GREETINGS FROM AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

You are about to begin reading a multi-part series that will detail our 17-day trackchasing and touring adventure to New Zealand and French Polynesia.  The format of this Trackchaser Report will differ from those you have been reading all season. 

 

Our activities will be listed chronologically by day and divided into “Trackchasing” and “Tourist” categories.  You will get a glimpse into how another family approaches and takes a long and exotic trip like this.  I hope you enjoy reading about our adventures, until you and your family head out on your next tour of the world.

 

Warning:  If you do not want to experience the feeling of “being there” I recommend that you not read the descriptions of what went on or view the pictures of what was seen.  I would not want any future visits to these faraway parts to be ruined by the realism you are about ready to experience in words and pictures.

 

If you are receiving this Trackchaser Report via email, you can view the pictures at www.ranlayracing.com.

 

 

Part I

 

Saturday, December 23, 2006

 

THE BACKGROUND

 

The members of the Lewis family have been world travelers for many years now.  Our children, J.J. (32), Kristy (29) and Jim (27) have been on these adventures since they were small.  They had all been out of the house since the end of their college days and now live in Chicago, Los Angeles and Honolulu, respectively. 

 

Growing up in a corporate lifestyle gave us both extra privileges and responsibilities.  The privileges included the means and mindset to take advantage of all kinds of travel opportunities.  The mindset was probably more valuable than the means.

 

The corporate responsibilities meant that in order to be able to cash the checks I had to work for them.  What a novel concept.  I had to work when and where my employer requested.  If I did that I would be rewarded and was.  We relocated eight times in the first 11 years of my employ.

 

Our National Sales Meeting began the Monday after Father’s Day for more than 10 consecutive years.  That meant that, as a manager, I would have to leave for the meeting on Saturday and missed Father’s Day every year for a long time.  It was often the same thing for birthdays and anniversaries.

 

Usually, this did not really create a problem, because we had “mindset” on our side.  We didn’t “blame” work, we “praised” it.  We thanked our lucky stars I was hired by such a great company, Richardson-Vicks that would later join up with Procter & Gamble.

 

We never missed a family celebration; we just moved it around to suit the work schedule.  When the children grew up and were on their own, their passion for travel matched and sometimes exceeded our own.  During the past 8-10 years, since we have been “empty nesters” we have actually had a couple of “parking garage” Christmases.  Permit me to explain what a “parking garage” Christmas is.

 

On at least two occasions our schedules at Christmas could only intersect at a parking garage in Los Angeles.  One would be arriving from somewhere and another, many times Carol and I, would be heading for somewhere else.  We would have just enough time to meet in a parking garage and exchange gifts under the lights of the garage.  It was a strange sight to see wrapping paper flying and hugs and kisses being exchanged under the lamplight of a seventh floor parking garage with the lights of downtown Los Angeles in the background.

 

You might contrast that type of Christmas with the Christmas you are most accustomed to having.  The Lewis family Christmas was also much different from my boyhood Christmases.  Our Christmas activity isn’t any better than anyone else’s and I don’t think it’s any worse.  It’s just smothered with options.

 

It is with this background that we begin this year’s trip.  Son Jim was in from Honolulu.  Daughter Kristy and her fiancé James were at the house from Los Angeles.  We were only missing J.J.  With little seniority in the airline business, he was flying over most of the holidays.

 

Our trip to New Zealand would begin on the evening of December 23.  If all went well, we would have a one-hour intersection with J.J. on our way to the airport and on his way from the airport.  The Lewis family would be reunited in its entirety.  When Kristy asked if this would be another “parking lot” Christmas, my answer was “No.”  It would be a “Mexican restaurant” Christmas and it was.

 

Our flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand via Sydney, Australia left LAX at 10:30 p.m.  Two years ago when we flew to Sydney, Australia for a Christmas trackchasing vacation we connected in Auckland.  It was strange that we had to make opposite connections when trying to get to first Sydney and then Auckland.

 

LAX is about 65 miles north of our home in San Clemente.  The Orange County aka Santa Ana aka John Wayne Airport is on the way to LAX.  J.J. would be flying into the Orange County Airport at 6 p.m.  We would have just enough time to pick him up and go to dinner on our way to LAX.

 

By the way, it was a miracle that the Lewis family was getting together at Christmas this year anyway.  Kristy and James were scheduled to go to Denver to visit his family last Tuesday.  That was the morning of the “big snowstorm” and the Denver airport was closed for two days.  Their trip was cancelled which was a plus for Carol and me.

