An Amazing Experience
MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. – We’ve been home for a couple of months since our trip to England, so I thought it was a good time to reminisce about the experience. The opportunity given to Scott and I by Jeremy Shaw was a prestigious one. We followed many renowned talents in the motorsports world and our names were tacked on to the end of the list.
The time in England was all it was said to be. The Dempseys offered amazing hospitality; Michelle’s cooking was always great and both she and Cliff were extremely generous to make us feel at home throughout the trip. Michelle always took care of the arrangements prior to arriving at any tracks or flights and it made it seamless and simple for Scott and I to check in or register for each event or hotel. Both of us are extremely thankful for their generosity and help to make an easy transition from home to England, and to make the entirety of the trip stress free.
Not long after we first arrived in England, we found ourselves back on a plane, headed this time to Italy. The trip was insane. We got to make a string of connections throughout the country with many amazing people. For example, our first visit after arriving in Bologna brought us in front of Giorgio Sanna, head of motorsport for Lamborghini. We were able to see the entire production line and how they build the cars from the ground up, in house. As well, we later got to meet Mr. Dallara in his factory. We voyaged around their massive simulator and through the multitude of workshops where their race cars are delicately hand-built and sent off to each race team.
Keeping with the theme, when we were back in England we got to see the McLaren factory, which housed both their street car production line and where they build each of their Formula One cars. We were lucky enough to see the polished marble floors and tables of the workshops where tens of championship winning Formula One cars were born. We also visited WSR, which clinched yet another British Touring Car Championship this year, and Ilmor Engineering, a team that builds specialty engines for just about everything. We watched on as a Chevrolet Indy car engine was dynoed and prepped for delivery somewhere in the U.S. We also got a new take on motors and how they work in detail as we were taken around their beautiful shop.
The on-track experience in England will be hugely useful in my future career – specifically the Walter Hayes Trophy, where I got to race in the lead pack throughout the entirety of my heats and semis and was constantly battling for the lead. I gained a handful of new skills when it comes to racing in packs after battling so hard against so many talented people in each and every race. The Formula Ford Festival was amazing; just being granted the opportunity to compete in such an event means a huge amount. The racing over the pond was and is amazing, and I hope I get to go back someday soon.
Lastly, Scott and I were lucky enough to end up behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Super Trofeo EVO run by the US RaceTronics team in California. It was an amazing experience, getting to drive something with that much power and aero – as well as weight. Though our one-day program was a little bit stunted because of the rain, it was still a bountiful experience getting to thrash around Buttonwillow Raceway Park in a 620-horsepower Lamborghini race car. A huge thank you to the US RaceTronics team as well as Chris Ward of Lamborghini Squadra Corse for making all of this possible.
In the end though, it was an amazing experience that I will take with me for the rest of my life and my racing career. I can’t thank all those who backed the scholarship, including Mr. Shaw, for all that they’ve done for me thus far. It’s been such an amazing time, and I can’t wait to share my future with each and every one of you.
Josh Green