Saturday, November 30, 2013

Rain Storm By; Jim Gandolf

The rain is hitting the window of a hotel in the middle of nowhere as someone thoughts of the day going through my head, the drive to this place, was unbearable and long. I am at a table looking at myself in the reflection in the window, and notice a major flaw in a long three months of racing. The driver can’t communicate with the team manager, and the crew chief. I am still bringing in the money for the race team, and then think I need to interact with the driver and the team manager to get a better understanding of the language barrier. I believe that the driver is in a corner at this point, and is losing faith of the race team partner of mine. I notice that the pain of missing my wife and children this storm of loud thunders off in the distance. I feel that all the battles of new product and sales need to reflect the future of this race teams future. One of the most popular race car drivers has no merchandising to create even more revenue to help out this team owner, and more funding for the driver. The thought that neither one of these people (driver, and team owner) are listening to me. The driver is understandable; this person does not understand English very well at all. The team owner is totally at fault here 100%, but has the attitude that you can’t tell him any different. This race team owner, has never owned a race team period, and really has no clue of what is going on. I am now accepting the reasonability of this failure to communicate action.  I am still listening to this rain hit the window. I have major clients at this hotel. I have meetings all morning in the conference room at the hotel.   I just realize that race team owners despises people like me period, that bring in the money because they are not people that bring in the money. Team owners believe that they are in control, until I have to pull back the money, on the basis that the team owner is not listening to the client’s needs. I am still listening to the rain hit the window, my thoughts are full of so many things at all levels. Tomorrow is qualifications, but first practice. Will everyone be ready? My mind starts to wonder if my best friend as a driver could have done much better here with this car.  Then my mind shakes that thought off, no one could, the team just can’t communicate with each other. It now starts to stop raining at this point as my thoughts start to clear up. I feel that at that point I know why I am there. I then have the next day to fight for a balance for the driver and the race crew. The driver is good, when communicated in the right manor. The team manager forgot the reason why he was there, and that was to help this very good driver understand this form of racing. 

Jim Gandolf 

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