 

It was only December 23, but the Lewis family, which now included a new addition, James, would be getting together for Christmas.  It was just like a “parking garage” Christmas!  We had only an hour together so the Christmas wrapping paper was once again flying in the back of our Mexican restaurant.  It was another good, early and somewhat non-traditional holiday for us.

 

TOURIST ACTIVITY

 

Son Jim, as opposed to future son-in-law James drove us to the Los Angeles International Airport.  Carol and I would each be checking two pieces of luggage and carrying on two pieces each.  All together we had more than 200 pounds of luggage for our 17-day adventure.  My theory is not to pack light.  If they will allow me two pieces of checked baggage that can weigh as much as 50 pounds each, then that is what I will take.  My rationale is that I want to be as comfortable on my trip as I possibly can.  If I bring more “stuff”, I have more “options.”  I believe the more options you have in life, the better life can be.

 

We would be flying to the South Pacific on Qantas Airlines.  We would be flying in coach.  My friends wrinkle up their noses when I tell them I fly coach for such a long distance.  I don’t mind. It costs far less to fly coach than business or first class on trips like this. 

 

The flight to Sydney is 13 hours and 45 minutes long.  After a layover in Sydney, we will fly another three hours to our final destination in Auckland, New Zealand.  Yes, it’s a long way to go to pursue our hobby of travel and trackchasing.  It doesn’t matter to me.  I would do it no matter how far it was.

 

If I was upgraded for free, which has happened several times, I would take it.  However today there would be no upgrades.  Carol and I would occupy seats 50C and 50D.  At least we had aisle seats in coach and the seat next to me was open which was most helpful.  After any coach flying residual wore off, which wouldn’t take long, I would have the monetary or frequent flyer miles savings in my back pocket.  That would make taking the next trip all the easier.

 

Jim dropped us off at the “International terminal” at LAX.  There was very little customer traffic at any of the airport’s seven terminals with the exception of the international terminal.  Imagine, Mardi gras or summer carnival in some faraway South American big city.  That’s what the LAX international terminal is like almost every night of the year.  Tonight was certainly no exception.

 

The crowds were onerous.  There must have been 25 different languages being spoken.  Families with small children were milling about.  Everyone was pushing luggage is this direction and that.  We had more than two hours before our flight but there was a line of more than 200 people and a block long just TO GET INSIDE THE TERMINAL.  This would not do.  However, I was born for situations like this.

 

I left Carol and the bags in the long line and went to investigate.  At the entrance to the terminal I found a much shorter line.  I reported back to Carol.  We would have to wheel our 200+ pounds of baggage out into the street to bypass the long line we were currently in but it would be more than worth it, mostly.

 

I have to give Carol credit.  She was pushing and pulling two rolling bags that had two other bags attached to them that exceeded her own body weight.  Yes, she is a trooper.

 

In the rush of the crowd, I occasionally lost my visual of “trackchasing’s first mother.”  However, I knew she was “back there” and would never give up.  As I was looking over my shoulder my own rolling bag hit a rut.  This caused me to lose control of my other two rolling bags and they fell onto the ground.

 

One of the bags fell under the back wheel of a waiting pickup truck.  Before I could right my ship, so to speak, the pickup truck rolled forward.  The truck did not roll over the body of the bag, but it did roll over the outstretched luggage handle turning it into a pretzel!  Dang.  That bag was nearly new!

 

Finally we pushed and shoved our way to the very head of the line.  I was proud of my pushing and shoving skills.  However, we soon learned that our Qantas flight would not be leaving from the international terminal.  It was the only Qantas flight that would leave from the American Airlines terminal 4.  Fortunately, I guess, that was only an additional five minute walk. 

 

When we arrived my platinum status on American Airlines allowed us to use the business class check-in facilities.  There was no one in this line at all.  We checked our bags in in less than five minutes.

 

Security was a snap.  We were even allowed to board the flight with my “Sapphire” frequent flyer status (I didn’t even KNOW I had Sapphire status!) ahead of even first class passengers.  The Qantas 747 was nearly full and the coach seating was not really that bad.  My Bose noise-canceling headphones, Tempurpedic pillow and “Hollywood” style airplane eyeshades allowed me to sleep off and on.  When I emerged from my self-styled cocoon, they were beginning to serve breakfast and we had only three hours to go. 

