Many have asked why I named the car Elsa. The car has my company's name, Lion Leaders, on it, so I thought it was appropriate to name the car after a lion. Elsa is the lioness in the movie, Born Free. This 1966 movie was based on a true story of a couple fostering a lion cub and training her to return to the wild. Elsa was that cub. Like Elsa the lioness, the car has personality, survived some extreme conditions, and never let us down. With causes unknown, our car seemed to take over at times and accelerated faster in certain portions of the tracks. She let me know that I could go faster, which I did on the next run. Was it the low pressure created by the faulty fuel pressure regulator that caused the accelerater pedal to push downward? No one seems to know for sure. All I know is that I never felt like I was in serious danger on any of the tracks.
Elsa did her job. Now she's going to get an oil change, brake job, new roof, and repairs to her steering. It is doubtful I will race her again as she does have some impediments e.g. only a four speed transmission. However, without her on this trip, we would not have had such a "unique" experience.
Josie
Monday, May 9, 2011
Finally Home!
Hi all -
After a 10 hour drive from South Bend back to Minneapolis, I returned home after a 1 1/2 week absence. It is good to be home after such an exhausting, but highly rewarding experience. For the first time in my life, I had to stop and sleep at a rest area. I slept for about an hour in the hotrod. I can drive several hours at a time, so this stop indicates how tired I was.
Amusingly, I was stopped by the MN state patrol. Just when I was congratulating myself that I was almost home without any incidents, I saw the blue and cherry lights behind me. I knew the problem -- he saw that we had "cooked" our license plate (I think we already mentioned that the exhaust had melted the license plate bracket and burned the plate). He told me that it "looked like I was driving 70-ish." I refrained from reminding him that the speed limit was 70 mph. Then he commented on my plate. I explained the entire story, and he was understanding about the situation. I asked him whether I had to have a front license plate in MN since it was a specially constructed vehicle. His response, "I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out to me." He cited me for this violation as well. However, he did answer my question. All cars in MN have to have a front plate as of 1972. In all, I had three violations.
Fortunately, he was kind and let me off the hook. Whew!
I stopped by Mom and Dad's on my way home to wish Mom a Happy Mother's Day and to show Dad our trophy and the car. The car does look good with all of its decals. They were happy to see me; happier that I came home in one piece.
I am thankful I had the opportunity to participate in this race and to raise $$$ for Parkinsons. We fell short of our goal by $10,000, so if you know anyone who would still like to contribute, please send them to our Team Fox website at http://www.teamfox.org/. They can type in my name (Josie Fritsch), and the site will direct them to our page.
Many thanks to my family for their support, Larry for being my co-driver, and Sandy for all of the great PR work. I am also thankful to Gray's Racing and Pro Graphics. The car was superb both in looks and operation! My sincere appreciation goes out to Stitch Studio for the excellent work on our team shirts and my driving suit. Many chuckled when they saw the "I race in heels" graphic on my driving suit. Last, but not least, a special thank you goes out to you - our readers - for cheering us on throughout this journey.
Gratefully,
Josie
After a 10 hour drive from South Bend back to Minneapolis, I returned home after a 1 1/2 week absence. It is good to be home after such an exhausting, but highly rewarding experience. For the first time in my life, I had to stop and sleep at a rest area. I slept for about an hour in the hotrod. I can drive several hours at a time, so this stop indicates how tired I was.
Amusingly, I was stopped by the MN state patrol. Just when I was congratulating myself that I was almost home without any incidents, I saw the blue and cherry lights behind me. I knew the problem -- he saw that we had "cooked" our license plate (I think we already mentioned that the exhaust had melted the license plate bracket and burned the plate). He told me that it "looked like I was driving 70-ish." I refrained from reminding him that the speed limit was 70 mph. Then he commented on my plate. I explained the entire story, and he was understanding about the situation. I asked him whether I had to have a front license plate in MN since it was a specially constructed vehicle. His response, "I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out to me." He cited me for this violation as well. However, he did answer my question. All cars in MN have to have a front plate as of 1972. In all, I had three violations.
Fortunately, he was kind and let me off the hook. Whew!
I stopped by Mom and Dad's on my way home to wish Mom a Happy Mother's Day and to show Dad our trophy and the car. The car does look good with all of its decals. They were happy to see me; happier that I came home in one piece.
I am thankful I had the opportunity to participate in this race and to raise $$$ for Parkinsons. We fell short of our goal by $10,000, so if you know anyone who would still like to contribute, please send them to our Team Fox website at http://www.teamfox.org/. They can type in my name (Josie Fritsch), and the site will direct them to our page.
