Thank You, Thank You And THANK YOU
Whenever I watch the Oscars (it is Oscar nomination time of year here in the United States) I always wonder what it must be like for the recipient of the cherished award to stand at the mic and commence with their acceptance speech. The first thought is always who to thank and can you get to them all in the ridiculously short amount of time allotted. (Luckily there is no time limit when you give thanks on a blog.) My second thought is, what would I say if I collected the prize for, say, best cinematography? I am pretty handy with a camera, truth be known.
No, my real job is not in the movie industry, so no Oscar for me and no, I was not nominated for best rookie blogger of the year either, ha-ha. However, I still feel compelled to say thank you and acknowledge some key people that have made 2013 so enjoyable for me. In no particular order I would like to thank:
James Allen, for running the best damn F1 fan site on the planet. A website that is invaluable in regards to information and insight for all things concerning F1, and for allowing and moderating the all-important comments section. It is through forums like this that I connect to the larger F1 fan base and community, which is especially valuable when I want a more accurate picture of what the community is feeling. On a personal note, thank you Mr. Allen for agreeing to the interview for AmerF1can.com. You made this blogger very happy, thank you.
James Allen’s F1 site. If you only knew how many hours I have spent here. I quote him often and can’t imagine following F1 without his insight.
Joe Saward, for your tireless work breaking down the business side of F1, injecting an opinion into the conversation that is always based on common sense and logic, and for the highly descriptive way you take us on those car rides from home to airport to hotel and finally to the circuit, and then back again. When you write it is as though we are riding shotgun. Thank you.
Peter Windsor, for all of the great posts this year about Jim Clark, a driver I knew very little about but one of the all time greats. Through your writing I was able to re-live not just his racing, and F1 in his era, but also to discover a little about the man himself. Also for the driver and car turn-in analysis in Monaco at La Rascasse. Your break down was very insightful as to how each driver approaches his race craft. Thank you.
Alexander Rossi and his personal team, thank you for the chance to have a conversation about F1 and America from a driver’s point of view. We here in the States wait with great anticipation for your presence on the grid. Hopefully soon.
Fanalistas.co.uk, thank you for this site to which fans can contribute. You help make it possible for me and countless others to get closer to the sports they love.
My fellow contributors at Fanalistas, your GP previews and reviews are a highlight and a regular part of my F1 routine before and after a Grand Prix. Your opinion pieces have shed light on aspects of F1 that I would otherwise have missed. Thank you.
Emma Bothamley and her site Let’s Talk F1, for giving me a chance to contribute to your website. Although my style is not very typical you allowed me to write in the manner that I am most comfortable, slightly irreverent, hopefully somewhat funny and interesting. I am looking forward to 2014. Thank you.
“Let’s Talk F1” run by Emma Bothamley. A second home for AmerF1can. Like-minded people, all kinds of opinions, I love it. It has been a real pleasure to contribute.
Matt Kistler, you reached out and asked me to contribute to your F1 site when I had just started out. Thank you.
The F1 community on Twitter, for not only clicking the follow button but for lining up with me throughout the season, race weekend is just that much more fun when Tweetdeck is on the monitor. Thank you.
A HUGE thank you to everyone that has read a post either on my blog, or the aforementioned sites that I contribute to. I am honored by your web visit, some from countries that I had no idea existed if my WordPress stats are to be believed. To each and every one of you that has taken the time to sit down and get through what is commonly a 2500 word post, a very heartfelt thank you.
To all my followers that regularly comment on what I post about. The conversations we have had via my comment section makes all the difference and the real point of the blog – to engage with others about the sport which has turned us all into F1 fanatics. Thank you.
Of course I want to thank my crew of friends that tirelessly put up with all of my F1 shenanigans – you read my posts when you would rather read something else, you come to my F1 parties without fail, you are forced to like my FB page, you listen to the constant banter about F1 without complaint. Thank you.
Tricia Halloran – The editor in chief at AmerF1can.com. Until I started putting hands on the keyboard for others to read, I didn’t know how important an editor was. THANK YOU…
But most importantly I want to give thanks to Tricia Halloran, my editor, who by the way is also my wife. You are the one that pushed me in this direction in the first place (aren’t all of my readers the lucky ones for that?) For 100+ posts you have made me sound just a little bit smarter than I actually am. When handed a post that has lost its way, you are always able to put it back on track. You have a full time job in addition to mothering our 1.5-year-old twins, yet you always have time for me. You have a difficult job that you very rarely get credit for. A gigantic THANK YOU.
Well that’s it folks, this year has been an absolute joy for me in this new found endeavor and it was made even more special knowing that I’m part of this incredible sport in a slightly more meaningful way. Now back to work I have some posts to get to…
-jp- (and not one peep from the orchestra, LOL)
AmerF1can 
I’m peeping……Dang! Tricia huh, so she’s the one that makes you look like a renaissance man.
Lucky guy.
Ed Arte