IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights drivers will spend the next 16 days preparing for the Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park (Feb. 24-26) and the upcoming racing season. At the same time, many will have their eyes on the competition of the XXI Olympic Winter Games that open Feb. 12 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
'I'm Canadian, so obviously, I have to watch hockey and cheer for Canada. It's almost a national duty,' said Firestone Indy Lights driver James Hinchcliffe, whose home country hosts the Games. 'I think every Canadian can remember where they were when the Canadians win the gold in hockey in 2002.'
Martin Plowman wasn't even born when England's Winter Olympic heroes Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won the gold in Ice Dancing in 1984, but he did meet skijumper Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards, who became a national hero in 1988 despite finishing last in both skijumping events.
'He lived near the area in England from where I'm from,' Plowman said. 'He gave me a skiing lesson, once.'
Ed Carpenter's Winter Olympic memories date to 1994 when his family sponsored bobsledder Bruce Rosselli, a native of Terre Haute, Ind., who was attempting to make the Lillehammer Games as driver of USA-2.
'Bruce didn't make it, but my parents went to Lillehammer and brought back a lot of cool stuff from the Olympics,' Carpenter said.' I still watch bobsledding and I like watching downhill skiing and it seems like I'm always forced to watch figure skating (with wife Heather), but bobsledding is still my favorite.'
Sarah Fisher prefers the Summer Olympics to the Winter Olympics, but it was the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics that also provided one of her favorite Olympic memories.
'In 2002, I was nominated to carry the torch through Indianapolis,' Fisher said. 'It was a really unique opportunity and very neat because of all the snow on the ground. The torch is on display in the lobby of our shop.'
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