06.10.10
Posted in Supercar Articles at 4:45 pm by superjumpz
Image : http://www.flickr.com
The Gold Coast is preparing to be 600 for a massive motor racing event for Australia and the region. Formally, an Indy car event, has made the transition to a resistance V8 Racing, making the long distance race for the third Supercar Championship Series in Australia.
The Gold Coast 600 is an event for families, with previous events, family housing quality, it is difficult to compare, are the prices and will be at a premium.
However, there are ways to saveAccommodation in Gold Coast 600 The most logical solution is to travel with other families and live in a house that can accommodate all your needs.
There are a number of holiday homes to choose that area near the runway, far enough away to escape the crowds and noise, so you can enjoy other aspects of the coast. The two most popular areas for local family Broadbeach Waters and Surfers Paradise.
Many of the homes are located in waterwith private jetties, so that a water taxi to and from the event, capture without the hassle of driving in traffic, parking, walking or children involved if you want to enjoy a drink during the event.
Our two choices for accommodation in Gold Coast are 600 family:
Villa Sunrise – Surfers Paradise – A Home at the bank is located in Surfers Paradise, the Skyline has a magnificent view of the city of Surfers Paradise. Ideal for families orCouples traveling together, it will only take a few minutes in the heart of all 600 measures of the Gold Coast, or a water taxi from your private pontoon for a different view of the city
Broadbeach Waters – Furlong – 5 Bedroom Waterfront Cottage at Broadbeach waters. This is the perfect place for inclusion in the Gold Coast and even more comfortable on the racetrack by taxi or water taxi. This house is full of remarkable properties that enableIt is to rest and refuel after a day of unforgettable excitement the Gold Coast 600
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06.09.10
Posted in Supercar Articles at 8:29 pm by superjumpz
Image : http://www.flickr.com
Our choice of the phrase “survival kit” might be a bit overdone, but at the outset it presents an excellent opportunity for us to explain in detail just what this website is about and how it can benefit you the spectator. When we developed this network of web guides it was our intention to provide you, the spectator, with the in-depth knowledge you need to know “it” like a native. “It” referring to the venue, the city, the community, the traffic, the ins and outs, the what’s hot and the what’s not of everything related to a particular event. In this guide that event is the Indianapolis 500 mile race. So, while “survival kit” is a fun descriptor, the real thrust of this page and the website as a whole, is to simply provide all the links you need to buy your tickets, schedule your airfare, rent your hotel room, locate great places to dine, and basically know where to go, what to do and how to do it. We hope to provide you with the information you need to make your experience at the Indy 500 a great success.
So, what kinds of things might you need to know to make your experience at Indy a great success? Basically, you need to know how to avoid the common pitfalls of the novice spectator. Then use that information to make the most of your spectator experience. With 15 days of race related track activity taking place on a 530 acre property, located in the 12th largest city in the country, where 400,000 fans show up each year to witness the greatest spectacle in racing, it’s very easy for something to go wrong. It is our goal to help you avoid those problems and help you have a safe and memorable visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Spectators with great tickets, good hotel accommodations, easy access to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a good all-around knowledge of the organizational aspects of the speedway and the city of Indianapolis as a whole are generally happy spectators. That’s not so difficult you say? True, it’s not that difficult. However, its easier to get one of those concerns all fouled up and when you do, you won’t be one of those happy spectators. So, the topics below are provided for your information with the hope that you will be able to use this information to your benefit and make your visit the best it can be.
TICKETS: At Indy, there are great seats, average seats, terrible seats, and no seats. So at the outset, you need to determine just what kind of experience you are looking for. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that great seats are expensive and hard to come by and terrible seats and no seats are easier to come by and a whole lot cheaper. If your goal is to arrive at Indy to be part of the event and you’re more concerned about saving money and less concerned about how much of the actual race you will see, then you might consider the terrible tickets or no tickets. If, however, you actually expect to see the race, then you will want to at least purchase average seats and if your budget will allow, purchase great seats.
Let’s start with terrible seats and no seats. The speedway is a two and half mile oval track. It is so large there is no single spectator seat where you can see the entire track. There are four holes of the Brickyard championship golf course in the infield which most people never even see due to the enormous size of the infield. For people who want to show up for the “party”, buying a general admission ticket, which gives you access to the infield and no reserve seat, is all that is required. This option is popular with the younger spectators and those with a very tight budget. For 2010 a general admission ticket for the Indy 500 is $20.00. Terrible seats start at $40.00 for face value and go up from there. Knowing which tickets are terrible seats is a bit more difficult to discern, but the following pointers will educate you about what to look for.
