2014 Racing Teaser Video

Hello!

Even though the 2014 racing season is still underway, here is a 2014 Racing Teaser Video for those of you who wanted to see, in a nutshell, what kind of racing we went through last year! Hope you enjoy it!

Grand Prix 2014

A blog post written by Duncan himself!

8 June 2014: Murdoch Racing on podium at Grand Prix du Canada

Duncan Murdoch earned 3 podium visits in the two Formula Tour 1600 support races over the Grand Prix weekend. 

Race 1 was an exciting one, immediately following the Formula One qualifying session Saturday afternoon.  Duncan had qualified his number 22 Van Diemen Ford in 4th place of 30 competitors. He spent the entire race in a tight battle within the lead pack of 5 cars. Running between1^st and 5^th position, Duncan finished 3^rd in the Pro category and 2^nd in the Masters category, for drivers over 40 years old.

Duncan having fun on the podium. 

Photo courtesy of siteformulatour1600

For Race 2 Sunday morning, prior to the Grand Prix, Duncan started from the front row, based on his having set the 2^nd fastest lap during Saturday’s race.  He was squeezed out at the first corner falling back to 6^th.  Having recovered to second place towards the end of the race, Duncan was a victim of traffic falling to 5^th at the finish, 1^st in the Masters category.

Duncan notes: “What a great weekend! It is a big thrill to race at the GP and very satisfying for our small team of friends, to be competitive with the big Pro teams and young up and coming drivers in this series.”

After 4 of 12 races in the 2014 Formula Tour 1600 Series Duncan is 3^rd in the Pro Championship standings and 1^st in the Masters category.

The World's Coolest Golf Cart!

When you go to the racetrack, you would expect fancy cars, trucks and trailers. However, there is one thing that is always present that shocks people. This is the use of golf carts. Now, I know what you might be thinking: why would a race team possibly need a golf cart? What purpose would it serve? Well, this blog article will tell you. A golf cart, much like a pit crew, is an integral part of a race team and our team learned this very early on during the 2010 race season.

When I learned we were going to have a golf cart, I thought it would look exactly like the ones on the golf courses. However, some look very different! Ours has only one seat, is covered in metal and has a storage compartment underneath. When we first saw it at the Montreal Grand Prix in 2010, Duncan had recently bought it and the engine required rebuilding. Duncan and Jim were completing the rebuild at the track as, up to that point, all the effort had been on preparing the Race Car and the golf cart parts had just arrived.  I remember staring at this machine, wondering what possible purpose it could have. Boy, I had no idea.

The false grid is far from our paddock (which is right underneath the Jacques Cartier Bridge), at the F1 garages in the pit lane, close to the Victoria Bridge.

You know that roar of a monster in a movie and you feel that the crap is about to hit the fan? Well, that’s kind of what happens with the golf cart at Tremblant. Duncan and Jim usually walk from the car park in the field to our spot in the paddock and return to give us a ride. Everything is quiet until… you hear it: . That distinctive sound of the golf cart’s 2 stroke engine.  The arrival of the golf cart is always met with moans, groans and threats from other teams. One racer threatened to blow up the golf cart.   He never gets a ride.

The first person to threaten to destroy the golf cart was none other than me. The 2010 Grand Prix of Montreal was the first event in the rivalry between the golf cart and me. When I tried to drive it in reverse, I went flying backwards, catching my foot on a metal pole. I tore three tendons. I’ve also stalled it quite a few times.  This is why I’m generally not allowed to drive it.

The golf cart has many different purposes. It tows the car back and forth along the basin at the Montreal Grand Prix, which we call the false grid. The false grid extends from our paddock (which is right underneath the Jacques Cartier Bridge) to the garages in the pit lane (which are close to the Victoria Bridge).  Without it, we would lose fuel. The golf cart carries the crew and equipment to the pits. It is used as a stepping stool to take down the tent.  Duncan uses it to schmooze around the paddocks. It is also used to inflict injuries on ourselves, which was seen during the 2010 season. It also announces our presences and Jim describes it “like a Roman chariot. The distinct sound of the engine is our bugle.”