 

As I glanced over at Carol, she was living quietly in her new environment.  She is a homebody.  If she were not married to me, she would initiate very few trips on her own.  However, I am glad she is married to me.  This way I can show her the world.

 

Monday, December 25, 2006

 

TOURIST ACTIVITY

 

The astute reader will notice there was no Sunday, December 24, 2006.  That has something to do with the international dateline.  When we landed in Sydney, Australia we had crossed the international dateline.  We had “skipped” a day.  We had missed Christmas Eve.  It was now Christmas day.  Merry Christmas!

 

Sydney time is 19 hours ahead of Los Angeles.  Our layover in Sydney would be for three hours.  There is a nice view of downtown Sydney from the windows of the airport.  Our experience on Qantas Airlines from Los Angeles to Sydney was great.  They served us both dinner and breakfast.  It’s been a long time since we’ve had any airline food.  U.S. airlines just don’t feed you anymore.

 

Our final flight of the outbound trip would take us from Sydney, to Auckland, New Zealand.  The flight distance is a little more than 1,300 miles.  It’s similar to flying from Los Angeles to Dallas.  Qantas even served us a nice lunch on this flight.

 

Once we landed in Auckland, we had some logistical chores to finish.  I needed to get a New Zealand electrical adapter so all of my computer and camera equipment would work for the duration of the trip.  I also needed to buy a SIM card for my cell phone.  A New Zealand SIM card would allow me to use my cell phone here just as I do back home.  There was just one exception; it would be more expensive to make calls.

 

Getting the electrical adapter was easy.  For just $20 New Zealand I was in business.  The exchange rate is about one New Zealand dollar per 69 U.S. cents.  The electrical adapter cost me about $14 U.S.

 

The SIM card solution wasn’t as easy.  The Vodaphone store at the airport only rents SIM cards.  I was looking for a prepaid SIM card.  I’ll buy one in Auckland tomorrow at a local retailer.

 

Following those two important airport errands, I needed to pick up our rental car.  We would be renting from Europcar, which is the National Rental Car brand in New Zealand.  I used www.sidestep.com to get our car.  We would be paying $883.13 NZ for 13 days of rental car use.  That translated to about 568 U.S. or about $43 per day tax inclusive.  I don’t know if that was a good rate or not, but it was the best I could find.

 

We arrived into the international terminal of the Auckland International Airport.  Of course, Europcar did not have an office in the international terminal.  That meant I would need to leave Carol with the 200 pounds of luggage while I went searching for the car in the “domestic” terminal.

 

We got a great looking and brand new right side drive rental car.  It was a Subaru Outback.  The only problem was that it was a station wagon body style.  That meant it had no trunk.  I wanted a trunk.  I felt a trunk would add an extra layer of security for the things we would put in it, most notably my laptop.  Alas, after searching hinder and yon, we could not find a full sized rental car with a trunk.  I’ll just have to be extra careful and use my computer lock when it’s needed.

 

For the next two nights, we will be staying in downtown Auckland.  Again, I used www.sidestep.com to secure a five-star hotel, the Rendezvous Hotel.  The directions to the hotel seemed nearly impossible to decipher from the airport.  However, as if by some Christmas miracle, we found the place on the first try. 

 

Of course, we will be driving on the “wrong” side of the road in a right side steer car.  Our motto is simple, “left hand turns are easy, and right hand turns are scary.”  This is a great reminder that we’d better watch out when making a right hand turn.  These turns go against the natural instincts of a U.S. based driver and can be deadly if done incorrectly.

 

Following this hotel stay, we will change hotels every night for nearly two weeks.  The very last two days of the trip in French Polynesia, we will find ourselves staying in the same place for two nights.  I don’t like to do it that way, but that is the life of a trackchaser.

 

The bellman at the Rendezvous lugged all of our baggage up to the room.  We were told by the hotel desk staff that tipping is not expected or needed.  Wow!  That’s a big change from the U.S.

 

Our room rate includes cocktails in the evening and a continental breakfast in the Plaza Club.  This is a private club located on the 12^th floor of the Rendezvous Hotel.  Yes, when Carol travels with me we go first class.

 

We arrived at the hotel at 7 p.m.  I had gotten pretty much a full night’s sleep on the airplane albeit in a coach airplane seat.  I didn’t really feel tired at all.  When I land in Europe, it’s all I can do to stay up until bedtime on the first night of the trip.

