LGH Racing

With the construction of the grand prix circuit going on in southeast Austin, I have a thought that Texas needs to grow a viable racing community here.

I mean it. We need to use the many tracks within hours of each other and create some hard fought, low cost, driving development friendly championships.

Like… Now!

I say that purely as a fan of British motor sport, having visited the great Donington Park last fall to see some fantastic racing! One week saw Formula Ford, British Touring Cars, Porsche Carrera Cup, and Ginettas and the next week featured MINIs, open top Radicals, more Formula cars, and Lorries! All of this on the track that Ayrton used to exert his dominance over all humans and earthly conditions. I cringe at the fact that Foyt is the latest great from the Lone Star State.

It just is not right. And here is why.

Every spring, approximately four million miatas are raced by men who will probably never see an Indy or Formula 1 paddock, let alone car, from the inside. That sucks because they could probably drive better than the jackasses who paraded around Toronto last month! And for less money too! How can we expect racers to prove anything when there is nobody watching? No prestige, no television, no network coverage, and nobody knows, whereas in England (and maybe Europe) you can get the updates from every race that happened THAT Sunday night! It is no wonder to me why people scoff that this country does not deserve any world championship caliber events. Why is it that way? Does America give a damn about anything but million dollar athletes who fail to enunciate?

Perhaps it is the economy? Maybe, but I doubt it because apathy toward local racing, and the racing itself, has gone on long before president 40 was in office. And race cars are STILL being turned on. Televisions too.

Maybe the car culture just is not that interested? I doubt that, because even though SUVs and trucks dominate the landscape, Texas imports higher numbers of sports cars than most of the remaining 49 states. And you visit an scca or NASA race, and try to tell me nobody cares.

So what is it? The package. Nobody has presented an investor and media outlet with an opportunity to create this. A televised championship consisting of races held solely in state, shown live or tape delayed on a Texas television station, could provide an investor with a ton of eyeballs and the network with a great new audience full of gear-heads, grease monkeys, and speed freaks! Best of all, it could help to raise general interest in the Texas racing scene, finally making Texas a viable atmosphere of Motorsport.

A republic of Motorsport?

Or…

The Texas Republic of Pure Motorsport, or Texas RPM.

Okay maybe not, but you get my point. That said, everyone who has read this, venture out to the next SCCA, or NASA racing event and have a look at what true racers are like and what they drive. Chances are, they may be just like you!

Dear gods of speed.

Is this what racing has turned drivers into? Are we supposed to believe that these spoiled, haptephobic brats are the best racers we have? We obviously know they are not the toughest sumbitches around, otherwise there would be less bitching via microphone and more battling via motorsport. I cannot take much stock in the words of men who are restricted by contracts to running their own series and failing to test other waters. I grew up in Houston, and I know there had to be better beaches than Galveston. Racers need to sample other types of paradise! Otherwise, Jimmie, Seb and the gang will be relegated to the same category of greatness as every one trick pony.

What must drivers do to prove me wrong and stake their claim of greatness? Simple: drive other stuff! Jimmy Clark, and Graham Hill. These men raced in the Indy 500 during their grand prix seasons, with Jimmy winning in 1965 and Graham, who won LeMans years later, swigging milk the following year. John Surtees won a world title on two and four wheels, and competed at LeMans. Even AJ Foyt took time away from his Indy, Sprint and stock car races stateside to win at LeMans. And above all, the greatest, Mario Andretti won every major race known to man, often doing the racing man’s version of multitasking. Even more impressive is how long he kept at it, driving Indy Cars into his fifties! This short history lesson makes me ask every “great” of this age a simple question… what happened, did your balls drop off?

The irony is that there are a few guys who will drive a different car in one season, if you include the entire calendar year. For example, every January at Daytona you will see some Indy Car and NASCAR drivers going up against, and often getting spanked by, sports car racing’s finest. But the key is, they are doing it. And this June, Cup regular Michael Waltrip tried out LeMans in a Ferrari, and although his most newsworthy achievement of the race was his co-driver punting Mike Rockenfeller, I enjoyed seeing him out there. In fact, Dale Sr had an eye at LeMans himself, which was why he entered Daytona in 2001. Now would that have been fun?

So where have all the racers gone?

I understand that contracts control how much drivers can and cannot do, which after the fine print whittles the possibilities down to plastic darts. Can we please see a driver think, or drive, outside the gearbox? Ask Jimmie to run LeMans, or Seb to try the 500, or, anyone to try Sebring, and you will see their eyes widen with interest while their lawyers skim the fine print.

Aha! I’ve got it!

Take the lawyer out of racing, and put the driver back in! Then, a driver owning his series will need more to merit being called… Great!

ALMS @ Lime Rock on Espn2 at noon- LMP1: Dyson is my favorite
GT-Pro: Rahal BMW M3

F1 @ Silverstone on Fox at 11 am- Vettel is the top dog and should win, unless Button or Hamilton take it on their home turf.

Grand-Am @ Laguna Seca on Speed at 3- DP: Ganassi (why not?) GT:Speedsource Rx8 or Turner BMW M3

Indy Car at Toronto on Versus at 1- KV Racing’s TK or Will Power (bc he’s the street king)

NASCAR Cup at KY on the Taint (TNT)- Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards (prior experience in Busch on this new-to-cup track)

It is a new year, which means the racing season is just around the Stowe Corner. The goal for 2011 is simple: win a title, which will take excellent business relationship(s), deep passion, determination, precision and excellence. The next several days, the focus will be deciding where and what to race as well as gaining sponsorship for that effort. One goal can be assured, another attempt at the Formula Ford Festival/Walter Hayes Trophy at year’s end. Updates coming…

My first detailed memory of racing was in 1996 when two drivers captured prestigious titles in their 30’s, considered over the hill in some categories. Jimmy Vasser, a Russell Formula Ford graduate, took the CART title and had a tremendous and respected career thereafter. Damon Hill, the son of legendary Graham Hill, took the World Driver’s crown. He is a British Formula Ford graduate as well! These two drivers, as well as Mario (who won his at 38) are my inspiration to keep focused and do all I absolutely can! Stay tuned, cos this is about to get real exciting!

Lukie

Flying to Britain to race formula ford! Luke Hesketh Hesketh Racing USA

With the SWRA regional cup around the corner, Luke Hesketh knows it will take both a monster effort and machine to compete for wins. After releasing his old Coyote to help another new karter learn the ropes, Luke needed something more competitive. During the offseason, Luke acquired a new Fullerton championship kart for a third of the market value! In 2005, the Fullerton Team’s karts won every Yamaha title possible! Now it’s Luke’s turn.

Luke is now in the best kart on the grid, and with automatic factory support, now the best team! That is not the best part! You can help Luke by cheering him on at the upcoming regional events (check schedule for close enough events). But if you want even more opportunities to support Luke, catch him running a select number of races at the local GCKI club track in Katy, TX! (check schedule for close enough events)

Come help cheer Luke on as he challenges for GCKI Club Champion and SWRA Regional Champion in ’08!