Passionate Competitor

pas-sion-ate adj. Capable of or having intense feelings-showing or expressing strong emotion

com-pet-i-tor n. A person who competes, as in sports or business

Chris Bingham demonstrated these definitions (and then some) last weekend during the Grand American Road Racing Association (GARRA) race in Mexico City....Are these qualities we want to see in our sport figures? You bet, without question. Are there times when the fine line between passion and anger are blurred? Sure....The only difference between Chris's display of competitiveness/passion last week and when any one of us display our competitive spirit, is that when we show our competitive side at our local golf course, basketball court, softball field, billiard hall, etc., thousands of viewers world wide don't get to see us...you know, when we "by mistake" loose our grip on our putter...shove the other player out of bounds with an elbow....throw our bats/helmets after striking out....or slam our cue stick on the table after losing another twenty dollar bet.....lucky us huh? Wait, none of us do that.. Right...

As I watched the race last weekend and saw the events unfold, I "clearly" and quickly blamed Chris...as he was the one who waived his arms....he threw the first push...etc. What I forgot was there is always two sides to "every photograph"...one side has the color captured of the shot....the other is blank...a place to write notes.... I saw the picture, but wanted to read the notes on the other side.... so I gave Chris a call......Not only is Chris a passionate competitor, but he is also willing to speak openly about the unfortunate altercation...

Ken May: Exciting week in Mexico...but before we get to the obvious rounds of questions, lets talk about the the fans from Mexico...they sure love their racing....how was it different from races back here in the States? Like a soccer match style of fans....meaning passionate and loud?
Chris Bingham: It was great... the fans were amazing. Back in the States we have great fans as well, the only difference is there is some 25 million people in Mexico city. I think if we were to race in a city in the States with a similar population, we would see the same crowds. With only a few Mexican drivers makes it even more exciting for them.

KM: Did you have any difficulty adjusting to the climate and elevation? What preparations did you do the week leading up to the race to prepare...any different that any other 'sprint' race?
CB: The climate and elevation wasn't even a factor for me I train pretty hard so other than maybe a headache the first day it had no effect.

KM: Although the car count was slightly down in the GT class, still a lot of traffic out there....overtaking had to be a little hairy in certain corners....
CB: We were held up a few times but in general it wasn't to bad because of the limited amount of GT cars no real close calls you just have to wait and be patient through many of the corners.

KM: First of all, before we get into the questions about the accident that took you out, health wise, how are you feeling?
CB: Thanks for asking, I feel great!

KM: How big of an impact was it? Data on the amount of G's?
CB: Not to bad, not sure on the G's but the car did exactly what it was built to do (protect the driver)

KM: Things got a little interesting there after your #40 Derhaag Motorsports Pontiac Riley and JC's # 59 Brumos Racing Porsche Fabcar came to rest....didn't get out right away...What were some 'mental checks' you were going through and the thought process...
CB: Well I was upset because of the blocking that had been going on for the previous 6 to 8 laps... we were clearly running 1.5 seconds faster that JC and not even on the same lap, so in my mind there should have been no reason to hold me up as long as he did. I was also hoping no of the other cars hit us.

KM: Obviously, after you and JC got out, words were exchanged and we know the outcome....you have already spoken to your fans (here) and as bad as the outcome of the accident, you showed true class and sportsmanship to write to your fans and the fans of the Series.....when did you decide to do that and your reasoning?
CB: I knew right after the incident that I should not have acted that way it was very immature and I feel terrible about it. I planned on getting a statement out as soon as possible. And thanks for the nice comments.

KM: There is always some good to come out of bad situations, now that you and JC have had a chance to look back and see what all took place, what are the positives you believe will come out of this unfortunate event?
CB: This is all behind me as far as I'm concerned, but I do hope we can have a better way of making slower traffic move over especially when there is no position to be gained. Maybe the officials letting the team know that they clearly holding this faster car up and to let him by or face a penalty only if its obvious.

KM: Chris, you have a strong fan base that continues to grow and everyone is anxious to see you back behind the wheel...best of luck throughout the 2006 season!
CB: Thanks for everything... I was very surprised on the attention this got I also want to thank all the fans for there comments they are GREAT! I'll be in Homestead supporting our team and look forward to Long Beach.

Although additional penalties are not out of the question, one thing is not in question. Chris wanted to win and his desire to win and the subsequent frustration of not having the chance to post a good result, may have gotten the best of him, if only for a brief moment....

Was the shoving incident good for the series? Not sure I want to answer that one and let's leave that for the forums to debate...Is Chris Bingham good for the series? No need to ask that one either, as the answer is a definitive....YES!