The golf cart backfires once in a while, which can be a little embarrassing, depending who is around. However, everyone looks our way when we are driving it and they cheer when we sound the horn. The backfire is our mechanical trumpet.

The golf cart is also the perfect viewing platform for the races and gives us the best seats during Formula 1 qualifying, which takes place just on the other side of the wall we are waiting by.

Even though some of us make fun of the golf cart, it is actually one of the best investments Duncan made and we would all be lost without it. 

Coming up!

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for the break in the blogs, butt we are getting ready for the first race of the season at Tremblant on  May 23-25! Below is the revised 2014 schedule for this racing year and some information about the blogs coming up!

Thank you for your support!

Murdoch Racing.

Blogs coming up:

The Fundamental Understanding of Murdoch Racing: Want to know about the team before you show up at the track? Well this blog is perfect for you. Inside, you will read all sorts of funny anecdotes and inside jokes so you can understand exactly what is going on when you are around us!

Team Blog entry: the last short biography is on its way written by none other than Duncan and Meghan.

Golf Cart blog: want to know a bit about the golf cart and its rather interesting purpose at the races? You can read all about it here. Learn about Meghan's rivalry and ill-fated experiences with the cart, the injuries it imposes and funny anecdotes about it.

May 23-24-25                   Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant                                      Mont-Tremblant, Que Jun 6-7-8                          Circuit Gilles Villeneuve                                     Montreal, Que. Jul 4-5-6                            Circuit ICAR                                                              Mirabel, Que Jul 18-19-20                     Honda Indy Toronto                                             Toronto, On   Jul 25-26-27                      Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant                                       Mont-Tremblant, Que.   Aug 8-9-10                        GP Trois-Rivieres                                                   Trois-Rivieres, Que.
Sep 26-27-28                    Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant                                      Mont-Tremblant, Que.

NEWS

Hi everyone!

We have some news! We are working on new blogs: three team member biographies and one about the golf cart (for those of you who attend the races, you know exactly what I'm talking about!). We also have the tentative race schedule which will be posted soon for those who want to attend. If you haven't seen the team member biographies, click on the team page!

Meghan.

A Salute to Big Blue!

Big Blue: Our Trusty Steed! 

If a truck enthusiast were to come with us to the races, they would undoubtedly be in heaven: Ford F150s, 350s and Dodge Rams are all around. These trucks have one purpose only: to cart around the trailers to the races. Among all these exotic, shining trucks is one very special vehicle: Big Blue. Now Big Blue wasn’t the prettiest thing to look at, with its rusty spots and faded paint, but it had its fine qualities.

As mentioned briefly in another blog, Big Blue is very special… and some of us on the team learnt this from its first trip. Jack describes, “Duncan had found a trailer and needed something to tow it with. The search was on to find something appropriate! After a drawn out search lasting no more than four hours we found out that one of Duncan’s friends had just the animal in terms of a 1993 Ford E350. The somewhat dilapidated look of the vehicle did not in any way detract from its full potential and reliability. The relationship with the vehicle took an immediate turn for the good. As Duncan was cleaning the vehicle after taking ownership, he found an envelop in the glove compartment full of money. The previous owner obviously had too much money and not enough time to spend it. In true character, Duncan returned the money to the previous owner in exchange for future considerations.”

He continues,

“The first real test was the trip to Connecticut to pick up the new trailer in May 2010. It was one of the hottest days on record for that time of year with temperatures near 100 degrees. The trip back involved long and sometimes steep climbs up the south flanks of the White Mountains (or Green), which caused the needle of the engine temperature guage to bury itself almost out of sight at the top of the hot range. True to the word of the previous owner, the vehicle did not falter and we managed to tow the trailer home to Montreal safe and sound!”

