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It seems I have been spending a lot of time on an airplane lately, and have become quite an international traveler this year. In the last few months I have been to Spain, going to Seville for a Porsche event, and have just returned from England and the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Now, Brumos Racing is getting read to head off to Montreal for our next race, so I was thinking of how international travel compares to the domestic version.
We all know what it’s like to go through an airport in the U.S. – there are long lines, you have to practically undress, your shoes have to come off, you can’t have liquids, you can’t do this, you can’t do that! The airline representatives can be difficult, and it is often just an unpleasant experience overall. The same is true of international travel, but it can try your patience even more, as you have to add in the process of getting through Customs on both sides of the trip. The line for this can be incredibly long! I recently landed back in the U.S. in Miami after coming back through Frankfurt, and the lines were about a mile long, it seemed. It eventually took me nearly two hours to get through, so it can be a really bad deal.
Once you get into a European country, travel between other countries is much less restrictive. You don’t have to take off your shoes, and they are far more lenient about what you can pack in a carry-on bag, so it is a lot easier to work within their system over there. Just getting to Europe from the U.S. and back into the States is the hardest part of the trip, it seems.
As Canada
Our transport drivers are our heroes on these international trips, and they really have to go through a lot to get our trucks to the track on time. They have to provide a list of everything that is on the truck to cross the border, and it can be a very long list! You have, of course, the race car, plus all the parts that are on it and those loaded on the truck, like tires or wheels, or any tools and equipment. Sometimes they get lucky and can cross without a problem, but just as often, they can get the agent that is going to look at everything. So, it can create a big problem if they delay you at the border getting in and you are on a tight schedule. Our drivers always do a great job getting through Customs and getting us to the track on time, so we owe them a big “thank-you.”
As for the return trip, I know we are hoping to have a couple of items on the truck that weren’t on the trip there – a couple of trophies! And at least those will be self-explanatory to the Customs guys so maybe we won’t get in any trouble coming home!
Catch the Rolex Series race from Montreal this Friday night, Aug. 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET on SPEED
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