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