(Above: Honda Grand Prix winner Graham Rahal, the author's grandsons David and Sam – the latter a little miffed because his brother, not he, had just caught one of Rahal's autographed caps – and an unidentified fan, also hoping for souvenirs. All photos by David Biddle.)
If you’re a complete ignoramus when it comes to auto racing, it helps to have with you as your guide and your photographer a complete racing freak. My partner’s son David is just such a freak, and my first experience at the Honda Grand Prix (gotta get those brand names in – the Grand Prix is nothing if not an intensely branded event) benefited immeasurably by having him on hand to interpret.
After our edifying encounter with Gene Simmons, we spent the next day at the Acura Sports Car Challenge, part of the American Le Mans Series, or ALMS (“Alms! Alms! Alms for the poor!â€). Though essentially just the pre-show to the main event on Sunday, the ALMS race proved useful as a way for me, racing dumbass, to pick the brain of David, racing connoisseur. He showed me a lot, and also took pictures of it.
Some of these pictures were of merely prurient interest (for me, not for David) Like this one (below) of Penske driver Ryan Briscoe, who makes a good argument for orange jumpsuits. Which brings me to an important point for all potential race-car fans of the female or gay persuasion: The eye-candy factor. Between the drivers and the firemen and the weekend jocks, well, you need to attend more races, honey, I’m tellin’ you.
But David, being knowledgeable, was also able to spot some historic moments which had no (well, only a little) prurient interest, like this meeting (below) of race-car royalty: Michael Andretti, his son Marco and racing godfather Roger Penske.
This article appears in Apr 2-8, 2008.