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Cunnigham Drives to 5th Title

2008-10-07T08:44:00.004-04:00

My brother-in-law Pierre Kleinubing just missed his 5th World Challenge Title October 3rd coming in five points behind team owner Peter Cunnigham in the 2008 season finale at Road Atlanta.

This is Peter's 5th World Challenge Title and wraps up an incredible season for Realtime Racing where they nabbed the Championship as well as second, third, and the Manufacturer's Title. It was an amazing season that won't be easily eclipsed. Afterall, how do you do better than the Championship, 2nd, 3rd, and the Manufacturer's Cup? I guess we'll find out next year when the Realtime crew kicks off the 2009 World Challenge Season at Sebring.

I'll be there as usual with my kids to cheer Pierre and RTR on to victory. If you are at the track stop by the RTR trailer and say "hi".

In Memoriam: Paul Newman

2008-09-30T11:13:00.006-04:00

This past Friday dealt yet another blow to the racing community with the passing of Paul Newman. Known not only for his incredible acting career, Paul Newman was also an accomplished driver and team owner. I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who could say they didn't like Paul Newman. He was one of the few genuine, charismatic individuals who was loved and respected by all.

He has long been one of my personal all-time favorite celebrities. A real "man's man" in a sea of shallow, conceited actors and athletes. I was fortunate to have met Mr. Newman a few times at the Cleveland Grand Prix at Burke Lakefront Airport back in the glory days of Champ Car Racing. When I first met him I was struck by how sincere and affable he was. There was never a hint of ego or elitism despite his legendary status.

He was an icon who will be missed but never forgotten. Godspeed!

iPhone Dyno

2008-09-23T08:46:00.004-04:00

I love my iPhone more with each passing day and it's apps like Dynolicious that make it even better.

Despite the ridiculous name, Dynolicious is an incredible "pocket dyno" app that any car nut will appreciate. Dynolicious utilizes the accelerometer built in to your iPhone or iPod Touch to sense the motion of your vehicle. This data is sampled as many as one hundred times per second, developing a detailed picture of the car's acceleration. This information is then used to determine the speed of the vehicle and the distance travelled.

Additional features include:

*0-60 MPH
*Other Speed Tests (0-10 MPH through 0-100 MPH in 10MPH increments)
*Quarter Mile Elapsed Time
*Quarter Mile Trap Speed
*Elapsed Time and Trap Speed for standard intervals (60', 330', 1/8 Mi, 1000')
*Lateral G's (current and peak)
*Braking G's (current and peak)
*Wheel Horsepower
*Estimated Engine Horsepower

I can't wait to see what this baby says after a few laps in a shifter kart. Dynolicious is available for download to your iPhone for $12.99 through the Apple iTunes App Store.

In Memoriam: Phil Hill

2008-09-02T11:01:00.005-04:00

Although I never had the opportunity to meet him in person, Phil Hill has always been one of my favorite drivers. No matter what he was associated with he always seemed to portray a sense of class and charisma that is a rarity in today's age. I always enjoyed reading any magazine or article that he was a part of. I only wish I could have had the opportunity to speak with him in person. Imagine the stories he could tell!

Here's the official news:

Born in Miami, Florida, Hill was raised in Santa Monica, California, where he lived until his death. He studied business administration at the University of Southern California in 1945-47 but left early to pursue auto racing, working as a mechanic on other drivers' cars. Hill began racing cars at an early age, going to England as a Jaguar trainee in 1949 and signing with Enzo Ferrari’s team in 1956. He made his debut in the French Grand Prix at Reims France in 1958 driving a Maserati. That same year, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Belgian team mate Olivier Gendebien, driving for most of the night in horrific rainy conditions. He and Gendebien would go on to win the famous endurance race two more times.

In 1961, Hill won the 24 Hours of Le Mans again and the Formula One driving championship for the Ferrari team. He secured the championship when he won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza that year. His closest rival, teammate Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips, crashed and died in the same race. Earlier that year, during a practice session at the German Grand Prix, Hill became the first man to lap the Nordschleife at the Nürburgring in less than nine minutes. Unlike Mario Andretti, Hill was born in the USA, and is still the only US-born F1 champion.

After leaving Ferrari at the end of 1962 in the great walkout of engineers, he and fellow driver Giancarlo Baghetti started for their new team ATS. Hill continued in Formula One for a few more years until he switched to sports car racing with Ford Motor Company and the Chaparral Cars of Jim Hall.

