Biofuels

Photo credit to treehugger.com

Electric cars may be a great option, but when biofuels come into the picture, they seem needlessly complicated.  Why would we go to the trouble of building entirely different motors and driving plug-in cars when we could just fill up our same old gas tanks with a different fuel?  Some racing series use blends, which contain a percentage of corn-based Ethanol fuel.  Not long ago, Indy Car used 100% Ethanol.  Just yesterday, I filled up my Jetta at a gas pump with a sign that said, "May contain up to 10% Ethanol."  It can't be hard to move to an entirely plant-based fuel, can it?

It turns out, there are several reasons why we can't, and on top of that, several reasons why we shouldn't. Chances are you've seen gas stations that sell Ethanol blends as well as those that advertise Ethanol-free gasoline. Those people aren't necessarily looking to avoid Ethanol on anti-environment principle.  Maybe some are, but biofuels do make engines perform differently and can cause problems. Who am I to blame someone for not wanting to use a product that doesn't work for them?

Biofuels do have environmental benefits, of course. This type of fuel is made from plants like corn or sugarcane, and since those crops can be replanted again and again, it is renewable if we use it wisely.  The funny thing is that biofuels are carbon-based, just like fossil fuels are; burning them releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  But there are two important differences between biofuels and fossil fuels: First, fossil fuels come with a lot of other harmful emissions, such as sulfur, that biofuels release in insignificant amounts. Second, the carbon dioxide emitted through the burning of biofuels was absorbed by that plant recently. Unlike fossil fuels, which have stored that carbon for millions of years, biofuels don't add new carbon dioxide to the atmosphere; they just replace what was already there.  This means they aren't technically contributing to climate change.  

As nice as these benefits are, however, their are plenty of technical, social, and even environmental disadvantages that come with biofuels. As I mentioned earlier, many car owners don't like Ethanol because it can wear away rubber and metal and leave residue in the engine, and preventing that wear and tear means replacing injectors, gaskets, and fuel lines. In colder climates, different fuels can turn solid before the temperature reaches the freezing point and the driver may not be able to start the car at all.

We have bigger problems than just user-friendliness, however. In the last century, our boom in population was accompanied out of necessity by commercial agriculture. The ability to produce extremely large amounts of food has prevented widespread famine, but there is still an unacceptable number of hungry people in the world. This is partially caused by the demand for beef in the developed world, and as it continues to rise, diverts more food and water to feed livestock. If we can't feed everyone now, how can we expect to produce biofuels on a sufficient scale without causing severe starvation around the world?

The environment could face serious consequences with biofuels, too. Currently, a lot of our food is produced through monoculture, which is when farmers grow very large crops of only one type of plant. Not only does this strip nutrients from the soil creating a need for more fertilizer, it also leads to an increase in pesticide use. In the natural world, you won't find acres and acres of only one type of plant; different species interact and this helps them survive. Without this help from other species, crops are more vulnerable to pests, which necessitate the use of pesticides. But pests develop a resistance to pesticides, and each season, that means more has to be used. Overuse of fertilizer and pesticides can cause dead zones downstream--areas in water ecosystems where nothing can grow due to a lack of oxygen. This is a death sentence for that ecosystem as well as coastal economies that rely on the fish that live there. Read about more biofuel disadvantages here.

So--will biofuels completely take the place of fossil fuels? I don't think so. Nor do I want them to, unless we can find a way to make them more car-friendly, produce them on a large scale in an eco-friendly way, and keep them from taking food out of people's mouths. That said, I don't want biofuel research to stop by any means. While biofuels aren't likely to become the sole source of fuel for our cars, there's no reason they can't help us get away from fossil fuels.

Electric Cars

When we think of alternative sources of energy for cars, the first thing that comes to mind is often the electric car.  Electric cars have been on the market for a while now and have been growing, if slowly, in popularity.  The range and quality of electric options are also increasing modestly but surely.  Around the world, research is being done to make electric batteries lighter, longer lasting, and more affordable. The Formula E series is one of many indicators of curiosity about electric cars and determination to make them work for our lifestyle.  And since we're interested in this option for our personal vehicles, car companies are interested, too.

The Simpsons test drive the Elec-Taurus and subsequently
drive it into the ocean. (Please don't drive your
electric car into the ocean.) 

For some reason, the general consensus is that the economy and the environment are at odds. But nothing could be further from the truth! Economic and environmental interests agree in numerous ways, but when it comes to electric cars, the most important one is this:  globally, climate change is accepted as science and many countries are addressing it.  Technology comes into play with this kind of problem solving and the greenest options are likely to win out.  If the United States can't keep up with this ecologically friendly innovation, we're kicking ourselves out of the global market.  

Even in just the US, though, electric cars can benefit our economy. We as a society are learning about our environmental impacts and want to assuage them.  We want alternatives to fossil fuels, and automakers are listening.  It isn't just environmental scientists doing research with grant money who want to build a better battery.  GM, Nissan, Tesla, and others are working hard to respond to the problems of electric cars, because if they can, we'll buy them.  It doesn't matter if we want to save the planet, quit foreign oil, or just stop having to go to the gas station. If we want it, car companies want to sell it to us.

According to GM, 40% of car buyers would consider going electric if improvements are made, compared to the current fraction of only 5%.  What sort of improvement?  It comes down to manufacturing an electric car that keeps the consumer's peace of mind intact.  Hybrids are great for mpg but can be filled up at a gas station.  True electric cars, which use no gasoline at all, can only go a certain number of miles before they have to be recharged.  On top of that, recharging can take several hours and there aren't many convenient places to plug it in.  Even though most electric cars can easily cover the average person's daily miles, it may not be easy to commit to a car that is difficult to recharge once it runs out of power.

Unfortunately, it's hard to sufficiently increase the range of the current lithium-ion battery technology without it being too large to fit in a personal vehicle.  For this reason, some think the lithium-ion battery is on its last legs. The goal is to increase the density of energy generated by a battery, meaning a smaller battery can produce more power.  At the same time, electric cars need to be mass produced to make a difference, so the materials must be accessible, abundant, and ideally, renewable. Sulfur, magnesium, oxygen, or sodium could make up the next generation of electric car batteries.  

But what's all this research worth if electric cars aren't actually that green?  At first glance, sure, it's great that  an electric car produces absolutely no emissions itself.  The problem is that you have to plug it in, and if your grid energy comes from coal, than the electric car you thought was eco-conscious really just runs on coal.  If that's the case, shouldn't you just go for a hybrid?  At least you'd be burning gasoline instead of lignite, the extremely dirty-burning variety of coal we're resorting to as our stock runs out.

I'm going to vote no.  Go electric!

Here's why:  Yes, your brand new environmentally friendly car could pollute just as much as a gas-powered car.  But only at first. As power companies transition to renewable sources of energy, your coal-powered car can become a solar or wind car.  This makes an electric car a better investment than a hybrid because it can become completely carbon neutral itself.  You won't have to buy a new one when technology catches up; you just have to wait for your energy provider to get off fossil fuels.  We also have to keep telling automakers we like electric cars and the loudest way to do that is with our wallets.  When companies create products we like, we reward them by giving them our business.  Capitalism--the system works!

My final assessment?  The issues with electric cars won't last long.  Electric cars are relatively popular even now, so it's no surprise to discover that this is a great option for the car of the future.

The Car Question

When we talk about energy, we are often debating what the best form of energy is.  That question is often incomplete, however.  In most areas of life, we can't respond to every situation in exactly the same way. There is no best form of energy, period.  What we have to ask is, what is the best form of energy for this application?

One of the best examples of this is the heating and cooling of buildings.  Many modern buildings and residences use energy from the grid--often generated by the burning of coal--for heating and air conditioning. But this needlessly wastes our finite supply of coal and adds to the excess of carbon dioxide emissions. Why? Because geothermal energy works just as well in this case.  To access geothermal energy, pipes are sent underground to draw up air that, depending on the season, is warmer or cooler than the air on the surface.

Geothermal energy can both heat and cool homes.  Photo credit to 22degres.ca

Obviously, geothermal energy is impractical for transportation and needs to be extremely hot to produce electricity, so that is out in most places.  But it works quite well for heating and cooling, so retrofitting homes with geothermal heat pumps could decrease carbon emissions.  It also reduces costs for the consumer. Fossil fuel prices will go up as the supply decreases, but geothermal energy is reliable and does not have to be mined, transported, or refined.

