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About Me | ||
used with permission - Champcar |
Name: Suzanne Birthdate: 6/4/61 Residence: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Family: husband: Duane, dogs: Casey, Emmo (Emerson Raul) Education: BA, Anthropology, University of Akron Personal Hero: my dad, Nick
Why racing? I grew up very close to a quarter-mile dirt track. Every weekend in the summer I would fall asleep to the sound of the cars - it was so comforting to me. At age seven, my older brother strapped me into his 3 hp go-cart and watched me "speed" around the neighborhood, stopping only to crash into fences and mow down hedges. It was then decided by family consenus that I had no future in racing. Why Raul? Duane and I went to Mid-Ohio for an IMSA GT race. Raul Boesel was already a familiar name to me from his IndyCar races and he seemed like such a cool cat. Raul ran a fantastic race that day, I was hooked, and I've followed his career more closely ever since. Have I ever met Raul? I had never met or spoken to Raul until 1997 when he participated in a CART open testing session at Mid-Ohio. Duane and I were walking around the paddock checking out the action. I looked up, and Raul was walking toward us, alone. I stopped to ask him if he would pose with me for a photo and he smiled and said "sure". I could not believe how nervous I was - it was pretty embarassing. I could barely speak but managed to mumble something idiotic to him about being his biggest fan. Duane fumbled with the camera for what seemed like an eternity (he was also chuckling at me) but he finally got my cherished photo. I saw Raul again in 1998 at the sportscar race at Mid-Ohio and he autographed the photo for me. We bumped into each other several times during the weekend and he always made a point of acknowledging me. I will never forget his kindness and generousity. How has all of this influenced me? I guess everyone has their "thing" and racing is mine. I look forward to every race and moan and complain at the season's end. The races are so much fun and I feel perfectly comfortable attending them by myself if I cannot find anyone to go with me. I've met some great friends because of Raul. My friend Carla at Brahma is a good example. I never thought that I would become a "sister" to a crazy, wonderful woman that lives in Sao Paulo, Brasil. I'm learning Portuguese in anticipation of my visit to Brasil in the near future. I've also tried to introduce the sport to young fans. I live in possibly the best neighborhood in the U.S. and have been "adopted" by the neighborhood kids. While they all have wonderful parents, I had noticed that they were lacking in their racing education. One youngster in particular, Kelly, has become my favorite racing companion. Although she shares my admiration for Raul, last year she decided that Christian Fittipaldi was her favorite driver.  The future Mrs. Fittipaldi with Christian This past summer, Kelly and I attended both the Cleveland and Mid-Ohio CART races. In Cleveland, we ran into Christian in the paddock and he autographed her program. She was really excited but was kind of taken aback when she saw the poor guy surrounded by fans at every opportunity. She decided that she wanted to say thank you to him by giving him something and not asking for anything in return. So, she made him a 'buddy bracelet' in his team colors. (For the uneducated, a buddy bracelet is simply a little braided bracelet made from colored thread). We arrived very early at Mid-Ohio on Friday morning and walked around the paddock until we found Christian's hospitality tent. Kelly spotted Christian inside having his breakfast. We waited outside at a polite distance and hoped that he would eventually come out. Kelly was wearing her Christian t-shirt and was spotted by someone inside the tent. He waved her inside. While I watched from the doorway, Kelly walked over to Christian and presented him with his bracelet. He held up his cheek to her and yes - she kissed him! I don't even think that she remembered how she walked back out of the tent but she had the biggest smile on her face! She will be a race fan for life. Do I have any other interests?I love all outdoor activities and I hike, bike and swim. I am a voracious reader, especially the novels of John Fowles. I really enjoy travel, computers, cool friends of all ages, and a good snowball fight. I hope you have enjoyed my tribute to Raul. Peace and happiness to you! This page hosted by 
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