There was this kid named Lewis…
As I prepared to head to Indianapolis, of my regrets about waiting until 2007 to attend my first Grand Prix is that I wouldn’t get to see the retiring Michael Schumacher drive . Love him or hate him, (and there’s plenty in both camps) he’s dominated the sport since 1991. After seeing Brit rookie Lewis Hamilton I’m beginning to think I’ve seen something equally special. The meteoric rise of another future world champion.
Here’s a shot of Lewis in his first day at the office in the United States. Friday’s first morning practice session. He’s negotiating this turn for the first time right before my eyes.
After taking pole the following day, then backing it up with a lights-to-flag victory on Sunday it’s clear he’s the real deal. His vastly more experienced teammate Fernando Alonso (a two-time world champion) made a charge at him midway through Sunday’s race but Lewis kept his cool and drove perfectly. The rueful look on Fernando’s face as he stood next to the beaming Hamilton on the podium said it all.
Happy Birthday USA
The more I follow what goes on in the world, the more I realize how blessed we are to live where we do and to enjoy the freedoms we have in the United States.
We had a great time at the home of some dear friends of ours today, doing all the traditional July 4th stuff. Music, laughter, hot dogs, potato salad and a generous helping of dangerous fireworks. It was perfect.
Since I was helping to light some of the aforementioned explosives I wasn’t able to snap any fireworks pictures so I’ve included one I took Leipers Fork in 2005. I did take some pictures at the party earlier in the day and you can expect one or two of those to show up here soon.
Now I’m off to track down some Pepto-Bismol.
Not the family wagon
One of the fun parts of Thursday at the USGP is the relatively sparse crowd and getting to see some of the preparations for the race. You’ve got drivers and crew out walking the track, along with some surprisingly quick hot laps by the Safety Car and Medical car, shown here. They probably pounded in 30 laps or so while we were out wandering around and they were pushing the cars hard. The drivers got the cars sideways and looked like they were having fun taking them all they way out to the rumble strips and (a couple of times) beyond.
The Medical Car may look like the family station wagon, (a wealthy family that is) but this Mercedes C55 AMG is nearly a race car in its own right. It just has air conditioning, comfy seats, and a lot of trick electronics. Developed with the help of Bernd Maylander, the 5.5 liter V8 sounds like it means business. And it does… with 367 horsepower on tap. Two AMG engineers in addition to drivers and medical staff are on hand to look after the cars on race weekends.
When I got a look at this picture on the computer it was a fun surprise to discover that the driver had glanced at me just as the shutter closed. Maybe it was my clown suit and tinfoil hat.