I met Andy Pilgrim at the Oregon Raceway over a year ago. Andy has won 5 Championships and 61 races so far in his professional racing career, has also been in the role of a factory driver racing BMWs and Porsches. He has raced for GM in Corvettes, Pontiacs (remember Pontiac?) and Cadillacs and is currently part of the Cadillace team for SCCA Pro Racing with the CTS-V Coupe.
When I got to the Oregon Raceway, a new and technical course, I was tired from the day-before travel from the East Coast and that day's all-day drive. I drove the Volvo S60 on the track, did one lap and handed over my keys. I knew in my gut I shouldn't be out on the track, but I didn't want to give in. At dinner that night I confessed my self-disappointment to Andy that I couldn't burn some rubber. If I wasn't 100 percent, I shouldn't be out there, he told me and then confessed he doesn't go on the track when he's tired either. Well, that put my little trauma in perspective.
Driving is serious business not business as usual. Our attention should be on the road 100%. Andy has a foundation whose mission is to teach new drivers good driving skills. Young drivers, not surprisingly, learn a lot of their driving habits from parents--parents who put on make up, talk on the phone, get into heated discussions and succumb to other distractions while driving. Parents: your kids are watching.
Andy has just completed three PSAs that are available for download at his foundation website, http://www.thedrivingzone2.com/psa/. They are designed to help parents. Check them out and drive carefully and attentively.
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