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IN THE COCKPIT: Charlie Kimball, Brazil
Chip Ganassi Racing driver Charlie Kimball files his latest column that covers his home race at Long Beach and the wet race in Brazil.
Charlie Kimball  |  Posted May 06, 2011  
Kimball was fast in Brazil, but contact on Monday's portion of the event limited his final result. (LAT)
ChipGanassiRacing.com


April took me from Birmingham to Brazil and California in between for the Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The race at Barber was a historic event for me and for all of those who have worked so hard to for us to compete at the most elite level of INDYCAR. As a team -- on and off the track -- we proved a lot to ourselves in Birmingham. Not only did Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi racing pick up our first top 10 finish, my diabetes team collected some very useful data as we completed the race and there were no major problems for the car or for me. I know Dr. Anne Peters, my longtime endocrinologist, was definitely resting easier after Birmingham. I keep telling her it's all good and in Birmingham I proved it to her!

I also got to spend some time in Birmingham with a great crew from CNN. They are working on a story about me that will run in May prior to the Indianapolis 500. It was fun filming with them and I can't wait to see the piece.

The middle of April brought me back to Southern California and it was great to be home, see my family and spend some time with Kona, our dog. Little things like a visit home always help me keep things in perspective and this season that is one of my top priorities.

Around our transporter at the track and back in the race shop in Indy one word you hear frequently is completion. I want to finish as many races as possible because the more time I'm in the car in race conditions, the better I will get. As a rookie, there is so much for me to learn and I'm working hard to find that perfect balance between being competitive and minimizing mistakes. It is always easier said than done!

It was awesome to see so many friends from Ventura County at the Long Bach race. Just being around them keeps me relaxed and happy- especially at a tough race weekend like Long Beach. We must have had 60 family and friends at the race. I also got to spend some time race week visiting four schools in Long Beach and talking with the students. I was able to give them rides in one of INDYCAR's street-legal two-seaters and we had a blast. Doing donuts on a school playground? Epic!

Also that week I had coffee with one of the giants in sports journalism. I got to spend an hour with the legendary Bill Dwyre (a former sports editor at the L. A. Times who has covered so many historic sporting events). Having grown up reading the L.A. Times and the sports section mainly, getting a chance to talk with him, tell him my story and hear a few of his stories was definitely one of those moments that are very memorable.
Kimball, right, has been learning at a rapid pace as an IndyCar Series rookie. (LAT)

On the track we had a great race in Long Beach for 75 of the 95 laps. All was going great and we were moving up through the field, saving the car for the last sprint to the finish when I got run into from behind and ended our day early. It was definitely a major disappointment, especially with how great a job my Ganassi guys had done all weekend. But, we still learned a lot.

Late in the month I headed Brazil for my first trip to South America. It was the last inhabited continent that I had never been to! It was definitely a wet and wild race through the streets of Sao Paulo and we were running under some of the most difficult driving conditions I have ever experienced.

We started on rain tires Sunday and only got in a dozen laps before they red flagged the race and postponed it until Monday morning. But, when we halted on Sunday, I had moved up to 7th position and was sitting really good for the restart on Monday morning.

Monday morning brought more of the same – rain and wet conditions – but at least it was not as bad as it had been on Sunday. The rain returned just as they dropped the green flag on Monday and we all dove back into the pits to put on rain tires. When I was leaving the pits I got caught up with another car. I had to come back in to change the front wing and check the steering and it put me a lap down. I drove the whole rest of the race with the steering wheel alignment off- so when I was going straight, the steering wheel was 90 degrees left! Couple that with the challenging wet conditions on a street circuit and I was never able to get back on the lead lap. The guys did a great job keeping me in the race and we finished P16.

And now it is time for Indianapolis! Our focus shifts to the qualifying process for Indy and staying calm and focused for the whole Month of May. The whole Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing crew is committed to putting the No. 83 Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen car in the show at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

Learn more about Charlie, his team and his sponsors at www.ChipGanassiRacing.com.
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Charlie Kimball

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