Fax, beers, sunny Florida and racing...doesn`t get any better.Oh my god not a Gab mark 2, do not get him on the low flyers just yet, only one place to down them and that is LM, you lucky sods, enjoy and both come back in one piece as we need the german beer in june.
Smokie, flight back is BA206 on Monday March 21, cheaper for me than Sunday the 20th. flight.
Phil, my brother will also be in attendance, he also enjoys beers, sunny Florida and racing, I have been a good influence on him ;)
Ok, I have just e mailed Smokie and Pidge but thought I would post a question on here as well.
Is anyone travelling down to Sebring on Wednesday and returning on the Sunday after the race that lives in the Orlando area that could pick me up and drop me off again ?
I could get a ride back after the race Saturday night but would miss all the post race fun and partying, and couldn't help Pidge disassemble the camp site on Sunday.
Thanks.
Chris
Hi JP,
of course 2005 is the year to make the crossing.
the track opens on Wednesday bu for a shorter stay arrive for Thursday afternoon to catch night practice .
As it takes a week to watch a 24hr race it would seem reasonable to allow 4 days for 12 hours. Unlike Le Mans
Sebring has a full card of support races not to mention
the partying. If you want to see anything else of Florida you will need some time either before or after the race.
It's bigger than it looks :o
Canada Phil
Hi Powermite,
Any response ??? Who can resist Pidgeon eggs and Bacon 8) That's Grade A Large Chicken Eggs cooked by Pidgeon. JP Chanet have you got your act together yet?
Canada Phil
Am giving some serious thought as to how I can justify going. Wrestling with one's conscience is such fun!
I'll issue the standard disclaimer, Sebring will be habit forming! I remember when Smokie first went to the twelve hours and said that it was a once only opportunity...Funny, that was a couple of years ago.Its funny that Fax. I said i wanted to go once so made the trip for the 50th Race . Next year will be my forth visit !
Fax
Well as a declared Corvette Fan. The following from a news clip about Aston Martin
"David Brabham along with Tomas Enge and Darren Turner were behind the wheel of the DBR9 during last week's tests."
Ron has seen off Tomas Enge in a Ferrai before so he is no big threat ::) Anyone know who Darren Turner is ???
David Brabham...a formidable endurance driver.
Canada Phil
Whay Hay...
I think a Sebring planning meeting is called for don't you? Sometime in early dark dank February...
Question: Do you think we should invest in another tent?
Wow, this is fast becoming almost as large as Le Mans itself!
Robbo, what about you?
And will you be able to get enough t shirts printed in time???
;D THE PRODIGAL HAS RETURNED ;D
HERE'S WHAT I CAN DO.
I CAN PURCHASE THE TICKETS SAVING EACH $10.00 U.S. FOR A 4 DAY TICKET ($75.00 U.S.) PAYABLE WHEN YOU GET HERE IN DOLLARS, EUROS OR UK POUNDS (EXCEPT FOR CANADA PHIL . FOR HIM .... HE PAYS IN CHIVAS REGAL) SEE SMOKIE ABOUT THIS. HE AND I ARE IN TOUCH.
And Andy's Zarse Geez ........ when Gilles reads that you stomped his flag he's gonna be pissed.
Sebring is also a favorite of the drivers and teams. Last year Matt, Dave & I caught Jan Magnasan drinking beer and hanging out with the Cunningham Corner hell-raiser's after his Vette went out of the race. JJ Lehto and Butch Leitzinger have been known to frequent the green park during race week as well.That would be the rather nice Turn 10 crew that you mentioned. They are a great bunch of folk, and if you have a VIP Turn 10 pass, then you are sorted and well looked after for the weekend. I was there last year, when Herbert, McNish, and J Wilson turned up, and it made the main stay of the Sebring article in Motorsport News the following week. After the race i returned there for the post race burning of the furniture and anything else they didn't want, and sat drinking and partying with Johnny O Connell.
John
Hi Chris,Fax, I think you read my post out on context, i was just providing more info on the Turn 10 crew to highlight how good Sebring is. They provided cold beer or soft drinks for my friends and I, and then sorted out passes for Canada Phil and Smokie as well. Phil, Smokie and i went to their slide show on friday evening too. They also fed me whenever I was passing and was hungry. Had a great time with them after the race when O Connell turned up at midnight and stayed for several beers and he even gave me a lift back to my camp area in his pick up truck.
