Thursday, December 27, 2007

Call Of The Wild


It seems some things just never get old. Like some of the great works of Hemingway, Steinbeck and Jack London, they are timeless and one can never tire of the pleasure derived from them or the adventures they take us on. If there is one thing I know for sure it's that the excitement or a man's love of racing never diminishes in the least.

Once again a year has come and gone and once again there are stories to tell and memories to excite this old worn out body. 2007 was an awesome year filled with many moments of adventure, challenges to overcome and dreams to fulfill all of which rewarding in their own way. Now as the year comes to an end Team California's Best Racing is preparing to do what we enjoy doing and doing it so well... race cars. Beginning in January Lucky will get some attention like a new clutch and a few minor suspension changes. Then I will need Jon's great mind for some calculations as to whether or not we should change to a four barrel carb or not. The two barrel worked so well it almost seems like there is no need to have more but as any race car driver will tell you... More is better. On the other hand, during endurance races fuel mileage is always a major concern as well and might be an advantage. Hmmm.

I will also be making some suspension changes to help car handling since track conditions differ considerably to what we experienced in Mexico. Lucky was set up to handle all sorts of adverse conditions many of which will not apply on the beautiful tracks we will be running on. I am also very excited to see Jon behind Lucky's wheel not only for testing and his awesome feedback but to watch him race is a thrill unto it's self. One of the best parts of having Jon as a teammate is knowing he is someone I can trust with my life let alone any good car. Jon and I will have more than our share of adversity cut out for us this coming season simply because Lucky being the awesome Vintage care that he is will fall between the cracks and be forced to race with much faster cars during the entire series. Many teams would look at this as less than fair but Jon and I look at it as one hell of a challenge, one that would earn a hell of a lot of bragging rights. That alone is enough for us. Funny that we used to be mortal enemies on the track and now we are a cut from the same cloth. To tell the truth I can't wait to see the next green flag drop.

If I'm not careful, the first race will be here before we know it and again I will be running around trying to play catch up so after the New Years fireworks have settled down it will be time to get things moving again.


I can't help but believe if Hemingway or London were to be reading this they would both be wearing smiles and thinking about the call of the wild.

2 comments:

F.O. said...

Hello Gary ! Happy new Year!!

Gary Faules said...

Hello Francisco and Happy New Year to you my new friend! I hold my glass high as I join you and your family to welcome in a wonderful new year for each of us!