A few weekends ago, one of my Dad's 'bucket list' items got scratched off his list. He is a huge car racing fan, and I don't mean NASCAR, although he does appreciate watching some of their races. But the races he really loves are the Formula One (F1) races--for those of you like me who know next to nothing about this, let's just say it's Francesco Bernoulli NOT Lightning McQueen. I think my dad likes F1 racing because there is so much engineering and technology that goes into each car, as well as the strategy of racing on a track that isn't a circular one.
A bit of background...apparently F1 racing is huge in Europe but not as big in the United States. There hasn't been an F1 race here in the states for over 5 years, but they built this track in Austin, TX in hopes of having the F1 racing circuit return. And it worked. So for the past year, my Dad has been talking about wanting to go to this race. For his birthday in September, my mom was planning on sending him. But who wants to go do something like that alone? So we were gonna have Matt go along as another part of his gift. But as we started talking about it, I realized that Wyatt not getting to go could be more hurtful to Wyatt--especially since Wyatt has always loved cars and has such a great relationship with my Dad. Yes, Wyatt would have no appreciation for what an amazing opportunity this was for a 7-year old (I mean, my Dad waited 59 years for this!!) but he would treasure the time with his Dad and Grandpa. And I am SO glad he went along! He is still talking about how amazing it was.
A few pics from their weekend
Does this guy look excited or what?
I should really have asked Matt or my Dad (or even Wyatt) write this post since I don't really know much about what they actually saw all weekend, but I all try my best (and assume that anyone reading this probably won't know/care if I get it wrong!)
The Porsche GT race--I believe this was the gentlemen's race, which means that the guys racing these cars are not progressional race car drivers, but guys like Matt or my Dad who buy their own cars and race them
The Ferrari race
The F1 Vintage race car race
And then the big one...the guys went to the time trials race on Saturday and then the actual race on Sunday. On Saturday night, I asked Matt if they had seen enough after a full day of watching races and time trials, thinking that Wyatt might have had his fill and be bored. Matt just laughed, explaining that they had just gotten the racing bug itch and were now hooked!
My Dad got some sweet shots!
The pictures above are of the reigning world champion, a German guy by the name of Vettel, who ended up coming in 2nd place but is still currently leading after winning in Brazil the next week. If you ask Wyatt, he could rattle off the names of all the top racers now and what car they drive (Red Bull, Lotus, McLaren, Ferrari). But I couldn't name one of them....sorry!
Yes, these guys had a great weekend watching racing and they are all still talking about it, but more importantly, Wyatt had an amazing time with his Dad and Grandpa that he will never forget. In fact, when we picked them up at the airport, Wyatt and Matt were all smiles and gave us big hugs. But once they got in the car, I looked in the rearview and saw Wyatt with his head down, rubbing his eyes. I asked Matt what was wrong and he was just as shocked as I was, saying Wyatt had been great the entire time! I asked Wy what was wrong and he didn't immediately respond. I left him alone for a bit and then noticed he was actually trying to hide his tears (something I don't think I have ever seen him do), he told us in a quiet voice that he didn't want it to be over. That said it all.
Thanks Dad, for giving these two such a memorable experience and a new passion for car racing that they now share with you!
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