As we’re just days away from the first race of the 2013 season, and even closer to the first Friday practice, I want to make everyone aware of the Fun with Cars F1 Predictions Game. I’m sure you’ve heard us talking about it on the show and on the site, but for anyone who hasn’t actually used it, now is the time! It’s an app that’s on our Facebook page, but doesn’t really work within the Facebook mobile apps, so please click on the image above or visit https://www.facebook.com/fwcars/app_181736575204786 to officially enter your prediction for who you think will be on pole for this Grand Prix, and who you think will win. Predictions have to be in before Friday practice, so they’re not informed by last-minute testing pace. On that page, click “Make Your Prediction” on the right-hand side, and choose the buttons for the drivers you want to pick.

After the race, the results will be tabulated, and you can see how close your prediction was to being on pole and winning the race. You get one point for every spot off P1 your driver ends up. As you keep predicting through the season you can see how well your predictions stack up against other fans, the hosts of the show, and our simple “control” who just guesses that whoever was on pole last time will be again, and whoever won last time will win again. It’s great fun, especially if you start right from the beginning of the season, so head there now and enter some predictions! And thanks as always to Neil Popham, the predictions stud who wrote the predictions app for us!

-jim

Hey followers and friends, I’m afraid Fun with Cars might be on hiatus for a while. In mid-February Robin sustained serious injuries from a fall during a photo shoot in California. He has been in a medically-induced coma for over a week and is making steps forward with his recovery, but certainly our website isn’t the most important thing he needs to focus on for the time being. Also as part of his facial surgery his jaw will be wired shut for six weeks, so our podcast might not quite sound right. Any thoughts, prayers, and good vibes you can send toward Robin and his family while they help him through this are welcome.

In much less scary but related news, I will be having surgery to remove a tumor from my spine next week, so I also won’t be at full speed for some time. We’ll still do what we can to follow race events and engage with all of you on our website, facebook, and twitter, but it will likely be a while before we can put a podcast together.

Speaking of engaging with our fans, now more than ever is a good time to join the crowd on our facebook page as we discuss new cars, drivers, rules, and more. And it’s time to start putting in your predictions for the Australian Grand Prix, in the Predictions app on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fwcars/app_181736575204786

Here’s to a complete and speedy recovery for us, and to an enjoyable racing season for everyone!

-jim

Update: 4 March 2013

I got a call from Robin today! He has continued to amaze all of us with his recovery, and he was able to call me today for the first time since this whole ordeal. It was incredible to hear his voice, and hear how far he’s come along. He is recovering from several major surgeries, but everything keeps looking positive and he’s exceeded everyone’s expectations. All the doctors and nurses in his area know and like him, and he’s been able to get outside and enjoy the Southern California weather for a bit. When we talked today he made fun of me for being in the hospital for only four days, and was more concerned about me getting better than telling me about himself. So he was smart, witty, nice, and caring. Which tells me it’s really him in there! Not just his body, but our good friend Robin is really getting better and I’m so happy he’s still himself!

I am back home now, and it’s been most of a week since my surgery. I’m getting stronger every day but still relying on lots of help from my lovely wife Elena. My spine tumor was bigger than they originally saw on the MRI, but they were able to get it all out and tell me it’s benign. It’s amazing I was able to move at all with the way it was pushing on my spinal column. So I now have a titanium-reinforced spine with five screws. Not yet sure if I’ll set off airport metal detectors or not. I’m slow and creaky got now but looking forward to getting back to full strength in the coming weeks and months.

-jim

Hey everyone, Robin and I have been pretty busy this off-season, but we are planning a number of good steps forward for the website and podcast.

First, though, our old web address, f1show.com will stop redirecting to the new site, funwithcars.com soon. So please make sure you update your bookmarks and podcast subscriptions so you don’t miss our newest stuff. If you don’t already, this would be a great time to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, so we can pester you with our updates! http://facebook.com/fwcars or http://twitter.com/fun_with_cars

We should have a show for you in a week, during the Rolex 24 at Daytona, so keep an eye out, and thanks for being a part of our community!

Astute followers of F1 will know that there was a race held this week in Korea. Astute followers of Fun with Cars will notice that there is not a Grand Prix Show discussing that race. We may be able to produce a show later this week, but our normal grand prix viewing was superseded by other obligations. As it happens, those are potentially interesting as well, so here’s a quick update on what the FwC guys have been up to.

Over this past weekend Robin and his brother were driving in the 24 Hours of LeMons race outside Chicago. I’d love to tell you more about how his team did and all, but with his busy schedule he hasn’t had a chance to fill me in yet. The guy works full time and is finishing his Masters degree, so we can cut him a break on scheduling.

The day before that on Friday, I was outside Mexico City in Puebla running data analysis sessions for participants of the Porsche Driving Experience Mexico. It’s a fun event to take part in, as I have worked with the crew for five years. I got to eat some delicious tacos and catch up with my Mexican friends. It’s cool to see how much of a star Checo Pérez has become in Mexico, after initially seeing him on a billboard last year. Maybe he’s not quite a household name, but among car enthusiasts he and his just-announced move to McLaren are certainly talking points. It reiterates for me how much enthusiasm there is for racing in Mexico and how future success for Checo could really be a big deal toward the return of a Mexican Grand Prix. If that happens, I’m going and I know a bunch of folks who’ll be there’d with me.

Anyway, it will be a few days until Robin will have a chance to watch the Korean GP, and I’ll be out of town again but we might try and do a show remotely. Either way, stay tuned here and on Facebook and Twitter and you’ll see what we come up with.