Gene Simmons laughs all the way to the bank... ahem.
After the fan forum, I would run to the nearby grocery to grab food & drink. I saved money, and I got bigger portions than I would have at the track. Needless to say, I couldn't EAT IT at the track. But that's OK.
On Saturday afternoon and evening, I got to see the Star Mazda and ALMS features. Dane Cameron smoked the field to win the Star Mazda race, and the tandem of Romain Dumas & Timo Bernhard took a narrow victory with their Porsche RS Spyder in the ALMS showdown. Needless to say, everyone left before the Mazda MX-5 Cup race, so I don't even know who won.
When I woke up Sunday morning, I was as pink as hell and hurting. Sunburn. Should have worn sunscreen! I figure the way that I most likely die will be of melanoma. I toughed it out and went to go watch some racing.
The Atlantics ran late Sunday morning, with Raphael Matos taking the win to go 3-for-3 on the season. I bet he will be in Champ Car next year.
After finally having to buy track food ($7.50 for a fucking chicken finger basket!), I settled in to see the Champ Car Grand Prix of Houston. Will Power started on pole and had the early lead after Sebastien Bourdais jumped the start. A weird sequence of events late in the race allowed Tristan Gommenday to take the lead; unfortunately, he ran out of fuel and DNF'd. Sebastien Bourdais scored the victory. I bet he will be in Formula 1 next year!
After the race was over, I went back to the hotel to retrieve my packed car and get home. It was a relatively uneventful drive home. The first thing I did when I got home was bathe in aloe vera.
Sunburn nothwithstanding, I had a really fun time. I hope to be able to go back next year. If time allows, I'd love to go to even more Champ Car races. Cleveland is a great race, and it has the same promoters as Houston. See you at the track!