Many thanks to my family for their support, Larry for being my co-driver, and Sandy for all of the great PR work. I am also thankful to Gray's Racing and Pro Graphics. The car was superb both in looks and operation! My sincere appreciation goes out to Stitch Studio for the excellent work on our team shirts and my driving suit. Many chuckled when they saw the "I race in heels" graphic on my driving suit. Last, but not least, a special thank you goes out to you - our readers - for cheering us on throughout this journey.
Gratefully,
Josie
 |
| "Cooked" Plate |
Sunday, May 8, 2011
On the road again
Josie and Elsa (the car) are on their way back to MN to regal Mom and Dad with stories, pictures, and videos of the race. The awards ceremony was in the Tire Rack warehouse - appropriate no? Josie and Larry finished first in class and 64th in a field of 75 cars. They received their Award from Brock Yates Sr., founder of the race with Brock Yates Jr (organizer) providing the commentary.
Congratulations to the entire Team Fritsch and everyone who supported us along the way.
Congratulations to the entire Team Fritsch and everyone who supported us along the way.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Last Road Race
It's almost 5 pm and we are heading back to Tire Rack after our last road race. I can't believe the week is almost over. There's was so much racing and transit driving that the week is a big blur. Larry and I both look forward to being able to sit back, enjoy, and really relish the experience.
My goal for the race was to raise awareness/money for our fundraiser, have fun, and learn more about racing. I think we accomplished all three. With respect to my racing, I've told many people that this week was an intense course. I learned so much from so many racers.
I received a lot of affirmations today, which was totally wonderful. However, before we get to this part, I have to tell you about my most spectacular spin. As with every track, I really try to push myself to do my best and be outside my comfort zone. I was definitely doing that today. I came in too hot into a corner, accelerated too early, and started to go off into the grass. I man-handled it back onto the track where it fishtailed wildly. Then Elsa (the car) decided to spin in the opposite direction, kicking up a lot of dirt onto the track. I let go of the wheel and let it safely stop. It was a wicked ride. I was a little fazed, but immediately started again and finished the session. At least Elsa did not have to return to the paddock on a flatbed truck or via a tow - unlike some of the other drivers.
When I drove off the track, many of the drivers cheered, clapped their hands, and waved to me. It was completed unexpected. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but I'm deeply humbled. I suspect that they were honoring the courage it took to compete with them during such an intense week. Or... they were totally laughing at me. Who knows??? At least I got some attention!
I received another ego biscuit, one that I gave myself. The organizer had wanted to drive my car for some time. I said no, but today I changed my mind. I wanted him to drive it with me along. I thought it would be a good experience to have an experienced, certified instructor show me what the car could really do. What I learned was that my racing line was identical to his. Woo hoo! Having the right line is critical. I also learned that he was not all that much faster than me. AWESOME!!! My driving was far better than I thought. Don't get me wrong; I'm still making a lot of mistakes, but I'm delighted to know that I'm not terrible!
We have one more event - skid pad. Hopefully, I will improve upon my first outing on the pad :). Despite the remaining event, the general mood is jubilant. Everyone knows that the tough racing is done.
We wish we had counted all of the times we heard "What is that?!? Clearly the car has been popular with the spectators. They love it when I blast the music. If I don't have it on while on the grid, they will shout to me to turn it on!
Speaking of the infamous "what is that question", two guys in a rusty pick-up truck just asked us across the lanes about the car. They wanted to know if the sheet metal was bullet proof. I was stunned. I had never received that question before. It left me wondering... what would make them think that we even needed a bullet-proof car? Perhaps Larry and I look like superheroes, and Elsa is a car with very special powers.
A true highlight for today was the arrival of Pam. An avid supporter of our cause, she drove 3 1/2 hours from Madison to cheer and enjoy the experience. While I didn't have an opportunity to visit a lot with her, I was deeply grateful that she had come out.
Sandy has rejoined us for the finish. It's good to have her back. I think we're all going to kick back and do a little partying tonight. I hear that in the past drivers have driven the skid pad with huge hangovers. I don't think I want to carry on the tradition, although who knows? I might drive even better :).
Thank you all for your support and encouragement. It is more appreciated than you know.
Josie
My goal for the race was to raise awareness/money for our fundraiser, have fun, and learn more about racing. I think we accomplished all three. With respect to my racing, I've told many people that this week was an intense course. I learned so much from so many racers.
I received a lot of affirmations today, which was totally wonderful. However, before we get to this part, I have to tell you about my most spectacular spin. As with every track, I really try to push myself to do my best and be outside my comfort zone. I was definitely doing that today. I came in too hot into a corner, accelerated too early, and started to go off into the grass. I man-handled it back onto the track where it fishtailed wildly. Then Elsa (the car) decided to spin in the opposite direction, kicking up a lot of dirt onto the track. I let go of the wheel and let it safely stop. It was a wicked ride. I was a little fazed, but immediately started again and finished the session. At least Elsa did not have to return to the paddock on a flatbed truck or via a tow - unlike some of the other drivers.
