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For the 2008 Indianapolis 500 we will be bringing you all the latest news and thoughts from our dynamic pair of journeymen in the field Robert Rakete and Bob McMurray.
We are with them as they travel from New Zealand across to Indianapolis to make the ONE Sport Indianapolis 500 Preview show for screening on May 25 from 4:30pm within Powerbuilt Tools Motorsport on TV ONE.
From May 16 there will be daily reports.
Bob relates the story of their cameraman's beer disaster and the hunt for a concrete mixer while Rob catches up with Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon in the Ganassi team trailer.
Bob says:
Morning dawns bright and beautiful. It is a blue sky and dry for Community Day at the Speedway.
A day when, as it says on the box, the community come to the Speedway and meet the drivers, teams and personalities (like Rob), see the cars, drive the track, see airshows, bouncy castles (Ben, our editor, loves these) and generally have a great time.
The beer disaster
Big John our cameraman was relating to us this morning that he thought his meagre supply of emergency beers had been stolen from his hotel room fridge.
He was having to repair a microphone with a soldering iron and it was a finickety and tedious job so he needed a calming beer to go with it.
To the fridge he went only to find out that he had just one beer left instead of the 6 dozen or so he had purchased for such emergency situations.
Anger flooded him as he considered storming down to reception to report this heinous crime but decided to get the soldering job finished first.
Just as he was about to go down a small light flickered in his brilliant brain.
The beers were from the local supermarket and were a little warm when he bought them. Two days ago! He had put them in the freezer to rapid cool. They were still there. He opened the door to see the beers occupying the entire freezer but not in their original containers. Frozen beer was everywhere.
What Bob wants
The photo of the day is pretty self explanatory and was taken at one of the many, many churches around Indy and the town of Speedway.
I am really trying to get a photo of a concrete mixer.
A concrete mixing truck to be absolutely correct. You see, they look as if they are going backwards but in a forwards direction. You will have to wait until I can find one and you will see what I mean. That's it.
Another tomorrow.
Bob
Rob says:
A busy day today.
We caught up with Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon in the Ganassi team trailer and, as always, they were two of the nicest guys. They thankfully always manage to find time to talk to us.
Media mania
That in itself isn't easy as these guys have a lot of commitments on and off the track. Media have been all over Scott, as the man at the pointy end of the starting grid, and he has been all over the tele and papers. He's not the only Kiwi on the cover of the newspapers though. John (cameraguy and frozen beer drinker) was featured standing next to Buddy Lazier when he finally made the back row on Bump Day. I hope that his camera crew back home get to see their team leader's moment in the press - and give him a hard time about it
Dan was about to be rushed out to another interview so we banged through our chat - with Kelby the Ganassi Press Guy staring at his watch. Wheldon also name checked Brendon Hartley as a driver to keep an eye on. Nice work. Just as we were leaving Dan's wife Susie gave us an exclusive look at her man's race day helmet - all Union Jack and St George slaying dragons.
Chilled out Scott
Scott was so remarkably chilled. I guess that confidence was obvious on Pole Day when he scrubbed his first run and went for it again scoring the #1 spot. We talked about his last race in Chicago. Y'know at some stage we've all run out of fuel - just not in a race - on the last lap - with the championship just around that corner - where the man with the checkered flag is waiting.
Scott's reaction is both honest and gracious. We chatted about the newbies from Champ Car, his recent nuptials, Dan's teeth, his Dad helping out another driver, and who he'd like to replace Dan if he ever left.
All that will feature on our preview show this Sunday.
Until tomorrow, have a great day, and thanks for reading our
blog.
Rob
Like the blog? Want to see the video ------ then remember the show from Indianapolis screens Sunday May 25th within PowerBuilt Tools Motorsport from 4:30pm on TV ONE.
ONE Sport brings you all the race action plus pre and post-analysis of the Indy 500.
Be watching TV ONE, Sunday May 25 at 4:30pm
