Round 1: Oulton Park

Dear Friends

Public transportation is fantastic. I have found in the United Kingdom and Europe you can get just about anywhere for a reasonable cost, quite quickly in many circumstances. This truism however simply falls apart when your destination is a racing track.

On Monday (which is a British holiday) I traveled to Oulton Park Raceway, one of the circuits owned by Palmer Sport for the first round of the British F3 and GT championship. This weekend marked a very exciting moment for the British racers. After months of off-season waiting they can finally take their machines to the track in full anger and see if the off-season preparation and tweaks will pay off once the starting lights go out. For me this was a chance to see the different teams in action and take a look as to which ones I might fit in with.

Because I don’t currently have the backing required to get in the driving seat , one of my goals is to get involved with a team to learn about the cars and get my hands dirty with the mechanical work. I feel like it will be a way for me to get involved with the racing scene as well as improving my ‘mechanical empathy’ as race super mechanic Robert Metcalf explained. He believes this ultimately will make me a more complete racing driver. This way once I make it on track I will be able to quickly analyze what the car is doing underneath me and when I come into the pits I can explain to my mechanics, in their language, what changes need to be made so the car can go faster.

(Drivers like Jim Hall were experts at this because they were racing driver/engineers built into one. Every lap whether racing or practice was a ‘test’ lap and his mind was constantly working towards making the car faster.)

The trip to the course was typical when compared to my other public transit journeys to racing tracks. The process is becoming pretty standard and goes as follows: get on train, make compulsory changes, ride around on train a few more hours, ride taxi and pay massive taxi fare to deliver me to the gates of the circuit. Although it might seem like a lot of work my brilliance shined through as I happily walked right past the massive queue’s of cars and into Oulton Park (in the UK they say queue, not line).

The massive lines of cars into the circuit were a notice of things to come. Once I walked inside the gates there were gianormous crowds who turned up for the race. Unlike American speedway’s where fans park outside the course, at Oulton Park the majority of fans parked inside the circuit. There were no grandstands and the fans lined the entire length of the circuit and stood on the inclines that surrounded the track. The paddock was also available for access to the fans to wander and see the cars, teams, and drivers close up.

My first stop after arriving was at Chequere’s the race track restaurant where I expected to find burgers, chips and other ‘race track food.’ As it turns out once I waited through the queue you could order all sorts of things from fruits, salads, and specials from the kitchen including some sort of vegetable meat pie lasagna thing. The dining room was packed and it was only because I was on my own that I found a table to join where I got to speak with a few British motorsport fans. The passion was absolutely evident as one gentleman told me about the times he had driven Oulton Park himself while his friend had travelled about three hours to make it to the race (keep in mind you Americans 3 hours is nearly halfway across the country).

After lunch I had a chance to walk around the paddock and see the teams close up. There were a number of different racing series at the event including Formula Ford, Volkswagen, and the Ginetta Cup on top of the headline F3 and GT championships. The fans were treated to racing all day long and as I walked the pits I could hear the Volkswagen cars screaming around the track. The paddock was very impressive and frankly there isn’t anything I would know to compare it to. The teams in general are professional and take the racing very seriously, it’s a bad idea to get in the way of a mechanic when they are in a hurry! Although the racing was professional there was a wide disparity in equipment. Some teams certainly came more from the ‘privateer’ group with a small trailer and a couple 10x10 canopies together, while many of the GT and F3 teams had full semi-trailers, catered hospitality areas, and pit carts where they could watch the race from the pit lane.

The racing I came for was exactly what I had imagined. The Formula Ford championship (which I want to race in straight away) had over twenty entries with drivers from as far as Brazil, Europe, and Australia competing. The racing on course was fierce and was exactly what I was hoping to see. Up one step on the racing ladder the British F3 series was hugely impressive. The teams looked as good, if not better than many of the Champ Car and Indy car teams I have seen and major sponsors such as Red Bull, Honda, various Investment firms, and Bahrain adorned the cars. There were almost thirty F3 cars taking the grid and English was most likely the second language for the majority of the drivers. The British racing scene is truly an international affair and competition is fierce.

Once the racing had finished around 5pm I embarked on my trip back to High Wycombe. Unprepared to pay another massive taxi fare I pulled out my handy navigation system (the kind designed for cars) and dialed in the closest public transport which was four miles away.

Unfortunately (for me) I didn’t know anyone who was leaving to hitch a ride so I laced up my shoes and started hiking. Nothing like a nice walk on a lovely British evening! According to the GPS I averaged 3 ½ miles per hour which made it just over an hour before I arrived at my public transport destination, the smallest rail station I have ever seen. The station was equipped with train tracks, a platform, and a sign which promised a train would be by in about thirty minutes. While waiting at the station, possibly the drunkest British person on earth got off the train which was headed the other way, took one look at me and decided we should be friends. With a Guiness in hand he told me the guys at the bar had been nice enough to let him keep the glass (probably so he would leave!). After asking about my accent (I have an accent?) and telling me about saying ‘How!’ to the Indian people on the train (not amused or American Indians) he kindly said he should be going before I freaked out, probably right!