Let's take a trip back to sixth grade science and remember what energy is:  it is simply defined as the ability to do work.  In terms of transportation, we want energy that can get us from point A to point B.  This could come in the form of our moving legs or in wind currents propelling a boat.  When it comes to cars, we want a type of energy that can be used to power an engine.

Cars are the backbone of the transportation system in the developed world; all other options--walking, biking, subways, buses--are considered "alternative" methods of transportation.  While environmentalists (including me) advocate choosing these alternatives as often as possible, I think it has to be accepted that when it comes to cars, we are in too deep.  Our infrastructure is built around them.  They give us freedom from long distances and public transportation schedules (so long as one can afford to have a car, of course). And we can't forget that for many people--probably for you reading this now--cars are much more than just a tool.  I'm not going to debate whether cars would exist in a perfect world because I don't think they're going anywhere either way.

The United States' national highway system is extremely large and complex; we can't just drop it and start over.  Photo credit to fhwa.dot.gov

I think it's safe to say that there are going to be cars for the foreseeable future.  But if that's going to be true, we'll have to find a different way to power them.  We may like fossil fuels now because we're comfortable with them.  They're familiar. We understand them. The bad news is that we don't have much left.  But there's good news, too--more good than bad, I daresay.  Firstly, there are all kinds of other energy sources up for grabs. Second, many of these sources aren't rudimentary theories that could potentially be possible--they're actual, reliable technology ready to be put to use.  And the best part, at least to me, is that these sources are cleaner and renewable, so they won't run out and leave future generations scrambling for new ideas.

Some options are cleaner than others.  Some are more reliable, some are more cost-effective, and some are more realistic than the rest.  In the coming weeks, I'll look at different energy sources for personal vehicles and weigh their benefits and impacts. Now, we won't find a source that can be consumed at our current rate; the energy solution is half the source and half the way we use it.  But it should be reassuring that technology isn't what's standing in our way.  We are standing in our own way, and more people are realizing that every day. The car question is answerable.  The options are there.  Now it all comes down to determining the right one.       

Sauber F1: Closing the Loop

Photo credit to sauberf1team.com

As sad as I was to hear that Simona de Silvestro was leaving Indy Car at the end of last season, it seems that she has embarked on an ideal partnership with Sauber Motorsport in Formula One.  In Indy Car, de Silvestro has worn Nuclear Clean Air Energy colors and, with the help of AREVA, was the only carbon neutral driver on the paddock.  She drives a Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid electric car, which features an electric battery supplemented by a gasoline engine.  For several years, she has promoted sustainability in motorsports and her new home of Sauber Motorsport shares her mission.

An appreciation for science ought to go a long way in the technologically advanced world of F1--all the way to the effects racing has on the environment.  Sauber definitely notes those effects and has even gone so far as to craft an environmental policy for their organization.  Environmental awareness in its most basic form is a plus, but Sauber seems to take a thoroughly scientific approach to its policy.  I love words like solar and wind, but the two I'm happiest to see in Sauber's environmental policy have a lot less buzz about them right now:  "closed loop."

What is it that separates us from other animals--opposable thumbs?  Language?  Complex social structure? Despite those things, the concept of a closed loop system is where other animals have us beat.  A closed system is one that generates no waste, forming a loop instead of a line.  Think of the water cycle:  water comes down in the form of precipitation.  It evaporates back into the atmosphere as a gas.  That same water then condenses and returns to the earth as precipitation again.  But humans, nowadays at least, use an open system in almost everything.  If the water cycle was an open system, it would be like receiving water from an outside (and finite) source and never reusing the water that evaporated.  Imagine how quickly we'd run out of water if that's how the water cycle worked!  We'd never just throw water in the garbage can, but that's how we're treating a lot of our other resources.  The most dangerous part about our open system is that we are separated both physically and psychologically from waste.  We don't often see the environmental degradation that comes from producing Styrofoam cups, nor do we come into contact with the mountains of Styrofoam cups in landfills.  They're out of our sight, so they're out of our minds; that's why we continue to stick with a system that's destined for failure.  Unfortunately, most of our energy also moves along a straight line.  We drill for oil, burn it in cars, and the emissions are released into the atmosphere, unable to be used as source of energy again.

So what do we do?  It's hard to imagine a world that's not based on disposable products, but Sauber Motorsport seems able to look in that direction.  As expressed in their environmental policy mission statement, "An environmental management system--developed as a closed-loop concept--embraces our operational activities as a whole and serves as an effective and efficient management tool."  Natural systems are closed; efficient systems are closed; efficient systems are most effective in the long term.  Therefore, it seems that Sauber will model its operating system after systems found in nature.  The mission statement does not give specifics as to how they will implement this, but closed-loop systems in nature fill certain criteria.  Most importantly, energy comes from the sun and waste remains part of the system to be used again.  Both of these bases are covered at Sauber already:  the team has built a solar park and is contributing to the construction of a wind farm in India.  (Wind power is actually generated by the sun because the sun is responsible for creating wind currents.)  The team also reuses and recycles its materials in as many areas as possible.  Of course, with the way our world is set up, Sauber would be hard pressed to have a completely closed system.  But it is a good start to close off as many outlets as possible, and I believe that the team's informed approach will further their progress.

But there's a problem:  Clean Air Energy, the organization that is partnering with Simona de Silvestro and Sauber Motorsport, is part of the nuclear power industry.  While there are undeniable perks to nuclear power, there's still that little issue of nuclear waste.  I know a little something about this. The Shearon Harris nuclear power plant operates not far from my home.  There's only one reactor, but there were plans to build more; before they were scrapped, however, the storage facility was built large enough to hold the waste from those other unbuilt reactors.  As a result, nuclear waste from other power plants is shipped and stored there. The problem of nuclear waste storage is local for me.

We're producing more nuclear waste every day and don't know what to do with it.  If something goes wrong at a nuclear power plant, dangerous radiation could permeate surrounding cities and ecosystems. Nuclear power is cleaner in important ways and that may make us want to build more.  But as my environmental studies professor liked to say, "There's a funny thing about probability."  The more we build, the more likely it is that something will go wrong, potentially allowing nuclear radiation to harm us.  That's not exactly a closed system, is it?

So no, I don't support nuclear power.  But I do support clean air.  I do support talking honestly and in depth about the problems we have and which solution is the best.  We may want our systems closed, but our dialogue?  That should be wide open.  I'm behind Sauber and Simona de Silvestro's mission all the way and I believe they're great spokespeople for our environment.               

The Race to Reforestation

I admit it--I don't follow NASCAR.  I inherited my Indiana dad's preference for Indy Car and for open wheel racing in general.  But I do live in North Carolina and I'm familiar with the series and its audience, so when I first heard about a program called NASCAR Green, I was in for a bit of a shock.  I didn't expect NASCAR to be the series with the biggest and best sustainability program.  I don't mean anything negative toward those who like NASCAR, of course.  It's just that I wouldn't think of sustainability as something the NASCAR audience would care about; therefore, I didn't expect it to be on the series' agenda.  

    

Even knowing that the program existed, I didn't think it would amount to much.  Maybe it's the pessimist in me, but I tend not to get too excited about products touted as "eco-friendly" or businesses turning "greener" because it often seems like more of a marketing tactic than a real step toward sustainability.  Water bottles with leaves on the labels are examples of this--that particular company may have started using less plastic, but that doesn't make bottled water green.  It makes it slightly less harmful.  Now, don't get me wrong:  I support any move in the eco direction, no matter how small or superficial it may seem.  But NASCAR Green is neither small nor superficial.  NASCAR Green's actions include using a 15% Ethanol blend, LEED certified office buildings, solar power, a large recycling program, and more.  But the best step they're taking?  I would argue it's planting trees. 

Recycling is great, but it only targets the solid waste problem.  And that is a problem, of course; we're going to run out of places to put our trash soon!  But unfortunately, unless a recycling plant runs on renewable fuel, it's contributing to carbon pollution, too.  Everyone should be recycling, but the greenest thing a racing series in particular can do is try to offset its carbon emissions.  That's what the NASCAR Green Clean Air Program is all about.  This program plants 10 trees for every green flag dropped at a race, and NASCAR claims this captures every bit of the carbon emitted during races.  