Duncan adds, “This trip was my first use of Big Blue and also my first time towing a trailer of any significant size. We did the trip down past Hartford and back in one day.  Jack had business in Montreal the next day.  Climbing those hills on our return, I really did not think we would make it….but Jack kept the faith…and Big Blue delivered.”   

This vehicle proved to be our little home away from home when we needed it. On those cold days where five layers of clothing didn’t provide enough warmth, we would duck into the van to warm up, which held the heat more than the trailer did. We would also sometimes have lunch in the van, although only the “cool kids” were invited (cool kids being me, Duncan and Corey). The van was also the perfect napping spot, where it had unbelievably comfortable seats. The best napping moments were in fact on those cold days. It was also the best conference centre. 

For one of us, the vehicle provided a secret hideout spot when he or she didn’t want to be found. Thank goodness for tinted windows. See, this team member had a specific issue… let’s call him or her… Terry. Terry found someone who was always at the racetrack to look a lot like a certain, good-looking rock star. However, when this anonymous racetrack person would try and talk to Terry, Terry would just stare, rooted on the spot and not able to speak out of shyness. Once, when Terry was spotted by this person, who was making a move to come and talk to him/her, Terry yelled to the other pit crew members, “get in the van!” and jumped in, hiding in the darkness and clutter in the back. This Terry person will remain anonymous… as will the anonymous racetrack, rock star looking person. And don’t bother asking anyone on the Murdoch Racing team. What happens at the racetrack stays at the racetrack! ;) Thank goodness for Big Blue, the getaway truck!

There were a few more memorable incidents with this truck in the early days. On arrival in Tremblant for our first race, the rear break line ruptured.. This was accompanied by a substantial amount of smoke from brake fluid burning on the exhaust., not to mention a very low brake pedal.  Duncan says, "I started to smell things. We were very close to the track and when I stopped at the gas station to see what was going on, there was break fluid pouring out. "We made it to the track on the front brakes and trailer brakes and spent the rest of the weekend scrounging parts to do the repair.  This was completed with the help of our friends from Simtec Racing and we made it home safe and sound.  Duncan notes, “Corey was on board for this trip.  It must have been traumatic for him….ever since he avoids riding in Big Blue…go figure”  

Big Blue was, however, the inflictor of injuries. Meghan nearly broke her elbow hitting it on the outside hinges. Terry jumped out of the truck once, eager to help Jim out with something, when his/her calf caught the bottom of the door and cut it. Terry howled and yelled in pain (some swear words may have been uttered). However, the anonymous racetrack, rock star looking person was right in front of Terry and saw the whole thing. How embarrassing!

 All in all, Big Blue was so good and very practical. We could put so much stuff in the back, use it as a temporary storage compartment in the winter, and during the race weekends, we could put clothes and other personal items in the truck so we weren't tripping over each others' stuff in the trailer, which can be very frustrating. Big Blue is tough…surviving our tent collapse with just a small dent on the roof in addition to Meghan’s constant attempts to add additional cosmetic damage.

Duncan notes in conclusion; "Big Blue was one of the best vehicles I ever had. I never let me down and it always started. It got us wherever we needed to go and served its purpose. We will miss it."

Murdoch Racing teaser video Tremblant

Our teaser video 

Hi everyone! 

After a few months on the down low, Murdoch Racing is getting ready for a new and exciting race season. We have released to you a video with some of last year's footage. Also, the engine is put back together, the car is all in one piece and the body work that was damaged last year is coated with fiberglass! All we need is to paint it! 

The Most Painful Grand Prix

As mentioned in another entry, the Grand Prix is the biggest and most hectic race in the season. I think I used the term "dreaded" to describe this particular event. This is because of what happened in 2010.






This event would go down in history with the members of our race team and the people that were around us during that time. It also brought us closer together.  

The trouble started on the Friday as we were towing the car to the pit prior to qualifying. Corey was on the bicycle just beside Duncan. He was on the phone. As Duncan describes it, "I looked over and thought this wasn't going to end well. Then I looked again and he wasn't there!" Corey dodged Duncan's tires and fell onto the side of the rowing basin!  Luckily, he didn't end up in the water. Although, it would have been very unbelievably entertaining!