 

We went up to the Plaza Club for drinks and cheese and crackers.  Later, we retired for the evening with a gorgeous 10^th floor view of downtown Auckland.  We’ll explore the city tomorrow.

 

TRACKCHASING

 

There will be no racing today.  Our first new track will be seen tomorrow.

 

 

Tuesday, December 26, 2006 (Boxing Day)

 

TOURIST ACTIVITY

 

We’re going to be here for a total of 17 days.  Therefore, we will need to pace ourselves.  I’m thinking one major Trackchasing Tourist Attraction each day and a night of trackchasing should do it.

 

Today’s TTA would be Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World (www.kellytarltons.co.nz)  Following a sumptuous breakfast at the 12^th floor Plaza Club we were off to the Sky Tower to catch a shuttle bus to Kelly Tarltons.  We were really looking forward to seeing penguins in sub-zero temperatures during the New Zealand summer.

 

As we waited for our bus, a new opportunity faced us.  A shuttle bus came by, but it was not for Kelly Tarltons.  It was for the Dress Smart factory outlet shopping mall.  The bus advertising told us they had more than 100 stores.  Even though we were in a foreign country, the American sense of a good bargain grabbed us.  Soon we were on the way to the outlet mall!

 

We had no idea how far it was to the mall.  We just grabbed the last two seats on the bus and sat down.  It turned out to be about a 30-minute drive with a few stops along the way to discharge and pickup more passengers.  This was a very good way to see the sights of Auckland as we rode for free.

 

Today is Boxing Day, the day after Christmas here in New Zealand.  You know how busy the stores can get on the day after Christmas where you live.  The outlet mall was packed.  Carol ended up getting a pair of Nike running shoes.  I picked up a pair of New Balance walking shoes.  Let me tell you why they were both a good deal.

 

Carol’s shoes were 30% off.  Add a 33% currency discount and no tax and the shoes were practically free.  O.K., they weren’t really free.  Actually, they ended up being about what they would cost at home, but we enjoyed the thrill of the hunt.

 

I believe my purchase was a bit more practical and trackchasing strategic.  I bought a pair of all black athletic walking shoes.  They are really the same as any pair of athletic shoes that you might own except they are all black.  Think of them as the type of shoes a basketball official would wear.  I’m going to try to use them to meet my airline sponsor’s requirements of “leather shoes.”  We’ll see if I get away with it.

 

We grabbed an early bus back to our hotel from the mall.  We were back in downtown Auckland by noon.  Our first REAL Trackchasing Tourist Attraction would now be Auckland’s award winning Sky Tower (www.skycityauckland.co.nz.)  This is the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere at 328 meters.

 

As they say, you can see forever from the Sky Tower.  Luckily, you won’t have to go to New Zealand to see these sights.  Professional grade photos appear right now at www.ranlayracing.com.  Prices for everything in New Zealand so far seem expensive.  The admission price for the combination Observation deck (186M) and Sky Tower (220M) was $25NZ per person.  Remember to multiply all New Zealand prices by about 69% to get U.S. equivalents.

 

If you take this tour, don’t miss the film on the lower level that describes the history of Auckland.  Auckland has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world.  You will learn that Auckland has a land mass twice the size of London and the Sky Tower is four meters taller than the Eiffel Tower.  The Sky tower is a fun place to hang out and doesn’t take all day to do.

 

We followed the Sky Tower up with some window-shopping along Queen Street, the biggest commercial street in Auckland.  We ended up back at the Sky Tower area where we enjoyed a lovely late afternoon patio outdoor dining experience.

 

We engaged our waiter in conversation and learned several things.  First, there is a 7.75% surcharge on all restaurant tabs on public holidays.  Yes, today was Boxing Day, a public holiday.  We also learned that this New Zealand restaurant does not give free refills.  Finally, we had been told that no tipping is needed for NZ eateries.  When the credit card bill left space for a tip, I felt compelled to ask the waiter what his position, and presumably others in New Zealand was with tips.  He said he is perfectly happy if his customers are pleased with his service and do not leave a tip.  He said tipping was “optional.”  Of course, after having this discussion with the waiter, I felt obligated to tip and did.

 

We also talked to him for a moment about racing.  He mentioned he didn’t like NASCAR much because they just seemed to go “around and around.”  He said Formula One racing was a little better.  This seems to be the view of most people who live outside of the U.S. and virtually no one who lives in the U.S.  Our waiter also mentioned that he likes to see a little crashing with his racing.  This is a common preference from the very casual race fan.

