See the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona!!

YES!

The Speed Channel will be showing the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona this weekend!!!

You can check out the schedule on your local cable/Satellite guide, or look it up on the Speed Channel website: www.speedtv.com

Watch for the "Blue by YOU" Porsche 997 GT3, running the race under the banners of "Guardian Angels Motorsports", raising money for Boston Children's Hospital's Pediatric Allergy Support organization. You can read about that here: www.guardianangelmotorsports.com

About the name, "Blue by YOU": One of the drivers has a couple of kids with extremely severe food allergies (like, if they're in a room where a jar of peanut butter is opened nearby, they can go into anaphylactic shock). They find it VERY difficult to take airline flights as peanuts are served on most airlines......except when you let the folks at Jet Blue know about it. They eliminate the products from that flight, let the passengers know and appologize if necessary, then treat those kids like "VIP's" for the flight. THAT's why there's a JET BLUE sticker on the dash of the car and the name and logo on the side - Providing support for those people and companies who care about their customers.

BETTER YET, Race Fans!!>> Watch for Chris and Gordon Nichols as part of the pit and spotter crew for the Guardian Angels team at Daytona!! You can see what's going on in the Guardian Angel pits right here:

www.guardianangelmotorsports/race.php

There should be live video streaming throughout qualifying on Friday and the entire race from 3:30pm Saturday through 4:30pm Sunday (or whenever we get around to bringing down the link). ALL of the drivers and pit crew for the "Blue by YOU" 997 Porsche are supporting the Children's Hospital Severe Allergy unit, and we're racing the Rolex to raise One Million Dollars to support their efforts. (not to mention that we're gonna have one hell of a lot of fun (before the fatigue sets in)). None of the drivers do this for a living - they are all well established in other fields, but race because they love it - and these guys are all VERY GOOD DRIVERS.

Our support organization is TRG Racing who has been on the podium at the Rolex 31 out of 46 races.

Not sure what Chris will be doing - they usually keep him pretty busy in the pits and he's great there. I'll be organizing the spotters (6 - 8 of us on two - three hour shifts around the clock) providing "up front" support directly to the drivers via radio. We'll be the track-wide eyes to keep the drivers out of trouble.

This is going to be a great weekend!!! Watch for us!!

Gordon and Chris
On the road again and lovin' it!!!!

Gordon -

Thanks for the heads-up on Daytona, and you & Chris crewing in the Pits (hmmm...Chris & Pits sounds familiar).

BTW - 'Blue By YOU' was the name of our sailboat (Catalina 36). Ginny poo-pooed my two original name recommendations for the boat (1) Passing Wind or (2) Deep Float. What a spoil-sport!!

Have fun at the races - I'll be looking for you & Chris on TV!

Peace - Out!

Thanks for the heads up, planning on catching a few hours worth.

Gordon called and said it's great in Daytona and wanted me to pass along that the car# is 63. So watch for that car # on the streaming video from the track.

~WB

Hey guys,
I don't have Speed Channel anymore. Can I see some of this race on my computer? I have fumbled around this evening trying various things to get me there. I am not yet a computer expert and I was wondering if I'm wasting my time trying to see some of the race on line. I can get to some radio shows on the net but I'm not sure about the easiest way to see this race. If you can or will help you have my email. I will give you my phone # if needed. Thanks,Al

http://www.guardianangelmotorsports.com/race.php

Hey, Y'all!

LOTS of stuff hasppening here in Daytona....

Our Porsche 63 crew is made up of semi-pro drivers, meaning that they are professional-class with all the licenses and experience, but not quite WORLD class as a lot of the other teams are. Still, they've placed with the top 20 in the GT class - not too shabby for weekend competitors for charity.

Due to the network of one of the drivers, we've ended up with a LOT of people here to help out - way more than needed - while some of the other cars on the TRG Racing team have gone wanting. To even things out, Chris and I have moved over to the 67 Porsche team of Justin Marks, Andy Lally, RJ Valentine, Patrick Long and Joerg Bergmeister (google'em). These are the guys favored for the overall win in the GT class and had no "Eye in the Sky" spotters (You know....the guys who stand on top of the grandstand roof all night in the cold) so we volunteered.

Seen a lot of the Daytona Prototypes (even saw Danika Patrick) and hope to see more in the food tent/garages today.

That's it....gotta run.....watch us on Speed or on the pits cam.

Porsche GT 63 for Boston Children's Hospital (Blue by You)

Porsche 67 (with G&C) for Construct Corps (Black and Green)

Gordon and Chris (the eyes in the sky)

We're watching, Gordon. Don't forget to smile and wave if you see a camera coming your way!

I heard from Gordon this afternoon, he is way pumped to be there ! ~Alan

Darn! The pit cam ain't working

The last I looked (around 9:30 EST) #67 was in 3rd place.

12:29pm the 67 car was getting out of the pits....