Saturday was when most of the actions happened. During the day, Miro was trying to take a shortcut to the Johnny on the spot by ducking underneath another competitor's trailer. He bent over but smacked his head! For some reason, Duncan made up a rumor that he smacked his head trying to go to the bathroom underneath that ramp...technically correct.

The worst came next. We were all going down the false grid, hearing the Formula 1 cars drive by during their qualifying. I was quite excited to see if I could catch a glimpse of some of the racers when we got into the pits. Our cars were starting to advance as we neared the gate. Qualifying ended and all our racers were ready to drive into the pits. Duncan's car stalled. Jim, Miro, Corey and my father were pushing to bump start the car. Jim was between the front and back wheels on the left side. Duncan managed to get into gear. As the car started, the back wheel snagged Jim's shoe and he fell down between the wheels. The back wheel then drove up his leg and then spun on his hip. I remember jumping off the golf cart and running down the pit lane, yelling Jim's name. He lay on the ground for a little bit, but then he got up on his own. He got back on the golf cart and we drove into the pits. That is when things started to go downhill.

Jim didn't even get up off the golf cart. He was just lying there. I knew something was wrong so I ran up to one of the doctors who was on scene in the pits and asked him for help. Unfortunately, he had to call in and ask if he could step onto the pit lane. During all this time, Duncan was sitting on the track in his car. It was so hot outside. The race finally started. Duncan had managed to do one lap before someone crashed into him. Shortly after, Duncan returned to the pits, quite surprised at what had happened in his absence. Jim's running shoes were shredded and his toes were bleeding. The doctor came down and Jim, the doctor and I whisked off to the track hospital.

Once there, Jim was immediately put onto a bed next to a poor chap who was suffering from dehydration. He was a flagger. When we saw him in the track hospital, he had an IV in each arm and cold compresses all over his body. A few doctors were looking at Jim and I had to leave. We were all very worried about him.

That was not it for the injuries that day. As we packed up the truck to take us home, Miro told us he was going to take his bicycle over the bridge. He is quite an athletic person. He left before we did. A few minutes later, we headed out. We were going up the hill on Ile Notre Dame that leads to the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. That's when we saw Miro. He jumped into the truck with his bicycle and that is when we all noticed his right calf was bleeding. Apparently, he was behind a car going up the hill and the car stopped. He promptly fell over and his bicycle spokes stabbed him in the leg!

The next day was my turn for injury. We arrived at the track early in the morning (around 6 a.m. actually) and unpacked the trailer. Duncan had decided to buy a golf cart the week of the Grand Prix, which he calls the "World's Coolest Golf Cart." A few others and I at the track have very different titles for it. Anyway, the golf cart refused to work on Friday and barely towed Duncan to the track on Saturday. On the Sunday, it seemed to be working well. I decided I should learn how to drive the thing.

Very bad idea.

As I was backing into our spot, underneath the tent, the gas pedal decided to stick. My left foot was hanging off the side. As I was propelled backwards, my foot got stuck between the pole and the pole and, as a result, I tore a few tendons in my foot. It didn't really hurt much at first. Right after this accident, the team (minus Jim) towed Duncan to the race at eight o'clock in the morning. It was in the pits that my foot started to swell. My ankle was so swollen! I decided to go see the paramedics after the race just to make sure I didn't break anything or sprain my ankle.

So in conclusion, our first Grand Prix was a disaster. Corey fell in the basin, Duncan crashed, Miro bashed his head and nearly impaled himself and I stupidly tore the tendons in my foot. Oh, and as for Jim, he had broken a few toes and his foot in two places! The driver was unscathed... it appears the safest place is in the cockpit of the car.

New Racing Calendar

January marks a new year and that means the beginning of a new race year. The Formula 1600 teams have been on "summer break" since the end of September. However, the break entails some very hard work. Racers rebuilt their engines and cars from the ground up to make sure they are the best they can be for the new season that starts at the end of May. The end of the Formula 1600 season officially ends when Formula 1 does. It's official that there is no more racing and the rebuilding has to start. 

