After a needlessly long delay, it is time to introduce the rest of our team for the 2011 effort!
A favorite of virtually every One Lap of America competitor I know, Mike Babcock is a seasoned One Lap Vet with a diverse sportsman driving resume. He is more experienced in competition than I am and he's been a heck of a lot more successful in One Lap than I have previously.
As I learned in elementary school gym class, always pick the best and most popular guy first!
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Michael Sterling Babcock: Seasoned & Successful One Lap of America vet,
actually named for Mike Hawthorn and Sterling Moss!
Photo: Highland Design Studio 2006
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If it pleases the court, I submit the following exhibits:
Mike Babcock was named after two former greats, Mike Hawthorn and Stirling Moss. He was destined to be a gear-head. Mike entered his first auto competition at the age of 14 as a co-driver in his father’s SCCA Pro Rally car, but by the time he was of legal age the rally car was gone and dirt bikes were the order of the day.
Mike and his father ran the enduro circuit aboard a pair of Husqvarnas until he moved to Arizona. Later, Mike campaigned a Husky WR430 in some desert races until marriage brought his motorsports career to a screeching halt. He then turned to BMX racing with his son Josh for a couple of seasons… but then Josh turned 16, got a driver’s license, and discovered girls… all at the same time. Needless to say, the BMX days were over.
Not long after that, the marriage failed, leaving Mike with a wealth of free time on his hands. Until December 14, 2000, when his father called, looking for a co-driver for the 2001 One Lap of America. Three days at the Bondurant school left him with a serious addiction to feed. A half-day school at the Motorsport Ranch in Texas, coupled with some track time in the family Audi S4 only made things worse. He ran Virginia International Speedway in the One Lap for his first competitive venue in the S4, and took 1st in class. Confidence was high. On the very next session… he went out and spun the car three times in as many laps. (reality happens fast!)
Since then, Mike has run Targa Newfoundland Rally, the One Lap of America eight times, three shots at the Open Track Challenge, and nine seasons of club racing in a Spec7 car.
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Not ones to demand creature comforts, Mike and his father Norm (Team Iron Butt)
brought this warm and cozy vehicle in 2006... No, I am not kidding.
Photo: Highland Design Studio 2006
Based on Mike's background, I plan to have him share the on-track driving duties in my rather tame M3 sedan. Compared to some of his crazy rides in the past, we may have to prod him to stay awake in the Lexus-like bank-vault M3!
My next victim, oops... I mean to say team mate is Ed Narewski.
Over the past few years Ed and I have talked each other into a host of stupid ideas. From elective engine swaps, to unnecessary car purchases and insane european travel, Ed is a quiet guy of enormous talent. Laboratory tests have proven that his voice is actually a frequency I cannot hear, which makes conversation that much more nuanced.
I asked him to use his own words to describe his lifelong mental illness:
As a young toddler growing up in Roxborough (Philadelphia). I would ride my big metal Tonka truck down our street. After getting into trouble for riding where I wasn't supposed to be, I would grab my brothers Hot Rod magazines and read 'em cover to cover.
At home there were many large cars to be explored. We had a Torino wagon, a LTD wagon, a Volvo and a 1967 Mustang. My sister taught me to drive in the Torino wagon when I was the ripe age of 12. My older brother would let me help change oil and perform general car maintenance. I loved taking things apart and ALSO putting them back together.
As a young teen, it was BMX racing. I loved the speed, the jumps and the very cool bikes. But, it was never enough, I needed a car. My first car was the coolest 1970 Volkswagen Beetle ever. It had no heat, no air conditioning, holes in the floor pans and needed help starting much of the time. Regardless, it was mine and I was determined to make it great. So, my love for detailing cars begins.
Cars ought to be fast and perform well, but to me they also need to look good. I have a large collection of cleaning and detailing products. I have been detailing for over 30 years. I frequently work with a close friend of mine detailing special cars for events such as Pebble Beach. Through this skill I have been privileged to have "hands-on time" with some very special cars such as Ferrari 275 GTB twin-cam, Ferrari Lusso and an 8 liter Bentley.
I have owned quite a few German cars over the years. One of the best was my 16v Volkswagen GTI. Frankly, this car was the best GTI on the east coast. With attention to detail I was able to win all the major Volkswagen shows in the mid-atlantic region for three years running. With the Delaware Valley Chapter of the BMW CCA I was able to enjoy the GTI at its limits on track. I was also involved with the build and crewing for a BMW SCCA Pro-Rally team. This was my first experience with crazy high-mileage road trips for the sake of automobiledom.
Life moves on. I now have a 95 M3 and also a 94 BMW 325is M-Tech. I am once again a member of the BMW Club and throughly enjoying the track events. With my knucklehead teammate I have enjoyed a couple of trips to Germany and have logged many laps on the Nürburgring. In 2011 I will be attending a fair amount of BMW track events, as well as a few Road Rally events (with the Main Line Sports Car Club) and participating in (my first) One Lap of America.
Ed will be handling a good bit of the transit driving, troubleshooting where necessary and "taking in" the general insanity of One Lap.
A few years back, I gave Brock Yates (Sr.) my own take on One Lap of America: "One Lap is the circus that truly needs all of its clowns"
I'd say we are each "guilty as charged"!
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