WE WON! WE WON! WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a long race! We worked the entire 24 hours with only 1 break each during the night, of an hour or so each.....Went and slept in the back of my pickup for an hour each, then back to work.

We traded off at times to stay fresh, with the "Secondary" watching the field while the "Primary" kept his eye on #67. Our biggest job was telling the drivers when a Daytona Prototype (DP) was coming up from behind and how far back, when it was about to pass on which side, and then cleared them out. It was equally important if there were more than one in a row, or if there was a GT car trying to nose them out in a corner, especially when entering the NASCAR oval turns (it's an abrupt turn and uphill, too). Our car topped out at around 150mph, while the DP's would top out at 200-205 so they would come up on them FAST and we had to help the drivers anticipate when they would be beside them to avoid them. It was a whole different strategy for the GT cars, as most were not as fast as us but some were pretty close. There are stories and stories of small races during the night between three or four cars for laps and laps - some the the best racing I've ever seen, anywhere, in those small races and we had a skybox seat!!

We soon got used to what each driver wanted to hear and when (always trying to keep the chatter to a minimum) and then it just became a routine until something happened, like a crash, track debris or a caution forcing a pit stop. We guided the car around the pit lap until it entered pit lane and traded off to the crew chief, but still calling out "pit stalls out" til they got in, then picked up again as they exited pit lane and went out of sight of the pit crew (we also had the pit crew channel on our other ear - the drivers had their own channel). That pit exit part was critical - as they entered the blend lane we didn't want anyone running into them and then they went right into turn 3, a hairpin to the right.

Anyway, believe it or not, we both lasted the entire race and really didn't get that tired (at least during the race). Had the usual aches and pains from standing for 24 hours (believe it or not, all there is on the roof of the Grandstand is something like wide bleachers, two decks high) and the headphones tried to push my eyeglass bows through my ears and into my head but that was all..... For those who've met us both, our voices sound almost identical and we heard everything each said on the radio, so when we traded off we just kept the same terminology and calm, even tone. When we talked to the drivers after the race, they never suspected there had been two guys spotting for them and were amazed when they found out.

BTW: Andy, Patrick and Jorge are Porsche Factory drivers who have won in their classes at LeMans and Rolex before, Justin won rookie of the year last year in NASCAR truck series, and RJ won one of the opening races at the new track in New Jersey. World-Class drivers to be sure. The amazing thing about them all was they could be in the thick of a pack with DP's roaring by on both sides and all hell breaking loose all around them, and we would be talking them through it all, and the voice coming from the car sounded like someone sitting on the couch in their living room and watching National Geographic Channel.

wow.....

At the end of the race we had to hoof it back to the pits (all the team golf carts were busy) which at Daytona is about a 2-mile walk, but by the time we got to the Podium our team was just finishing up (they honored the DP class winners first, of course). When we got there, the drivers spotted us and dragged us up on the podium, giving us champagne-soaked hugs and then posing with us, their Rolex watches and the winning trophy.

HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?!?!?!?

I should have the photo to post later today and will put it up.

WHAT A WEEKEND!!!!!!!

Gordon and Chris

Wonderful!!! That sounds like an experience you'll remember for the rest of your lives.

Hey, BTW: We're standing around in the garage area on Friday before the race when Chris nudges me and says: "Hey, look over there.....isn't that Chuck Beck?"

Sure enough, there's Chuck, wandering around in the TRG garage area. We walked over and introduced ourselves from Carlisle and said hi! It turns out that he had brought a 904 and a Speedster to Daytona (both customer cars) to show to Kurt Kossman, one of the drivers of the #63 Porsche GT car, to see if he might like to buy one. We knew Kurt already so introduced them both. I guess he's looking to get Chuck to build a 904 with a 993 turbo engine in it. Whew....... Kurt's main concern was his ability to get in and out, since he lost a leg to cancer years ago and sometimes has trouble with some cars, and yet, he was driving a Porsche GT at the Rolex while wearing a prosthesis. "It is what it is. I just want to race." Wow....

Anyway, you bump into car guys all over the place. Racing is a small world.....

gn

What a cool experience! Glad you guys had a good time PLUS backing the winning driver/team!

Pictures!!!

We've got lots (and, of course, Chris' pictures are 80 Bazillion megabytes each or something) but here are a couple:

First, the winning GT team on the podium - Left to right, Kneeling: Brock Wagner, TGA's Manager for the GT program, Standing: Patrick Long, Justin Marks, Andy Lally, RJ Valentine, Jorge Bergmeister

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f254/speedster356/DSC02861.jpg

They got a team trophy and each driver got a (very) limited edition, Rolex Daytona wrist watch.

Next, The Team 67 Spotters with the Rolex trophy and some of the team:
Left to right, Chris Nichols, RJ Valentine, Patrick Long, Gordon Nichols, Jorge Bergmeister

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f254/speedster356/DSC_3122.jpg

Maybe we'll get Timex's...... ;>)

OH! And the Car! This green is what we looked for all night, along with a tiny, amber LED in the driver's side rear window (visible from a mile away in the dark!!)

