Originally Posted by dirtywhiteboy:
Roger welcome to the greatest family you will ever know. Openwheel fans are some of the best around and any tru fan will always help out a newcomer understand this sport we love so much. I am 29 and luckily been infected with this addiction for many many years. Infact, (I was introduced to racing at a very young age. My first race was the Indy 500 in 1978 (although I don't remember it cause I was born in the first half of that year). But since then I have grown up in a racing family who were diehard fans and now have lucked into meeting some of the people I have idiolized for year.
Don't be affraid to walk up to someone and introduce yourself to them if they are wearing iow appearal. I went to Ft. Wayne in 2004 just to get Gary Bettenhausen's autograph and ended up meeting a great group of people there with a car of their own the first night. They told me to come by their pits the next night and we talked and shot the bull and come to find out after I told them I was dirtywhiteboy on midgetmadness.com they (for some very strange reason) liked me even more and now I have a group of friends that are teaching me about indoor and pavement racing and have put me on their indoor pit crew. I can't thank Corson/Savage racing enough for that.
If you can do it, one night get a pit pass and go in the pits and watch what these guys do to the cars and see that side of racing. it makes you appreciate what they do on a nightly basis even more. If there is a break in the action just kindly walk up and ask them some questions and explain to them why you are there. They'll talk to you. they may not give you team or trade secrets but they'll help you along.
Again welcome to best addiction a person could ever have.
From Jim Morrison
Roger, Welcome to the Wonderful World of Auto Racing. You'll develop many friendships here. I did.
As far as track announcers, I agree with both of your observations, more can be done to help the new fan and most are so busy just reading off the next lineup they have very little time to educate.
When I started going to the races -- back in the day when a USAC sprint or midget show did not need support divisions to help pay the bills -- announcers like Bob Forbes and Bill Donella did an excellent job of informing someone new about racing. It also helped that I started going with a veteran fan, but it was the announcers who filled in many details. Of course, with practice, qualifying, four heats, a consi and a feature, they had plenty of time to fill. I remember an interview with Pancho Carterabout the position drivers put their hands on a steering wheel and learned he did it differently for dirt and for pavement. (Pavement was a traditional 10 and 2 while dirt was something like 8 and noon.) As a photographer, I rarely get to hear today's announcers as they don't put loud speakers in the turns pointed so we can hear so I cannont speak as to the quality of many of them. (Sometimes I don't even know who was fast quaifier until the racing is over for the evening and I check the stats.) I also think that one of the worst things to happen in racing is that the cars -- at most tracks -- no longer pit in the infields where fans can observe what the drivers and crews are doing. (It also made it easier for announcers to interview drivers.) Whlie use of the new enclosed trailers and insurance frequently have been cited as the reasons -- and it probably is to some extent -- I frequently have wondered if it was just there was not enough room for all of the cars from all of the divisions so none were allowed.
Anyway, welcome to Indiana Open Wheel.