 This year definitely promises a lot of change. We got rid of Big Blue, that big blue van you have clearly seen in the pictures. It served us well: trailing our stuff to and from the race tracks, providing warmth on those cold race days and even providing some secret hiding places for one particular team member. There will most likely be a blog post about Big Blue and insider knowledge of what happened with that van. 

We have a new blog space, we are going to set up Twitter (I know we said we would do that last year, but this year we really mean it) and we will have more information coming to you live from the races! 

A Pit Girl's Role

Everyone has a role in pit crew. Some are specific, while others overlap. My role in the crew is a bit all over the place. To set the record straight, I do not wear those super tight dresses and walk around the pit lane in high heels. I do not wear low cut tops and booty shorts either. In the pits, I wear long pants and a t-shirt, just like everyone else. When working on the car, I wear the same thing, unless it's very warm outside and I decide to wear modest shorts. Wearing those tight clothes during the races and when working on the car would be counterproductive. You can burn your legs on hot parts of the car or hot oil.

 I do all sorts of things in the team. When we are getting ready for a race, we usually tow the car with the golf-cart (It's the world's coolest and fastest golf-cart). I sit on the end of the cart with my leg wrapped around a tow strap that Duncan holds onto from his rollbar. I do this to keep tension on the tow strap so it doesn't get caught around the mirrors or the suspension arms. If it did, we would have a lot extra and expensive maintenance to do. When he is waiting in the false lane, I hold an umbrella over him to keep him cool. During the races, I take the lap times, write down the time pressures and note all sorts of information I think is important. I usually stand on the other side of the pit lane. When I was in charge of the pit board, I would go stand at the pit wall. That job is now someone else's. When the race is over, I sometimes get in the cockpit and steer the car back when it's being towed. I bring Duncan his water and other things he needs. 

 After the races, I usually pick up the time sheets and fix the car. I bleed the brakes with Jim and Corey, replace the brake pads and fix the corner of the car if there's been an accident. I also do the dirty jobs that no one else really wants to do, besides Duncan. As far as the dirty jobs go, I sometimes have to deal with the dreaded gearbox oil. This oil is a dirty, olive green and is thick. During the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres, I had to pour the used gearbox oil into two empty plastic bottles and find the proper location for waste oil disposal. I also had to clean the pans. That stuff smells horrible! During the Grand Prix of Montreal, I had to clean off the fire extinguisher powder, which had stuck to the hot exhaust pipes. We took the pipes off and I tried everything to get this material off. I doused them in Varsol, water, and brake cleaner. I scrubbed the stuff off with metal brushes, scouring pads and a lot of paper towels. After two hours, I finally managed to get everything off. It was not a pretty job.

 I have also become a kind of medic to our team. I finally bought a first aid kit just in case something happens. I also have an epi-pen handy at all times. When Jim was run over by Duncan at the Montreal Grand Prix a couple of years ago, I was trying hard to get doctors to get off the pit wall and help him. I stayed with him in the track hospital. I also drove Corey all around St-Jovite at the Tremblant summer race so he could seek medical attention for his foot, which had been, coincidentally, run over by Jim. Now, I am hell-bent on making sure no accidents or injuries happen during the race weekends. It's more fun when everyone is at their best!

Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres

The Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres is one of the busiest races of the year. They have all sorts of car classes that we are not used to dealing with. We had the Canadian Tire Nascar series (which we had shared paddocks with during a Napa 200 event), Canadian Touring Car, Firestone Indy Car Light, Star Mazda, Sportsman, Super Car and our Formula 1600. There were so many cars and events! The parking lot was packed with trucks and people! The weekend was a good one, but as far as racing goes, it was a bit of a disappointment. 

