Well it's been a longgggg time coming, as it could be said that I've been working towards this impending visit to America for almost 35 years and even if that's a bit melodramatic, I've certainly been waiting for the past year or so, while getting together the REVO system in sync with Chris Patrick getting his Pro Mod car sorted out and that alone is plenty long enough for me.
When I was a kid there was a Disney film out called "The incredible journey" and I was reminded of the title by what I'm about to undertake, both physically and metaphorically speaking.
Just a few weeks ago I sent out the REVO Pro Mod system to my American customer Chris Patrick. Unfortunately he's been so busy doing other mods to his car, that he's only just about to get down to fitting the system. Now that wouldn't be too bad were it not for the fact that he intends to track test the car (WITH THE REVO SYSTEM) at the biggest and most important Pro Mod test event of the year in Valdosta in less than TWO WEEKS time.
To make sure everyone is aware of the ENORMITY of that statement, allow me to mention a few poignant details;
1) Until the 2010 season kicks off, we'll only have had a handfull of vehicles using REVO's
2) All but 1 of those are bikes
3) The REVO system has NEVER been used on ANY SERIOUS RACE car before, so although I've tried to pre-empt any specific problems this application may cause, I'm entirely in the dark as to what we can expect, by way of performance and system component reliability. Remember these cars can break half shafts due to the killer vibes from tire shake, so God knows what they might do to the REVO system, even though I've made it as robust as I hope will be necessary.
4) Unless I'm there I doubt the REVO will even be tested on the engine before it is used on the track.
5) The car alone with all the other new mods will not have been run before
6) Most of the TOP Pro Mod cars will be at this event along with most of the main Nitrous companies
With all the above in mind I had no option but to book a flight out there and get the job sorted.
On Wednesday 3rd March I will arrive in Atlanta, Georgia and set about checking and testing the REVO system for Chris, in hopeful readiness for the 8th to 12th Valdosta test meeting, where I'll then have to deal with the immense pressure that having to perform and make the REVO perform in a respectable manner under such conditions will cause.
Half of me is saying that just applying the laws of probability I have NO CHANCE OF SUCCESS but the other half KNOWS WHAT THE REVO CAN DO and believe it is my destiny to make it happen and being the ever optimistic Arian I am, that half of me is driving me on.
Now that alone is going to be an "incredible journey" but if all goes reasonably well at Valdosta, then I intend to visit as many of my rapidly growing number of other American customers as I can, ranging from as far south on the east coast as West Palm Beech and as far north as New York (BY CAR) AND BACK AGAIN, so if that doesn't rank as an "incredible" journey I don't know what does - for me at least.
I'll be in America for virtually the whole of March in the hope that if anything stops us doing reasonably well at Valdosta, I'll be able to get to see a few people while Chris gets the car sorted and then we'll get another chance a couple of weeks later just before I return.
Luckily thanks to the wonders of the www, I'll be able to stay in touch and update you all on progress virtually as it happens, if I can get a mobile internet dongle jobbie that will work in the USA and if I manage that, you guys will be the first to know when Chris runs a new world record - in my dreams!!!!
Well we can but dream and I'm long overdue for a dream to come true, some 10 years or more since I first had this dream for Johnny Barb.
Luckily in a number of respects the dream is more likely to come true this time, because the car has already run a 4.03 and although that's a bigger differential between where Johnny was compared to the top guys at the time and where Chris is compared to the improved top times, Chris has a good number of other aspects going for him that Johnny was never fortunate enough to have (which includes the REVO), so I'll continue to dream for a while longer along with working my ass off to make it happen THIS TIME!!!
In the words of the old Gracy fields song "Wish me well as you wave me goodbye" as I'll need all the good wishes and good luck I can get.