This pandemic caught me, like a lot of you, off guard.
All of my employment opportunities instantly stopped.
With a newborn daughter and now no work available it got real pretty quick. As a independent contractor in racing, race coaching and as a golf caddie, unemployment was not helpful for many months. When it did kick in it was for a shockingly low amount. As a new father and husband I was trying to quickly think of what I could do to provide for my family. I was running out of ideas.
All of my employment opportunities instantly stopped.
With a newborn daughter and now no work available it got real pretty quick. As a independent contractor in racing, race coaching and as a golf caddie, unemployment was not helpful for many months. When it did kick in it was for a shockingly low amount. As a new father and husband I was trying to quickly think of what I could do to provide for my family. I was running out of ideas.
I was thinking back to some low moments in my life comparable to the feeling that was in front of me.
My early years in racing. In 2009 I was racing in the Jim Russell F3 Championship series in Sonoma. Trying to win the masters championship. I was barely piecing together the immense funding to make it to each race. One race mid season, I was chasing down the leader, I had a big wreck in turn two at Sears Point. I was relatively ok, but the car was not. I could barely afford to take two days off of work to go race, let alone, afford to pay for crash damage. I ended up keeping some major carbon pieces of the LOLA F3 car that I was on the hook for. I was at a low point for sure. I could barely afford rent and now owing some major bills for a expensive carbon fiber car.
My early years in racing. In 2009 I was racing in the Jim Russell F3 Championship series in Sonoma. Trying to win the masters championship. I was barely piecing together the immense funding to make it to each race. One race mid season, I was chasing down the leader, I had a big wreck in turn two at Sears Point. I was relatively ok, but the car was not. I could barely afford to take two days off of work to go race, let alone, afford to pay for crash damage. I ended up keeping some major carbon pieces of the LOLA F3 car that I was on the hook for. I was at a low point for sure. I could barely afford rent and now owing some major bills for a expensive carbon fiber car.
I somehow convinced the series to give me some time to source the funding while keeping my butt in the seat to contend for the championship. I buckled down and worked my ass off to complete the season. I ended up winning that championship and will never forget the highs and lows of that season. The rollercoaster of emotions lately reminded me of that. The immense joys of being a new dad slapped right next to the scary uncertainty of being out of work and in the middle of a pandemic.
I once again buckled down and came up with, what I think is a great idea. I was going to create some amazing art. I cautiously invested what little money I had and bought the carbon and composite supplies. I hauled out those old carbon pieces of the LOLA F3 car and began the major project.
My love for motorsport and craftsmanship led me to create these pieces meant to honor the mysterious side of racing, aerodynamics. This project is a homage to the beautiful design found and derived from nature. The shapes within these wing sections are beautiful and highly effective. The contrasting natural shapes and high tech carbon, paired with the stone bases capture what I think is motorsport in a object.
Please, if you love motorsports, or care about me and my family, I would love to share with you a little piece of history, craftsmanship and hard work. The story that comes with these unique pieces is one to share and remember.
The Pieces
Each one of these pieces is a cross section of a LOLA FJR-50 F3 race car wing that I personally drove and raced and won championships with in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Each wing section has been painstakingly crafted and enclosed in carbon fiber. They are set at the precise intended angle it was designed for on the race car. All the hardware is race grade stainless steel. The bases are concrete blocks.
These are not perfect pieces. Each one has scratches, chips, battle scars and imperfections that tell a story throughout its body.
They were made in the middle of a pandemic with limited supplies and tools. Each piece has countless hours of heart and sweat within. Only 40 pieces were made.
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