Phil Hill has the distinction of having won the first (a 3 lap event at Carrell Speedway in a MG TC on July 24 1949) and last races of his driving career, the final victory driving for Chaparral in the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch in England in 1967.
Following his retirement, Hill built up an award winning classic car restoration business in the 1970s called Hill & Vaughn with business partner Ken Vaughn, until they sold the partnership to Jordanian Raja Gargour and Vaughn went on run a separate business on his own in 1984. Phil remained with Gargour at Hill & Vaughn until the sale of the business again in 1995. Hill also worked as a television commentator for ABC's Wide World of Sports.

Hill had a long and distinguished association with Road & Track magazine. He wrote several articles for them, including road tests and retrospective articles on historic cars and races. He shared his "grand old man" status at R&T with '60s racing rival Paul Frere, who also died in 2008.

Hill, in his last years, devoted his time to his vintage car collection and judged at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance more often than any other individual; 2006 was the 38th time he had judged the event.

Hill was married to Alma, and had three children: Derek, Vanessa and Jennifer. Derek raced in International Formula 3000 in 2001, 2002 and 2003, but was forced to retire when Hill became ill with Parkinson's Disease.

After traveling to the Monterey Historic Automobile Races in August of 2008, Hill was taken to a hospital, where he died after a short illness from complications of Parkinson's Disease in Salinas, California on August 28th.

7Th Manufacturers' Title for RTR and Acura

2008-08-27T20:58:00.004-04:00

A fortuitous third place finish today by RealTime Acura team owner Peter Cunningham assured Acura of its unprecedented seventh Manufacturers' Championship in the SCCA Speed World Challenge Touring Car Championship.

Round Nine of the ten-event road racing championship for production-based touring sedans was held north of the border at the historic Mosport International Raceway. After qualifying ninth, Cunningham steadily moved forward in a tight field whose fastest race laps were only separated by 0.813 of a second. While pushing hard to what appeared to be a fifth place finish and in sight of the finish line, the third place BMW decided to attempt a pass on the second place Mazda.

As the two spinning cars were trying to regain their footing, Cunningham and Canadian teammate Kuno Wittmer took the checkers in third and fourth, scoring enough Manufacturers' points to seal the deal for Acura with one event remaining on the 2008 calendar.

"Our objective today was to do everything in our power to place one of our cars in the top four, which would clinch the championship for Acura," said Cunningham. "It was apparent after Qualifying that that task was going to be difficult, and when 27 and 7/8ths of the scheduled 28 laps were complete, we were resigned to the fact that we'd have to wait for the finale to ice the title. When the melee emerged in front of me and I made it safely through into third, I started cheering in my helmet!"

Coming into the weekend, the chase for the title among the top three drivers was closer than ever before, with only five points separating them. The best of the RTR pilots in Qualifying was four-time driving titlist Pierre Kleinubing in fifth. He collected two more points for that result, tying him for second with Cunningham and only three points behind Wittmer for the lead heading into the race.

Unfortunately for Kleinubing, series race officials busted him for 'creeping' at the start line before the lights were extinguished, forcing him to the pits to serve a drive through penalty. In courageous style, he fought back and was credited with a remarkable sixth place finish.

Dino Crescentini finished one spot behind in seventh after qualifying 11th and team newcomer and Rookie of the Year contender Patrick Lindsey moved up one spot from his qualifying position to finish 11th.

The final round of the season will take place at the Petit Le Mans weekend, October 1-3 at Road Atlanta.

"Now, all five of our drivers can relax just a bit at Road Atlanta, enjoy the weekend knowing our first priority for any season has been achieved," noted crew chief Paul Truess. "With the Drivers' tally as close as it is, it will be a one-race shootout to see who will be named the 2008 Drivers' Champion."

The RTR boys head to the finale with Cunningham atop the Drivers' points standings, looking for his fifth title with the team which he founded. If he outscores his teammates but fails to win the race, he will become the second driver in four years to assemble a season filled with enough consistently-high results that he wins the championship without winning a race.

Wittmer has three wins here in his third season of Touring Car competition and sits second in the points, four behind Cunningham. Kleinubing has one victory of his own this year and runs third, 16 markers out of first.

The SPEED TV broadcast of the Mosport race airs this Wednesday, August 27 at Noon ET.

