So this is Christmas… The holiday season in Southern California has it’s own surreal moments. The east may have snow, we get fire, rain and earthquakes. Still, even with the parking lots jammed, the plastic being swiped and the debt piling, when those quiet moments happen during the holidays when you are with friends or loved ones, it is special. Sometimes it can just be the surroundings… I had to make a trip to Weissach one December ( no, not for the Porsche Cup dinner ) to finish up some research that required the assistance of Jurgen Barth. I had done this trip several times over the years in the winter months and I actually liked being in the cold and the snow again. The factory would be winding down and things were usually in a more relaxed mood. Even the racing dept. would take a break even while working hard towards the next Le Mans. Usually I stay in Frankfurt the night before my flight to cut down on the hassle of getting to the airport on time and in this case, I was going to have dinner with the Joest family and then continue on to Frankfurt. As I was leaving the Joest house and the small village of Waldmichelbach, the main road was closed leading back down to the autobahn. The detour took me to a narrow one lane road that went through a large clearing surrounding by a typical German forest. The moonlight reflected off the snow with a warm glow even as the temperature was near freezing. As I crested the top of the clearing I came across something totally unexpected. To my left almost a quarter of a mile away on the edge of the forest was a small tree that had been decorated with a string of white lights. I stopped the car and got out for a while. Not a sound, no wind, no cars, even the forest was quiet. In a midnight clearing, a truly peaceful sight. Santa baby… But enough with sappy sentimentality, I sent a note to Santa and asked him to consider the following presents for those who have been nice, and a gift certificate for those who have been naughty. Another chance for Allan McNish to show why he belongs in the ranks of F1… Good health for our friend Cara de Vlaming… David Donohue finally wins the Daytona 24 hours English lessons for Dave Price A new saddle for Conny’s horse The Pulitzer for Jim Bamber Something other than an Audi to win this year in the ALMS Prototypes that look like race cars for Grand Am Give Rafanelli anything he wants Nothing for Joest, he already has everything Let Norbert Singer run Porsche How about a ride for Kelly Collins ? One more drive at Le Mans for Jurgen Barth just for the fun of it A Leica M7 for Terry Burkhart Fabrice Bourrigaud gets to drive in his own race Have Pete Brock write the tech regs for GT racing David Brabham wins Le Mans Don’t forget something for Guy Smith other than Le Mans A flat in Paris for C-MG ( no more train to & from La Sarthe everyday ) Jeff Zwart wins his class at Pikes Peak…again. Another trip to the World Finals for Lizett Bond & the girls. How about a full time gig for the Padre, Mike Youles. All future automotive design must be cleared through Peter Stevens. A Bonzo Dog Band reunion New BMW Art Cars Harald brings his 512 to Laguna Seca for the 2004 Monterey Historics Green grass for the hills of Laguna Seca Stuball gets to take over Autosport Patience for Wayne Taylor at the start of the season A golf cart for Tim Crete that can ride on Champions’ truck all season Something other than Porsches for Kevin Jeannette Eva Maria Burkhardt gets another race series to succeed Fiona Miller gets to see her family on weekends and still get paid A new hat for Sheriff Rick Dole Bill Oursler gets a talk show on radio Convince Ford to race the new GT40 Doughnuts for everyone in the media centers A new race track in Southern California Chris Parsons and Mark Cole get remembered for the days of Group C Jaguar comes back to sportscars Success for Aston Martin A membership to hair club for Regis Maybe a day off for Vanessa and Larry Nobody gets hurt or crashes while competing in a vintage/historic race A new white van for Brooksie A year’s supply of rolling papers for Andrew Cotton Gardening tools for Michael Cotton And don’t forget a full recovery for John McLoughlin And the bells were ringing out on Christmas day… |
Kerry Morse |
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