How does this help?  Remember, plants produce energy the opposite way we do--they take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.  This is part of the process of photosynthesis. You might remember the photosynthesis formula from biology class: 

 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + Light Energy = C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂

or

Carbon dioxide, water, and light energy produce glucose and oxygen.

This means that the more trees we clear away for strip malls and subdivisions, the more unabsorbed carbon dioxide we have to deal with in the atmosphere.  Conversely, if we plant trees, we allow more carbon to be absorbed, mitigating the effects of climate change.

Now it's important that we plant trees at all, but it's not the last step.  Once we plant them--and this seems to be the hardest thing for humans to do sometimes--we have to leave them alone.  Until about six years ago, it was believed that forests that have been left to grow for long periods of time, called old-growth forests, were limited in the amount of carbon they could take in.  This, however, is not the case.  Subsequent research has shown that old-growth forests are even better at capturing carbon than younger forests.  If the hundreds of trees planted by NASCAR Green really do offset 100% of NASCAR's racing-related emissions, imagine the capturing capabilities of those trees if we let them grow.

Maybe racing and sustainability don't seem to go hand in hand at first glance, but it turns out that there's more than one reason they do.  One of them is innovation, of course.  But there's also this:  if people are passionate about racing, it means they have something to care about.  Maybe those who instituted NASCAR Green realized that unless we change how we do things, we'll lose the things we love.  Environmentalism is really about preserving what we care about, whatever that may be.  There's no reason motorsports enthusiasts shouldn't protect the environment for all sorts of reasons, including motorsports itself.  Green racing isn't just for Formula E; I'd love to see all racing series follow the promising lead of NASCAR Green.     

Formula E: It's Not What You're Used To

Two months out from the very first Formula E "ePrix" on the streets of Beijing, it is becoming more and more clear that this all-electric series is like no other that's come before it.  While racing is racing and it is sure to attract many types of people, Formula E is going to be an entirely different experience.  But the attitude seems to be that if it's inherently going to be different, it's better to embrace the changes and be truly unique.  I was a huge proponent of the series before I knew a thing about it, and although I still am, some of these differences are a bit scary even to me.  But I'm keeping an open mind; I welcome sustainable changes in our everyday life, so I have to be ready for whatever Formula E throws at me too.  Here are a few details about this groundbreaking series--some quite interesting, some a little disappointing, and some just plain odd.

Photo credit to fiaformulae.com

Format

In mid-September, when other racing series will begin to wrap up, Formula E will just be getting started. From September 2014 to June 2015, we will see one race a month occurring in major cities throughout Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.  The Formula E championship will draw to a close in London on June 27th.  Both a driver and a team champion will be crowned that day.  See calendar
          Formula E, unlike most other racing series, is cost conscious, so practice, qualifying, and the race will all take place in one day.  Drivers will have just one hour of practice, an hour and a half divided into groups for qualifying, and about an hour for the race.  At first glance, this set up may seem to take away some of the fanfare that usually surrounds races, but it also provides an opportunity for race goers who can't take a Thursday or Friday off to see all three types of track activity.  Formula E is already proving to be a fan-friendly series--admission for the tests at Donington Park in England is free.
          What about pit stops?  Two are required for every race, and while these electric engines obviously won't be taking fuel, they won't even be changing tires.  It will be the driver who climbs into a second car with a freshly charged battery.  Slow to warm up to this?  I doubt you're alone.  What bothers me about it is that the drivers won't be forced to deal with the same car all race long.  Of course, the reason for this is battery life, and it would foolish to pause the race for however long it takes to plug in the batteries and wait for them to recharge.  It also adds another element of competition--instead of streamlining tire changes and setup tweaks, the drivers will have to learn to strap in and go as quickly as possibly.  They will also have to adjust quickly to potential differences between cars.  But extended battery life has been named as an innovation goal for the series; as it progresses, we may see changes in this part of the format.

Real World Applications

Street races are one of my favorite parts of racing.  It's always been fascinating to think of work-a-day pavement transformed into a race track.  Unlike other series, however, Formula E will race on street circuits specifically because it is the environment of the passenger car.  The hope is that the discoveries made over the course of the season can be applied as closely as possible to passenger vehicles, right down to the place they're driven.  Another bonus to races right in the city is that it will get the attention of people outside racing circles.  You can ignore a race that's tucked away at a track, but one that runs right through the middle of the city demands your attention.
          Perhaps more important than the location is the focus on the engine over the aerodynamics of the chassis.  Many racing teams in other series sink millions into chassis design, increasing speed by reducing wind resistance rather than adding engine power.  Since street cars don't depend on lap times and qualifying speeds, the idea is for improvements to come in the form of longer lasting and more dependable batteries.  Perhaps that will result in more tangible improvements in electric street car engines.

Push to Pass

One thing we're all going to have to get used to when it comes to Formula E is talking about engine power in kilowatts.  At the maximum level of power, the engines will produce 200 kilowatts, which is equal to about 270 brake horsepower.  We will see this setup only in qualifying, however.  Race speeds will be slower, but rather than this being due to added downforce, the lower speeds will be because of reduced engine power for the purpose of battery conservation.  In this setting, the engines will produce 133 kilowatts of power, or approximately 180 brake horsepower.
          Here's where it gets interesting:  in each race, three drivers will be given Push to Pass, which adds an extra 67 kilowatts, bringing them to maximum power for 2.5 seconds.  How will these three drivers be determined?  Fans will vote via social media, the Formula E website, or the Formula E app (launching September 1st) and the three drivers with the most votes will have "Fan Boost" for that race.  This is different from Indy Car's Push to Pass concept--each Indy Car driver starts with the same number of Pushes to Pass at every race.  Could a vote-determined Push to Pass interfere too much with the results?  Formula E chief executive Alejandro Agag expects it to interfere just enough to add another layer of excitement.  "If you're last you're not going to win the race with fan boost," he told the Guardian, "but if you're second you may win at the end."  The question is, will the same few drivers consistently win the popular vote, skewing the results over the entire season?  It seems likely that the popular drivers will stay popular.  Should personality be rewarded with racetrack advantages?  That may depend on how much of an advantage Push to Pass turns out to be.  

Sound

Some may consider Push to Pass to be the most controversial aspect of this series, but the most eyebrow-raising piece to me is the sound--or perhaps I should say the lack of sound.  At 80 decibels, they'll be slightly louder than a street car.  To think I was upset when I went to the Indy 500 in 2012 and the DW12s were  a little quieter!  In fact, these cars are so quiet, they had to design a sound for when the cars are entering the pits for safety.  Formula E expects that to turn people off, however, and counters that it will be easier to hear the commentators.  I guess that does mean the race will be a bit easier to follow.
          But, of all the new things about the series, I would say this is the strangest:  Formula E is actually using the relative quiet to dramatize the racing with music.  This is the part I just can't get over.  A soundtrack has been composed for the most intense points in the race, like the green flag, passing, Pushes to Pass, crashes, and the finish (listen here).  It makes sense to want to entertain spectators for the sake of the series' success, but I wonder if this is the best way to do it.  I don't want to get the feeling that the race I'm watching is choreographed, that there are people ready for the music cue on lap twenty-two, that the winner was picked out of a hat at the drivers' meeting that morning.  When I'm watching a race, I want to believe that anything can happen.  Will dramatic music add too much theatre to the sport?


Changing cars, Push to Pass, special music...the changes are big, and big changes aren't always easy to swallow.  But on the other hand, an all-electric racing series is going just going to be different and there's no way around it.  I'm nervous to see what these changes will actually look like, but I also respect the approach that if it's going to be a little different, let's make it a lot different.  Who knows?  Formula E may be an entirely different product from what racing fans are used to, and that may be what keeps it from blending into the background.