Terrible seats are seats that give you such a limited view of the track that the only thing you are able to see is the short span of track immediately in front of you. If, for example, your ticket were in the front row in the apex of turn 3 in the Northeast Vista, you might look at the back of your ticket at the map of the oval and think that you are going to be able to see the cars come down the backstretch into the third turn, then into the short chute and then into the fourth turn. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong. Each turn at Indy is ¼ of a mile in length. If you are sitting down close to the track in the apex of the turn, you will only see the cars after they come into the turn and you will lose sight of them before they exit the turn. Amazingly, you won’t even be able to see the cars start and finish the whole turn. If your tickets happen to be on the front straightaway, and you are in the front row or anywhere close to the track, you will only be able to see the entire straightaway, if you lean forward or stand up to see around your neighbor. As a rule of thumb avoid tickets which are down front close to the track. These are the single letter seats. By way of example, the first row of section 32 in the Northeast Vista is letter “A”, the next row is letter “B” and so on. The rows above “Z” start over only with double letters, such as “AA”, and “BB”. So, if you want to avoid terrible tickets, avoid single letter rows and while you’re at it, don’t just settle for row AA, you’ll see a lot more track in MM or SS than you will in AA and you’ll be glad you did.
Average and great seats are a little more challenging to spot and for that matter more challenging to come by. Based on what we have said so far, it should be fairly obvious that average and good seats start in double letter rows for the most part. Stick with that rule and you should at least avoid picking terrible seats. Now, following the double letter row rule, next consider the vantage point various locations offer. Spectators seated high in turns 2 and 4 see cars coming into the turns and leaving the turns and depending on how high up they are, they may be able to see the cars flying down the straight away heading away from them. Conversely, seats high in turns 1 and 3 allow spectators to see the cars heading toward them off the straightaway. The drivers are typically more aggressive coming off the straight away with a full head of speed, and therefore, turns 1 and 3 are typically more desirable than double letter rows in other turns and along the frontstretch and backstretch of the track. However, double letter rows in turn one are not just average they are exceptional and difficult to find and expensive to purchase. Penthouse seats in turn 1 are more valuable than gold. Because seats can be renewed year after year by the ticket holders, the very best seats in the house are owned by the royal families of racing or large automotive corporations. They have held those seats since 1945 and they will still be holding those seats in 2045.
Grandstand “E” despite being in the first turn, does not guarantee a great view of the track. Some seats in that grandstand are terrible seats, in our opinion. Many of the seats in Grandstand “E”, particularly the ones down low and closer to turn 2 simply do not grant you a good view of the track. Penthouse seats and double letter rows in the lower level of grandstand “E” are better if they are close to the apex of the turn.
So what are good seats? Besides all the information we have already provided, consider this. For the spectator sitting high in the apex of turn 1, he or she can see the pits, cars exiting turn four, cars coming at them down the front straightaway, cars leaving the pits, cars entering turn one, into the south chute, and into turn four. It is also the best view of the start and finish of the race. Arguably, there is no better spot from which to watch the Indianapolis 500. This would apply equally to the Brickyard 400.
The Indianapolis motor speedway is the original source of all race tickets. They not only sell race tickets they also reserve those tickets in the name of the race fan so they can be purchased next year. As long as the tickets are renewed by purchasing them when they go on sale for next years race (usually the week after the race), the race fan retains those tickets. This reservation system insures that the very best seats go to the same people year after year. If those people decide to go on a European vacation next year, those tickets will likely be given or sold to a friend or family member. The better the tickets the less likely they are to end up in the hands of a ticket broker. But because of the reservation system at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the best way of securing great tickets is to obtain them through a reputable ticket broker.
Great seats may still be available, but you will need to look for Penthouse-Paddock, Penthouse-Grandstand “A”, Penthouse Grandstand “B”, Penthouse Grandstand “E” or double letter rows in the turns in order to get a spectacular seat. One final word of caution. Beware of “map distortion“. You will find maps which mark the location of the various grandstands around the track. These maps do a fine job of giving you a general reference, but they are by no means a reliable way to determine what kind of view a particular grandstand offers.
If the information we have provided here fails to give you the information you need in order to find great seats, you can always use the default rule. Throw lots of money at the problem. Typically, better seats cost more. Ticket brokers know good seats from bad seats, and they charge accordingly. On average, you will find that tickets in the Penthouse-Paddock and Penthouse seats in grandstands “A” and “B” and “E” are the most expensive. You would also find that those tickets generally offer an outstanding view of the track. But they are by no means the only great seats and with a little effort you can learn the system and use it to your advantage when you return for the next race.