I meant "Hell-Raisers" in the best possible way, keen, commited racing fans and world class partyers.
Fax
And what not to drive - whenever they started the christmas lights up the engine died...Yes smokie, but you have to agree that it did look great lit up with all the lights, for the 50 yards it made from its camp site before it died of a flat battery outside our camp area each night ! LOL
eighty five for the weekend gig. Matt, Dave & I usually pitch in for pit box tickets, a bit pricey at $175 but well worth it if you want to be directly above the action, especially for the start and finish ( covered too in case the odd hurricane blows through)
Hi John, is that $175 including entrance or on top of??
Hi Mark
Price of pit box gets you in to the circuit and is well worth it.
Have a great Christmas - see you in FL in March!
Hi John, is that $175 including entrance or on top of??
Hi Mark
Price of pit box gets you in to the circuit and is well worth it.
Have a great Christmas - see you in FL in March!
Do any of the ex pats need any supplies bringing over.........such as PG Tips, Marmite, Heinz Baked Beans, OXO's or Dairy Milk??????
8)Speaking of a growing list ...............
I have orders for 5 tickets from three countries and three British 'counties' to be left at the 'will call' area at the main gate.
Anybody else want a ticket payable when you get there??. (ain't I the honest one) ;D They must be ordered by Feb. 28 in order to save $10.00
Check with Smokie. He and I are in touch. If you do want me to order them for you I'll need complete names and addresses so you can pick them up when you arrive. 8)
I'll only be there if you tell me where... :)
Andy, Steve and I booked our flights today!!!Wel done all three of you. Commitment thats what I like. Now as to Dave.: thats the Dark side man what the hell are you doing? Oh and before you ask the old station wagon is doing fine ;D
Roll on March!!!!!! :D
Some of you might be interested in Ron's answers to questions posed on an open Chat. I think the questions are obvious.
Canada Phil
Ron Fellows: I don't think you can underestimate Aston Martin because of Prodrive. Those guys have a terrific organization and I'm sure Prodrive has a learning drive with Aston Martin, but they have proven to be a great organization and we are not underestimating them at all
Ron Fellows: I personally think this could be the most exciting year yet because there are so many unknowns. How good is the Aston Martin? Are we going to see the Maserati's? How many Ferrari's? And of course the Saleen will now be on Michelins which will improve their game.
Shaken to bits being the way to describe it! After all of the years teams have been bringing Saleen's there and they still end up falling to pieces by the third hour. The Vette's are tailor made for the bumpy old bomber base.
Fax
Found this on Sebring's website. Here's the official poster for this years race. The artist is Roger Warwick, a local guy from here in Cincinnati.
Fax
Pratt & Miller are shaking-down two C6R's at Sebring next weekend.
Fear not, Smokester, it's back up to 77 degrees here in O'town today.I Don't think so I just saw the long range forcast, expect some of this
It'll be mid 80's by mid March. Bring your knotted hanky.
Well guys, looks like our trip to Sebring is a GO!
Well guys, looks like our trip to Sebring is a GO!
Excellent news John. I'm sure Pidge / Smokie / Canada Phil / Chris will give you the low down on the camp arrangments.
Has anyone decided where they will be camped? We will be arriving sometime late Wednesday, March 16. Hope to see Matt, Pidgeon, J P Chenet, Steve, Fax, Canada Phil and whoever else in CA is cominging. Any planned gatherings? john
JPC, Andy Z and myself fly to Orlando on Tuesday 15th and will happily accept Matt H's very kind offer of a couple of beverages on arrival. We stop over in a palacial establishment Tuesday night
Wednesday pack up and head for the circuit, picking up Chris 24 from a Walmart near Orlando (are you sure this will work Chris?) and arriving at the track mid afternoon.
Hi Smokie, Yes it should work provided you pick me up from thje correct Walmat as mentioned. Its on the 192 in Kissimmee not far from Kissimmee Airport
You can always try and blag a mini van for FA extra. On two out of three recent trips to NC, they have given us a Dodge Voyager and we didn't pay any extra, but then they were short of the car type we had booked though.
I could always send my gear back with my friends on Saturday night, and just have myself and an overnight bag to take back on Sunday.