Bright Future for Indy Solar

Words like "renewable," "sustainable,"  and "clean" have a way of jumping out at me when other words blend into the background.  As I stared blankly in front of me in the first turn of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway while waiting for Carb Day to start, the video screen in the infield scrolled through the usual list of products and businesses that sponsor the Speedway.  Most of them went unnoticed by me and I'm sure those who surrounded me, but as soon as I saw the words "Official Renewable Energy Provider," I started paying attention.  This company was called Blue Renewable Energy, and along with IPL and SunWize Technologies, Inc., it recently opened a solar farm at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Photo credit to bohlsengroup.com

As we all know, Yankee Stadium, Churchill Downs, the Colosseum in Rome, and other landmarks can all fit inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  It makes sense, then, that this new IMS solar farm is larger than any other at a sports venue.  Located just outside the back stretch, the IMS solar farm covers 68 acres and can produce 9 megawatts of electricity.  Read more

I know what the next question is:  so what?  Wondering how the general population would answer that question, I took a look at the Facebook comments on the Speedway's article about this new solar installation. I was equal parts shocked and elated at the overall positive reaction to the news.  Of course, there was plenty of negativity to go around--some opponents claimed solar power "doesn't work," while others questioned why money would be spent on something Speedway goers didn't care a thing about.

But on the whole, IMS patrons do seem to care--and they like it.  I support this solar project wholeheartedly because the environment is my personal focus.  But the common theme in the positive comments was a bit different from that.  Many expressed the belief that this relatively new source of energy is interesting, and this kind of innovation belongs at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  IMS president J. Douglas Boles saw the connection between embracing solar energy and the original purpose of the Speedway as a testing ground for the automobile.  “Today," Boles said at the solar farm's ribbon cutting ceremony, "IMS is honored to be part of a partnership with IPL, SunWize and Blue Renewable Energy where innovation and technology are coming together to bring diversification of generation resources to this community."  Innovation has always drawn people to racing and continues to do so today.  Why wouldn't we enjoy witnessing progress in energy production as well?    

 Now, for those who say solar power doesn't work or isn't worth it, I'll say this:  solar power isn't perfect.  But coal and oil are far less perfect.  Both pollute our air and water and both will be depleted sooner than we think.  When the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built, the automobile was new and had a much longer list of flaws than it does now; the Speedway helped us get where we are today in that industry.  There's no reason IMS shouldn't continue that tradition with renewable energy sources.  As Ernest Hemingway said, "The shortest answer is doing the thing."  The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been "doing the thing" for over a hundred years, and with this new solar farm, continues to lead progress in other areas of society as well.    

"The Future is Electric": FIA Formula E

Why do we race cars?  To see who can build the best one.  To develop new technology that can be applied in everyday life.  To see what incredible new innovations we can come up with.

What do we want out of these innovations?  Sustainability.  Clean air.  Resources that won't run out.

Enter the FIA Formula E championship.

Things are changing in the automotive industry.  Some people, myself included, exuberantly support this new leaning toward clean, renewable energy,  but even those who don't must recognize that it is inevitable.  No matter your conclusion on climate change or any other environmental issue, the fact stands that fossil fuels will run out.  Period.  And we have to be ready for that.  The FIA, having recognized this, predicts that electric cars will play a significant role in future modes of transportation.

The beauty of the Formula E championship is that it will do exactly what racing was originally intended to do:  stimulate progress.  Remember when the car, rather than the driver, was the star of the show?  In racing's early days, the question was how to build a fast, reliable car.  Now that we've effectively done that (though we will always strive to go faster), the question is how to build a clean car.  Formula E will  be the very first series to attempt to provide an answer.  The FIA identifies battery life and efficiency as specific breakthroughs that must be made.

Formula E is truly the series of the future.  Not only is it intended to develop green technology, it also works toward a cleaner earth in general, and thus, a better quality of life.  As a motorsports enthusiast and an environmentalist, and I must say I am hardcore in both respects, this is a dream come true.  I remember an episode of Wind Tunnel a few years ago that featured Tommy Kendall talking about green racing.  He was asked if the end of fossil fuels meant the end of racing, and he replied that he believed the opposite.  He said the concept of green racing could take the sport to a whole new level.  This has been my greatest hope ever since.  

The official calendar will not be confirmed until the December 2013 FIA World Motor Sport Council, but as of now, the series will compete in ten cities worldwide from September 2014 to June 2015.  Ten teams will compete, each with two drivers, running Spark-Renault SRT_01E single seaters.  This car is designed to be sustainable, (relatively) cheap, and to run exclusively on street courses.

Do  I have a lot of hope for Formula E?  Yes.  Could it fail?  Absolutely.  But the idea has been realized, and that is a victory in itself.  This is the kind of forward thinking we need to prepare ourselves for the future.  This series may be the first of its kind, but I believe (and hope) it will not be the last.

Radio Indy

I have now been at Salem College for a week and I can confirm that it is a completely different world.  I've been on my own before--working with Camp Motorsport at Virginia International Raceway, traveling to France--but of course each place has something new to adjust to, and one tends to approach a change a little differently if it's going to be permanent.

My first night at school?  It was Saturday and they were racing at Bowman Gray Stadium.  I have yet to explore that scene, but there is no ignoring that it's there.  There is no air conditioning in my building to speak of, so it's impossible to sleep without the windows open.  I'd drift off while they were under caution at Bowman Gray and, with the all those powerful engines revving in my ear, snap awake again as they went back to green.  Well, I can't sleep through that...guess I have no choice but to be at the track for it from now on.

The real problem is this:  before I left, I knew I'd have to figure out how to keep up with the racing world without a TV.  Oh, sure, there's one in the basement of my residence hall--but it's the biggest residence hall and therefore almost always occupied.  I'm still looking into streaming it on the internet.  (Advice there would be much appreciated.)  But for the Grand Prix of Baltimore, my time was occupied with other (less important) things and I was limited to the radio broadcast.  That was an experience all on its own.

It's a common enough thing, I know.  Most people's lives can't revolve around sports, but many people wish theirs could.  I'm not the first person to put on headphones and check out of my surroundings, my face scrunched up in concentration, answering in short bits of nonsense to people who try to talk to me.  And anyone who watched the Grand Prix of Baltimore would know I often had reason to suddenly shout or suck in my breath.  That's always fun in public, of course!  (When people look at you, just shake your head and say, "Sports."  I think that does the trick.)

But a whole race on the radio?  I might as well have gone blind.  I thought of the family I get to see every May in Indianapolis, who don't go to the race and have to listen to the radio coverage because of the blackout.  How could I stand to miss seeing any part of it?  When I'm at a race, I don't leave my seat for any reason and I never have.  But as I watched the minutes roll closer and closer to 2 pm on Sunday, I realized I had to follow this race live.  I've been ridiculously busy this season and I was tired of letting it all unfold and hearing about it after the fact.

Yes, I wish I could have watched it with my own eyes. But it turns out, there are some advantages to getting the details from the radio.  The bottom line is that I was surprisingly happy just to be hearing the familiar sounds and voices even when I couldn't see them.  You know when people say radio is better than TV because it forces you to form your own picture of the situation?  Without being able to see anything, the musical sound of race cars exiting the pits was all the more vivid.  It was also easier to keep track of the running order, especially during restarts; I have a tendency to ignore the announcers and I can't always see the action as clearly as I would like.

But in such a visual world, sound seems a flimsy means of communication at times.  It was pouring in Winston-Salem, so a flood alarm popped up on my phone and killed the radio broadcast with only a few laps to go.  I was seething.  In that moment--um, no, that warning was not trying to keep me safe!  It was all part of a conspiracy to deny me access to the racing world!

Honestly, there's only one legitimate drawback.  But it's a real drawback.  It is a huge, major, gigantic drawback.  Most of the time, I had a better idea of what was going on because I relied solely on the announcers.  BUT--and if you watched, you know--there were several questionable occurrences in this race, and without seeing it, I couldn't form my own opinion on what happened.  I could only go by the thoughts of those calling the race.  On Sunday, I missed being able to rewind the incidents as many times as necessary and pinpoint who started it and when, perhaps arguing about it with whoever was watching with me.  It's important to gather and clarify my own thoughts about those things, especially because I sometimes disagree with what the announcers are saying.  I only had their voices, plus the opinions flitting around the Twittersphere.  I couldn't contribute to any conversation until I had seen the footage myself.

