Friday, April 18, 2008

Long Beach tidbits

Whale, you know the saying; the more things change, the more they stay the same… As Indiana Bureau Chief Danny B was having a quiet chuckle at the expense of a fellow co-worker’s predicament yesterday while in Long Beach, as the hapless worker was attempting to lay out the fibre optic HD TV cable… Nope it ain’t NO STINKIN’ Durrect TV cable, just the standard fare ESPN coaxial cable… Looking up, he was momentarily stunned as a Mini-Van complete with “Soccer Mom” and a bushel ‘O waving kids was headed directly towards him… What in the HELL? This stretch of roadway was supposed to be closed two hours ago… As apparently the LBPD was busy taking their requisite doughnut break… That’s a big 10-10 on the roads still being opened, do you copy pardoner? HMM? Wonder what all those detour signs were for…

And according to Robin Miller, The Paul ‘N Jerry show is all patched-up for the moment, as they’ve decided to curtail their long running disagreement over whether or not PT will drive this weekend in Long Beach? As Tracy has been confirmed “Just-in-Time” for the Really-Really-Really Big Farewell party… As the two haven’t spoken since last December… Yet the shyster’s musta worked something out as first Tracy was finally given his back-pay from last season and said they’ll squabble over this year’s $2.5 million salary after Sunday’s event is history.

Still it would seem a tad odd to show up for one last run aboard a piece of high speed machinery for a boss you haven’t spoken to for four months, who doesn’t see eye to eye with you, while his Pit Lane General is no longer on your circle of five calling friends… Thus, I’ll assume that Kenny “Hit your marks, Sebastian” Seewig will be calling the shots for PT…

In an odd mix of pomp ‘N circumstance, this weekend’s Bon Voyage will host and eclectic mix of vehicles, with a gathering of Hybrid “Synergy” on display, in the Long Beach Port’s: Green Pace Car Parade, as Toyota will have a host of it’s current gas sipping vehicles running parade laps, with other forms of alternative energy vehicles showing off there wares, including a Mazda Fura, running on E100 ethanol, the new Ronaele, powered by lithium-iron-phosphate batteries and the SolarWorld No. 1, a solar powered vehicle from Germany capable of 70mph hot laps.

There will also be a very odd Robotic car race, said to be contested between three vehicles, utilizing only on-board computers and GPS in the hopes of completing the single lap event, while the American Le Mans Series will be one of the LBGP’s support events… And I’ll assume that they’ll also host the traditional Toyota Celebrity Challenge.

Paying homage to the past three decades of CART/Champ Car (You’d think they could come up with a bit more than this, eh?) will be three vintage racing cars; An ex-Tom Sneva Skoal Bandit sandwiched between two ex-Dan Gurney’s All American Racer chassis…

And when’s the last time that the USA Today featured a story about Open Wheel Racing, not in regards to the Month of May? Thus, I found it refreshing to find an article about the Champ Car finale and Jimmy Vasser in its sports pages; Vasser's goal: Get in shape for one-race return
It was interesting to note that it was Kevin Kalkhoven who enticed the former Champ Car Champion to make one last guest appearance behind the wheel of a Panoz DP-01… But HELL, who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity if able to do so?

And I liked the part about Vasser having to give up his occasional glass of wine, as I was unaware that he has his own vineyard in Napa, CA, while Jimmy’s goal’s are to not only beat his last finish (12th place; Long Beach, 2006) but to outdo his two younger hired guns…

Oriel Servia:“If he beats me, I'm going to have to hear so much BS on my radio the rest of the season, I can't let that happen."