Rev It Up- Washington, DC- Story: Part 2

After the Rev It Up on Friday in DC, I had to trek back to NY that night, so I could get 3 hrs of sleep, to then get up and Instruct at the NY BMWCCA Street Survival Teen Driving School.


I had a prior commitment to this school before the Rev It Up schedule came out, and I'm not one to bail on events, especially a Teen School, so no matter how much I really wanted to be in DC and watch the final day of the Rev It Up unfold. I just couldn't be there for it.


Of course during the day, I'm telling everyone what happened the night before. And as usual no one believe it, neither did I at the time, I still thought I was asleep dreaming it.


Later on in the day, I received a phone call from Demetri inviting me to a block party that night at Thom's house. At the time I had nothing planned, so after the School, I drove over there to check it out.


The block party was great, the entire street was closed down, kids were running everywhere, toys were everywhere, food was everywhere. They even had a DJ there playing music and games for the kids, then later in the night a band came in and played for a while.


Ok, to get to the interesting part of the story now. Somewhere around 9 pm, I received a phone call from Rogers Simon, who was at the Rev It Up, calling to give me an update as to who's on the leader board in the Cobalts. I knew who was planning to be there already, and had an idea who was going to be on that list as he started reading names and scores. You name it, the Who's Who of Autocrossing was there: Daddio, Salerno, Strano, King, Johnson, Baker.... etc.... etc..., I could keep going. With that amount of great drivers there, all of them multiple National Champions. Each one of them is more than capable of doing what I did. So of course I started to get nervous.


Somewhere around 9:30 Rogers called me again to give me an update and let me know what the Pro Driver Index was. A few minutes later my phone rings again, this time its Matt Arnold who was there giving me an update.


Next thing you know, I go inside the house, its so loud outside with all the people and music from the block party that I can't hear the phone. I'm pacing around the house all nervous, (probably wore through the carpets) holding on to the house phone in my left hand with Rogers listening to the event as its happening, then in my right hand, I have Matt on my cell phone listening to what's going on from his side. Demetri and Thom are there both laughing at me, holding on to 2 phones pacing around the house, I wound up locking myself in the kitchen for a while just to get some peace and quiet so I could listen. Demetri came in a little while later and grabbed my cell phone and started talking to Matt.


So we're all there I think they are about as nervous as I am, as we're listening to what's going on there. One run after another, hearing Caroline in the background calling off drivers names and times. No one is getting close.


We're now onto second runs in the Corvette's.


At this point its getting pretty late and the block party is starting to wind down, and people are leaving to go home. Then Demetri starts bugging me about leaving. I'm like, no way dude, I'm not leaving till I hear the end of this.


I wound up having to lock myself in the kitchen again after pacing around the house for a while so I could hear the end of it. A few minutes later, they gave in and wanted to hear the end of it also, so we're all sitting there in the kitchen.


Its getting down to the final few drivers, all of a sudden, they have a timer issue. The entire house went quiet. We're listening to see who will be getting a rerun. Of all people who was getting a rerun was Daddio. None of use could believe he was getting a rerun. The event keeps running and the reruns will be done at the end. Then it comes down to Daddio getting his rerun. Caroline is calling out his run, we're listening as its happening. He comes into the finish, Denied! Wow! Daddio didn't beat me.


Here I am thinking I've just won! Then all of a sudden a protest about a car problem came up, and I hear they are about to give Ian Baker a rerun for something. Ian gets his rerun, we're listening as Caroline is calling out the run. He comes across the finish, Denied.


Then in the background I hear Caroline call out my name as the new 2007 National Champion, its official I won. Rogers and Matt who I was on the phone with both congratulated me, then I thanked them for keeping me on the phone to listen in.


I hung up the phone with them, then a couple minutes later. My cell phone rings again, its Dan, the Media Rep from the Rev It Up program. "Congratulations GJ You are now the new 2007 Chevrolet Rev It Up National Champion" we talked for a while and asked me a bunch of questions for the press release.


At the same time, we're walking outside to leave and go home and I believe it was Demetri who yelled to everyone at the block party that I won the car. Everyone on the block cheered for me and congratulated me.


What a Crazy Night!


At that point I'm so exhausted from the day, but so excited that I won, I didn't know what to do. On the way home, I made like 50 phone calls to start letting everyone know. I arrived home and couldn't sleep from the excitement. I think at some point I passed out, but don't remember.


Rogers Simon recorded all of my runs from Friday and he gave me a DVD of it last week, so I'm hoping to post the videos of my runs soon.