In the end, I'm glad I got to experience the Grand Prix of Baltimore on the radio.  It made me feel like part of something.  It was always easy to sit down and watch racing at home.  Now I'm one of those always-busy college kids, and sometimes I have things to do on Sunday afternoons.  But I can still find a way to be close to the sport I love.  I walked through Winston-Salem on Sunday with my headphones on and my brain in Baltimore, still supporting my series and my drivers while carrying on in my own little space.  No matter where I am in a few years' time, my passion for auto racing will whisper into my ear just like the radio broadcast on Sunday.  Regardless of where I end up, I'll never have to be apart from it.

7 Reasons to Love Turbo

A loyal Indy Car fan, there was never any question that I would see Turbo.  I even had my picture taken with him at the Indy 500 this year, at my mom's request.  I wasn't all that enthusiastic about it at the time, but now that I've seen it, I'm impressed.  Turns out, this movie is worth seeing.   

• It's so real, you forget it's fake.  There is not a paint stripe out of place.  If you know that track, you won't be disappointed.  When Turbo first arrives at the track, there is a drop dead gorgeous montage of real scenes that are still fresh in my mind from May.  I was bouncing in my seat when I saw the perfectly proportioned and painted number 12 car of Will Power.  The cars weren't too fast for the track, so it wasn't too cartoon-ish.  Actually--it was an animated movie about a snail who races in the Indy 500, but there wasn't much that was cartoon-ish about it.  It was a whole lot more realistic than Driven, the 2001 train wreck chronicling a season of CART.  But then again, that's not saying much.  (I'm criticizing the movie, not CART.)       
• In the theater, you're surrounded by kids.  I was kind of dreading that ahead of time, but there were some undeniably captivating open wheel racing scenes, and I was happy they were seeing it.  I was hoping that it had the tiniest bit of influence on just a few of them.  I love open wheel racing, and I just want people to know that auto racing isn't synonymous with NASCAR.  It's not that there's anything wrong with NASCAR.  It's just not all there is.  It was nice to hear everyone in the world of Turbo raving about the Indy 500 for a change.       
• Guy Gagné has a wonderful name.  So, everybody is writing a novel, right?  Which means everybody's been through the struggle of naming characters.  Choose a name that means something significant about the character, say baby name websites that include advice for aspiring authors.  And that's just what the makers of Turbo did.  "Gagné" is the past tense of the French verb "gagner" which means "to win."  Simple, and not too obvious.  A winning choice indeed.   
• One of the drivers' names is Shelby. Oh my gosh!  That's my name!  I just might be happy forever now.  But in all seriousness, I'm elated she was there and running up front.  It's a tiny, tiny detail, but it's important.  Perhaps the fact that it was such a little part is what made it so important.  I don't mind when female drivers get attention; I think it's pretty clear that it's hard to be a woman in a male-dominated sport.  (If you disagree, then you should give it a shot.)  However, I love it best when there isn't any fanfare at all.  It says, yes, she's here.  And she's a driver just like everybody else.  There was an incomplete little sound bite about a Shelby Stone in the pre-race coverage in Turbo, and her name was mentioned a few other times.  Of course, her being a woman was completely irrelevant to the plot, but that's just it.  They didn't want to make her gender part of the plot, so they could have just put another male driver there.  But they didn't.  Me and all the little girls in the theater, we saw a competitive woman driver, and I promise, that is important.    
• Social media. I don't often see kids' movies; I'm not sure if all the latest ones reflect our smart phone culture as perfectly as Turbo.  Turbo got to race in the Indy 500 because a video of him went viral.  That was part of the plot.  It wasn't just a little bit thrown in to make the parents laugh--this is the world now, and that plot point keeps the story relevant.  That shot where everyone in the stands had their phones out?  I'm only eighteen and I remember a time before texting and Twitter.  But all those kids in the theater don't.  This is the world they know and this movie is right in with it.            
• It's actually pretty engaging.  Not entirely unpredictable, but what movie is?  I sat down in the theater assuming the only good parts would be at the Speedway.  And the best parts were at the Speedway.  But there were definitely other good parts.  
• That was really Paul Page.  I checked IMDb.  It was.                                                                       

Go see it.  Right now.  Wait, what am I saying?  You'll only be mad it's not May yet.  

Where are the Marketing Degrees?

It seems that Indy Car has found the sweet spot when it comes to road racing.  I must say that the quality of the ovals has worsened.  Okay, I admit I was biased toward road courses to start with, but before Texas especially, I tuned in prepared for the usual good action and was disappointed.  Toronto was a breath of fresh air after the long stretch of ovals and after Saturday's race, all I could think was, "We get to do this all again tomorrow."  These double headers are growing on me.  

There were a few pieces to the weekend that were a bit unsavory, however, and a lot of it goes back to marketing--that one thing Indy Car just can't get right, that one thing that's keeping the series down.  NASCAR's marketing?  It's solid gold.  Everybody knows what it is.  This may have something to do with the fact that I'm from North Carolina, but still, if I say the words "Indy Car" to someone, they picture NASCAR.  Despite NASCAR's widespread popularity, I can't believe that it's just what people prefer, much less that Indy Car is an inferior product.  Indy Car is just extremely different.  And because it's so different, it can't ride on NASCAR's tidal wave.  It has to make its own name, and it's not.  

So, here's hoping the rumors are true that Tom Garfinkel will be coming to Indy Car.  But it's not just how you promote the series.  You have to deliver what you promise, and this weekend in Toronto, race control fell just a little bit short.  

It started before the beginning.  The first-ever Indy Car standing start was a selling point of the weekend.  On Saturday there was just one attempt, and then it was called off and they went ahead with the flying start.  That said, I was not at all interested in the concept anyway.  Indy Car is a different product from Formula One--it has to be, or the two series couldn't coexist.  Therefore, in Indy Car, there are flying starts, just as there are ovals in addition to road courses.  Regardless, we were told that we would see a standing start on Saturday, and it just didn't happen.  That's not the right precedent to set.  At least they went ahead with it on Sunday.  (Though it was just as anticlimactic as I expected it to be.)

Then there was the penalty for Dario Franchitti.  He is not my favorite driver, but the call was wrong.  Yes--he did move over.  I saw it as a subconscious reaction to Will Power suddenly appearing underneath him, and others believed it was indeed on purpose.  But at least in the room I was in, everyone agreed that all the drivers had been doing that all day and the call should not have been made.  Particularly after the race.  Most people hate to see a race won or lost in the pits, so nobody wants to see nitpick-y rules get in the way.  As my dad said, the results should only be reviewed after the race if there was a violation that couldn't be ignored.  But then again, Brian Barnhart was calling the shots this weekend.

The only thing worse than making a crippling, incorrect call?  Taking it all back the next day.  You want to make those decisions?  Then just leave it.  I guess I'm happy things were set right, and I bet that's how most people are feeling.  But, personally?  Make the call or don't, but pick one.

All I'm saying is that this is a spectator sport.  If we're promised a standing start and if (for some reason...) we want to see it, we need to get it.  We want to see cars battling for position, on the track, start to finish.  And even though the rule book is important, it's only there because it has to be.  It's there to keep things safe and fair.  It's not there to punish drivers for trying to maintain their position in the closing laps of a race.

*DISCLAIMER*:  I hate blocking.  I am NOT saying drivers should be able to defend their position to the point of blocking.  There is a difference between actually coming off the racing line and driving aggressively.

      

Now the last unfortunate thing about the weekend is a much bigger hurdle as far as marketing goes.  We've been having the most interesting season in so long...until now.  Coming into Toronto, we had eight different winners from seven different countries.  We had three first-time winners.  Helio Castroneves, who has always been one of the strongest drivers but has never won a championship, continues to hang on to the points lead.  Even when Ganassi had luck at Pocono with Scott Dixon, it was nice to see the other half of the big two get their rhythm back.  But after Dixon scored his third win in a row today, now that we're headed to Mid-Ohio where he is unquestionably the favorite, I'm afraid the last leg of the season is going to look a lot like it did last year.  Of course, it doesn't matter how many marketing degrees a person has--a lot of this is out of their hands.  Talent and skill can't and shouldn't be stifled.  We are going in the right direction with the two engine manufacturers, the red and black tires, and the aero packages that will debut in 2015.  We've just got to keep the competition tough.  We've got to keep one or two big teams from dominating.  Because, for most of the races this season, I've been genuinely unsure of what would happen next and completely excited to find out.                  

