Chris.Derecola

It had been 2.5 years since I raced at VIR, or anywhere other than Summit Point for that matter. It was going to be a hot one, but it was the first weekend I could re-visit one of my favorite tracks… so I figured it worthwhile. It turns out Mother Nature would really throw a nasty one at us, with heat indexes pushing well into triple digits for most of the weekend. The weather was downright unpleasant, with most people hiding in the coolest place they could find.

The racing itself was fairly non-eventful. A short race on Saturday meant not much fatigue and not much attrition. A much longer race on Sunday was still relatively clean, but the temperature definitely did something to the drivers. From what I could tell of both my and others’ driving, things were sloppy. People were over-braking, missing apexes and just generally not on their game. People were clean with respect to one another and everything shook out well, but it was clear we were all impacted.

Even if the racing wasn’t the memorable, I can at least say I was there. It was a personal test to complete those races and and I did it. I don’t think it would have been something I could have done were I in the shape I was in three years ago.

Well, my latest foray into the world of racing wasn’t nearly as successful as my last.

Things didn’t start well when a strange quirk in schedule inconsistencies, announcements and timing afforded me a very short qualifying session. Some of my competitors got six laps, some four but a few of us only got two. I probably could have gotten the full session had I been willing to bake on grid wearing my three layer nomex suit in 90° weather, but I was trying to maximize my “freshness” while on track. With only two laps, I never really got up to speed and the end result was a qualifying time seven seconds off my usual pace. Needless to say, I was going to start the race at the back of the field.

I actually like starting at the back and was looking forward to picking off cars at the start. Unfortunately, I was far enough back that I couldn’t see the green flag and several of us back there kinda got left in the dust. I did manage to overtake a few cars during the course of the race, but what ended up being a leak in one of my break lines (from police tape wrapping around the wheel) kept me from really trusting my car. Throw a bunch of traffic in the mix and you had all the makings of a relatively low finish. It was one of the more intense races I’ve had in a long time, but it wasn’t always for the right reasons.

Given I was leaking a noticeable amount of brake fluid, things could have been a lot worse. I still got to race and bring both myself and the car back in one piece. Maybe I’m just growing older (more boring?), but I’m willing to take that as a measure of success.

It just isn’t officially summer until you’ve heard DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince’s Summertime.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I thought I’d bring you up to speed on what’s been keeping me busy.

Past

• I finally finished physical therapy for my shoulder. It’s not completely pain free, but mobility and strength are improving every week. I sometimes forget I’m not 100% and will do something, like try and start the lawn mower, that sharply reminds me. I look forward to when I can do things like throw a Frisbee and fire a shotgun.
• I attended George Washington University’s Commencement ceremony on the National Mall, marking the final piece of my time in grad school. A lot of planning went into the week of graduation, including buying myself a tuxedo, so I was glad when it was over. I don’t remember so much effort going into the time surrounding my undergrad ceremony, but that’s probably because all I did was show up.
• I spent the last month working to refinance our house. Usually a simple process, it becomes much more complicated when you have to bring a significant amount of money to the table. We got a great rate, about 2% lower than our previous one, but there were far too many hoops to jump through for it. I can’t tell you how many statements I had to fax and phone calls I had to make so the lenders felt comfortable that we weren’t getting our down payment via another loan. Hopefully it will all be said and done by the time you read this.
• I seriously considered selling my car to buy something either more sporty or more utilitarian. My car is perfectly capable, but it is neither of those things, so I was debating a change. After recent $0 out-of-pocket warranty work (that I was pleasantly surprised Subaru covered) and the aforementioned house refinance, I decided it makes a lot more sense to hold on to it for awhile.

Present

• I celebrated my three month anniversary today at Neustar. Learning has come at quite the accelerated pace and things are really starting to fall into place. I actually feel like I’ve been there far longer, which can be a bad thing, but I see it as mostly good. My days there can be stressful, sometimes lasting into the evening, but on the whole they’re pleasantly busy 8.5 hour days. The great part is I’m free to not only oversee my day-to-day work, but also have a significant say in how I impact the bigger picture. I am only really limited by my own imagination, which is not something I take for granted.
• We planted our garden a few weeks ago and have been tending to it. I am really looking forward to fresh fruit and veggies; it’s hard to believe the difference in taste. We’ve been visiting a local farmer’s market in the meantime and found some really great products doing so. Even things like pork chops and eggs are amazingly more delicious when they’re sourced locally.
• I’ve kept up with riding my bike as much as my schedule has permitted… averaging 2-3 times a week. This probably isn’t surprising, but I’ve found that being able to track every aspect of it has kept me motivated. I don’t think I’m going to make it to a charity ride this year, but I’d like to participate in one next year.
• We spent (roughly) the last week without Internet at home. I’ve been enjoying the freedom it’s offered, even if it’s meant we haven’t been able to use things like Netflix’s Watch Now and XBox Live. It’s definitely eye opening to see how much of our lives are touched by the Internet… although I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. How did I post this? I’d previously won a copy of Tether from BGR, allowing me to tether (go figure!) my laptop to my blackberry. I wouldn’t rely on it, but it’s really awesome in a pinch.

Future

• My fifth annual canoe trip with the guys is coming up this weekend. It’s something I start to look forward to as early as January, so suffice to say I’m excited. It’s a great way to catch up with guys I haven’t seen in months and do some outdoorsy stuff in the process. I hope the weather and the river levels cooperate, but I’m sure we’ll make do regardless. Hopefully my shoulder doesn’t give me too much trouble.
• The next 944 Cup race takes place at Hyperfest and is just a few short weeks away. Racing is much better without the pressure; it should be good times.
• We’re less than 75 days away from our backpacking trip to Europe. It’s about 2/3 the length and half the countries originally planned, but I’m excited about it. The details aren’t completely finalized, but will probably include three stops in France, time in Belgium and a short stay in Netherlands. This is the first real traveling we’ve done in a few years and it will help me scratch quite a few things off my Life List, so it can’t come soon enough.
• Woof?