FASTEST DOG OF THE DAY!!
There are some of you I am certain will have read Garth Stein's little masterpiece novel 'The Art of Racing in the Rain' - an absolute classic for dog lovers everywhere. And if you also happen to be one of those nut jobs like me that enjoys nothing more than tearing up the track in your race car in search of the perfect lap it will resonate so deeply it can be profound. The story is told by Enzo, a dog belonging to Denny, an aspiring professional race car driver. Enzo is highly intelligent having fed himself on a diet rich in TV documentaries, he is wise, insightful and full of little aphorisms. Denny has lost his wife to cancer at a very young age and now has to look after his young daughter and the ageing Enzo who has terrible hips. The novel is narrated by Enzo, as on the eve of his death he reflects at length on his life. One passage from the book I found intensely poignant was when Denny decided to take Enzo to work with him one day, strapped him into race car and took him around the track, Enzo was in his element and found deep satisfaction in learning exactly what his master did for a living and revelled in the talent on display. Our dogs love to share our experiences and this unlikely scenario just rang true for me.
Yesterday I took Ben to the track at Tremblant. It is a beautiful and very lush setting for a race circuit among the high hills [mountains would seem to be a bit of a stretch] and lakes of this very attractive little ski region. I had joined a group of very good friends that enjoy the same track activities as me and joined their encampment in the paddock. Ben had met some of them before and just revelled in the attention lavished upon him, he was in great form and hammed up his ‘cute factor’ exponentially. A ‘parade lap’ event was scheduled for lunchtime, a chance for anyone to take their car on the track to experience the circuit at a sedate pace. I could not resist, Ben and I would take some laps and he could experience at first hand what I find so enthralling. Of course my track car was not to hand but I was given some very nice offers to take some interesting cars, probably best was Kevin’s offer of his 911 Turbo S convertible. He was serious but the sun was very strong, it was hot and I feared Ben would be uncomfortable in those conditions. And so it was that among the Porsches and Corvettes and other high powered machinery at pit lane Ben sat ready for the experience in a humble minivan, complete with all our bags, hanging clothes, cooler and other supplies.
I had never driven Tremblant before and so the first lap was taken at a smooth and steady pace, Ben fascinated at what was going by the windows. Somehow it seemed that the ‘sedate’ part of this little exercise had missed the attention of the other drivers and our minivan soon had a long stretch of clear track with no traffic. The most important aspect of driving a car quickly around a track is to be as smooth as possible, no jerky braking or steering inputs which will upset balance. Smooth beautiful empty track ahead, dry sunny day and I am only human. It was eye opening to see how quickly the humble minivan could be driven employing the techniques I have learned over the years. Ben hunkered down onto his bench seat and we made very surprising progress. Certainly surprising to the BMW M3 and the Corvette we found blocking our way!! For me it became a very emotional experience as I recalled the passage from Art of Racing in the Rain and realized that here I was living the very same experience for real. Ben would know what I do and our bond become even stronger.
Back in the paddock Ben emerged from the van as a true hero, just another of the guys that likes a little speed. He seemed just ecstatic and thoroughly enjoyed the attention bestowed upon him by all and sundry. Without any doubt he had earned the title Fastest Dog of the Day.
Photos will follow, having a small problem with the SD card from my camera since it went through the washing machine with my jeans yesterday!