When I drove off the track, many of the drivers cheered, clapped their hands, and waved to me. It was completed unexpected. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but I'm deeply humbled. I suspect that they were honoring the courage it took to compete with them during such an intense week. Or... they were totally laughing at me. Who knows??? At least I got some attention!
I received another ego biscuit, one that I gave myself. The organizer had wanted to drive my car for some time. I said no, but today I changed my mind. I wanted him to drive it with me along. I thought it would be a good experience to have an experienced, certified instructor show me what the car could really do. What I learned was that my racing line was identical to his. Woo hoo! Having the right line is critical. I also learned that he was not all that much faster than me. AWESOME!!! My driving was far better than I thought. Don't get me wrong; I'm still making a lot of mistakes, but I'm delighted to know that I'm not terrible!
We have one more event - skid pad. Hopefully, I will improve upon my first outing on the pad :). Despite the remaining event, the general mood is jubilant. Everyone knows that the tough racing is done.
We wish we had counted all of the times we heard "What is that?!? Clearly the car has been popular with the spectators. They love it when I blast the music. If I don't have it on while on the grid, they will shout to me to turn it on!
Speaking of the infamous "what is that question", two guys in a rusty pick-up truck just asked us across the lanes about the car. They wanted to know if the sheet metal was bullet proof. I was stunned. I had never received that question before. It left me wondering... what would make them think that we even needed a bullet-proof car? Perhaps Larry and I look like superheroes, and Elsa is a car with very special powers.
A true highlight for today was the arrival of Pam. An avid supporter of our cause, she drove 3 1/2 hours from Madison to cheer and enjoy the experience. While I didn't have an opportunity to visit a lot with her, I was deeply grateful that she had come out.
Sandy has rejoined us for the finish. It's good to have her back. I think we're all going to kick back and do a little partying tonight. I hear that in the past drivers have driven the skid pad with huge hangovers. I don't think I want to carry on the tradition, although who knows? I might drive even better :).
Thank you all for your support and encouragement. It is more appreciated than you know.
Josie
Video from Daytona
The PR maven is back on line and reunited with the rest of the team so I'm catching up. I'll be posting a series of videos while we wait for the second event at Autobahn Country Club. Here's Josie crossing the finish line at Daytona.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
In Joliet... finally
We just finished our longest transit - 11 hours. Larry had a great day! Of course all he had to do was the standard prep - both the car and me - and eat a chocolate donut at the track. I, on the other hand, had a more difficult day. First, I made mistakes on the track. I make mistakes all the time, but I was really prepared for this track. I should have done better. Second, I accidentally dropped my helmet. Now there are dings and scrapes all over it -- cannot be easily buffed. I'll just have to tell everyone that I was in a racing "incident" and was lucky to survive.
The highlight of the day for me was a trip to the Waffle House! I love Waffle Houses. I wish we had them in MN. It was Larry's first trip in over 10 years. We both enjoyed pecan-packed waffles.
The drive here was uneventful. We did see some tornado damage outside of Burningham. In particular, we noticed down trees with odd pieces of household items and garbage. I finished the drive from Indianapolis to here. The drive was tough -- lots of traffic, wet conditions, and constant glare.
The race is almost over. We have mixed feelings. We have enjoyed the camaraderie and the racing. However, 24 hours of uninterrupted sleep is looking really attractive right now.
Will post more after we have undertaken the Joliet experience.
Thanks!
Josie
The highlight of the day for me was a trip to the Waffle House! I love Waffle Houses. I wish we had them in MN. It was Larry's first trip in over 10 years. We both enjoyed pecan-packed waffles.
The drive here was uneventful. We did see some tornado damage outside of Burningham. In particular, we noticed down trees with odd pieces of household items and garbage. I finished the drive from Indianapolis to here. The drive was tough -- lots of traffic, wet conditions, and constant glare.
The race is almost over. We have mixed feelings. We have enjoyed the camaraderie and the racing. However, 24 hours of uninterrupted sleep is looking really attractive right now.
Will post more after we have undertaken the Joliet experience.
Thanks!
Josie
Still in this thing!
Hi all-
We are on the way to Joliet, decided to take off early for the 11 hours drive and get there around 11 in time to get another night's sleep. Barber went pretty well, though Josie is less than satisfied with how it went on the track. I'll let her fill in the details
We are on the way to Joliet, decided to take off early for the 11 hours drive and get there around 11 in time to get another night's sleep. Barber went pretty well, though Josie is less than satisfied with how it went on the track. I'll let her fill in the details
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