   

A Spectacle of Spectacles

As I left the Indianapolis Motor Speedway yesterday, I counted all the 500s I'd ever been to and came to nine.  That's not many, is it?  Maybe for an eighteen-year-old.  My very first race seems like recent history until I remember that it was eight years ago.  And even that doesn't seem so significant until I think that the difference between age ten and age eighteen is the same as the difference between age ten and age two.  It's been a short eight years, and yet I've learned so much.  I've gone so many places and met so many people.

It's been a short eight years, and yet I've seen the history books amended many times.  I saw a woman lead the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 2005.  In 2006, I witnessed Michael Andretti leading under caution with very few laps to go--only to be passed by his nineteen-year-old rookie son, who then became the first driver to lead the white flag lap and not win the race.  2009 welcomed Helio Castroneves to the exclusive three-time winner club, and in 2012, Dario Franchitti joined him.  2011 gets the award for the most spectacular finish, our hearts first breaking for the rookie J.R. Hildebrand and then rejoicing for Dan Wheldon.

Even the less dramatic years will leave their mark on history.  As my dad pointed out, certain drivers will be remembered for domination.  Dario Franchitti will surely be one of them, taking all three of his wins within six years of each other.  I will look back on 2008 recalling that all month, it had been only Scott Dixon's race to lose.  Some may classify yesterday's race in the less exciting category, too, simply for the fact that it ended under caution.  I couldn't disagree more.

In the first thirty laps, it was clear that we were on track to break the record for most lead changes.  It was demolished, growing from 34 to 68.  There were 14 different leaders, up from 12 in 1993.  27 cars were running at the finish, the most since 1911.  And on top of all of that, it was the fastest race ever with an average speed of 187.433.

This race flew by.  Yes, it actually was the shortest one.  The cool weather made it much easier to sit for so long.  But these drivers, they were keeping me on my toes.  This race never settled in.  We never got to a point where we could make predictions.  The leader was never safe (though not without help from the drafting made possible by the DW12).  They were always close--but they stayed clean.  Every yellow was a single-car incident.  I adored seeing the back stretch a total mess, and watching in admiration as they sorted it out before the turn.  I was on my feet whenever someone got two positions at once.

We had worried about Carlos Munoz, a rookie with minimal seat time and a penchant for passing low, starting in the middle of the front row.  He proved us all wrong.  He never had a weak moment.  A.J. Allmendinger seemed for awhile to be the hardest driver to pass.  E.J. Viso was more impressive than he had ever been.  It was fun to watch Ed Carpenter's charge from the pole in the beginning.  And of course, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, and Ryan Hunter-Reay got themselves to the front and never looked back.

My brother's girlfriend, who came to the race for the first time yesterday, had picked Tony Kanaan to win.  It was a wise choice because he can never be counted out, but after so long, I didn't dare to hope.  He has always been more than capable, but luck gets in the way.  Yesterday, it cleared a path to victory for him.  No driver brings more people to their feet by taking the lead.  Everyone was behind him yesterday; we always have been.  Finally, it was his turn.  I'd be hard pressed to find someone who deserves it more.  It seemed the field was in agreement, giving him congratulations from the cockpit and stopping his victory lap to hug him.

This is our race.  This is our series.  Some people want to see crashes, and rivalries, and trading paint, and green-white-checkereds.  If that's what you like, then you've come to the wrong place, because the Indianapolis 500 is much bigger than all of that.  People give everything they have to try to win here, and that can bring out the worst in them.  What I see in most of our drivers, though, is that it brings out the best.   There is fraternity in loving this race.  Those thirty-three drivers may be competing against each other, but they are still somehow in it together.  They race side by side, but give each other room.  They all want to win, but they are bonded by that desire.  And they can appreciate talent and determination in those they are trying to beat just as much as they could in the drivers they grew up watching.  

For over a century, this peerless test of machine, skill, and perseverance has fulfilled dreams and dashed hopes.  It has propelled careers and created legends.  Sometimes we forget how powerful it really is, but yesterday brought it all back to the forefront.  Records were broken, proof that auto racing is still about progress.  They stayed clean because we're here for speed and not destruction.  Thousands of spectators and thirty-three drivers congratulated Tony Kanaan because a man who worked harder than anyone finally saw it pay off.  In the end, I cried tears of joy, and I wasn't the only one.

This is the Indianapolis 500, the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.  

     
        

Taking the Green

I love windmills for the same reason I love race cars; they somehow have the same spirit.  They are larger than life.  They are testaments to progress.  They're neat looking.  And they give me endless hope for the future.  

There are layers upon layers of things to love about racing, and many of the things that make this sport special to me, I got from my family.  In a perfect world, I would never let the month of May pass without getting to see my aunts and uncles in Indianapolis and listening to them talk about the old days.  One of the highlights of Indy weekend is seeing the vintage cars out on the track.  I do love my DW12,  and I also love knowing that one day, I'll see a DW12 the same way my dad sees a March.  The roadsters of the fifties and sixties, which look positively ancient now, were the cars of my great aunts and uncles' generation.  Tradition is a significant part of all of this.  

Racing traditions--the personal and the universal--began long ago and are still being made.  But there is one that stands out from the rest, because it has been there from the beginning:  the tradition of being every that's good about innovation.  Racing has always been the testing ground for new technology that can be applied to our daily lives.  This progress has always been an intensely beautiful thought to me.  It's like the feeling I get when I land a window seat on a plane, right on top of the wing, and I get to see it rise up from the ground.  It's proof that humans are capable of defying every accepted definition of possible.   

In times like these, it is crucial that we push innovation in racing.  We are facing a global climate crisis.  This past winter pushed this crisis to the very front of my mind.  Though some people got plenty of snow, many of us were sweating.  Here in North Carolina, temperatures often reached the seventies.      

Climate change has always been an issue of concern for me.  But we're no longer talking about what will happen if we don't make a change.  We're watching it happening.  The ship is leaving the harbor.  People of my generation are now having to prepare for huge changes in the not-so-distant future.  It's easier to brush it off as a hoax than it is to face the problem head on, because it is, in a word, terrifying.  But it doesn't have to be.  We can fix it.  We don't have to sit idly by.  Why shouldn't auto racing lead the charge?  Our future can be greener, cleaner, and more beautiful.  It makes sense that the fastest route there is with the fastest cars on earth.           

Starting the Biggest Race of My Life

For the past week or so, I have had to drive home knowing that I could open the mailbox and see a letter from Salem College sitting inside.  I've looked for the letter for months, even when I knew it was too early for it to be there.  For two weeks, I grabbed my bag and locked the car as if it were Pole Day at Indy, just to get to the mailbox.  But on Friday, I guess I just knew it was time.  I stopped the car on a dime, ripped the key out of the ignition, and left the door open.  When I opened the mailbox, the Salem College logo was staring me in the face.  I tore open the envelope--it's in pieces now--and a little card fell out.  I left it on the ground and dropped the envelope, struggling to reach the first sentence of the letter.

"It is my special privilege..."

I should have known at the word "privilege," but I wouldn't let myself believe it yet.

"It is my special privilege to inform you that the Salem College Committee on Admissions has accepted you as a member of the first year class for fall 2013."

Did it say what I thought it said?  My University of North Carolina Charlotte envelope had said "Congratulations!  You've been accepted!" in huge, green letters on the outside.  This sentence was vague by comparison.  I read it and reread it, but couldn't think of a way I would have misconstrued the wording.

So, deciding that I had indeed been accepted to Salem College, I proceeded to run laps around the street, screaming.  (No one called the police or even came outside to see if I was being kidnapped, so I hope I never actually need help.)

Salem is the college of my dreams.  It is a small women's college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  A year ago, I had no interest in any place that fit that description, but everything I thought I'd hate about it is what I love about it.  Really, all that's missing is a kart track.  But fear not!  Charlotte is only an hour away.  Virginia International Raceway, my second home, is an hour and a half up the road.  There are stock cars at Bowman Gray Stadium on Saturday nights.  And the owners of my home kart track are talking about opening another location, so I'm trying to convince them that Winston-Salem is the ideal spot.