I am, after all, an officer and a gentleman!
Ok in theory, but I am also splitting the rental cost for a week for the car that my two English friends have hired, I am only going to see use of that for 2 days as well, as they are doing Orlando when I am at Sebring . I am sadly not made of money, but will contribute to cost of fuel on the return trip to Orlando.
Still got the Winn Dixie loyalty card Phil?Hi Smokie,
.....pure American hole-in-the-wall dive....
.....pure American hole-in-the-wall dive....
I can assure you, in a past life as an old salty sea dog, I've been in plenty of these - mostly just outside the dock gates.
Ever been to Baltimore, Norfolk, New Jersey, Long Beach, Portland, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mobile, etc .........................?
......... and that's just the USA - I've a whole list of other sh**t-holes worldwide if you fancy.
Steve Brown is an ex-merchant seaman...
I'm bored sh**tless here and got four hours to go...f**ck!
You going to the 500 this weekend? After watching the qualifiers yesterday it should be a wild one.
fax
Man Chris! I wish I knew you collected those along time ago...Yes, i collect all driver promo cards. I am happy to say that i too have a signed Greg Moore card that i got in my Forsythe membership pack shortly before he died. One of my most cherished as is my signed Jeff Gordon card from 1995.
I won't even tell you what I did with a big stack of unsigned ones a few months back.
You can pick those up at CART and IRL races all over the place. Since the paddock's are open to the public most people grab them and get them signed. The one I've got that's kind of special is one of Greg Moore's cards that Greg signed for me at Mid-Ohio back in '99.
Fax
The one I've got that's kind of special is one of Greg Moore's cards that Greg signed for me at Mid-Ohio back in '99.
Fax
Matt, You jammie bastard !
Message for JPC/SteveB/Andy Z, I 'modified your first night's accommodation for your Sebring trip - a nicer hotel, at a better rate. Did you get my email?
Matt
Matt, You jammie bastard !
Chris,
You'll despise me for this, but I didn't go in the end. I gave the tickets to one of my sales guys. Call me a fair-weather fan if you must, but I just couldn't stomach the zoo that is Daytona, for the 500. Last year it took me 6 hours to drive home (should be 1 hr 20 mins) and frankly, I just couldn't face it.
Matt
Shame, shame, shame on you Matt.
See you and Sebring in a few weeks for a good slapping ! :'(
Chris,Fax,
I don't know if you've ever done this or not but next time your over here you should think about taking a tour of the Hendicks Racing facility near Charlotte. Most of the NASCAR teams are based right in the Charlotte area and most of them offer daily tours of the shops. My dept. manager here at the office is like you a die-hard Gordon fan and every year goes to the spring race at Bristol, the Brickyard 400 at IMS and the autumn race at Charlotte. While in the Carolina's he always tours a couple of the team's facilities, been to Hendicks, DEI, Childress, etc.
Fax
They basically fell over themselves to help, opened the car up for me and then took my dad and I on a tour of Jeff Gordon's shop and the whole facility.
I suspect Ron does have a few German Shepherds
Haven't McLaren moved down to Portsmouth now??
Mr Brown, Mr Zarse. Two weeks today!!!!! :D :D :D
Mr. Brown, Mr. Zarse and you baby have the tickets waiting for you two weeks from today! ;D.
Cheers Chris
One gap in a Dyson, one in an Aston, and no JH yet???
I wonder????????????
All was going real well until I went and ironed on the CA logo on the shoulder upside down ! DUMB ASS ! Well I guess mine will be really unique !
Here's a little teaser from Sebring last year. I pulled this off www.petelyons.comNice picture, but this is a better teaser for Sebring , taken by me last year.
Only a few weeks to go...
Fax
What's the weather in sunny Florida at the mo? We're currently swapping between sleat, snow, thaw, drizzle and frost.
Well, two weeks from yesterday I will be on my way to Sebring. We will be driving about 700 miles to get there on Wednesday, March 16 and should arrive about 6 or 7 PM. Why don't we start a list of who is coming and when they plan to arrive. It would be helpful to know how much camping space is needed for those getting there early to save some spots. Also, if anyone needs something that they can't bring on the plane over that some of us here in the States might be able to provide. I'm bringing an extra tent and sleeping bag if someone needs them.John, Have you prebooked your tickets, if so have you had them posted or are you planning on collecting them from Will Call. If Will Call, you had better check what time the Will Call window closes on the 16th. If you are arriving between 6pm and 7 pm, it may be shut !
