ROAD ATLANTA—Wednesday was a day for testing at the Road Atlanta racetrack, where the American Le Mans Series was making preparations for its season finale, the Petit Le Mans endurance race this Saturday.
Surprising for a weekday and a practice day, there was a sizeable crowd lining the course and hundreds of RVs, tents, and canopies were filling the spectator areas.
Obviously, Petit Le Mans is a popular race, and racing is a popular sport. But there is more to racing than winning and losing—for many attendees, Petit Le Mans is an opportunity for family bonding.
The Epoch Times spoke with three fathers who have been bringing their sons to the race since the children could walk.
David and Malachai Calhoun have been attending Petit Le Mans together since 2004. 2011 marked Malachai’s seventh Petit.
When asked if he enjoyed the races, he replied with an emphatic, “A lot!” His favorite parts? “The smells and hearing the engines,” he responded without hesitation.
Malachai preferred the Corvettes to the rest, a fact he announced proudly to the public with his Corvette Racing T-shirt.
David Calhoun has been a road-racing fan for 22 years. A local resident, he first went to the track to watch Sports Car Club of America events, and kept coming back. When he felt his son was old enough, Calhoun brought Malachai to see if the enjoyment was shared.
“First time I brought him out he had a death grip on my leg—we were in the spectator area at Turn Five. I think the sounds actually scared him,” Calhoun related, chuckling. “But ever since then he’s been like me—just loves it.”
When asked if he enjoyed the races, he replied with an emphatic, “A lot!” His favorite parts? “The smells and hearing the engines,” he responded without hesitation.
Malachai preferred the Corvettes to the rest, a fact he announced proudly to the public with his Corvette Racing T-shirt.
David Calhoun has been a road-racing fan for 22 years. A local resident, he first went to the track to watch Sports Car Club of America events, and kept coming back. When he felt his son was old enough, Calhoun brought Malachai to see if the enjoyment was shared.
“First time I brought him out he had a death grip on my leg—we were in the spectator area at Turn Five. I think the sounds actually scared him,” Calhoun related, chuckling. “But ever since then he’s been like me—just loves it.”
Another father/son duo were Braselton Town Councilman Richard Mayberry and his 12-year-old son Conrad. Conrad could remember five Petits, but he had been to more. “You’ve probably been going about ten years now; you probably started remembering about five years ago,” Mayberry told his son. “We’ve been coming annually for ten years now.”
Conrad was also quite specific about what he liked. “I like it because the cars are cooler than regular cars—mostly the P1 and the P2 classes,” he announced, whipping out a program and pointing out his favorite cars. “Definitely,” his father agreed. “You won’t see them out on the street!”
Mr. Mayberry had been following NASCAR and IndyCar, when a lucky gift changed his life, at least “as far as sports car racing.”
“I got some free passes the first year, so I said, ‘Okay, we’ll check it out,’” he explained. “We started coming every year since then—it got me hooked.
“I live here in Braselton—its right in my back yard. It’s not like I have to go travel very far to go to the racetrack. It’s a great facility.”
After his first Petit, two-year-old Conrad showed his affection for road racing by staging his own contests. “What I remember is, he took his Hot Wheels cars, got them lined up, and started playing with them,” his father said.
Mr. Mayberry showed his affection for road racing in a more public way. As a member of the Braselton Town Council, he was entrusted with finding a Grand Marshal for a town’s 2010 Fourth of July parade.
“Since the Petit Le Mans is raced here in Braselton, I found an American Le Mans Series driver who lives down the road in Flowery Branch, Georgia,” Mr. Mayberry related in an email.
“The Grand Marshal for the 4th of July 2010 was none other than Johnny O' Connell,” he said.
Three-time Le Mans winner Johnny O’Connell also won two class championships, all while driving for Corvette Racing—a perfect more representative couldn’t be imagined. Earlier Wednesday he had set fast lap with his World Endurance Challenge Cadillac—keeping his Grand Marshall credentials polished?
Conrad was also quite specific about what he liked. “I like it because the cars are cooler than regular cars—mostly the P1 and the P2 classes,” he announced, whipping out a program and pointing out his favorite cars. “Definitely,” his father agreed. “You won’t see them out on the street!”
Mr. Mayberry had been following NASCAR and IndyCar, when a lucky gift changed his life, at least “as far as sports car racing.”
