Well, since I was going to write up the new Mercedes E Class coupe today, but that info went missing from the Merc website AND I was up far too early to watch practice for the German GP, AND Mercedes did just happen to have this really cool set of photos of Lewis Hamilton (defending world champion and McLaren-Mercedes driver) checking out the W25 from the 1930s AND tooling around the fabled Nürburgring Nordschleife … well, guess I got something ELSE to write about.

Lewis Hamilton, for those of you that don’t know, is something of a wunderkind in the racing world. He’s the first champion who’s of African descent (his dad is from Grenada, his mom’s from London), and, when he’s got a good car under him, he’s pretty damn quick. And given McLaren’s affiliation with Mercedes (technical partner and engine supplier to Ron Dennis’ team), doing something historic for the home grand prix seems in order.

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The race season is now into full swing as we have already completed the first 3 rounds of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup. There is currently a four week break between my last race in Utah and our next event in Ohio on the Father’s Day weekend.

One question I get asked a lot is “What does a race car driver do when they are not at the track”? In my last blog I talked at length about the realities and trials that each young driver must face in regards to the business side of auto racing. So much of a driver’s time is taken up with that. But there IS more to racing than just driving and business.

Take for example the fitness side of things. At first glance, one would think that being a driver means you simply have to sit in a seat and steer a wheel. Admittedly I used to be under that impression as well until I got into the sport. But I quickly realized after my first season of racing karts that if I were to move up to the fast 125cc machines, it was going to be a necessity for me to begin physically training. Continue Reading…

Alex Zanardi won back-to-back races in Brno, the Czech Republic this past weekend’s FIA World Touring Car Championship. Along with co-driver Sergio Hernández this makes it four wins out of the last six races in Brno for Roberto Ravaglia’s racing team and it was Zanardi’s fourth WTCC win

So what, a racer won a race, what’s the big deal? The big deal is that Alex Zanardi has artificial legs, and for all intents and purposes, he should have died eight years ago.

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This past weekend was the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the High Holy Days of racing. As tradition demands, the race started at 3 o’clock local time, with a waving of the French flag and ended 24 long hours later with a waving of the checkered. This year, the person waving the flag was none other than Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Chairman of Ferrari and Fiat.

What the hell was that about?

Well, you could say that it was all about waving the company flag as well as being the starter. Ferrari is heavily involved in the GT2 category (a Ferrari won again this year), and you know, car sales and all that, but you can also look at it as being a SERIOUS warning shot fired at Max Mosely, Bernie Ecclestone and the other people who run Grand Prix racing.

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You could start by saying something biblical, like the lord giveth, and the lord taketh away but it’s actually more prosaic than that. McLaren/Mercedes has been having a hell of a season (in a bad way) in this year’s grand prix competition. And this past weekends race at Turkey is one of their worst in memory.

A lot of people are scratching their heads, but the actual reason as to why things are so bad and why they’re getting whopped is a little more easily understood and prosaic.

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One of the most frequent questions I get asked is “What’s it like to be a race car driver”? Most people are shocked or think I’m kidding when I start to explain what being a professional race car driver truly means.

From the outside looking in, driving race cars seems like living the high life. Money, women, parties and fast cars seem to be the name of the game when stereotyping a race car driver. But this is about as true as saying that a Canadian is someone who’s a lumberjack, wears plaid, and can talk to beavers.

Let me briefly give you a glimpse into the reality of life as a race car driver, and let me preface the following by saying that this is not a sob story nor am I looking for pity, as I truly am living a “dream”, but rather these are the choices I have made and chosen to live with in order to succeed.

Racing is a business first and foremost! If you can’t beat someone in the boardroom, you won’t even have the chance to beat them on the track. It is unlike hockey, baseball, football, etc where if you have the talent, chances are you will at least get a shot. Racing is the only sport in the world where talent guarantees you nothing! Continue Reading…