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f254/speedster356/DSC02854.jpg

That is one, KICK ASS Porsche!!! 178mph on the front straight!! I've seen a great picture of one of our drivers flipping the bird to a competitor driver at 175mph as he pulled past....Ya gotta love it!!

I finally got a chance to see the Speed TV coverage of the race (Kathy thoughtfully recorded it for me) and just finished it up this evening.

WOW! What a race!!

But Speed TV didn't provide coverage during the midnight-to-7am period, when some of the best racing I've ever seen in my life took place. Four GT cars fighting for dominance of the lead lap for over THREE HOURS. We were third for a long while,then second and then the 86 car dropped out just before 6am and we were in the 1'st and 2'nd spots (with the #66 car from TGA) and set the GT pace for the rest of the race. Chris took over as primary spotter from 5am to the end of the race. If you recorded it, then re-play the last two hours and watch how the DP cars were running a constant, flat-out Sprint race, and how the other GT cars were trying to avoid them. The #67 was always perfectly positioned for the traffic and never lost momentum. Chris did an awesome job!!!!

gn and cn

Excellent story, Gordon. I watched some Sat night, Sunday morning and the last three hours and it was cool to KNOW you guys were on top of the winning team!

Really cool. I watched bits and pieces and then the last 2-3 hours. Great race. Neat that you guys were involved.

The story continues.....

My wife, Kathy, is a quilter and she has created a children's quilt based on Pixar's movie, "Cars". There are white blocks spaced all throughout the quilt and I took it to the Rolex and got as many drivers to sign it as I could: All of the Koni drivers (Friday's race), and most of the GT drivers - in all, over 60 signatures so far (We even got Patrick Dempsey, star of the TV show "Gray's Anatomy", who was driving one of the Mazdas).

Spenser Pumpelly, driver of the #66 Porsche which came in second, is helping us get as many other drivers as he can from his Atlanta corral in the coming week, and Bruce Ledoux of the #63 car will be helping on his end (Northeast). Kathy and I are traveling to TRG Motorsports in North Carolina tomorrow for a facility tour and signing with all of the crews and crew chiefs (How cool is THAT?!?!?) There may be a possibility of getting upcoming Daytona 500 and Indy drivers to sign it, too. TRG Motorsports is getting behind this and really giving it life, so to speak - they're all fantastic!!

When the quilt is finished, we'll be donating it to Boston Children's Hospital Severe Allergy Clinic to auction off to benefit the clinic, at a big bash related to the #63 car's racing for the clinic in the Rolex.

And THAT's the coolest thing of all.....Doing something to help kids who need help.

gn

Just to give you some info, unless I am mistaken, Bruce Ledoux and Dave Avery started Spyderclub.com. Bruce had a Beck, sold it, ordered a full Carbon TR kit, then got divorced and sold the project. Dave had a Spyder that was modified with different suspension front and rear, no trailing arms or swing-axles for him!

Anyway, without them, we wouldn't have a Spyderclub, so a salute to the duo that started my favorite place on the web............

Wellll, in Mike Wallace's case you wouldn't be needed for any length of time. :)

~WB

Just to clarify a bit, since Bruce Ledoux is a personal friend;

Yes, Bruce was one of the founders of the Spyderclub site. That was quite a while back, in Internet years!! Funny, he's only talked about that once with me (we were on a flight together).

I don't know about a Beck at first. When we met he had a Thunder Ranch 550 with a race-prepped 1915cc (and later bought just a Beck shell which he hung on his den wall as a frame around his Plasma TV). He campaigned the TR 550 (once he got all the bugs straightened out) in Vintage races in New England for a couple of years or so, then sold it and moved on to racing Spec Miatas (Chris and I crewed for him at Summit Point).

In between racing and work, he got his race driver instructor certification and has been teaching for the PCA and BMW clubs of greater Boston. I also believe he's a past President of the Boston Ferrari club (he's got a Scagliatti, or something like that) and he's got a Lotus Elise (a personal favorite of mine - like a big Go-Kart).

Last year he got out of the Spec Miata and bought the GT3 he's racing now - just keeps getting more powerful rides, I guess - and started an affiliation with TRG racing.

I also don't know about a divorce - he's been married to Linda as long as I've known them ( ten years) and they have three kids now.

Anyway, Bruce has introduced Chris and me to the World Class level of motorsports - quite a different World out there for this backyard Dune Buggy builder......

gn

Gordon, my mistake. I confused Bruce with a gentleman that went by mackgoo. That was back in the old days of Spyderclub, and mack acted as moderator for a while also. Is that a pre-senior moment for me?

Bruce and Dave are still the founding fathers of Spyderclub, for which I am grateful. The help I have received and sometimes given makes it easier for everyone with Spyders.