“I got some free passes the first year, so I said, ‘Okay, we’ll check it out,’” he explained. “We started coming every year since then—it got me hooked.
“I live here in Braselton—its right in my back yard. It’s not like I have to go travel very far to go to the racetrack. It’s a great facility.”
After his first Petit, two-year-old Conrad showed his affection for road racing by staging his own contests. “What I remember is, he took his Hot Wheels cars, got them lined up, and started playing with them,” his father said.
Mr. Mayberry showed his affection for road racing in a more public way. As a member of the Braselton Town Council, he was entrusted with finding a Grand Marshal for a town’s 2010 Fourth of July parade.
“Since the Petit Le Mans is raced here in Braselton, I found an American Le Mans Series driver who lives down the road in Flowery Branch, Georgia,” Mr. Mayberry related in an email.
“The Grand Marshal for the 4th of July 2010 was none other than Johnny O' Connell,” he said.
Three-time Le Mans winner Johnny O’Connell also won two class championships, all while driving for Corvette Racing—a perfect more representative couldn’t be imagined. Earlier Wednesday he had set fast lap with his World Endurance Challenge Cadillac—keeping his Grand Marshall credentials polished?
For Stuart Sanders and his son Nicholas, Petit Le Mans was a family, not just a father-and-son tradition. The Stuarts—father and son, mother and daughter—had travelled from Indianapolis to see the race and also the rest of their family.
Ten-year-old Nicholas said he has been coming to Petit “ever since I was born.”
“When he was first born we started bringing my daughter” his father explained.” She was two years old in 1998, she’s fifteen now, so between the four of us we’ve been to every one.”
Nicholas liked watching all the cars, but he had his strong favorites: “The Corvettes, the Audis, and the Flying Lizards,” [a private and very successful team which races Porsches.]
When asked if he would like to keep coming to every Petit Le Mans, Nicholas responded quietly but surely, “Awesome, yeah.”
For the Sanders’, Petit Le Mans was a clan gathering, an annual meeting of the branches of the family.
“This has kind of become our family reunion,” said Stuart Sanders. “My father brings his RV, my brother and his family will be here; it’s just become our family reunion.”
How did this happen? Fourteen years ago, when the first Petit Le Mans was announced, Sanders lived in Atlanta.
“While I was in Atlanta I saw this in the paper, and I said, ‘That sounds like a good time.’ I mentioned it to my dad, and we rented an RV and stayed here; it’s just been a staple ever since.”
Petit Le Man is about racing, first and foremost, but is goes beyond that.
Petit Le Mans is about camping, listening to music, cooking on the grill, perhaps a libation or two … it about being in a crowd of tens of thousands of race fans, all of who are friendly because they know their passion for racing is universally shared.
It is also about family. It is about family traditions passed down through generations; who can doubt that two decades from now, some of these sons might be bringing sons of their own to meet their grandfathers for their annual reunion at Petit Le Mans.
Ten-year-old Nicholas said he has been coming to Petit “ever since I was born.”
“When he was first born we started bringing my daughter” his father explained.” She was two years old in 1998, she’s fifteen now, so between the four of us we’ve been to every one.”
Nicholas liked watching all the cars, but he had his strong favorites: “The Corvettes, the Audis, and the Flying Lizards,” [a private and very successful team which races Porsches.]
When asked if he would like to keep coming to every Petit Le Mans, Nicholas responded quietly but surely, “Awesome, yeah.”
For the Sanders’, Petit Le Mans was a clan gathering, an annual meeting of the branches of the family.
“This has kind of become our family reunion,” said Stuart Sanders. “My father brings his RV, my brother and his family will be here; it’s just become our family reunion.”
How did this happen? Fourteen years ago, when the first Petit Le Mans was announced, Sanders lived in Atlanta.
“While I was in Atlanta I saw this in the paper, and I said, ‘That sounds like a good time.’ I mentioned it to my dad, and we rented an RV and stayed here; it’s just been a staple ever since.”
Petit Le Man is about racing, first and foremost, but is goes beyond that.
Petit Le Mans is about camping, listening to music, cooking on the grill, perhaps a libation or two … it about being in a crowd of tens of thousands of race fans, all of who are friendly because they know their passion for racing is universally shared.
It is also about family. It is about family traditions passed down through generations; who can doubt that two decades from now, some of these sons might be bringing sons of their own to meet their grandfathers for their annual reunion at Petit Le Mans.