Kleinubing: 2nd At Road America

2008-08-20T09:35:00.011-04:00

August 10, 2008 - Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

RealTime Racing Acura driver Pierre Kleinubing drove his TSX to a hard-fought second place finish at Road America, Round Eight of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED Touring Car Championship. This result netted an additional three markers over second place Mazda in the Manufacturers' Championship, with Acura now leading by 18 points, 69-51. If Acura can score at least one fourth place result in either of the final two races, it will secure its record-extending sixth Manufacturers' title.

Kleinubing qualified on the pole with a 98.376 mph lap around the famed 4.048-mile road course and led laps 1 thru 11 before being passed by BMW driver James Clay, who was only able to put a 1.5-second gap on Kleinubing when the checkered flag fell six laps later.

"This was the most exciting Touring Car race the series has seen in quite awhile," commented RTR team leader Peter Cunningham, whose fifth place finish keeps him in second place for the driving title. "The battles were ongoing throughout the field and no one knew where they would finish until the checkered flag fell."

Points leader Kuno Wittmer came into the weekend as the series' most recent race winner, but found out that was no guarantee of superiority. In Qualifying he led the pack out of the gate as the Touring Cars line up in points order. At a place like Road America however, that's not where you want to be, because being the benefactor of the 'draft' can shave your lap time substantially. After starting from the 11th position (This was the first time this year he qualified worse than sixth), Wittmer did his best to work his way to the front but got shuffled back in a restart fracas and had to settle for 10th.

Former RealTime regular Eric Curran pinch hit once again this weekend, for an absent Glenn Bocchino. Glenn instead focused his energies on his i-Moto Racing Grand Am Koni Challenge program that was competing in Iowa. Eric was quickly comfortable in the similar RSX machine that he had driven for three years for the RealTime squad, gridding the car in 10th. In that previously-mentioned skirmish on the restart, he chose the proper lane, allowing him to produce a sixth place finish.

Dino Crescentini was looking to improve on his 14th place starting point, but fell to 18th after an electrical gremlin under the hood forced his retirement before the 17 laps were completed.

So now, with eight of the ten rounds complete, an incredible battle is shaping up the Drivers' Championship, as three RealTime Acura drivers are in lockstep for the points lead. Wittmer maintains the top of the order with 765 markers, Cunningham runs second with 762, and Kleinubing's results here in Wisconsin moved him right back into the fray with 760. At no time in the 19-year history of the World Challenge has the fight for the title been so close this late in the season.

"This weekend was also special because we consider Road America our home track. We enjoyed spending time with more than 200 family members and friends of RealTime Racing." added Cunningham. "The weather was picture-perfect, and the support from our fans helped us perform at our best."

The SPEED TV broadcast of the Road America race airs Wednesday, August 20 at 1pm ET.

In Memoriam: John Herlitz

2008-04-16T10:40:00.003-04:00

Living down in South Florida keeps me isolated from the automotive epicenter of Motown and I am often out of the loop when it comes to current news and events. I try to stay up to speed with the industry but work and family obligations often get in the way and take priority. I recently took a moment to try and catch up on the news in the automotive world when I was saddened to learn about the passing of John Herlitz on March 24th.

I'm sure most of you have already heard or read many of the articles in the press about the legendary retired Chrysler designer's recent death. All the major news outlets have journaled his career and accomplishments upon his passing but none really spoke about the type of person he was more than what he did.

I was blessed to have met and studied under Mr. Herlitz while I was a student at CIA. Back in the early 90's Chrysler sponsored a semester project for our transportation class. Every Saturday two of Chrysler's designers would drive down to Cleveland from Detroit to teach us and review our work. Every project culminated with a final review in which Mr Herlitz would visit and critique our work.

In the course of our studies and experience we often met several "high-ranking" automotive executives. While each was very cordial and professional in their own way, none had the charisma and charm of John Herlitz. Mr Herlitz was the type of man who instantly made those around him feel comfortable. Despite his hefty corporate stature and legendary past experience he never once carried himself above those in his company. I always respected and admired the fact that one of Chrysler's best designers and VP of Design would joke and hang around with 19 to 20 year old students as though we were equals. He was a man of hard work and humility.

