I'm really glad I'm an American.

It's an awfully nice place to be born in general, and we're reasonably free to enjoy our lives.

Sometimes I get a little sad that I can't point out an American car that get's me excited. I know Corvettes and Vipers are impressive machines, but they just don't do it for me, and they're the only cars of their kind that American's produce.

So I'm fortunate to have found with Honda both cars I desire, and a company I respect. That respect was earned in the most honest way.

I believe that Americans COULD do as well. There are just too many soul-less tools with their heads up each others asses in the upper echelons of our corporate managements.

In a simpler time, and a simpler place - Racing in the 60's - there were some people you could believe in. One in particular was an American named Jim Hall.

This months Motorsport has a Chaparral 2F on the cover, and a nice story on Jim Hall and his cars inside. GO BUY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT!

I learn alot about the great racers of history reading Motorsport, and in the case of Jim Hall I was surprised and pleased more than I expected.

Chaparral's had their ups and downs. In fact it looks like the downs really outnumbered the ups. But Hall's attitude is not what you'd expect - "...We always thought we were gonna win...But the fact that we didn't win that much didn't seem to matter."

The American in me that's only too happy to believe in another American if he just could, finds in Jim Hall something special. And someone worthy of some emulation. Just a guy, with the same toobox as you or I, and a willingness to use it seriously. And able to ride the unpredictable fates of racing without too much perturbation. Well maybe a little.

The other thing that stands out in the story is the frequency with which his innovations were outlawed. This looks to have bothered him a bit. What's the point after all of using your brain if it's best work is ordered thrown away. Even worse than being precluded from using your brain by rules that don't allow it - eh?

I've lately reopened my mind with respect to what's a win and what's not. Of course the win is the win. And sure, there are plenty who believe that "winning isn't everything - it's the only thing". But how would you characterize someone like Jim Hall, whose stature isn't adequately reflected in statistics?

"If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right." If Jim Hall isn't a "Winner", then winning is overrated.

Scott, who want's to win in the fullest sense of the word, not just as per the letter: "first across the finish line"...

 

http://www01.exoto.com/Collect...u.asp

Great Chaparral 2f model.

They have other great models

http://www01.exoto.com/Collect...u.asp