 We all arrived in Trois Riveres to register for the event on Thursday night. I had never been at this particular race so I was excited. On Friday, we had two events lined up for the Formula 1600. The first event was the practice at eleven o'clock in the morning. We decided to be first in the line up so Duncan could have a lot of room. The practice didn't really count for anything except for the drivers to get accustomed to the track. I decided to take lap times so I could get used to the dynamics of the track. During practice, Duncan came in so we could get some tire temperatures, which is routine. Duncan was doing very well, even though it was very hot outside and the cars were slipping all over the track. There was a red flag in lap 2, so the cars had to come back into the pits and remain there until the stalled car was removed. I decided to view this optimistically: at least we got the feel of the pits! 

 We went back to the trailer after practice and did some maintenance on the car. There were races going on all through the day and we were right next to the track. It was very annoying to be wearing earplugs all through the day. We did a bit of maintenance on the car and then we waited for six hours until qualifying. A few of us decided to take a nap because the wait was long and we didn't have much to do. It was so hot outside we had no choice but to stay in the shade. One of the professional photographers came by and told us that it was going to be hot on Saturday but a huge storm was headed towards us on Sunday. In all the races this year, we had never raced in wet weather.

At five thirty, Duncan suited up and we towed the car to the false grid. It was a bit cooler, so everyone was more comfortable, however, the sun was low in the sky and right in the racers' eyes. During qualifying, one racer was so uncomfortable, he had to come in and get some sunglasses from one of his pit crewmembers! I was recording the lap times so I could have them for our team, but so we could also know where Duncan was running in respect to the others. We were lucky to have a screen with the live action and the standings on it. I knew exactly what position Duncan was in when the qualifying ended. I told Duncan personally. It wasn't the best qualifying position, but we had done worse. Once, Duncan crashed during qualifying and we were last. We ended up coming in seventh in the race. I told him, "Well, we aren't last... and we didn't crash". He wasn't very happy when I revealed where we stood. After the qualifying, we rested for a while before we did some work on the car. I was so happy that nothing had broken on the car because we would have been there all night! We finished the normal maintenance around 10 o'clock at night. We all smelt horrible! I had been handing gear grease, which basically looks like green sludge. We all went back to the hotel, cleaned ourselves, watched a bit of the Olympics before heading to bed. By this time, it was midnight.

The race on Saturday was at ten in the morning. We had to get up at six o'clock in the morning to get at the track. We always like to be early than late. We warmed up the car and got everything together so we could be ready for the line up. During the race, we ended up just outside the top ten. Duncan wasn't very happy, but at least we didn't crash. The day was just so warm and humid that it seemed everyone was having trouble. After the race, we did some maintenance on the car and then relaxed. We left the track around four o'clock in the afternoon.

The race on Sunday was at nine in the morning. This meant we had to get up at five-thirty. We were all so exhausted and looking forward to the end of the weekend. Because Duncan had gotten some great lap times the day before, he was eleventh in the line up for the race. It was still warm outside and there were dark clouds looming in the distance. The race was actually very well executed. Duncan was taunting us a little bit. He dropped down a couple of places and then he sped up gained a few! During the second to last lap, the yellow flag went out and the pace car came out. We managed to place in the top ten! I was so happy. Although we didn't win, the car came out in one piece and everyone was safe. We got back to the paddock, weighed in and then packed things up. There was a storm heading towards us and we could see it coming on the radar. Corey ended up leaving early and just in time. While we were loading up the truck, he called and told us that he was driving in the storm and he couldn't see five feet in front of the car. I looked up and sure enough, there were the dark clouds. 

We took down the tent as fast as we could and we put everything away in the truck before the rain started to come down. Duncan, Miro, my father and I ran into the trailer for shelter. We unfolded some of the chairs and we all decided we would watch things unfold. Within an hour, the parking lot was flooded and the water was beginning to creep onto our ramp. People were outside bathing themselves in the water. We looked out of the trailer and saw that the water was up to the bottom of a pickup truck. This was the best part of the weekend. We were all smiles and we couldn't stop laughing. A few golf carts and trucks came by once in a while and we could see the waves rushing towards us. It seemed the rain would never let up. It was so intense!

