take a look

http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/28055130-M.jpg

Damn! Next year you have to let us know how to score hot pit access; we were just back in the paddock with the rest of the riff-raff. But, Ann and I managed to snag a couple of neat pictures with folks:

John "Hopper" Hopkins:
http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/27862359-L.jpg

Shane "Shaky" Byrne:
http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/27863047-L.jpg

Tony Elias:
http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/27863647-L.jpg

Nicky Hayden:
http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/27862496-L.jpg

Kevin Schwantz:
http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/27867010-L.jpg

Matt Leblanc ("Joey" from Friends)
http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/27867040-L.jpg

Eye candy: :)
http://aciurczak.smugmug.com/photos/27863767-L.jpg

Wow... so next year, how do we get to do what Joseph did? During dinner tonight, Alex got Joseph's post on his phone , so we (Alex, Colin, Vicki, and I) saw the pictures Joseph put up in this thread - we were all VERY jealous! After dinner and perhaps a few too many blue Scorpion drinks, I decided that the best way for me to get hot pit access next year is to try out for the Umbrella Girls. Colin said I was too short. Alex said it would require some "enhancements" as most of them are "inflated". Thanks for the encouragement, guys :rolleyes:. In the end, I'm a midget and don't quite have the assets required... guess I'll be in the grandstands again next year.

here's how to do it...
smile and walk in when the gate is open, that's all.

Hey Joseph...what are they shooting at next to the trailers? (fourth pic) Were they takin' pot shots at the Red Bull skydivers?

that is Colin shooting rolled up shirts into the crowd with a CO2 powered gun just for this sort of fun!

here's how to do it...
smile and walk in when the gate is open, that's all.

So what day and time was it when they opened up the gates and you got to go in? We saw from the turn 11 grandstands that they had opened up the gates during lunch on Sunday and a whole bunch of people got in and were freely wandering around. Unfortunately, we couldn't rush over at that point since it's a bit of a hike to get over to the paddock area from turn 11. Next year we'll definitely have to wander more.