 

This was our first full day in New Zealand.  We were just getting our feet wet.  The plan for tomorrow is to go out to Kelly Tarltons and then head south for the beginnings of our New Zealand exploration.  Tonight we will see our first new racetrack ever in New Zealand.

 

TRACKCHASING

 

WESTERN SPRINGS SPEEDWAY, WESTERN SPRINGS, NEW ZEALAND – RANDY’S TRACK #1,134 & CAROL’S TRACK #290 – 12/26/06

 

Wow!  What a great way to get our New Zealand race trip started.  We went to the Western Springs Speedway in Western Springs.  The track is located in this Auckland suburb less than five miles from our hotel.  Its location just off the 16 Motorway made it an easy find as I get used to driving on the “wrong” side of the road.

 

Western Springs is the Ascot Park or Angel Park or Knoxville of New Zealand racing.  Race fans know what I mean when I say that.  It is entirely possible we saw our best night of racing on the first of our scheduled 12 nights of racing.  Maybe that is why the track is racing in its 77^th season.  If we did, that’s O.K., these people put on an outstanding program in so many ways. 

 

We pulled into the flat and grassy parking lot ($5NZ for parking) at about 6:15 p.m.  Race time was 7 p.m.  There were more than 1,000 cars in the parking lot when we arrived.  We thought we were early.  Admission was $20NZ.

 

Our first stop was the pit area.  Admission to the pits was included in our ticket price.  The only restriction I saw about getting into the pits was that no open-toed shoes were allowed and children under age 14 needed to be accompanied by an adult.

 

The track is a quarter-mile nearly flat red dirt oval.  The infield area is covered in green grass and has the markings of a rugby field.  Poured concrete grandstands, make that ROUGH poured concrete, surround the track from turn three through turn two.  Only the backstretch does not have grandstand seating as the cars pit beyond the back straight and beyond turn three.  The commentator’s building is a multi-level affair located just above turn three.

 

I started the night with a quick interview with the track announcer, Jamie.  Jamie was a bright and enthusiastic youngish announcer who was properly impressed with the hobby of trackchasing.  He did a nice job of keeping everyone informed throughout the night.  He had several references to American sprint and midget drivers.  He told the crowd that the king, Steve Kinser, was racing tonight, “just a few thousand kilometers away”, in somewhat nearby Paramatta City Speedway located in Sydney, Australia.  Carol, Kristy and I have all been there.

 

Tonight three classes of open-wheeled cars were racing.  This included TQ midgets, winged sprint cars and full-sized midgets.  Craig Dollansky and Ricky Logan, both American stars ran first and second in the 15-car sprint car feature.  However, the premier class was the midgets, which is somewhat unusual when sprints are on the card.  They also had an exhibition race with youngsters driving quarter midgets.  Jamie called it “race #0.” 

 

Even though there were a few red flag periods for flipping racecars and several yellows for spinning racecars, the program was run efficiently.  They did not waste time and they did not take an intermission.  The sun did not set until about 9 p.m.  This was problematic in one sense as the sun faced the majority of the crowd, one of my bigger trackchasing peeves.

 

They had a huge Boxing Day holiday crowd.  The grandstands were nearly full with a well behaved and a generally more upscale crowd than might be found at a local track in the U.S.  It was an “Ascot” or “Angel Park” type crowd if you know what I mean.  The track featured a large Jumbotron video screen that was used to broadcast the races live and show video replays of several of the spectacular flips.

 

A special tonight included many vintage TQ and midget racecars.  They each came out and ran some hot laps during the regular program.  There were probably 30 of these cars.  I have never seen vintage open-wheeled oval racing cars run any faster than these guys did.  Check out www.ranlayracing.com for some photos of these beautiful vintage racing cars.

 

The track did some things I had never seen done before.  When a race was over, the cars remained on the track to wheel pack for the next race.  Never seen that before!  When a car spun and stopped within 5-10 feet of the track, two or three safety crew workers ran to the driver’s aid (risking their lives and their limbs) and pushed the car out of harm’s way.  This was all done to prevent a needless yellow flag.  You would never see that in the U.S.  Finally, after all the races were finished, most of the crowd went into the pit area.  There, the announcer brought out the first three finishers in each class to present to the crowd.  He interviewed each driver from a second floor perch and gave each a bottle of Champaign.  We had to turn away to keep from being sprayed during the ensuing celebration.