John Evans
Yes please Matt. I thin we wnat to ensure we are fully ensured which may load up the price somewhat.
If you have some camping gear too Matt then between you and John it may save us buying a tent when we get there. Only problem is that Steve snores!!! ;D ;D
Sleeping bags are easy as they roll up small. I'm assumiong airbeds are cheap in WalMart?
As for marking out the area, I'll bring some "Police Line - Do Not Cross" tape. How much do you think we'll need??
Mark, how many tents d'ya need??? Pidge has one, maybe two. Haven't you also got John bringing one? Phil is bringing me one so I can fart and snore to my heart's content.
Yes please Matt. I thin we wnat to ensure we are fully ensured which may load up the price somewhat.Hi JPC,
If you have some camping gear too Matt then between you and John it may save us buying a tent when we get there. Only problem is that Steve snores!!! ;D ;D
Sleeping bags are easy as they roll up small. I'm assumiong airbeds are cheap in WalMart?
As for marking out the area, I'll bring some "Police Line - Do Not Cross" tape. How much do you think we'll need??
Robbo - leave Rick on the list, just in case... ;)
Robbo - leave Rick on the list, just in case... ;)
Old, but good, news JP. :)
Oh, BTW, it looks like I am going to make it to Le Mans again. I was told it is habit forming. Another trip with high school kids that ends just as Le Mans weekend is starting, so my engine is really revved up now!!!
HGB, how do you know him/them??
Is it worth us CA guys strolling over tp the pits and mentioning your name?? I know you've got into the pits before??
HGB, how do you know him/them??
Is it worth us CA guys strolling over tp the pits and mentioning your name?? I know you've got into the pits before??
I know him back from his TVR days. Yes please Mark, walk over to them and tell them hello from Hansgerd aka the cake man. When I meet them I usually deliver some cakes.
This time next week boys, give or take a few hours, as I recall, I took this shot at around 1pm ish !
Have a pleasant hop over the pond and a cracker of a time. God, am I envious... ;D
Hmmmmm, just checked he long range weather forecast amd it predicts 30/40% chance of rain Weds, thru Fri!! >:(
Matt, what's the local report??
It's just northwest of Walt Disney World.
Cheers Piglet, at least the weather seems to be better over here. I might as well go outside... ...and test my own LM facilities ;D Only four weeks until LMES 1 at Spa-Francorchamps... that'll be me life.
NEWS > All news > Auto racing
All the series’ except those given priority by Motors TV.
Aston goes official with MC12 protest
Aston Martin has officially protested the validity of entry of the Maserati MC12 for the Sebring 12-Hours.
Prodrive boss David Richards, who is in charge of the Aston Martin DBR9 programme, which makes its debut at the ALMS season opener at Sebring, had previously promised to “take whatever action was appropriate” to prevent Maserati competing until their car achieves homologation, stating that the decision to let them run was “sticking two fingers up at genuine participants.”
The protest was received by Race Director Marty Kauffman on Tuesday afternoon, and a protest hearing decision will be handed down no later than this afternoon (Thursday) local time. "This is not directed at a manufacturer, it is about the protocol in which we go forward in this sport, Richards continued. “It's our belief at Aston Martin that we have invested a lot to come here and build the cars and look toward the future of GT1”.
“It is very clear that regulations [should] be strictly adhered to because if we keep issuing waivers for different manufacturers we'll never have stability in the sport. It's very important to establish that from the outset. We welcome the competition, but only on an equal basis. Unless we get stability, we won't attract new manufacturers."
Maserati Sporting President Claudio Berro was unrepentant; while acknowledging the protest had be made, he noted: "We received an invitation from IMSA to race and we accepted it. The ACO and FIA recently came together for the same rules and regulations and we comply within the FIA regulations. The ACO says there is a 66mm difference between GT1 cars and our car and seven to 10 kilos.
“We are not concerned about the protest. We will respect IMSA's decision.” ton Martin has officially protested the validity of entry of the Maserati MC12 for the Sebring 12-Hours.