The storm finally dissipated an hour later. We all poked our heads out and surveyed the damage. There were people swimming around, having fun. Other people who had taken refuge in the arena were starting to come out and they could see how flooded our side of the paddock was. Apparently, this wasn't the only place. About ten minutes later, my father and I had to walk back to the car. On the way, we passed through the Nascar and Indycar paddock. The water was up to the knees! There was no other way through. I sighed, pulled up my pant legs to my thighs and then trudged through it. I couldn't believe it! But this was a good end to the weekend. 

Catching up With Duncan

Our set-up

After missing the first race at Tremblant because I was in another country, I decided to conduct an interview with Duncan after our second race, The Grand Prix, to discuss what has been going and what is to come! 

 Duncan: Our podium at Tremblant was very satisfying because we worked very hard at refining all the small little things we knew were wrong with the car. We also found a few other little things to improve. So our performance was a combination of attention to detail, and all the work we did over the wintertime, optimizing everything to the greatest extent. We also did a couple of test days before the beginning of the season. It didn't appear that anyone else was there. We did our homework and things worked out very well. It shows that the hard work pays off with good results. I felt that over the past two seasons, we could do very well but it took longer than I expected. 

 Me: What is your technique or routine when you prepare the engine and the car during the summer. Where do you do it, how and how much time do you devote to it? 

 Duncan: Generally, for the engine, I rebuilt it during the winter, mostly by myself but with a little help from friends that are in the crew. The engine is in my best friend's garage and when I need a hand, the helping hand is always there. I mostly like to concentrate on it by myself and pay a lot of attention to detail. The chassis I keep at home. Other crew members come over a couple of times a week and we basically take everything apart, clean it, put it back together and make sure the alignment is close to perfect as possible. We did an upgrade last year but the setup was not to the level of perfection that we would have liked. This winter, we concentrated on the things that we had done wrong. We hadn't paid enough attention to detail and we corrected that. The result was the podium performance at Tremblant.

 Me: How did you feel about going to Tremblant with these new upgrades? Were you excited or afraid it might not work out or be disappointed? How did that affect your weekend?

Duncan: I was pretty confident the car was the best it could be and from the moment I got in the car at our test days it seemed very good. When you are on the track by yourself testing you don't have any basis of comparison, so you don't really know for sure, but I was confident we would do well. 

Me: How did it feel qualifying second? 

 Duncan: It was great. 

 Me: How did it feel coming in third? Did you know you were in third or were you focused on finishing the race and the car? Were you excited to know that you would be on the podium? 

 Duncan: Well, yes I did know I was in third. We had lost touch, I was fighting with another racer at the time and I had spun. I knew I had dropped a bit from the leaders and I knew I wouldn't be able to catch them, but Nathan spun off. I knew another racer was ahead of me. I wasn't able to challenge for second at that point because there was too much of a gap, so third was it. 

 Me: When you were on the podium, did you get sprayed with champagne? What is your podium etiquette regarding champagne? 

 Duncan: Well, by that point it was a Sunday podium ceremony and I was in my street clothes, so I was conservative in the spraying of the champagne. Showers were not available and we had the long ride home. There was a truce between the three of us to spray into the air and then we shared the champagne from the cup with our pit crews.

 Me: You just did the Grand Prix and it was a very exciting time, especially with the fire. Can you tell us a little bit about how you felt when you came into the pits? Did you think you had a penalty? 

 Duncan: I had thought, because I had hit a racer lightly from the back with the nose of the car, which didn't affect anyone in the race. I thought the signal that I had a mechanical failure was due to damage to the front nose, which you can't see when you are sitting in the car. I was surprised to find out that it was the result of a fire. I was very happy with what we had done in the race so far. I'm happier with the Saturday performance because we were so competitive. It's very promising going into Tremblant which is a track that I feel is more suited to my style of driving. We'll see what happens!