 

Carol was as impressed with the proceedings as I was.  She said the place was well run but wished they had a scoreboard.  When the cars got strung out, it was hard to figure out who was leading the race or how many laps were left.  Carol was also glad we had the Sabo sponsored folding seat cushions.  Without them the extremely rough and gravel filled concrete would have made quite an impression on us in sensitive areas.  She also liked the fact, “they don’t yell at you when you go into the pits.”

 

New Zealand now gives Carol trackchasing events in seven foreign counties.  This was her 34^th foreign country track and her 12^th separate international trackchasing trip.  This was Carol’s 290^th lifetime track.  If we don’t have any rainouts, she will finish the trip with 301 tracks. 

 

This facility also offered several different food stands.  One offered NZ venison and salmon.  Another went with NZ spuds and yet another pork roast.  Our late afternoon lunch prevented us from having a main meal.  We went with the mini-donut stand (16 for $3) which were had from deep fryer and smothered in sugar.  Ascot Park sold the very same epicurean treat.

 

The last race of the night was the 30-lap, 22-car midget feature event.  The drivers ran the first 19 laps caution free.  One of the drivers who made the feature event by transferring from the semi-main was moving up quickly.  During the last 10 laps, he ran down the four leading cars, and passed for the win on the last lap.  The crowd was going bonkers and fireworks were being shot off during the last five laps of the feature.  I’ve never seen that before.  The crowd was clapping and cheering and gave the winner a standing “O.”  This was one of our best nights of racing all season, maybe the best.  The final checker waved at 10:10 p.m.  If all the races, I saw were like this, I would never leave a race until the final checkered flag of the final race waved.

 

Finally, to top off an already outstanding night, the Western Springs Speedway marked my 100^th lifetime international track to see.  New Zealand also was my eighth foreign country where Previously, I’ve been trackchasing joining in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE:

 

These worldwide trackchasers are within 100 tracks (plus or minus) of my current trackchaser total.

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,134

2.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 1,073 (-61)*

3.  Rick Schneider – Bay Shore, New York - 1,060 (-74)*

4.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania – 1,042 (-92)*

7.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 962 (-172)**

 

* Warning, you are within 50 tracks of being removed from this list. 

 

** Special exemption.

 

 

 

Other notables

 

These worldwide trackchasers are within 10 tracks (plus or minus) of Carol’s current trackchaser total.

 

33.  Ron Rodda, Lincoln, California – 297 (+7)

34.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California - 290

34.  Johnny Gibson, Grand Island, Nebraska – 290

 

 

 

 

 

2006 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California - 143

2.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania - 106

3.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 102

4.  Roland Vanden Eynde, Vilvoorde, Belgium – 87

5.  Paul Weisel, Orefield, Pennsylvania – 86

6.  Roger Ferrell, Majenica, Indiana – 68

7.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania - 67

8.  Allan Brown, Comstock Park, Michigan - 64

9.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 59

10.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania – 56

 

Tracks have been reported from 41 different worldwide trackchasers this season.

 

 

 

 

LIFETIME NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY STANDINGS

 

2006 (current thru 10/29/06)**

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 7.08

2. Gordon Killian, Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania – 7.10

3. Allan Brown, Comstock Park, Michigan – 7.86

 

**Lifetime NGD results could be affected by current track counting proposals

 

  

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

 

Randy Lewis

#1 Trackchaser Living West of the Mississippi

 

Your best bet is to work your butt off, reach your goals and enjoy your rewards.

 

 

 

CUMULATIVE TRAVEL DISTANCES:

 

AIRPLANE

 

Los Angeles, CA – Sydney, Australia – 7,490 miles

Sydney, Australia – Auckland, New Zealand – 1,340 miles

RENTAL CAR – AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

 

Auckland International Airport – trip begins

Driving all over New Zealand

 

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:

 

Western Springs Speedway - $20NZ

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past trackchasing reports are available at:

www.ranlayracing.com

 

Official trackchaser standings can be viewed at:

www.trackchaser.net

 

Some of my standings data comes from trackchaser.net

 

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS

 

G’day, mate.  Yep!  We’re down under in the beautiful country of New Zealand.  We plan to see many new tracks.