Once the train finally came naturally it took another transfer to get me to the station which would set me towards High Wycombe. At this point it was around nine o’clock and I started to realize I should not have waited around for the final races. The first train ride went off without a hitch; however once I arrived at the second station I realized I was going to be in trouble. Because it was getting late the train didn’t go all the way back to High Wycombe (still 2 hours away). As a result I would have to stop halfway there. Bollocks!

It was now midnight and I was 50 miles from High Wycombe. To my dismay there was only one train leaving the station I was at and it was going to London. It wasn’t on the path to Wycombe but it stopped in Oxford which is 25 miles away. I had seen one time there was a bus that runs from Wycombe to Oxford and I crossed my fingers that it would be running at this stupid ridiculous hour. Taking a chance and a path off the railway back to Wycombe I arrived at 12.30 in Oxford and walked the mile to the bus station (thanks navigation system!). There were a few people hanging around the bus station and there was one bus leaving at 1pm. High Wycombe was on its route!!! I managed to catch the bus and ended up arriving back in High Wycombe around 2am.

Nine hours later I vowed to do a better job with my transportation management! As you have probably drawn the same conclusion traveling to and from racing courses public transport is a bad idea. Hopefully I will be able to get a car this week and you will no longer be forced to read about the beatings I am taking on my path to F1.

I hope you are doing well and having better luck on your way to and from your work!

All the best

Michael

On top of the world!

Dear friends and family,

Yesterday was my second day of interviewing/training at the Bedford Autodrome with the Palmer Sport racing school. Because the day started 45 minutes earlier than the program last week I had to rent a car to get there on time. This day would present a spectacular opportunity for failure considering I would have to travel half way across the UK, on the wrong side of the road, with only an address as my guide! The only glimpse of hope on my side was a GPS navigation device which I purchased the day before. I bit the bullit and spent a couple of hundred dollars knowing that a navigation device will be a massively valuable asset in this land which is very foreign to me.

I left the appartment bright and early with the navigation on my side and a hire car which I hoped would be able to make the journey! Somehow, someway, against all odds, I made it to the autodrome hopefully unscathed. I say this, because around the UK there is an incredible number of speed cameras which capture the speed of motorists over the limit. I think I maintained a reasonable speed, but hopefully my race driving tendencies didn't push me over the limits when I passed these speed cameras! I suppose in a few weeks I will find out if my big right foot got me in trouble.

Once I arrived on scene this day was very different than the previous day. There were loads of bright red Palmer Sport jacketed instructors standing around and I stuck out like a sore thumb in my blue sweater. The day got under way and it was another fast and furious affair. I spent my time working with the same chief instructors I had worked with the day before and we more closely learned about the school. I got to do about 20 laps in the Caterham cars and really started to get a feel for the cars! The track was dry (as opposed to wet last time) but I managed to take off seven and a half seconds from my best time! There is definitely more time to be found but it will take some time to get acclimated with the Caterham machine.

Mid-way through the day they gave me a great omen when they took me to have me fitted for Palmer Sport instructor gear. The afternoon was filled up with a deeper look into the courses and a training course on instructing in the palmer sport way.

At the conclusion of the day, expectations met, they lead instructor presented me with the fantastic news tha that I could work for Palmer Sport as a racing instructor.

As you can imagine, this is an opportunity I am truly over the top about with an organization which stands above its competition, literally on a world-wide scale. In many ways the Palmer Sport group has changed the way motorsport works in a very positive way and to work with an organization like this will be phenomenal. I believe it will provide me with opportunities to grow and move towards my personal goal of racing in Formula 1.

On a side note, I found out during the day that the Palmer Sport instructors had found a link to this very blog. The link was passed around the office so there is a chance they are reading these words right now. So to the Palmer sport guys, hello, and thank you for the job!! To everyone else, hope you are doing very well and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely yours

Michael

British Super One Karting Series

Racing tracks names range from the inspiring and ferocious Monza or Talladega Super Speedway to the tedious and benign. This weekend I visited a kart racing circuit whose name can only fall into that second category. While unique in the fact that gunfire rings throughout the race meeting, the name ‘Clay Pigeon Kartway,’ certainly does not create visions of horse power and speed. On the other hand, conveniently located on site is a clay pigeon target shooting range. Most testosterone fueled men will tell firearms and racing vehicles is a sound combination; what could possibly go wrong?

