Reflections on One Lap

by Jerry Albertus

We are glad to be home and now trying to sum up our One Lap experiences.   As One Lap progresses you develop the routine of: get up, drive to the track, unload, wait, race, eat, wait, race, reload, drive to a new town, find the hotel, get some sleep, get up, drive to the track... repeat, repeat, repeat.  Your world becomes the One lap traveling carnival and the side shows and circuses within.  The outside world becomes unimportant, just something to be traversed on the way to the next challenge.

The One lap tribe is a close knit group and they withhold their approval of new members (Lap Puppies) until they have proven themselves.  When proven, the Puppies will become One Lap Dogs.  However, spectators and all who expresses interest are embraced and given answers to all their question, "What are you doing with that car?"  In return, spectators and passers-by are more than willing to do wonderful and amazing acts of kindness and generosity to help a One-Lapper repair his car and continue on his way.  It makes us very proud to live in a country whose people are so routinely generous.
 

Was One Lap a challenge…Yes!  Will we do it again…Yes.  After all, we will want to find out what is happening in the lives of our new friends.  The teams of father and son, father and daughter, old friends, new friends, brothers, brother and sister, husband and wife (including the honeymoon couple,) the young "hot shoe" drivers, the less skilled but enthusiastic converts to road racing, the 20+ years One Lap veterans.  They came from all over the world;  USA, Canada, Switzerland, England Australia and Scotland.  All of these people are now a part of our lives.  Scarlet took every challenge in stride and never missed a beat.  What a great car... Thanks FORD.

Ric and I and Scarlet will see you next year.