John always had a smile and a friendly word of encouragement. He was eager to offer his guidance and criticism to help us achieve our goals but did so in an almost big-brotherly way. He was quick to wit and joke too. I remember a particular critique where Mr Herlitz was reviewing my sketches and jokingly commented that one design looked as though a 800 pound gorilla had sat on it! I was always at ease when he reviewed our projects due to such good natured ribbing but I always had a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for anything he had to say. Mr Herlitz was always more of the friendly neighbor next door than a Big 3 top dog.

I always wanted to work under such an incredible man but I unfortunately never had the chance. Despite never having had the opportunity to design with him at Chrysler I will always fondly remember the times he mentored myself and our class. It saddens me to know that the world will no longer have him here smiling and inspiring the people he meets but I take solace in the knowledge that John had a lifetime of teaching and inspiring others to greatness. What better legacy to leave the world than being the shining example by which other designers strive to meet each day?

I can just imagine John doing burnouts in a Cuda with St. Peter riding shotgun in a cloud of burnt rubber and smoke. I hope heaven has no speed limits. Farewell my friend!

Grand Prix

2007-11-23T11:11:00.001-05:00

Undoubtedly one of the all time best racing movies. If you have any race fans to buy for this holiday season make sure Grand Prix is on your list.

Put Him in the Wall

2007-10-03T15:08:00.001-04:00

I can't help but laugh my ass off when I see these commercials. Instant classics! I especially love the whole Grand Prix vibe they put in it with the split screens and camera angles.

No Sleep for You!

2007-09-14T11:22:00.000-04:00

The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated! I know it's been a long time since my last entry and I appreciate all the concerned emails regarding my health and whereabouts. Contrary to popular belief I did not move to Maranello to try out for the Ferrari F1 team. I am right here at home in the good 'ole USA. Although I continue to have delusions that I am in Mugello enjoying the fine aroma of burnt rubber and racing fuel.

The little lady above is what has sidelined me for the past 8 weeks. Some how between now and the birth of my son I forgot that a baby and sleep deprivation go hand in hand. My new little girl has adorably managed to dominate every minute of my day leaving zero time for anything outside of work, diapers, and late night feedings. I know from past experience with my son things will continue this way until I am on the brink of exhaustion. Hopefully I'll get an early reprieve and she'll start sleeping through the night so that things will return to "normal".

Until then, enjoy the luxury of a good night's rest knowing somewhere off in the distance at 3am I'm weerily warming a bottle while my daughter screams her lungs off "No sleep for you!".

Concept 180: gestures

2007-06-20T14:23:00.000-04:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been two months since my last post. Sorry for the dead time but between a heavy work schedule and a new daughter due in August I've been a little busy.

Here are a few samples of a new technique I've been experimenting with for Concept 180 to break out of my comfort zone. I like to take at least thirty minutes each day to practice gesture sketching. During these mini-sessions I focus on creating a rapid, "stream of conscious" series of loose, abstract sketches. I put on some good music, free my mind, and randomly throw down loose, exaggerated lines and shapes . I do each sketch as fast as possible without bringing along any preconceived notions in hopes of discovering a fresh proportion, profile, line, etc.

This technique is similar to a process I saw illustrated in a Nick Pugh DVD. I use many of the same methods shown in Nick's DVD but I've adapted them a little to match my style. The principle and results are the same but I've tried to add to the accidental, abstract nature by using Photshop custom brushes.

I have a library of custom brushes I have created for this purpose based on abstract shapes from nature, art, architecture, etc. I simply start with a blank white canvas and then randomly make a few gestures with one or more of my custom brushes at various settings. I do this changing little things each time until I notice something that stands out. It could be anything that catches my eye. A composition, an arrangement of shapes, anything different. I save these interesting files in a separate folder and then I go back and overlay them to try and develop the features that I think are unique.

The key is to keep everything quick and loose. Whenever I catch myself spending too much time on a sketch I put it away. Five minutes at the most. This is about trying to discover something new and to stop drawing the same shapes and lines that I have subconsciously favored through the years. I strictly draw these gestures in black and white to take advantage of the positive-negative space.

As you can see, some work and some don't. I get more than my share of bombs but every attempt has the possibility of sparking something new. It's a great way to loosen up or break out of a creative block.

Stay tuned for more!

Concept 180: Introduction

2007-04-16T14:13:00.000-04:00

Comfort.

As human beings we spend the majority of our lives in pursuit of comfort. Whether it be a comfortable situation financially, emotionally, or physically we strive to create an existence that is wholly comfortable and stress free.