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06.08.10
Posted in Supercar Articles at 5:24 pm by superjumpz
Image : http://www.flickr.com
First of all we should all appreciate the soldiers who have given their lives for our country and our freedom. That should go without saying. That is the true spirit of Memorial Day
To many of us Memorial Day means a three day weekend, barbecues, and get-togethers with family and friends. To me it is all of these things. But when I think about the Memorial Days I spent as a child I think about listening to the radio. You are probably wondering why on earth that I would think about listening to the radio. The reason is that for the longest time the only way to see the greatest spectacle in racing was to attend the race. The entire country was blacked out. No one was able to see the race on television. So you had to listen to the radio.
Despite the fact that I was raised just outside of Indy I have only attended one Indy 500. What a lot of people don’t realize is that it just does not happen one day. For 500 fans and for those who live in Indy and the surrounding area’s the Indy 500 consumes the entire month of May. It dominates the news, both television and print. Hotels are booked up and traffic is a mess. The amount of people who attend time trials and practice sessions are amazing. So if you had to put up with all the hoopla you were bound to be curious about what actually happened.
The names I remember are now legendary and include A.J. Foyt, Al Unser (that would be Sr.) and Mario Andretti. I remember always rooting for Mario for no other reason than his name was cool and sounded like what a race car driver should be named.
The great thing about yesterday’s race which used to always be held on Memorial Day was that there was offspring of all three of those drivers running in the race.
Now if you stayed up after the news on game day they always showed a recap of the race. I do not remember ever watching it really. I was all about listening to it on the radio.
I remember gathering at a friends house when those monster satellite dishes first started popping up because you could watch the race on a station they picked up from Japan. You couldn’t understand a single thing they said so you turned down the volume on the television and listened to the radio broadcast. This enabled me to see it and still be able to listen to “my” voice of the 500, Paul Page. His voice will always be synonymous with the 500 for me.
Well I watched the race this year on the television in my living room. I will not say I do not enjoy watching it but it is not the same. It is not what I remember from my youth. Times do change that is undeniable. It is just that sometimes you wish they had not.
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06.06.10
Posted in Supercar Articles at 9:33 pm by superjumpz
Image : http://www.flickr.com
THE RICKENBACKER YEARS
In June of 1923, Carl Fisher, relinquished the reins of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and handed them to his fellow stock holder, James Allison and retired from the management team. He announced that the speedway had outlived its purpose, which was to serve as an automobile proving ground. The race was simply a byproduct of that enterprise. Carl would go on to develop Miami Beach and build the prototype to the modern interstate highway with his promotion and development of the Lincoln Highway, which survives to this day to some extent in its reconstituted form. It is otherwise known as Highway 80.
By 1926 the founders let it be known that the speedway was up for sale, and it wasn’t long before an undisclosed investment group from Detroit, Michigan, represented by former Indy 500 driver and World War I Ace, Eddie Rickenbacker, purchased the speedway and took control. Under the direction of Rickenbacker, the speedway enjoyed one of its more flamboyant capital improvements. The now famous golf course, which has been host to a number of PGA Senior Golf events in recent years, was built half in and half outside the famous oval. After a number of course redesigns, the infield continues to include 4 of the 18 championship holes to the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course.
Rickenbacker was forced to operate the speedway with his eyes on the bottom line. He was expected to return a profit for his investors and that sharply curtailed opportunities for development. In 1935, during his tenure as the President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he moved to New York where he also took charge of Eastern Airlines. His commitment to Eastern Airlines left him little time to devote to the speedway operations and he depended heavily on the well seasoned staff back home in Indy to manage the operations for him. Pop Meyer and Dolly Dallenbach, hold overs from the founders’ management team, ran the track in Rickenbacker’s absence.
When the country entered the second World War, Rickenbacker and his investors decided to suspend operations at the speedway. From 1941 to 1945 no races were held at Indianapolis. This was the second time since the 1917 and 1918 track closings that the famous Indy oval was silent in the month of May.
THE HULMAN YEARS
In 1945 a wealthy Terre Haute business man made a bid for the purchase of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after being approached by former three time Indy 500 winner, Wilbur Shaw. Shaw knew the Speedway needed a new owner who would be more concerned about the preservation of the legacy than the bottom line. Tony Hulman, who’s family owned the famous Clabber Girl baking powder company and a number of other successful businesses, purchased the track from the Rickernbacker group in 1945.
