Champ Car Testing at Portland

[Portland Info]

May 1st - 3rd. Call in sick. Pull the kids out of school. Buy a new memory card for the camera.

This test session will be open to the public, as always!

NHL, R-Sports, Minardi, and Pacific Coast are all confirmed so far!

[racermike]

Trying to put together a breakfast meet&greet at the Elmers across the freeway from the track.

9am on the 2nd

[Wabbit]

If I knew Paul Newman was going to be there and I could get autographs, I might come down with a sudden cold. I want to get my Super Speedway DVD autographed.

[G.]

If I knew Paul Newman was going to be there and I could get autographs, I might come down with a sudden cold. I want to get my Super Speedway DVD autographed.
I read somewhere that PN will NOT sign autographs at the races. He has a well-known (to some; not me) reason for this that has nothing to do with being a jerk.

Lil help?

[pchall]

I read somewhere that PN will NOT sign autographs at the races. He has a well-known (to some; not me) reason for this that has nothing to do with being a jerk.

Lil help?

Mr. Newman is a racer and not a celebrity. He made me a turkey and onion sandwich at the buffet table in the N-H garages at the M-0 open practice in 2001. :)

[Wabbit]

Mr. Newman is a racer and not a celebrity. He made me a turkey and onion sandwich at the buffet table in the N-H garages at the M-0 open practice in 2001. :)

Well, it is a racer movie.

[DjDrOmusic]

I don't know if it's true, but someone told me that at races if he does sign an autograph he signs PL Newman, because he ties to keep racing separate from showbiz.

[Wheel-Nut]

Did anyone go to the test?

[TravelGal]

Racermike did. First day almost completely rained, hailed, and otherwise monsooned out. Didn't hear about the second day yet.

The AHRRR WON folks are saying Sebass and Graham were the fastest.

[NismoZ]

Yep. New track record, if test sessions count. Bourdais (57.1) faster than Bruno's pole time last year and the old ('00 Reynard) lap record. Rahal 2nd fast at 57.6, says he's "REALLY looking forward to coming back!" Day one WAS the fast day, day 2 was the near washout ( I think only Gommendy chose to run) and Day 3 a tad slower with N/H/L 1-2 again. Five teams 10 drivers, only 8 yesterday. It's expensive.

[cyclepath]

Well qualifying may produce slower times since the past times in the test used P2P! (teams had 80 sec. to use on the first day) won't have the chance in Qulifying!



Yep. New track record, if test sessions count. Bourdais (57.1) faster than Bruno's pole time last year and the old ('00 Reynard) lap record. Rahal 2nd fast at 57.6, says he's "REALLY looking forward to coming back!" Day one WAS the fast day, day 2 was the near washout ( I think only Gommendy chose to run) and Day 3 a tad slower with N/H/L 1-2 again. Five teams 10 drivers, only 8 yesterday. It's expensive.

[NismoZ]

True, but ptp aside it further leads me to believe that even at this early stage of development the '01 is a faster car than the old Lola and Reynard. That record from '00 that Bourdais bested was set with what, 900hp and 15,000+revs? I'll still take these test times as a positive sign for CC.:thumbup:

[dreamracer]

I read somewhere that PN will NOT sign autographs at the races. He has a well-known (to some; not me) reason for this that has nothing to do with being a jerk.

Lil help?

Paul's last straw that caused him to cease signing autographs, was the day that someone followed him into the restroom and asked him for one, while he was taking a leak.

Essentially he said to himself...

'What? Do you want me to let go of it, and grab the pen instead?

Newman has told that story before, and it's much funnier when he does.

[TravelGal]

Paul's last straw that caused him to cease signing autographs, was the day that someone followed him into the restroom and asked him for one, while he was taking a leak.

Essentially he said to himself...

'What? Do you want me to let go of it, and grab the pen instead?

Newman has told that story before, and it's much funnier when he does.

That sounds SO like something he would say.

I dont blame him. I was in the ladies room at a swank Beverly Hills hotel and Oprah came in--followed close behind by some autograph seekers who could NOT stop yammering on about how much they LOOOOOV-ED her, while the poor woman was hopping from foot to foot, just trying to get to the loo.

[Kiwifan]

That is such poor taste isn't it? I remember sitting in a toddlers pool with my kids many years ago when a famous NZ cricketer came in with his kids. A few of us smiled, nodded politely and just carried on. Several others just had to ask him about his cricket and life in general. Within 5 minutes he had taken his kids out of the pool and just wandered off. :( I felt so sorry for him, all he wanted was some quiet time with his kids, as did we.

My folks drummed into me that good manners were to be upheld at all times no matter who you were dealing with. Changing times I guess.... :irked:

Rusty.

[chop456]

I dont blame him. I was in the ladies room at a swank Beverly Hills hotel and Oprah came in--followed close behind by some autograph seekers who could NOT stop yammering on about how much they LOOOOOV-ED her, while the poor woman was hopping from foot to foot, just trying to get to the loo.

Shame.

A swirly would have been much more appropriate.

[JohnHKart]

It's funny, for a long time now I no longer think of Paul Newman as being an actor or celebrity at all, but as the co owner of Newman Hass. I guess that's in direct proportion to the amount of times I've seen him as a co owner to movies I've watched lately. I'm so jaded, being a musician living in LA and having celebrity experiences, that I never even email or talk about them most of the time anymore. It's so over.

John

[Ankf00]

that creepy looking dude from Prison Break who plays the creepy guy was at this dive in Deep Ellum in Dallas one night. He goes to the chick restroom with this girl, our chick friends were in there at the time and obviously overheard the commotion.

so the rest of the night, the bar's shaped like |_|, he's on the opposite side of the bar from her, every couple of mins while the band was playing he'd turn aruond and flash her the shocker.

hilarious.

the very next night, no band playing, same prison break dude is there, and goes into the dude's restroom with a guy.

not so hilarious.

This story was brought to you by Spickly's Paris thread.

[TKGAngel]

that creepy looking dude from Prison Break who plays the creepy guy

After that descriptor, I'm thinking that a career as a reporter at US Weekly isn't in your future. ;)

Back on topic, I had heard that the PLN 'no autographs' policy extended only to adults, that he would sign stuff for kids that came up to him.

[Paintergeek]

After that descriptor, I'm thinking that a career as a reporter at US Weekly isn't in your future. ;)

Back on topic, I had heard that the PLN 'no autographs' policy extended only to adults, that he would sign stuff for kids that came up to him.

No kids know who he is. If kids are approaching him for autographs, Parents(or grandparents) are hiding behind the trashcan.

[Insomniac]

That is such poor taste isn't it? I remember sitting in a toddlers pool with my kids many years ago when a famous NZ cricketer came in with his kids. A few of us smiled, nodded politely and just carried on. Several others just had to ask him about his cricket and life in general. Within 5 minutes he had taken his kids out of the pool and just wandered off. :( I felt so sorry for him, all he wanted was some quiet time with his kids, as did we.

My folks drummed into me that good manners were to be upheld at all times no matter who you were dealing with. Changing times I guess.... :irked:

Rusty.

It's tough, but it also comes with the territory. The reason athletes and celebrities can get paid so well is the people who spend their money to see them. It also becomes more complex when they start giving out an autograph and people see that and also want one and on and on. Need to politely decline and hope people will understand.