Johnny O’Connell struggles with incontinence

Some drivers are pissers and some are not. This is a paraphrased observation from Tony Stewart's book concerning drivers who relieve themselves whilst in the cockpit. Tony Stewart is a pisser. Today we learned GM-factory driver Johnny O’Connell is too.

Marshall Pruett's trackside blog (which is not really a blog, but quite entertaining regardless) from ALMS-events tells of O’Connell's pants wetting experience at Le Mans.

Corvette crew chief Dan Banks:

“It was bad…a little over the top, if you ask me” he said, fighting back a look of pained bewilderment and mild amusement. “You can’t get too mad at the guy; these cars shake the h*ll out of you, and you know, for a driver of Johnny’s advanced age, bladder control is the first thing to go…”

Happy Friday. In about 12-hours we hope to be in a condition conducive to pants-wetting.

Racing is expensive

Speedtv.com's man-on-the-street in the LBC is Marshall Pruett (no relation) and he happens to scribe a sportscar blog for said site. In Thursday's dispatch from the ALMS paddock he obtained an itemized list of expenditures following Primetime Racing's St. Pete shunt. The list shows the costs of repair done in the two weeks post-wreck to put their GT2 Viper back on track.

For a silly comparison, note that Ridebuyer's current track mount was less than the cost of two wheels for the Viper. Still wanna go racing?

6 people 12 hrs per day for 7 days that is 504 man hours average 40.00 per hr: $20,160.00
Entire light weight body minus the roof: $15,795.00
Paint and graphics: $3,000
1 set of BBS wheels: $4850.00
Brake components destroyed: $8500.00
Both rear axles: $1450.00
Suspension components destroyed: $6250.00
Chassis Repair: $7150.00
U-Haul for chassis to Dodge repair facility: $1700
1 set of tires: $2300.00
Both headlight assembly: $2250.00
Radiator: $850.00
Exhaust 1 side: $1800.00
Rear toe links: $441.00
2 shocks: $7100.00
Steering rack: $852.00
Front sway bar: $1150.00
Total: $85,598

The only thing cheap in Long Beach? Gin and tonic and chronic.