During the 33 years Tony Hulman presided as President and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he consistently reinvested revenues from the 500 mile race back into the speedway with the intention of making it an unrivaled world class racing venue. Today the speedway holds 257,000 seats and executive suites on the outside of turn 2 and on both sides of the main straightaway. The Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, commissioned by Tony Hulman, is a shrine to the history of the Indy 500 and the cast of thousands who made it possible.
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Posted in Supercar Articles at 5:49 am by superjumpz
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BRINGING THE ESSENTIALS: Before deciding what things or “stuff” you need to take with you to the track, you need to know a couple of important facts. First, the distance between your seat and your car is likely to be a mile or two. This means you will have a long walk to and from your seat. Be sure you are able to carry or transport your “stuff” for a distance of a mile or two. Also, be sure to take the “stuff” you deem essential, because you are not going to be able to just get up and leave your seat and walk back to your car to get something your forgot to take to begin with.
The “stuff” you take to the track should include at a minimum the following essentials:
RAIN SUIT- If there is a chance of rain, be sure to carry an inexpensive plastic rain suit with you. It may be the only cover you will have, if it begins to rain. Umbrellas are not a good idea. If you pull one out in the stands, you might succeed in keeping yourself dry, but the rain that falls off the top will surely land on your neighbor and it is bound to make you very unpopular.
SUNSCREEN- Even on cloudy days, prolonged exposure to UV rays can cause you to suffer a sunburn. Be sure to carry a small tube.
EAR PLUGS – Many race fans don’t find them necessary, but if you are not accustomed to loud prolonged noise, you should consider packing a pair of inexpensive foam earplugs to dampen the noise.
ALLERGY PROVISIONS – Race day is smack dab in the center of pollen season. If you’re not from these parts, you might discover the high pollen count is enough to overwhelm your immune system and cause you to suffer itchy eyes and a runny nose. Packing some tissues and a couple over the counter allergy meds might save you from sudden unexpected misery.
RACE EDITION OF SUNDAY STAR – Unless you have studied the field of cars in the field of 33, it is unlikely you will know who’s who when the race begins. The Indianapolis Star (Indy’s local newspaper) publishes a special edition of the paper for race day. It contains a score card and a photo line up of the field. From this photo line-up you will be able to tell which car is being driven by Sarah Fisher and which car is being driven by Scott Dixon. The race is a lot more fun when you know who’s passing who.
BINOCULARS – While not exactly essential, bringing a small pair of binoculars with you will enable you to see a lot of things you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. If you have the capacity to carry them, go ahead and bring them. You won’t regret it.
CAMERA – A camera is not essential. But, there is no better way to preserve your experience for posterity than to record it in a photo. For that reason, bringing a small digital point-n-shoot or an inexpensive disposable instamatic might be one of those items that will help you treasure your trip to Indy for years to come. If you’re a photo geek with an expensive DSLR, nothing we would say here would convince you not to bring it, so you might as well through it over your shoulder with everything else.
JACKET – Because it is nearly impossible to go back and get it once you get to your seat, its not a bad idea to where a jacket suitable for a cool day, if the forecast indicates there is a need for it. You can always take it off, but you can’t put it on if you don’t have it.
COOLER – Most everyone brings their own food and drinks to the track. This is the best way of ensuring that you will have exactly what you want when you want it. While the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is saturated with concession stands, they often run out of food and beer before the end of the day, particularly if there is a rain delay. So bringing your own cooler is a great idea. Just be sure that it does not exceed 14″ in height, width, or depth. The guards will not allow you to enter the grandstands with a cooler that exceeds those dimensions, because it won’t fit beneath your feet between the bleachers. If your cooler does exceed those dimensions, you can leave it on the ground underneath the bleachers. Then you can make supply runs between your seat to your cooler, when you need to restock. Don’t pack glass in your bags or coolers. Your coolers and bags will be searched when you enter the speedway and you will not be allowed to bring in any glass containers. Stick with cans, they are they safe choice.
ALCOHOL – If you expect to consume alcohol on race day, please know your options. Alcohol sales on Sunday are restricted to restaurants, pubs and trackside vendors. You cannot buy alcohol from a liquor store, convenience store or grocery store on Sunday. Race day is on Sunday. Therefore, you need to stock up the night before the race, unless you want to depend on the vendors to supply you all day.
MAP OF INDIANAPOLIS – If you’re not a native, get a map and keep it in your car. When leaving the speedway after the race, you may not be able to leave the same way you came in. If you are forced to take an unfamiliar route out of the speedway, having a map will come in handy and you will have plenty of time to study it while you’re inching your way through the heavily congested streets.
POST RACE ENTERTAINMENT PROVISIONS – While there are ways and means of making a speedy exit from the speedway, it requires fast feet, a carefully executed parking plan, and a bit of luck. Therefore, you might want to resign yourself to the proposition that there is no reason to get in your car and leave right after the race. Many veteran race fans take the whole thing in stride and plan for the inevitable. They fire up the grill, get the football, Frisbee or lawn jarts out of the trunk, dip into the auxiliary supply of beer, and enjoy themselves while others sit in traffic for hours. Just bring something to entertain yourself with for a couple hours after the race and you’ll thank us later.
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06.05.10
Posted in Supercar Articles at 10:39 am by superjumpz
Image : http://www.flickr.com
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the premier sanctioning organization for motorsports in America. The three largest racing series it oversees are the NEXTEL Cup, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series, but it also oversees NASCAR Regional Racing, the Whelen Modified Tour and the Whelen All-American Series. In fact, all told NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 38 states, Canada and Mexico.
After its birth in February 1949 as a regional entertainment promoter in the South, NASCAR grew to become the second most popular pro sport in terms of television ratings in the U.S. Today it is outpaced only by the National Football League. NASCAR sponsors 17 of the top 20 sporting events (measured by attendance) in the U.S., and its 70+ million fans spend more than $2 billion a year on NASCAR-licensed products.
Dedicated fans
Advertising professionals consider auto-sports fans the most brand-loyal out of all sports, which is the real, dollar-and-cents rationale for Fortune 500 companies sponsoring NASCAR more than they do any other sport, anywhere in the world. Around the world, as a matter of fact, NASCAR races are now broadcast in more than 150 nations, and a serious global expansion plan seeks to build international fan support even more.
Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, NASCAR also maintains offices in four North Carolina cities (Charlotte, Mooresville, Concord and Conover) as well as New York City, Los Angeles, Arkansas, Toronto and Mexico City. In recent years, NASCAR teamed with the Universal Technical Institute (UTI) to open a trade school, the NASCAR Technical Institute, in North Carolina, where it provides state-of-the-art training to would-be NASCAR mechanics.
Car cultures new and old
In the 1990s, a new kind of car fan arrived on the scene, the “import tuner.” Young men 18 to 30 years old, it was said, were starting to turn away from “Detroit iron” to the Hondas, Toyotas and Nissans that were easier (and cheaper) to “mod” (modify). But despite this generational move, NASCAR events continued to grow in popularity, especially on TV. It was a bit confusing for advertisers and research firms, who thought it somewhat counterintuitive.
Further research, done in the early 2000s, revealed the reason. A certain fraction of America’s young car buffs were buying and customizing different cars than their older brothers, but there were no competitive events on TV for them to turn to other than NASCAR and a few SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) races. Car guys, it seems, like all kinds of car races, regardless of their own auto’s pedigree.
Change may come
With the proliferation of cable channels and Internet offerings, the import tuner crowd is starting to get TV and screen time of its own. The numbers for NASCAR are still solid, but advertisers and auto industry observers are still watching for the viewership changes that they know are coming. And most are looking in one direction.
That direction, of course, is Japan. More precisely, Japanese cars, many of which are built right here in the U.S. There are no import tuner races in the cards, and no one is planning TV or web coverage of the various tuner-parts conventions, so it remains to be seen what kind of programming could compete with the NASCAR races.
NASCAR is still safely atop the heap as far as televised motorsports. The next few years are critically important, however, as the convergence of TV and Internet continues to change the viewing landscape. It is hard to imagine something as “American” as stock car racing fading away, but it may be that the process will be more of a gradual metamorphosis than a quick change. The only good advice on this one is: Stay tuned!
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06.03.10
Posted in Supercar Articles at 6:09 am by superjumpz
Image : http://www.flickr.com
In the fourth quarter of 2007 we see the unveiling of a new supercar by Nissan’s boss Carlos Ghosn in the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. The new GT-R, is what Nissan’s answer to supercars around the world.
With a concept of delivering an “anywhere, anyone, anytime” supercar, Nissan started its development of this highly appraised and long awaited supercar since 2001. Appearing as just a concept in the same Tokyo Motor Show back then, it took Nissan nearly 7 years to finally complete the car and to sell it to the public.
The new GT-R has got no relations with the previous GT-Rs which are mainly high performance Nissan Skylines. The completely new supercar is meant to take on other rivals such as the Porsche 911 Turbo, putting the Japanese position in the world of supercars higher than ever. Having lapped the Nürburgring with an average 7 minutes 15 seconds laptime, the GT-R is as close as beating the Porsche 911 Turbo, despite it’s just a stock factory car.
Powered by a 3.8 litre Twin Turbocharged V6 engine, the GT-R will promise 0-100 m acceleration in less than 3.8 seconds. The 480 horsepower churning powerhouse is mated to a rear mounted 6 speed dual clutch semi automatic gearbox, running all four wheels with the use of an independent transaxle 4WD system.
Apart from the powerful engine that promises the satisfactory grin from speed enthusiasts, Nissan also balanced the handling efforts by using special suspension system that will adjusts the dampening level according to vehicle information. Huge Brembo brakes are also utilized to stop the GT-R which is normally found only in high performance supercars.
A new feature found in the new GT-R is the integrated multi function meter that provides crucial vehicle data to the driver. A selection of settings can be made via the touch-screen LCD display and a range of vital stats like boost level, oil pressure, water temperature, and even the lateral and longitudinal G- Force the car has produced. Efforts of this information display also relate to the designers in Polyphony, the creators of the popular racing simulator the Gran Turismo, which already sees the concept of the GT-R model being used in the game.
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06.01.10
Posted in Supercar Articles at 3:49 pm by superjumpz
Image : http://www.flickr.com
It was Friday evening, and Larry and Donna Hicks were about to watch the six o’clock news in their lakeside home at Palos Verdes Estates outside Troy, Alabama. Hicks was a 52-year-old retired Sergeant Major with the Marines, now working as a conservation enforcement officer for the state of Alabama. He had arrived home from work half an hour earlier, and he and Donna had talked about going to a movie, but decided against it.
The TV news was just starting, when they looked out the window and saw a small plane flying down the shoreline of Palos Verdes Lake.
“I wonder if he knows about the power lines,” Larry said, just as the aircraft suddenly shuddered to a halt, flipped over, and headed straight down into lake. Hicks was already running out the back door as the plane hit the water, yelling behind to his wife, “Call 911! I’m going to see if I can help the pilot.”
Fortunately, Larry’s brother, Wayne, had left a 14-foot aluminum johnboat, with an electric trolling motor, at the lake in preparation for bass fishing that day, then had not shown up. Donna made the call to 911, and ran outside in time to see Larry commandeering the johnboat, headed toward the Air-Cam, which was about 100 yards off shore.
Years before, when Hicks had been stationed at the Marine Air Corps Station in Iwakuni, Japan, he had spent two-and-a-half months, part time, in an intense Search and Rescue program. A major got him into it because he thought Hicks would be good at it since he was muscular and into weight building. The training was specifically directed toward saving pilots who had gone down in water in fixed-wing or rotary-wing planes. Hicks learned how to get pilots out of planes that had crashed upside down. However, he remained in the telecommunications unit, and never had the opportunity to use his specialized training.
The engine of the Air-Cam was hot when it hit Palos Verdes Lake, and the airplane was smoking in the water. High octane aviation fuel from a ruptured fuel tank floated over the surface making greasy patterns. The back half of the aircraft and a broken wing were sticking up from the water. Hicks climbed out of the boat onto the wing and tethered a line to the plane to keep the boat from floating away. The heavy smell of gas assaulted his nostrils. It was only later that he thought about the danger of the plane blowing up.
The water was murky, and Hicks had trouble getting his bearings underwater. The plane had crashed in the middle of an underwater “stump field,” but luckily had missed hitting any trees. The first time down, Hicks ran out of air and was forced back to the surface without locating the pilot. The second time, he felt the back of the man’s neck under his hand. After another trip to the surface, he took a deep breath, and descended a third time.
Larry’s military training–the repeat drill of what to do until it became second nature–took over: “Locate Pilot, Extract Pilot . . .” Hicks felt for the pilot’s seatbelt; fortunately, it was one he recognized by feel from his training in the military. He released the belt, and the pilot floated into his arms. Hicks swam to the surface, pulling the man with him. The pilot had bones sticking through his legs, and his feet were turned the wrong way.
The man was bleeding through the nose and mouth, and was no longer breathing. He had drowned. The Troy police had arrived on the lake bank by now. Larry yelled to the officers,”He’s not breathing,” and he heard one police officer say to another, “He’s dead.”
Hicks hauled the man up against the wing that was sticking above the water and put a modified Heimlich maneuver under his ribs and pulled up to get the water out of his lungs, then started modified CPR. The inert figure coughed up water and blood, then on the fifth breath, started to breathe. “I’ve got him breathing again,” Hicks yelled to the rescue unit on the shore.
Hicks gripped the wing of the plane with his left hand, lying on his back in the water, supporting the pilot on his chest with his right arm to keep his head above water. He felt a stinging sensation from the aviation fuel, which worsened until he was in great pain. He found out later, the top layer of his skin had burned off.
The rescue unit brought out an extra boat, put the pilot on the backboard and floated him to shore. Larry tried to follow the four members of the rescue team as they walked out of the lake, but his legs gave way. He and the pilot were transported to the Troy hospital.
While Hicks was being treated for the gasoline burns on his upper body, he heard the helicopters arrive to airlift the pilot to the University of Alabama Medical Center in Birmingham. After a decontamination shower, Hicks was released.
Word was out almost immediately that a light plane had crashed, piloted by celebrity Jack Roush, NASCAR and Winston Cup car owner since 1988. An aircraft aficionado, friends of Roush had arranged for him to fly the Air-Cam, a specialized aircraft built specifically for photography, as a birthday gift.
Roush was initially put on a respirator, with a trauma team working on him. He had inhaled water and gasoline and suffered closed-head injuries, rib fractures, a collapsed lung, compound fractures to his left leg, and broken ankles. He did not remember anything from the time of the accident until he woke up in the hospital that weekend.
Amazingly enough, six days after the accident, Roush was running his business by telephone from his hospital bed. By Sunday, he had arranged for Larry and Donna to be flown by private jet to Birmingham, Alabama, to visit him.
Six weeks later, Roush piloted a plane from his Michigan home and hobbled around on crutches at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware, overseeing his four-car Winston Cup team. Larry and Donna were by his side.
Larry Hicks has no doubt that a Higher Power was at work in Jack Roush’s incredible rescue. If the Air-Cam had hit the high tension power lines instead of the support wires as it did, the plane would have gone down in flames. If it had crashed on the ground or hit a tree in the underwater stump field where it landed, Roush would have been killed instantly. If Larry and Donna had gone to a movie that evening, as they had discussed, or simply been in another part of the house, they would not have seen the plane go down, and Jack Roush would have died. If Wayne Hicks had not left the johnboat ready to go, there would have been no rescue.
But, most amazing of all, Hicks was one of a small percentage of the populace with the specialized knowledge necessary to save a pilot in an upside-down plane from a watery grave. And, one other thing was necessary to save Jack’s life, which is that Hicks is a man of action who did not hesitate to put himself at risk to save a stranger’s life.
Epilogue
Larry Hicks was recognized with many honors as a result of his heroic rescue of Jack Roush, including the Marine Corps Medal of Heroism, the Carnegie Award for Heroism from the Carnegie Foundation, the Kiwanis International Robert P. Connally Medal for Heroism, and the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Medal for Heroism. The story of the rescue appeared in People magazine, and Larry and Jack were on the cover NASCAR Illustrated.
Larry exhibits great pride that he lived up to the United States Marine Corps Code of serving his country with Honor, Courage, and Commitment, with selfless service.
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05.31.10
Posted in Supercar Articles at 11:26 pm by superjumpz
Image : http://www.flickr.com
Are you can fan of motor sports? If you are, there is a good chance that that you love stockcar racing. Stockcar racing includes a broad assortment of different events, including NASCAR and local dirt track racing. Whether you enjoy NASCAR or dirt track racing, there is a strong possibility that that you continue with the all of the other sports that have a concentrate on cars. If this is the case, you may have found out of Formula Drifting before.
Formula Drifting, also ordinarily mentioned as Formula D, is a sport that is occasionally termed as a racing sport. This has led many personal to feel that it is a type of stockcar racing; nonetheless, the truth is that it isn’t. Although the two sports do have certain things in common, they are quite different. If you are oblivious of the similarities and the differences, you can be thinking about what they are.
Perhaps, the most successful similarity between stockcar racing and Formula Drifting is the fact that cars are employed. That’s why these sports are commonly mentioned as motor sports or auto sports. Although driving ability is essential with stockcar racing, a focus is mostly placed on the cars, especially at the professional level. With Formula D, the cars are important, but they’re not quite as significant as a driver’s skills. In fact, Formula D needs drivers to manipulate their cars. This manipulation often causes their cars to loose traction and slide in a certain direction, in other words a drift. Essentially, a Formula D driver’s skills are ten times more important than what is underneath the hood of their car.
Also the way that the cars are used, stockcar racing and Formula Drifting take place at different venues. Professional stockcar racing, such as NASCAR, often takes place only on asphalt tracks. While Formula D events also take place on asphalt, they don’t always employ the full track. In point of fact, Formula D occasions don’t always demand the use of a track. In the past, Formula D occurrences have taken place in large parking lots or on city streets.
With stockcar racing, the object is to complete in first place. This is not the situation with Formula D. As years ago mentioned, Formula D requires the creation of a drift. In competition, drivers are judged on their drifts, along with a number of other aspects. These factors most frequently comprise their speed and the capacity to remain on the track. When you think about it, there is quite a difference between the pair sports.
From a friend perspective, it is in addition essential to examine the ability to attend or view these occurrences. When it relates to stockcar racing, especially on the professional level, it is fairly easy to attend occasions or watch coverage on television. Formula D is a bit bit more challenging. They presently operate on a limited schedule; thus restrictive the number of occasions and stops. Formula D is shown on the telly network G4TV, but besides that, the sport receives little coverage. Although it might be harder to attend a live Formula D event, when in comparison to stockcar racing, you are discover that the occasions are frequently easier to afford. In most instances, admission to professional Formula D occasions is just around twenty to twenty, an individual.
As you can easily see, they’re a number of differences, in addition to similarities, between Formula Drifting and stockcar racing. In addition to the previously referred to similarities and differences, there are additional ones. The best method to acquaint yourself with these differences is to give each sport as gamble. After a close examination, you will discover that both provide fun, excitement, and action; what it is you need in a motor sport.
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05.28.10
Posted in Supercar Articles at 1:09 pm by superjumpz
Image : http://www.flickr.com
The first hero that I had in life was my father. Most guys can identify with this concept because a father is the first strong male role model that we get in life. My dad was essentially a professional driver because his job involved traffic enforcement that ranged from issues with semis to cars with drivers in a hurry.
He was a natural driver with great skills and an aura of confidence behind the wheel. Occasionally we were with him when he chased down a speeder in his plain-looking four door Plymouths. We lived for those moments as kids.
His vehicle of choice was always a Chrysler product, usually a Plymouth during my childhood days in the 60s. Plymouths were also the choice of another driving legend in my young life.
The first car that I can remember with any degree of clarity was my dad’s 1959 Plymouth, a car which was also Richard Petty’s first Daytona ride. I was a little young to connect the dots at that point but, a few years later, I was well aware of the King in waiting and his electric blue Plymouths.
My father and Richard Petty moved through the 60s behind the wheel of Plymouths that earned both of them a living. The King was a more famous Plymouth driver, but I always liked the fact that both of them drove the same make of car.
As a kid I used to imagine my dad on the track with Richard and it was the only time that I could envision the King losing a race. Other than that, I always wanted Richard Petty to take the checkered flag with a generous supply of Mopar muscle behind him.
Most guys take brand loyalties from their fathers and attach in an emotional way with cars. The fact that Richard Petty was able to transfer brand loyalty into track domination was just a feather in the cowboy hat for young fans of the brand and the man.
I never got tired of a Petty victory. The man was always an intense competitor and a gracious winner. Plus he has a well-developed but understated sense of humor that extends from his laid-back southern roots.
Eventually the victories did not come as easily for the King, but that made them even more of an event.
My father died suddenly in December 1978. I can vividly remember the last time I watched him drive in November of the same year. I was on the highway during an early winter blizzard enroute to a family wedding. I was a cocky young driver, but I was unwilling to drive too fast in those conditions. Clint Eastwood was right; a man’s got to know his limitations.
Very few drivers were willing to step it up in those conditions, but one 1977 Dodge went by me fairly rapidly. It was my father and mother in the car. My dad was a skilled enough driver to drive in very slippery conditions and hold the car under complete control. I knew that he was going to get to the wedding before me. He beat me by half an hour.
We were still dealing with the loss of my father when the 1979 Daytona 500 became the first live flag to flag broadcast of the big race. It was a pleasant distraction from very unpleasant recent events and I couldn’t have hoped for a better ending.
I was screaming at my TV in that temporary insanity kind of way as I watched the King win another Daytona 500- live for the first time in my life. It was the greatest moment of TV racing that I had ever seen and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Richard Petty had provided the first moment of unbridled happiness since my father’s death. The King had no idea how big that win was for a guy like me living a long way from Daytona and NASCAR culture. I grew up in an area where NASCAR was not a big interest for most people. But it was always a big ticket item for me because my father and Richard Petty drove the same car brand. And both of them were heroes to me.
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