There are myriad reasons that I will be saying yes to Salem College, but most of all, I believe I can do whatever I want there.  I have all sorts of crazy ideas that haven't  finished forming yet, but at Salem, no one would call them crazy.  It seems to be the type of place where you could talk to anyone, and they would say, "What can I do to help you with that?"  As an aspiring motorsports journalist, I need this outlook.  I need to believe I am capable of anything and everything.  Over the next four years, I will gain the education, experience, and attitude that will help me reach my dream of working in racing.  I'll need a lot more than that, but it's a great place to start.  I am more than ready to get going.         

Something We Can All Agree On

Fact:  nobody wants to talk about politics.  No matter who any of us supported, we all share at least a shadow of relief that the election is over.  I happened to be one who followed it closely and cared about it deeply.  I don't intend to say who I voted for, or start talking about the economy or immigration or any of those topics that have been repeated over and over for the last few months.  Now is the time to step back and remember that we're all brothers and sisters, and we all want the best for our country.

But as we are overjoyed to be through listening to people argue, as we have cast our votes and played our biggest role in deciding the fate of our nation, we cannot allow ourselves to forget about the issues.  Politicians promise to prioritize certain ones, but once they become elected, everything is a priority.  I cannot imagine how tough it must be to represent so many different types of people--regardless of party, they are supposed to speak for us all.  The only way for us to influence their priorities is to keep talking about the issues that matter to us.  

Many people have a particular issue they are especially concerned about, myself included.  I believe I am knowledgeable about my issue and have been able to distinguish fact and opinion as I have studied it.   But even without those facts, I know all I need to know about it because of my own experience. 

That's right--I'm a feminist.  

I'm not going to touch the women's issues debated in the election; my greatest concerns are nonpartisan anyway.  My greatest concerns are the sexual objectification of women by the media.  That our default setting is "he."  That we are taught to value our appearance above all.  Do you doubt me?  Take a stroll down the boys' toy aisle, and then the girls'.  Note the companies that push their products using scantily clad and/or physically perfect women.  Definitely watch the documentary Miss Representation and visit the website.  

It has been difficult to let go of my preoccupation with my looks, and I still have a long way to go.  Every day, I remind myself:  insecurity is not natural, or necessary.  The things I have worked to achieve are worth much more than what I was born with.  And it seems to me that the best way for young women to really believe those things about themselves is to be involved in sports.  There are many other ways to feel empowered, but sports are different.  To be an athlete is to love your body for what it can do and not for what it looks like.  I love seeing women throughout the sports world.  There are many strong, skilled female athletes for girls to look up to.  I just wish I saw more women in racing.  

The number of women in our sport is significantly greater than it was only a few years ago, and it will only continue to grow.  But I still want more.  I want to hear "Ladies and gentleman," at every start, at every track, in every country.  I know there are millions of female spectators, and I want the number of female drivers to reflect that.  I want young girls to stop dreaming about making history as a woman, and instead dream about making history as a driver.  

We've come a long way, and although women are still greatly outnumbered, we're used to seeing female drivers.  But racing continues to be a man's world.  The rule is still that men are drivers, crew chiefs, or engineers, and women are wives or grid girls.  I know there are women who do important work.  I don't know how numerous they are, but from my perspective, they seem like the exceptions that prove the rule.  Sometimes, the grid girls are all I see.  There are the female spectators, like me, and almost anyone associated with the event is either a man or paid to look pretty for the men.  I feel like I'm being ignored.  

That's not what I want any young driver to see, female or male.  I want them to see Sarah Fisher, the first female team owner to win an IndyCar race.  I want them to see Liz Halliday, a successful driver, commentator, and equestrian.  I myself have received driving instruction from several intelligent, talented women.  Girls need to see these incredible women accomplishing these things, and for many, that's the only way they would think they could do it themselves.  

 A few years ago, I read a letter in Racer Magazine that claimed that beautiful women were part of racing.  These women are beautiful, but I doubt I'm using that word in the same way that fellow was.  Now, things have changed.  We let women drive at night, and we let them drive race cars, too, no matter what they look like.  Racing is for everyone.  If there are men driving, there better be women.  If there are grid girls, then there ought to be grid boys.  This is the 21st century, and a girl who loves racing should never feel like she has to break down barriers to get there.      

It's time to crush sexism!  All you amazing female drivers, hurry up and make it to the top!  We've shown the world what we can do, but we need you to make sure they cold know it.           

When Life Gives You Le Mans

Yesterday, I finally turned eighteen, and since that's kind of a big deal, I actually had a party.  I haven't really had one since I was eleven, but that was a paragon of parties.  How about my cake?  My parents made it. It was a masterpiece.  I am so upset that the picture is blurry.

This party was French-inspired.  I have been obsessed with all things French since I started learning to speak the language in seventh grade, and in July of this year, I actually got to go there.  Don't worry, I took plenty of pictures.  Notre Dame!  The Eiffel Tower!  The palace at Versailles!  The thing is, though, I didn't get all the pictures I needed.  I know you're supposed to relax with the camera and try to enjoy every bit of it in the moment.  But I scrambled to get a shot of these things, and sadly fell short every time.

1. Richard the Lionheart.  He's buried in a cathedral in Rouen.  It was a moment I wanted to spend thinking about Dan, but like so many crumbling, centuries-old monuments, that part of the cathedral was closed for restoration.  Thinking of him then made me particularly sad; I wasn't expecting to be confronted with a reminder of him.  As we all know, he is gone, but far from forgotten.  In fact, we remember him often, at the most unexpected times.  
2. Le Mans.  Every time I turned around, there was a sign bearing the direction to Le Mans.  It seemed that for the entire trip, we danced right around it without actually going there.  A picture of just the sign would have been worth having.  One day, I will go to the 24 Heures du Mans.  It's on my bucket list.  I can hardly miss out on an event that combines two of my favorite things.  Speaking French above the roar of a legendary race?  C'est parfait!
3. c. 1960 Mustang.  When I saw it, I forgot I was in France.  We could have been on some endless highway in middle America.  (Then we passed a Peugeot dealership.)  I wasn't completely shocked to see it, but something about it in that moment was incredibly beautiful.  As much as I was loving my time in France, it struck a patriotic nerve.  
4. A kart track.  There I was, riding through the postcard-worthy Loire Valley, imagining Joan of Arc galloping through the hills on horseback.  Then a little kart track appeared.  I wasn't sure if it was even a kart track at first, but I saw red and yellow striped curbs, and signs, a separate one for each letter, spelling out, "KARTING."  (It's the same word in French and English.  I remember writing sentences  in French class:  "Qu'est-ce que tu aimes faire?"  "J'aime faire du karting.")  It was a perspective I hadn't seen before.  Obviously, there's plenty of racing in Europe.  But since I've never seen it with my own eyes, I still picture castles and villages when I think of that continent.  Well, there are definitely castles and villages, but nestled in between are race tracks.  So this is where it happens.  This is where it fits.
5. 8, Place de la Concorde, Paris.  This is the address of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile.  I laid eyes on that building without knowing what it was.  I was busy being amazed that Marie Antoinette was beheaded right over there.  But on the other end the Place de la Concorde was the FIA.  I only knew that later.  It turns out that colorful histories and modern motorsports fit quite well together.  And why shouldn't they?  The first-ever motor race took place in France. 

The good news is that I will hopefully be studying abroad in France soon.  I'll find my way to Le Mans.  I'll do some French karting.  I will get the pictures I'm lacking.

I Should Be Driving a Shelby Mustang

This is my car.  I have mixed feelings about it.

I am not the type to name my car or assign it a gender.  (I almost named it Rolfe, but when I realized I didn't want it to share a name with Liesl's Nazi boyfriend in The Sound of Music, I decided to leave it alone.)

It is a 2001 5-speed Jetta.  Don't think for a minute that I'm not thankful I have it, but it's got its pros and cons.  I'm just not sure if the pros outweigh all those cons.  That said, my assessment of the situation is not likely to have any influence on whether I drive this car.  

• PRO:  It's zippy.  When I drive my parents' Impala, it feels like I'm at the helm of some massive ocean liner.  But I can put the Jetta exactly where I want it to go.  That makes my daily drive to school entertaining.  The road that runs next to campus doesn't get a lot of traffic, and the turns are tight enough to have a little fun within the speed limit.  You start by turning right off the busy road, and then it's immediately ninety degrees back to the left.  I use every bit of pavement.  From there, it's a short, quick straight, and then another ninety-degree right turn.  There's a lot of extra pavement on the inside and I always hit my apex.  I've driven that road in several different cars, but in the Jetta, I'm giggling.

