IGNITION / Opinion
DEREK BELL
The Legend
Racing drivers receive all the glory but winning is a team effort. I was thinking about this recently as I drove to Caribbean Jack’s, a seafood restaurant at Daytona Beach. It was a bit of a hike – probably a 400-mile round trip, not that the distance really entered into it. The point is, I was wondering what to expect as I made for the seventh running of the Road Racing Veteran Crew Club dinner during the run-up to the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Thing is, the mechanics are the real heroes in motor racing. Good grease-monkeys are worth their weight in gold. They work long, unsociable hours away from the limelight, but they are racers to the core. They are in it because they love the sport as much as I do.