I believe this inherent longing for comfort and security in all of us is counterproductive to our success as designers.

Comfort lulls us into a false sense of security and accomplishment. It creates an imaginary bubble of creative novacaine around our brains that encourages us to play it safe, to not take any chances. Why push new ground? Why rock the boat? Why should we venture out of our comfort zone into the unknown? Why be different?

The answer is simple. Because we can.

We owe it to ourselves to try and be different. Isn't our ultimate goal as designers to create? To be original and push the boundaries in hope of discovering that next step? Our very creative nature compels us to go against the flow and stand out from the crowd. To be unique.

In an effort to break free of my own personal comfort zone, I've begun a design experiment called Concept 180. As the name implies, this exercise will be an attempt on my part to go in a different direction. To set out and shatter all of my preconceived notions, habits, and comforts that I have silently reinforced throughout the past 15 years. To stop designing and drawing the way every other designer is and discover my own path.

I'm going to approach things entirely different than ever before. Go against the grain and buck the system. Put the square peg in the round hole. I'm going to experiment with alternative methods and techniques. I'm going to push the limits of proportion and our interpretation of what's beautiful. I'm going to try and completely forget everything I have ever been taught about design and every preconceived notion so that I may break new ground. Hell, I'll try drawing with my left hand just to shake things up.

I'm sure that in the course of this learning process there will be some terrible mistakes, dead-end directions, and more than a few hideous sketches. There might just be some breakthroughs as well. I'll routinely post my work and notes here so that you can track my progress or lack there of. Either way, you'll get to see it all. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Hopefully I won't embarrass myself too bad and I'll learn a thing or two along the way.

Talk the Talk...

2007-04-03T11:29:00.000-04:00

and walk the walk! Or at least sound like you know what you are talking about.

I found this little gem over at the New York Times website and thought I'd pass it along. You can follow this link to see the original flash file complete with rollover explanations of each term. If you are going to learn the correct words it would be wise to know what they stand for.

This is the perfect cheat sheet for any aspiring designer who doesn't yet have a grasp on the industry's terminology. Now you can talk car design with the "pros" and not look like a total rookie!

You can learn the lingo in a few minutes but the hard part of learning how to actually design and draw them is up to you.

Que Bella!

2007-03-23T09:17:00.000-04:00

How can you not love this new Shell ad? I can't think of anything that sounds as beautiful as an F1 car.

Imagine how complicated and costly something like this was to film. When you take into consideration the logistics and red tape of shooting in so many different international locations you can't help but appreciate the ad even more.

For an even higher quality version click the image below and turn up your speakers.

Sebring 2007

2007-03-19T10:05:00.000-04:00

What an incredible weekend! Sebring holds a special place in my heart and this year was no different. The heart thumping finish of the GT2 class above says it all.

I was also on hand to proudly witness my brother-in-law Pierre Kleinubing battle his way to a third place finish in the World Challenge Touring Car season opener in his RTR Acura TSX. Congratulations Pierre! Here's to a repeat championship performance of last year.

The victory champagne also flowed for my friend Charlie Scardina who not only nailed the pole position for the IMSA GT3 Cup race but kept the field at bay to finish first. Best of luck to Charlie for the rest of the series. He may be as rookie but I know he'll do well.

Homestead, FL Ferrari Challenge

2007-03-13T13:43:00.000-04:00

This time of year is nirvana for racing fans here in Florida. We have world class concours seemingly every weekend and the racing season gets underway.

I was fortunate enough this past Saturday to catch the Ferrari Challenge down at our local track in Homestead. In addition to the Challenge race there was an incredible sea of Ferraris basking under the 80 degree sunshine with nary a cloud to be seen.

The highlight of the day was watching the F1 cars with my son. If you've never experienced F1 in person you need to add it to the short list of things to do before you die. It's guaranteed to send chills down your spine.

The Wait is Over

2007-03-12T20:57:00.002-04:00

Another F1 season is finally upon us! Sadly Michael Schumacher will no longer dumbfound us with his brilliance but I look forward to see who will try to fill his nomex shoes.

The video above is from my favorite circuit Spa, which will be returning to the schedule this year.

The Red Mist

2007-02-07T15:27:00.000-05:00

There is an epidemic raging that inflicts the hearts and minds of car enthusiasts. It is a volatile and easily transmitted sickness that has no cure. Those who are stricken suffer from a euphoric state and demonstrate a passionate aversion to being cured.

