One Lap Of America; Good People Doing Good Things With Fast Cars

On Saturday May 5^th the 2012 Tire Rack One Lap of America kicks off in South Bend, Indiana and over the course of the following eight days this automotive marathon will cover approximately 3,500 miles and include 21 competition stops at race tracks across the country.  James Shipka & Co-driver Carl Casanova will be joining nearly 90 other teams from around the world in what will be James' third time participating in this one-of-a-kind event.  Once again the OneLapCamaro will be the oldest entry in the race and this year they’re heading out as the two time defending Vintage America Class Champions so the pressure is on.

As in years past, they will be blogging throughout the race – your best bet for live updates will be at their website – www.OneLapCamaro.com/live.html.  They’ll have the live map up and running tomorrow and will have a constant RSS feed throughout the week.  You can also get your fill on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheOneLapCamaro.  Communication through the week will probably be spotty but they’ll do our best to keep everybody on top of their progress.

This year they will be running the One Lap of America in support of a local charity – the EvenStart Foundation for Children of Calgary.  The EvenStart Foundation‘s mandate is “to give at-risk children who are economically disadvantaged, the educational, therapeutic, nutritional, and nurturing supports necessary to gain an ‘even start’ in their lives.”  James had the privilege of seeing their work first hand earlier this week and couldn’t help but be touched by effort that the volunteers to help give these children the opportunity to grow up in a “normal” environment that we so often take for granted.  

James encourages you to take a look at work they do and the goals that they have set to help out the community; their website is http://www.evenstartfoundation.org/.

If you are so inclined – and James hopes that you are - you can show your support through a donation either online (http://www.evenstartfoundation.org/onlinedonform.htm) or by contacting their General Manager – Ms. Brianna Parkhill (403.541.0277 extension 202 or bparkhill@heartlandagency.org).  

It’s worth noting that the Foundation is looking for not only cash donations to help support their day to day operations, but can also use help with food, clothing, equipment, and even gift cards.  The EvenStart Foundation is small enough that any support that they receive will be appreciated and put to good use.  

For more information on the Tire Rack One Lap of America you can visit www.OneLapofAmerica.com or you can check out a couple of the articles that came out after last year’s event.  James penned this one for Motor Trend - http://www.motortrend.com/features/performance/1106_the_2011_tire_rack_one_lap_of_america/viewall.html - and his co-driver last year, Mary Pozzi did this one for Camaro Performers Magazine - http://www.camaroperformers.com/events/camp-1110-2011-tire-rack-one-lap-of-america/index.html.