I must say that it is great to be back in Columbus, OH, for the R4. Mike and Cindy are awesome people and they help make me feel at home. This year it seems that I have something to prove to myself since my heart surgery. I guess I want to prove to myself that I can still do a big event like the R4 spread over several days. So please forgive me if this seems personal.
I decided to leave Florida at 7:30 PM Monday and was determined to drive through the night and get up here by noon Tuesday. It was tough but I did it, in fact, arriving at 11am this morning. 15-1/2 hours including 1-1/2 hour downtime and 950 miles; not bad for an old guy.
I was able to get in three hours of practice, mainly just trying to get the timing down on a blue King track; running only on red and black. We do not have a King track in Florida so it's a slow learning session when I come up here. I was pleased with a new TonyP Can-Am chassis and a new one that I built a week ago. I want to thank Tony for all the help and assistance that he has provided me over the last eight to nine years. Thank you, Tony! However, a trashed my best F1 car and might need to run my Duffy F1 car (not a bad thing at all).
All in all, the best part of the day was dinner with Bobby Robinson at the Olive Garden. Jay Guard came up from Florida also bringing Greg Wells and Bobby Robinson. Jay and Greg optioned to go elsewhere for dinner. The Olive Garden is two blocks away; I could not pass that up after such a looonnnggg day.
I hear that the usual R4 racers will be in on Wednesday and Thursday, with many coming in tomorrow.