As some of you will well be aware, last year and a good part of the year before was spent in love affairs with 2 men. One named Sergio and the other named Roger. They were magnificant things. The Uni of Wollongong's FSAE cars. Both champions in their own right.

This time last year I saw off Sergio as he was packed into a transport crate and shipped to the Americas. Then I saw off our boys whom were to meet Sergio there where he would be competed. This time last year it was I and the familys of our boys who were seeing them off. Completley complacaint and not ever worrying to think what might happen to them.

I no doubt agree that this is just how the mothers and friends and girlfriends of the boys from Minnesota State-Mankato University felt only a few days ago when they farewelled their boys as they towed their pride and joy across America to Detroit to compete in this years FSAE competition. Unfortunantly, thier complacinacy was to be realised when they found out that some of their boys weren't coming home. (http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=97210)

I shudder to think that this could have been any one of the teams that go to the FSAE competitions all over the world. We already know that a similar thing could have befell the UNSW team here in Australia when towing their solar powered car to the Northern territory. And then we were devestated that it was the car that was destroyed, but thankfully not the life. Here we have boys who might well have been ours doing the same thing we do. Lost.

In the Motorsport community at large, and especcially in the FSAE one, there is a long standing bond between teams. Commradery overcomes all cultural, financial and linguistic barriers as the boys(And girls!) join together for one big festival of motorsport in it's rawest form. It doesn't matter where you are from, or what you do exactlly, the fact is that you are there and amougnst it all. As Pierre De Coubertin, the founder of the modern olympics said "The most important thing... is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well. "

One of the guys on my team last year said something along the lines of "I thought when I first started that I would confidently be able to say all the other cars here were quite simply pieces of crap. Now I understand how much of an effort it takes to get here in the first place. Every one of those teams should be bloody proud they have gotten this far because that means they have shed blood sweat and tears to get to this point and they deserve every chance to compete as we do." He finally understood that here in FSAE, the sporting code still held like it did in the Olympic ideals. It wasn't about winning, but the being there. A part of it.

In FSAE it is the commradery that hits you first. The fact that if you have forgotten to pack a 1/4" socket(God forbid!), you can run into the pit next door and pretty much help yourself. When you are down on your luck and can't understand why the car won't start, you can cling to the fact that there are 20+ other teams out there in the paddock who are your neighbours and all whom must somehow adhere to the Christian values of "Love thy neighbour" because, as they hear you grown through the canvas pit walls, you will be sure to see at least 5 heads pop around into your pit and ask you if you'd like a hand.

It is for these same reasons that the families and friends of the boys who lost their lives on the way to the US comp this year can cling to the fact that they aren't bearing this loss alone. The WHOLE FSAE community mourns with them. They were our boys too.