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Shell Grand Prix of Denver |
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Welcome Denver Grand Prix Race Fans from Joe-Internet.com |
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Grand Prix
of Denver / Denver-Mall.Com
Shell Grand Prix of Denver | On the Road at the Denver Grand Prix
Paul Newman Ran Over Me With His Scooter - and other
tales Paul Newman ran over me with his scooter at the re-inaugural 2002 Denver Grand Prix. It happened on Friday at the pre-event. I was graced with press credentials for the race and was thrilled to be participating as working press. And there my hopes and dreams ended - I was runover, seriously spraining my left anterior cruciate ligament - no more race for me. Okay, okay, you caught me... Mr. Newman did not run over me with his scooter, but I did injur my left knee (stepping down the stairs of the shuttle bus) and yes, that did end my on-site participation in the Saturday and Sunday aspects of the Denver Grand Prix, including the BIG Race. Was I disappointed? Absolutely. But then I did have several encounters of the racing kind that were beyond description. For example, I spied with my little eye Carl Haas and Barry Green in a ‘tete a tete’ prior to the qualifying event on Friday. These two were definately up to something and if you know anything about the Newman-Haas and Kool Blue and Kool Green teams you have to know that they were talking about more than where to get the best steak in Denver. Just look at the cars and drivers for these two teams. Newman-Haas consists of two of the hottest drivers on the circuit - Christian Fittipaldi, nephew of the great Emerson Fittipalid and Chirstiano Da Mata, affectionately known as “Christo” to his fans. These two drivers have been tearing up the circuit and were on the line in Denver. At one stage Christian Fittipaldi held the qualifying lap record, but not for long... And let’s not forget the Kool team which is just as well known. Paul Tracy in the Kool Green car and Dario Franchitti in Kool Blue have both been the guys to watch throughout the season. And just for fun, there were several Ashley Judd sightings around the Kool team’s hospitality area, as expected. I also had the pleasure of seeing several racing ‘greats’ -- Mario Andretti -- whose career spans every sort of car racing ever imagined and who has won virtually every car racing title known to man, Pat Patrick -- who many consider to be the father of CART racing and Chip Ganassi, whose team later walked away with first and second place on race day. This was indeed a day of events and it was only Friday. One of the highlights of the day was the opportunity to speak, albeit briefly, to a couple of the young men who work for Lon Bromley, the head of the Simple Green Safety Team. Ask Alex Zenardi about these guys if you ever have the opportunity. Alex will tell you that the guys on this team are simply the best. In a quote from Wide Open Magazine, Zenardi stated, “You don’t see how good they are until somebody needs their help.” He was referring to the assistance they gave him after the crash that ended his career at Lausitz. He ended his quote by saying, “I’m only alive today due to them.” But who are these Simple Green guys? I asked a friend who knows more about CART/CHAMP racing then I will ever know and he told me they are firemen and paramedics with specialized training who use state-of-the art equipment to help ensure the lives of the drivers when they get into trouble on the course. They were not needed in Denver for anything as dramatic as the situation in Lausitz, but they were there, on-hand and ready, the un-sung heros, who wait until called. So what do I think of Grand Prix racing in Denver? All I can tell you is that my one day was filled with the sights and sounds of one of the most elite forms of racing in the racing world. Did I mind that Micheal Schumacher wasn’t on hand? No. Was I thrilled to see Michael Andretti take the corner at turn 7 as he worked on qualifying for the race? You bet! Did I enjoy getting up close and personal with Kenny Brack after he came back from his qualifying laps? Absolutely. The Denver Post called the race “boring”. I disagree. Yes, Fernandez was told to run slow to ‘save the car’ as he went through his paces in second place through the course -- but that’s strategy. And it was a surprise to see Chip Ganassi’s #4 car cross the finish line with Bruno Junqueiro taking the checkered flag. And who would have thought that Dario Franchitti would DNF? I thought it was as good as racing gets. The course was tough with changing surfaces and a myriad of bumps. The pits were hot and you never knew whose car would fall off the jacks in the pits. There were spins and strategies, there were spills and thrills, ooohs and aaahs. And there was Paul Newman, in plain sight on Sunday - race day and I was at home with a cold pack on my knee...NOTE: Bev Saidel is a freelance photographer and writer living in Denver, Colorado. Visit her website at Cheapshots Photography Honda Kawasaki Yamaha Dodge Ford Harley-Davidson Wall Street Finance |
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| ©2002 by Richard F. Wise | |||
