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Victory by Design: Maserati DVD
From the racer that helped establish the Maserati name in the 1920s, the Tipo 26, to the successful 8CM of the early thirties.
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Just as Hunt's desired career as a professional racing driver gains momentum, other aspect of life pose new challenges. The balancing act never stops. » More Photos
The last two weeks have been non stop since returning from my test with APR Motorsport at Virginia International Raceway. Every aspect of my life has been changing at an extremely rapid pace. To be honest, sometimes I find it hard to keep up with myself. I feel like the guy in the circus that juggles 10 blazing torches while riding a unicycle.
Ever since I missed three days of work to go racing, I have been putting in long hours to catch up; all the while keeping in constant communication with teams to lock down a deal and trying to jumpstart my company: James Hunt Racing LLC.
On a slightly humorous side note- depending on how you look at it- one of my biggest life changes is my residence. I’m temporarily sleeping on a friend’s futon as a result of a relationship coming to an end (see my earlier post titled “Momentum” for all the details on that one). The one serious benefit to this is that I’m not on the receiving end of guilt trips for prioritizing racing over everything else as futons can’t wage psychological warfare! The downside is that when you compare my old pillow top Queen Bed to the current beat up futon, you get an aching back and legs that dangle off the edge like dead shrimp on the end of a fishing pole. (Don’t get me wrong Steve; I’m grateful for the place to stay!)
For me, missing work is never easy thanks to a friend of mine called “Email”- we’re on a first name basis. If I had to guess, I would say the person that invented email was most likely praised initially for revolutionizing business and communication; today however, I don’t think his reception would be quite the same. As a result, although you might be able to take the time “off”, you risk coming back to an Inbox that has 477 new messages (you guessed it, that’s what I came back to after only 3 days out of the office) all vying for my attention. Despite this, I love my job and working for BMW of North America is a true joy.
Even though I am feeling the weight of my intense focus on multiple things at the same time, the APR test was a total success! My communication with the team has been constant to try and work out a deal that puts me behind the wheel of an APR Motorsport Volkswagen GTI. I have also been in communication with other teams trying to line up other potential season options.
The hardest part about landing a ride with a team is that it’s not just as simple as finding a fast car, it’s about teamwork. The Grand Am Series is one that truly relies on a team dynamic, which is a foreign subject to some race car drivers. There are a multitude of pieces that need to fall into place for a mutually beneficial partnership between driver and team to work out. The Grand Am Series is an endurance road racing series that involves
On the bright side, my company, James Hunt Racing LLC is now officially a living entity. I have been working on possible apparel to start selling to help with exposure. For now, I’m keeping it simple with T-Shirts and Hats with a potential to grow from there. So, if you’re interested in being the best-dressed guy or gal at the track, you will be able to purchase my apparel via my website (www.jameshuntracing.com) which should be operational very shortly.
Another major task has been finalizing my company website discussed above. Man, what a project this has proven to be! I have been working tirelessly to get the content correct and the presentation to look professional, and in the process developed a true appreciation for people that work in web design! Needless to say, generating content that is professional and concise to broadcast (hopefully) to millions has proven to be harder than I thought. Nevertheless, I am very pleased with the latest pilot version of the site that thankfully only needs a few tweaks before going live.
Hunt spent a free weekend supporting friend and Daytona co-driver Mike Skeen at Laguna Seca. » More Photos
This past weekend I went up to Laguna Seca for the first time to watch my friend Mike Skeen race. Skip Barber is starting a racing series with the Mazda MX-5 and Mike was racing in their first actual points race. It was a great time and nice to finally see Laguna Seca in person. I hope to race there someday soon. Mike won his first race handily and suffered a mechanical DNF in race two. The only downside to the weekend was that I was not driving, but rather acting as Mike’s “Pit Bunny”. Ask any driver on the planet, going to the race track and not driving is like putting a starved Lion in front of a fresh kill and asking it not to eat.
Despite being so busy, I have maintained my sanity and, more importantly, my appreciation for what an exciting journey I have in front of me. I recently got an email from a friend who has already established himself very well in professional racing that ended with, “don’t forget to enjoy life on the way”. He’s right, making it as a professional driver IS a much larger task than I ever imagined; but I’m having fun and wouldn’t trade the opportunity for the world- even if it means being so busy that I don’t have time to blink.
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