This disease is known among Tifosi as the "red mist". The red mist is that uncontrollable feeling that strikes you deep down in your core whenever a Ferrari is near. It's the same stirring that ignited your soul the first time you kissed a beautiful girl. It's that same shot of adrenaline you felt the first time you deftly balanced speed, momentum, and traction into a four wheel drift.

Your pulse begins to race and your hands tremble. You are inexplicably overcome by the urge to write blank checks and sing Puccini. You are completely entranced and oblivious to the world around you. You are possessed.

There is hope.

For those of us who suffer from the red mist there is relief in the form of the Cavallino Classic. The Cavallino Classic is the premier Ferrari only event held every January in Palm Beach, Florida at the elegant Breakers Hotel and Resort.

It is here that myself and other proclaimed red mist addicts can gather in the the Florida sunshine and get our "fix" among endless rows of Maranello's finest creations. This year featured an incredible group of 166 Barchettas as well as several pontoon fendered Testarossas. It was, as it always is, simply breathtaking.

The event begins at the local track where you can see Ferraris driven as they were meant to be. Over the course of two full days you'll view every manner of vintage and modern Ferrari at speed. You name it, it's there. There is even a rally on the local scenic streets of Palm Beach that results in a sea of red meandering through palm lined avenues.

The highlight of the week is the magnificent concours that takes place Saturday on the lawn of the Breakers. The collection of Ferraris that are displayed here every year is unquestionably one of the greatest in the country and possibly even the world. I've had the fortune of attending both Pebble Beach and the Concorso Italiano and I can honestly say that there is no greater Ferrari focused event. The breadth and amount of vintage and modern Ferraris on hand is simply mind numbing.

If you suffer from the red mist like myself and so many others, you should seriously consider making the time to attend the next Cavallino Classic. Not only do you get to enjoy an incredible venue, you are guaranteed to get that rush that keeps us addicted to speed and cars for life.

Forza!

You Can't Get There from Here

2007-01-10T10:17:00.000-05:00

My name is Anthony and I'm a curveaholic. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't unabashedly fantasize about long, sensuous curves.

I'm not lusting after the curves found dangling from brass poles in dimly lit gentleman's clubs. (Although those aren't too bad either). I'm addicted to the sweeping, onyx ribbons of pavement that meander on for miles and undulate with the Earth.

There is nothing I love more than the experience of driving on an incredible road.

The dilemma is that I live in south Florida. South Florida curveaholics can't get their fix any easier than an alcoholic in Mormon territory. This is a dry town.

The irony of living here is that we have all the ingredients that make it an enthusiast's paradise except that one magical spice. Curves. We are blessed with gorgeous tropical weather year round and pot-hole free, billiard table smooth roads but they are straighter than the EKG of a corpse and equally full of life.

Driving enthusiasts such as myself are forced to get a little creative for their fix. Aside from the local autocross events and track days, I've found a unique solution for my Sunday drive. Thanks to modern technology and Google Earth's eye in the sky I've found several local "test tracks" in the most mundane places.

Business parks.

The over-commercialization of our area has spawned a boom of enormous business parks. These areas are simply a massive track of land littered with large tilt-wall constructed buildings. Fortunately for me, these monstrous aberrations of industry are interconnected with curvy sub-roads punctuated with massive, open parking lots.

Translation, I've found four wheel drift nirvana right in my backyard!

Of course this is no drive through Big Sur or the Tail of the Dragon but it will have to suffice. I'd love to walk the Earth like an automotive Kwai Chang Caine in search of the perfect road but it will have to wait until I win the lotto or go to the Mugello in the sky. (God is a tifoso of course so heaven's home track is Mugello!)

My business park version of Spa does have some perks. If you get your lap time in on the weekends there isn't a soul around. The police aren't hiding around the next bend to decrease your bank account. Unless someone complains you'll have the area to yourself. Another added bonus is the safety of not having any other traffic or pedestrians to worry about. The last thing any of us want to do in our quest for driving thrills is to put any innocent people at risk. If the area isn't dead as Macaulay Culkin's career come back another time.

So you see there is hope for suffering curveaholics. I know it's not the most idealic solution but it's better than leaving it in one gear and using the cruise control. If you are a fellow enthusiast who is in the same painful geographical predicament you might want to fire up Google's satellite to see what possibilities might be going undriven.