 

 

 

 

 

RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2006 (** not the first time to visit this track)

 

992.  Watermelon Capital Speedway, Cordele, Georgia - January 14

 

993.  Cross Roads Motorplex (asphalt oval), Jasper, Florida - January 15

 

994.  Norfolk Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia - January 20

 

995.  Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California - January 21

 

996.  Oregon State Fair & Expo Center, Forster Livestock Arena, Salem, Oregon - January 28

 

997.  Morosso Motorsports Park, Jupiter, Florida – February 4

 

998.  Thunderbowl Speedway of Ocala, Ocala, Florida - February 4

 

999.  Cross Roads Motorplex (dirt oval), Jasper, Florida - February 5

 

1,000. Auburndale Kartway, Auburndale, Florida - February 10

 

1,001. Ocala Speedway (asphalt oval), Ocala, Florida - February 12

 

1,002. Speedworld Speedway, Surprise, Arizona - February 19

 

1,003. Lowe’s Motor Speedway (1/5 mile asphalt oval), Concord, North Carolina - February 25

 

1,004. Concord Raceway, Concord, North Carolina - February 25

 

1,005. Antioch Speedway, Antioch, North Carolina - February 25

 

1,006. Green Valley Speedway, Gadsden, Alabama - February 26

 

1,007. East Bay Raceway (inner oval), Gibsonton, Florida – March 17

 

1,008. Volusia Speedway Park West (1/6M oval), Barberville, Florida – March 18

 

1,009. Speedway Park, Fruitland Park, Florida – March 18

 

1,010. Sand Mountain Speedway (road course), Fort Meade, Florida – March 19

 

1,011. Anderson Motor Speedway, Anderson, South Carolina – March 31

 

1,012. Westminster Speedway, Westminster, South Carolina – March 31

 

1,013. East Lincoln Motor Speedway, Stanley, North Carolina – April 1

 

1,014. Margarettsville Speedway, Margarettsville, North Carolina – April 2

 

1,015. Sunny South Raceway, Grand Bay, Alabama – April 7

 

1,016. Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds, Alabama – April 8

 

1,017. Coldwater Raceway, Coldwater, Alabama – April 8

 

1,018. Talladega Short Track, Talladega, Alabama – April 8

 

1,019. Ballymena Raceway, Ballymena, Northern Ireland - April 14

 

1,020. Oulton Park, Little Budworth, England - April 15

 

1,021. Somerset Rebels Banger Raceway, Rooks Bridge, England - April 16

 

1,022. Mendips Raceway, Shipham, England - April 16

 

1,023. Oval Raceway, Angmering, England - April 17

 

1,024. Arlington Stadium, Eastbourne, England - April 17

 

1,025. Southside Speedway, Midlothian, Virginia - April 28

 

1,026. Motor Mile Speedway, Radford, Virginia - April 29

 

1,027. Wythe Speedway, Wytheville, Virginia - April 29

 

1,028. Summit Point Raceway, Summit Point Circuit, Summit Point, West Virginia - April 30

 

1,029. Old Dominion Speedway – inner inner oval, Manassas, Virginia - April 30

 

1,030. Shenandoah Speedway, Shenandoah, Virginia – May 4

 

1,031. Bridgeport Speedway (inner oval – front), Bridgeport, New Jersey - May 5

 

1,032. Empty Jug, Hawley, Pennsylvania - May 6

 

1,033. Oakland Valley Race Park, Cuddebackville, New York - May 6

 

1,034. Thunder Mountain Speedway, Center Isle, New York - May 6

 

1,035. Motocross 338, Southwick, Massachusetts - May 7

 

1,036. Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, Fultonville, New York - May 7

 

1,037. Calumet County Speedway, Chilton, Wisconsin - May 19

 

1,038. Grant County Speedway, Lancaster, Wisconsin - May 20

 

1,039. Blackhawk Farms Raceway, Rockton, Illinois - May 21

 

1,040. The Milwaukee Mile (Road course), West Allis, Wisconsin - May 21

 

** Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin – May 21 (new track Carol only)

 

1,041. Park Jefferson Speedway, Jefferson, South Dakota - May 25

 

1,042. Superior Speedway, Superior, Wisconsin - May 26

 

1,043. Brainerd International Raceway, Brainerd, Minnesota - May 27

 

1,044. Canby Speedway, Canby, Minnesota - May 27

 

1,045. Crawford County Fairgrounds (figure 8), Denison, Iowa - May 28

 

1,046. Tri-State Speedway, Sisseton, South Dakota - May 29

 

1,047. Sheyenne River Speedway, Lisbon, North Dakota - May 29

 

1,048. Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, Pahrump, Nevada – June 3

 

1,049. The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada