The Races At Pocono May 2008

I just read an article titled 'THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE' about a man who paid $399 for eight laps at a Richard Petty Driving Experience. We paid $360 for two days of racing at a NASCAR track and had THE TIME OF OUR LIVES. I wonder what Dennis, the writer, would have written if he raced a car at Pocono instead of following a driver around the track for his eight laps.

I arrived at Pocono Friday night which is only 35 minutes from home and forgot my racing license. I figured I had to wait till Saturday to register but Meg Meyer and Peter Roberts both working the races for the weekend saved me a lot of time. They hooked up Meg's computer; Peter uploaded the SCCA site and got my license information. The internet has changed the world and everyone in it in some way or another. Terry Roberts, Nancy Willer, Joe Willer, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkie, all the other workers, officials, corner workers, and all the drivers send their best; we know without you there would be no racing.

This weekend has more variety of racing than most. There was an endurance race of 2 1/2 hours plus all the regular races of ten classes and a special Pro IT race. Another way of saying just another group of racers for the entertainment of the crowd.

The weekend was long and so many of the registrants in the endurance race never made the show for one reason or another, some broke during the races and others just decided to skip that race.

Here is some of the crazy things that happened during the weekend. John Costello, Junior Zabriski and Greg Kasprzyk all missed their qualifying session Saturday as they were bull throwing and never heard the call to the grid. John on Saturday came from last place and won his race when the leader Phil Parleto broke a throttle link within sight of the checkered flag. John had deja vu on Sunday. While he was winning he got a flat tire with one lap to go. Greg never finished because of a sick motor. Joe Ianuzzo and his partner Dr O'Boyle lost third gear and had to retire for the weekend after the first race on Saturday. I had some suspension parts loose on Saturday and never found them till Marc checked the car for Sunday's race. On Sunday after running off the course I began to smell something burning and just after the checkered flag I pulled off and bailed out of the car on one of the service roads. Later learned the smell came from the plastic having been pushed up against the exhaust. Will Butter one of the guys we have hung around for years destroyed his car in just his second race when there was a collision in the first turn. As they say you can't go five wide into the first turn into the infield at Pocono. Dr O'Boyle and I know that. If you see him or Joe Iannuzzo ask them about how someone took out two cars entered by Joe Iannuzzo in the first 400 feet of a race. A special note to Bill Finsilver, the driver of the 09 Spec Miata, he drove the wheels off the car in several races. Way to go Bill, it was fun being with you. And how can I forget "Crazy Joe." He showed his new car and won, not by much but he did win. Joe that ITA car is one fast hot rod His motto is "Win, Win, Win." To know Joe is to love him. Joe DiMinno a plumber by trade is "Crazy Joe".

There were some of us that nothing unusual happened to. Marc won both races on Saturday and Sunday. His race on Sunday was a barn burner, from the video of the race the lead changed four times between Peter Punderson of Massachusetts, Darrell LaPoint of Connecticut and Marc. Andy Bettencourt also of Massachusetts had a ring side seat for this race on Saturday and Sunday, he was behind them for the entire race. Susan Ryan driving her Honda and one of our "team" members showed women can drive as well as some of the better men drivers.

One of the best closing arguments I ever heard was given by a Lawyer but not in a court room. It was given at the drivers meeting of the Spec Miata Drivers at Pocono on Saturday. I have heard many closing argument in all the trials I’ve had over the last 43 years (did I say 43 years) and that covered more trials than I would like to admit to, and a host of others, some that lasted seven weeks. I tell you all this so you can appreciate the impact it had on me and I am sure everyone else who heard the comments .Front and center was Peter Roberts an SCCA official at Pocono this weekend.

We the drivers were the jury. It began as a simple talk about the class and the rules that govern our class of cars. Peter then talked about the common bonds of the drivers. We were all asked to shake the hand of the person standing next to us. I put out both hands and held my fellow competitors hand, one person in each hand. Peter said simply "Look at the person whose hand you are holding and remember the yellow flags and what they mean because the person whose hand you are holding may be the driver who has spun in the first turn and is facing traffic, you don’t want to be the person passing under yellow and smashing into that driver." Peter than added that the speed limit in the paddock is 15-miles per hour. He stressed that this weekend many kids are present for the Mother’s day weekend. "If a kid darts out from behind a car and you can't stop and injure or kill a child you will wear that for the rest of your life. Don’t put your self in that position," he then stopped. He made his point, you could see it everyone’s eyes. It goes to show you that there is a lot more to life than just going fast.

BE SAFE GO FAST HAVE FUN
Love "the commander" Mike Cefalo