• CON:  It will not win a drag race.  My brother drove this car before I did, and I'm not sure what he was thinking when he attempted this.  I don't know the whole story, but he and his friends went to a drag strip in the next county over.  (It's probably not nearly as sketchy as I'm imagining, but there is something foreboding about "the next county over.")  He paid a few dollars to get a number and then lined up to race.  I don't know how badly he lost, but it's definitely not a story he likes to tell often. 

• PRO:  It's a manual.  I'm a snob about that.  I was scared to learn, because the only thing you ever hear (outside the racing circle) is that they're impossible to drive.  Turns out, it's not so bad.  Imagine that!  I didn't even stall the first time I tried it--I was just a little closer to the mailbox than I was comfortable with.  Pretty soon, it was second nature.  Now, it's all I want to drive.  It adds another layer to my daily commute.  Instead of going from point A to point B, I am driving the car.  I am operating the machine.  Plus, learning to drive a manual gave me my philosophy (at least for most parts of life).  Say you're at a stop sign, trying to turn left onto a busy road.  This is what I do every day.  If I stall as I'm pulling out, I could be hit.  So how do I keep from stalling?  I just don't stall.  I just don't.  I keep the car running because that's what has to happen.  Got a problem?  Solve it.  Need to accomplish something?  Do it.  I love how simple things can be.

• CON:  I can no longer drive an automatic.  Well, that's not exactly true.  I can switch back and forth easily now, but at first, I'd stomp around for the clutch until I remembered where I was.  But it is true that I don't want to drive an automatic.  I take a lot of pride in driving a manual.  Why would I want to take a step back down?  (I told you, I'm a total snob.)    

• PRO:  My brother and I both learned to drive a manual in it.  It's got sentimental value!  Kind of!

• CON:  My brother and I both learned to drive a manual in it.  I don't think it can handle a third student.  Frankly, I was probably one too many.

• PRO:  It's tiny.  I can park in compact spots.  I don't have to be particularly nervous in heavy traffic.  There is always space for me.  I also get a lot of feedback.  I can feel everything--tiny dips in the road, wind gusts on the highway.  My grandma's always wanted a Cadillac; she says it's the smoothest ride you can get. But I like the stream of information I get in the Jetta.  The more I know about my surroundings, the safer I feel.  

• CON:  The trunk cannot be opened.  On a really dumb day, I walked off without my keys.  I came back for them, but they were gone.  I suppose someone was charmed by my shiny F1 key chain.  I got new keys, but they don't open the trunk.  Bad news.  The CD player is in the trunk.  

• PRO:  It's fuel efficient.  It would be fairly efficient as an automatic, but it is even more so because it's a manual.  I can save fuel with my driving techniques.  I coast in neutral whenever possible.  It also helps that I don't speed--I respect the law and the safety of the people around me.  (Sorry, getting a little preachy.)  It still feels like I'm at the pump all the time, though.  That's just another in a long list of reasons to invest in green technology.  

• CON:  The left speakers are blown.  But I've adjusted as though I were deaf in one ear.  

My assessment?  It's a car, it has character, and I'm lucky to have it.  That doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to when I get to choose the car I drive.  

  

A Salute to Dan Wheldon

This last year has not been the same without Dan Wheldon.  It's almost hard to believe that on Tuesday, it will have been that long, but we haven't stopped missing his presence.  Needless to say, we never will.  There will never be another Lionheart. 

Last year was my junior year of high school, and I spent a great deal of it writing papers.  We got prompt after prompt, and we were supposed to make a point about it, support it, disprove it.  Every time, I hoped to have some sort of emotional stake in the issue, and more often than not, I was disappointed.

Then one day, I was handed a prompt about boxing.  Some people were arguing that boxing was too dangerous and should be outlawed.  They claimed that boxing could cause serious injuries and was not worth the risk.  It was left to me to decide if that risk was serious enough to cut boxing out of the sports world.

My first thought?  I didn't care about boxing.  They could outlaw it or not, and I wouldn't know the difference.  As usual, I'd have to come up with some good-enough points and tepidly argue them.

Then, I thought of Dan. 

After the heartbreaking events of October 16th, 2011, none of us knew what to think.  I questioned why we race, when we know these things can and do happen.  At first, the only thing I could think to do was quit racing.  It seemed right to just shut it out. 

But it wasn't right, because we've always known the risk.  Every driver does.  And they toss it to the side, because following their passion is more important.  This sport is so much more than the sum of its parts, and the greatest way to honor Dan Wheldon is to ensure that it thrives.

So, to all the boxers out there--if this is your passion, I will never take it away from you.  We do what we love because life is meant to be lived.  I have a feeling Dan Wheldon knew that better than anybody.

October 16th was a dark, surreal day.  I kept thinking we could go back and keep it from happening.  It continues to amaze me that someone I didn't know personally could have had such an impact on my life.  He had a unique ability to make you feel like a friend in the seconds it took to get his autograph or shake his hand.  And he was that guy you wanted to hate, because he seemed to win all the time, but you couldn't help liking him.  He was just too darn likable.  The finish of the 2011 Indianapolis 500 was perhaps my favorite moment--Dan was the only person I would have wanted to suddenly appear and take the checkered.

I like to remember him best at the 2005 Indy 500, which was the first race I ever went to.  My picture of that day remains crystal clear, and since he won, he is enduringly part of it.  He makes up many of my first memories of auto racing.  And the beautiful thing is that we all have those memories, and through them, he'll live forever.          

R.I.P. Lionheart.  Every time we drive, we drive for you. 

Don't Go Straight in the Chicane

In racing, it's really important that you use the steering wheel, throttle and brake to navigate the course without making contact with the wall.  I know, did it really need to be said?  But based on this video, someone needed to tell me.

This is from that league I ran when I was eleven.  It's a little blurry, but you can see me pass two karts, and then get passed back by one.  You can also hear how nervous my mom is, and a few seconds later, you see that she'd had reason to be.  At the far end of the course, there's a thud, and one of the karts is no longer moving.  That kart would be me.  I went straight in the chicane.

I do not know why this happened.  I have since tried to recreate the incident, and no matter how inexperienced I may have been at the time, I cannot fathom how I would have failed to prevent it.  At least it was only during practice.  Maybe I was just trying to get all the mistakes out of my system by making one huge stupid one.  

Go ahead and laugh at me, because I'm laughing, too.  But this is a PSA, so remember it:  please, don't go straight in the chicane.     

(Almost) Better Than the Real Thing

Indoor karting?  It's a beautiful thing.  Okay, yes, it's indoor karting.  It's arrive-and-drive.  But what would I do without it?  It allows me to do some real-enough driving while having the time and money for other interests, like dance.  Not only that, but it's an ideal starting point for people who are thinking about getting into racing--you can find out if you really like it and if you're any good before making a commitment.  It's also a place to lay a foundation of skills, as well as to keep them sharp once you get going.

I have spent an overwhelming number of hours at my track since it opened six or seven years ago.  When I was eleven, I drove in a house youth league.  It didn't go as well as I'd hoped.  I finished fourth in points.  I didn't win a single race.  I thought I'd gotten really good, so it was a bit of a hit to my ego.

But in time, I got better.  We spent a lot more time at the track.  My dad organized an endurance race  for public safety agencies in the Raleigh, NC area in the name of team building.  And when the house youth league didn't come back for a second season, he partnered with a coworker, and the Raleigh Area Public Safety Youth League was born.  By that time, I had had two more years to improve, and I could feel it right away.  I ended up winning the championship with three wins.

Sadly, I aged out of the league when I turned fifteen.  I now drive the pace kart.  It's a neat gig, but I'm jealous of the drivers.  There are a lot of them, and they're good.  The races are intense.  Some of these kids have been in our league for a few years, and I've seen them fix their mistakes, become more aggressive, and get better results, like I was able to do.  I guess I always knew you really could learn something indoors, and every time I watch them drive, that belief is validated.

One day, maybe I will do something bigger--club racing, auto cross, Skip Barber--but at least for right now, a little indoor karting goes a long way.