Donovan & Associates

HPD 100th Win Signed Lithograph

Having recently started working with The Julian Center, a unique nonprofit agency providing counseling, safe shelter, case management, advocacy, and education for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other life crises, I oddly enough found myself reaching back to my racing roots.

I had almost forgotten the kindness, the generosity, and the big heartedness you find in the racing community. I haven’t actively participated with the IndyCar® Series since shortly after Paul Dana died in March 2006. Yet, when I started calling teams and drivers looking for donations for the silent auction portion of The Julian Center’s Starlight Ball fundraiser, it was as if I’d never left. “How can we help?”, “What do you need?”, and “When do you need it by?” were the only questions anyone asked.

Given the extremely short notice I gave everyone (I didn’t start helping out until three weeks before the auction donation deadline), I was joyfully surprised with the number of items that came in. I know I could have gotten much more if there had been more time. From signed driver’s shirts, shoes, visors, and even a helmet, the donations will add a diversity to our auction that can only increase the excitement and the funds raised for this great cause. Honda Performance Development and U/S Sports Advisors even donated a framed lithograph that celebrates Honda’s 100^th IndyCar® win and is signed by both Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan. Racing people are simply a great group of people and there’s no way anyone can ever make me believe otherwise.

So, just so everyone knows, the wonderful folks in racing not only entertain the community, they contribute to it on so many other levels as well. Kudos to all those who use their powers for good! Here’s to a safe and successful 2011 IndyCar® Series season!!

From short oval to road course, the Indy Racing League switches gears (and setups) for this weekend’s Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen.

One of my favorite things about the IRL series is the accessibility of drivers to fans and that’s definitely the case this weekend. In addition to the standard driver autograph session for all fans, there are a couple of additional opportunities that fans need to know about.

Castroneves is fast both in and out of his racecar

Helio Castroneves will be autographing his new book on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Izod Indy Car Store located on the south side of the garage area. The book sells for $24.95 plus tax, which is reasonable even without the autograph.

Dan Wheldon also has a new book out and will be available to autograph copies of it on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to noon at the same location. Fans should also check the schedule at the store for the times of special appearances by Justin Wilson and Vitor Meira.

Meira, Castroneves and Hideki Mutoh stopped by medical centers to visit patients in Elmira, N.Y., and Rochester, N.Y., on July 1 before heading Watkins Glen International. The drivers signed autographs, posed for photos and talked racing in their effort to raise the spirits of the individuals they spent time with. Yet another example of the IRL’s community outreach efforts.

If you’re not able to make it out to the track, make sure to watch the race which will be aired Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

No IRL race this week, but some fantastic sports non-the-less. Wimbledon, World Cup and Formula One topped my list.

I, along with millions world-wide, were amazed by the incredible display of athleticism demonstrated by American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut over an epic three-day span at Wimbledon. In the tournament’s longest match ever, Isner ultimately prevailed over Mahut with a final score of 70–68 in the fifth and final set.  For 11 hours and 5 minutes, the world of tennis was focused squarely on court 18 and the fierce completion displayed by both athletes.

The American World Cup team made headlines by winning their group in South Africa only to turn around and lose their Round of 16 match to Ghana on Saturday. In typical fashion, the US gave up an early goal, was able to come from behind and tie the match in regulation, but allowed the winning goal from Ghana only three minutes into extra time. Landon Donovan didn’t help the US cause with his lackluster effort relying on teammates to cover for him. Having met Donovan after the last World Cup in 2006, his performance didn’t really surprise me. He seemed completely indifferent about their loss then and appears not to have changed his attitude for this World Cup. Not what you would like to see from one of the team’s major stars.

Finally, the Formula One European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain had drama of its own. Australian Mark Weber suffered a horrific crash with his car going airborne early on, Lewis Hamilton was given a drive-through penalty that didn’t really penalize him and 10 drivers were issued post-race penalties. Meanwhile, Weber’s Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel finished first, while McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button finished second and third respectively.

Flames engulfed the No 78 Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing car on lap 99 of the Firestone 550K Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway after it made hard contact with the wall. The car rolled across the steeply embanked track still on fire as it finally came to rest.

As rookie Simona de Silvestro struggled to escape the burning car, the Holmatro Safety Team arrived. What happened next has created a firestorm of its own.

