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Dear Readers,
This is the story that started the era of many similar “shop tour” type stories in open wheel racing a few years ago. Although it has been imitated in many forms (and I’ve seen some incredibly similar versions out there) it has never for all of its feminine and literary charm, been duplicated in exactly the same way (that would be too obvious, wouldn’t it?)
Somehow I suspect the testosterone-laden world of open wheel racing fans and journalists could never bring itself to fully embrace this piece in its original genre (at least not “openly”) but none the less I’ve preserved it in its original
form and composition and am bringing it out of the closet for this re-print. Minor editing has been done to this story
since its original debut in order to make it more “timely”. However its spirit, creativity and all factual information
presented by TCGR remain intact as do all references to Lewis Carroll.
Since it is a somewhat “in-depth” feature, it has been deliberately formatted into three separate but interdependent
sections that allow readers to take the time needed to fully appreciate the large amount of information presented and to
enjoy the subtle complexities inherent throughout the story. It has also been formatted in such a way as to convey the
“whimsical” feel found in many of Lewis Carroll’s children’s classics.
Enjoy!
June 3, 2004
An Adventure
by Melisa Lalich
"Alice had got so much into the way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen that it seemed quite dull
and stupid for life to go on in the common way....
....in another moment Alice was through the glass,
and had jumped lightly down into the looking-glass room...
Oh what
fun it will be, when they see me through the glass in here and can't get at me!"
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Like Alice, I was about to begin an adventure into a world of excitement, secrets and surprises. The large glass and cement
structure located at 7777 Woodland Dr. would surely hold an adventure or two, as I entered into the unknown looking glass of
Champ car racing within the curious structure known as TCGR. Once inside the large, open lobby with its glass walls and windows, my gaze immediately turned to the diverse and
magnificent collection of owner's trophies lining the front area of the lobby. The glass wall served as a natural backdrop
for the open showcase. As I took a mental inventory of the treasures that lay before me, I counted 61 owner's trophies of
every conceivable variety and size in crystal, bronze, silver and even stone. While trying to pick out my own “favorite”, I
was reminded of the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where "Indy" had to choose his chalice "wisely" from among
the myriad of ancient treasures that lay before him. My attention then shifted to the left, where empty stands lined the
remaining window area and would later be filled with more trophies currently awaiting their new home. Also located in the
lobby was the new TCGR merchandise shop along with Chip's shiny new 2000 orange Titan motorcycle and Juan Montoya's
lightening red Indy-winning #9 car complete with the 500 winner’s victory wreath!
I was soon greeted by Mike Hull's assistant Tammy, who took me upstairs to a conference room where I would await Mike Hull
for our interview. Along the corridors and in the rooms hung various team-winning pictures of victories past. One portrait
in particular, still stands out in my mind. The team portrait of Alex Zanardi with his winning car and his crew all
clutching donuts in their victorious hands! The most impressive structure of the second floor was the immense wall of glass
overlooking the workshop below on the first floor. I would later get a more detailed, personal tour through the entire shop
and facility. Mike then entered the room and as we spoke in preparation for our first interview, I concluded as first
impressions go, that he possessed the shrewdness of Steven Hilbert combined with the poise and polish of Johnny Rutherford.
What follows here then, is my one on one interview with Mike Hull and the corresponding shop tour of TCGR guided by Scott
Harner.
The
Interview:
One on One with Mike Hull, Managing Director at TCGR
"Don't keep him waiting child! Why, his time is worth a thousand pounds a minute!...Language is worth a thousand pounds a
word!...Now here you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get to somewhere
else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!...."
The
Tour:
One on One with Scott Harner, Manager of Admin. Operations at TCGR
"But, oh, if I don't make haste, I shall have to go back through the looking-glass before I've seen the rest of the
house...and what fun it will be when they ask me how I liked my walk. I shall say--Oh, I liked it well enough...The shop
seemed to be full of all manner of curious things...that looked sometimes like a doll and sometimes like a work-box.....
You can contact Melisa at.. Speed News Now
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