How do racers celebrate Christmas? Does the celebration have something to do with speed? Well, let’s hear it straight from the stars of racing series…"My best Christmas gift ever was probably when I got my first motorcycle! I was about nine years old and my parents got me an '84 Honda CR80. Only problem was that I couldn't come close to touching the ground when I sat on it. My dad had made a special lower seat for me (by basically cutting away all the padding) so it had a real 'unique' look to it that could never be mistaken. I was sort of thinking that I might get a CR60 but I think my dad thought that it wouldn't have enough horsepower! Anyway, I had lots of good times on that bike and learned some valuable lessons as well. That thing was a screamer!" said Alex Gurney, 2007 Daytona Prototype Champion, GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing.
"My best Christmas gift was a Richard Petty slot car. For a few years running, my brothers and I would all get a slot car set to share. By the time each Christmas would roll around, the previous set was usually toasted so the need was there, plus a new track layout was cause for excitement. I'm not sure exactly which year it was, but one year I got a Tyco set and my car was The King's #43 Olds 440. I was born in 1975, so he was kind of the man and now I had his race car. I would be undefeatable forever from now on! It was a good car and I kept it long after the set was trashed. I don't know where it went, but now I can get one on eBay..." said Jon Fogarty, 2007 Daytona Prototype co-Champion, GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing.
Memo Rojas, driver of the No. 01 TELMEX/Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Racing Lexus Riley: "My best gift ever was a Formula 1 R/C car that was the 1992 Mclaren that Ayrton Senna drove to one of his championships. He was my racing hero growing up so it was the coolest gift I ever had."
Travis Walker, Compass 360 Racing Acura TSX pilot, has this to say: "The best Christmas ever was when I was four and Santa brought me a Batman sled. I thought he spoke with Batman and together they made me a sled that looked like the Batmobile and I was the only one who got this cool gift. Of course, I couldn't wait to get it on the hill and see how fast it could go. Even then speed was important. Little did I know then what I would be doing now."
Karl Thomson, Compass 360 Racing Acura driver and team boss, said: "When I was in my late teens, my father spent a few years working in the Middle East. My sister and I, being at school in Canada, would fly to meet my parents there for Christmas. The first time it was pretty emotional because we hadn't seen each other in months. It felt strange, even exotic, to be celebrating Christmas in the middle of a desert."
As expected, a lot of them involved speed!
Let’s change the scenario, if they are to give you a present, what would it be? Would Acura lower control arm suffice?
credit: Grand-Am
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