Spectators watched in horror as all but one member of the safety team headed not to the blazing car to assist the young driver, but instead to the front of the safety truck. After what seemed like an eternity, the lone safety member’s frantic efforts and need of assistance were finally acknowledged by other team members who helped pull de Silvestro to safety. Video of the incident is available on YouTube.

HVM Racing Team Principal, Keith Wiggins, said in a release on HVM Racing’s website, “That was a scary moment and we are glad she is alright. The safety crew should be ashamed of themselves.”

Sports anchors and bloggers alike have criticized the safety team’s response. In a sport where a quick response can mean the difference between life and death, Saturday’s performance has many people asking if more training should be required.

Having witness first-hand the efficiency normally demonstrated by safety teams in motorsports, I feel that Saturday’s incident was an exception to the rule. Drivers like Alex Zanardi, Kenny Brack, Emerson Fittipaldi and Davey Hamilton are great examples of the successes that are typically associated with the safety team’s record. While the mistakes at Texas must be reviewed so that something like this doesn’t happen again, I think it’s important to remember that the majority of the time the system works.

On a more personal note, my family and I are extremely happy that Simona is safe. Having lived with us for several months when she first came to the US in 2006, Simona was at one time considered a member of the family. We continue to follow her career and wish her well.

I’ve been listening to the sports experts going on and on and on for the last couple of days about how Brett Favre’s intercepted pass just before the end of regulation cost Minnesota a trip to the Super Bowl and I’m sick of hearing it. Are you guys serious? Are you really trying to tell me that that one play was the sole reason the Saints are going to Miami and the Vikings aren’t? Did you guys watch the game?

So let me try to understand this. What you’re trying to tell me is that the two fumbles in the red zone earlier in the game by Vikings other than Brett had no effect on the outcome? The penalty on the play prior which pushed the Vikings back to the outer edge of their kicker’s range had nothing to do with the choice of plays which ultimately led to the interception? The play calls on the previous plays which netted no significant yardage meant nothing? You’re trying to tell me that the decision made by one player on one play is the only reason the Vikings lost the game? Seriously?

Listen guys, I may not clutter my brain with sports statistics and trivia, but I do know a well played football game when I see one, and the game Sunday between the Vikings and the Saints wasn’t one. And, more importantly, last time I checked football was a TEAM sport not an individual one. Your argument that the interception Brett through cost the Vikings the game is somewhat a stretch at best. A field goal from that range was by no means a given. I understand that having the opportunity to try it would have been nice, but my question to you is this; would you still be talking about how a kicker missed a long field goal that could have won the game or would you still have found some way to blame Brett for the loss? My guess is the latter.

In my opinion, it’s too easy for sports analysts and commentators to sit in their cushy booths and studios and say things like “I would never have thrown a pass across the field like that in this situation or “I would have run the ball if I had been him,” Well guess what boys, you are not him (even in your wildest dreams you couldn’t be Brett Favre). Not only were you NOT on the field, battered and bruised, having to make decisions in split seconds, you really should consider reporting on the fact that the game was full of turnovers and sloppy play on both sides. Stop focusing on one play that may or may not have changed the outcome of the game and focus on the entire game. Brett Favre is and always will be one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. Give the guy a break.

Everyone it seems has an opinion on Tiger Woods’ situation; how it should have been handled and how his PR team let him down by not insisting that he make a public statement within the first 24 hours after the accident (the standard time frame for crisis response according to most PR professionals).

While Tiger’s response (or rather lack thereof) was hotly debated in the media, it was also a major topic of conversations in Journalism / Public Relations classrooms around the country. In an effort to teach students how NOT to handle crisis communications, professors consistently reinforced the basic principle that Tiger needed to talk to the public if he had any hope of diffusing the situation.

While I think that Tiger’s silence has forced some of his sponsors to react negatively, I feel that some of the recent blogs that go from saying that Tiger’s only hope of regaining his reputation is by kissing up to the female audience who was supposedly those most angered by his actions to his having committed “brand suicide” are somewhat extreme.

While Tiger has most certainly fallen from his pedestal as the perfect man, he will be forgiven, as most wayward men are. It may take some time, but once he returns to golf, his fans will rally and many of his sponsors will return (or new ones will replace them). Bottom line, Tiger will be fine even though he eschewed the wisdom of conventional PR and chose to remain silent in an effort to retain a shred of his privacy.