Clay Pigeon Kartway is in the southern part of the United Kingdom just outside a town called Yeovil the host to the first round of the British Super 1 karting series. The purpose of my trip was two fold first for the purpose of meeting Gary Chapman, the director of Protrain karting, a leading British karting team. Secondly, I personally wanted to see a British kart race myself and see what they were serving in the British kart racing water that was so potently creating Formula 1 calibre racing drivers.

After a three hour train ride and compulsory taxi I arrived on scene and began to notice differences even before arriving. First of all, the fact that I had been able to travel to a major national event (essentially) by public transportation is unthinkable in the United States. Due to the nature of British geography British competitors are only required a short journey to almost every major race, as opposed to the day long (or more) journeys it traditionally takes to reach American events.

The second major difference I noted was in the paddock area. In America each entrant usually brings their own equipment to the track in a trailer, often times behind a truck, SUV, or motor home, the British racing drivers were (A) much more likely to be with a team, under a single canopy with 3-7 other drivers and (B) those teams used utility vans – similar to the Dodge Sprinter vans that we have in America rather than big trailers and motorhomes used in the states.

The final major difference I noted was the amount of racing that was taking place. The entire facility was packed to the gills with drivers and they were broken up into only five classes. Those classes in the single day ran five races! Typically in America three is the maximum number of races one can hope for because most events run something like 15 classes. Because of these consolidated, huge classes, the competition on track was absolutely fierce. With very large fields packed into five classes everyone was scrapping for position at any given spot on the track.

There were many other differences but what it boiled down to was a very different approach to the world of kart racing. Things make more sense from a travel perspective, the teams are very organized and the competition is incredible throughout the field. It is amazing to me how people on different continents can end up with such variety when the goals are all the same.

Personally for me it was a good day (although way too cold for this Texan!!!) Even though he was very busy I had a chance to meet with the team director Mr. Chapman and will be following up with him next week to see about opportunities to be involved with his team. I would really love to participate in the European Karting Championship. If there is any way to make it happen we will see.

This next week I am looking forward to having another week of new things. Next weekend is the first round of the British Formula Ford Championship. This is the series I really want to be a part of if I had the sponsorship money to get a seat. It will be very cool to see the cars on track and see the off-track side of British motorsport as well.

On Thursday I will be back to the Bedford Autodrome for my second chance to impress and learn about the Palmer Sport racing school. Rather than a training program I will actually be going along with a group of the schools clients as they experience race car driving for themselves. I am also hunting for an automobile and hopefully will be able to find something this week. I am looking for something with some big horsepower, fantastic handling, and style that an Italian would be proud of. I have a feeling I will be settling for something reliable, cheap, and available!

Hope you are all doing very well and I would like to thank everyone who has written with encouraging words about this journal. I certainly appreciate it and will keep going forward to have good results to write about!

Thank you all and warmest regards

Michael

The Nod

Dear Friends and Family,

Fantastic news!

As it turns out I did not have to wait too long for an email. Instead, the lead instructor from Palmer Sport called me personally and invited me to return for the second part of instructor training.

Next week I will report back to the Bedford Autodrome to work through a full event day with clients.

Hope you are doing fantastic this has made my day.

Michael

In the News

I could not believe it when it when I opened the email from Winding Road Magazine, an online automotive publication. Journalist Stan Baldwin who I met at the Barret-Jackson car auction a few months ago wrote a story covering the progress in my career. He did a great job capturing my heritage and I am very grateful for the story! Here is a link to the article he wrote:

http://news.windingroad.com/motorsports/the-dream-of-drivng-formula-one/#more-15598

Thank you Stan!!!

Michael

The Ride Home

Dear Friends and Family,

The following note is a continuation of the day at the Bedford Autodrome. It picks up after the Palmer Instructors dismissed us and these words chronciles the remainder of the evening which as it turns out was an unexpected affair.

As the day wound down at the Palmer Sport racing program I was faced with the same hoops I had to overcome just eight hour earlier, transporting myself between the Bedford Autodrome and High Wycombe. Luckily this time I was surrounded by a few people who I imagined, at least one oh which, would be passing by the train station.

After checking with the Palmer Sport instructors it appeared my luck might be running out as they all seemed to be heading in the wrong directions. Before I relegated myself to calling a taxi I noticed one of the photographers was packing up his gear and getting ready to leave. I thought it would be worth a shot.

After introducing myself and explaining my plight he told me I might want to speak with the journalist who had been participating in the day’s program. As it turned out I wasn’t running out of luck, instead it was getting dumped on me. When enquiring with him, not only was he heading by the train station, he was also going to be driving back to High Wycombe along with one of the photographers

The ride home put an exclamation point on the day as I got to ride with, who I would find out, is one of the most influential journalists in the British automotive media. During the ride home I got to know Colin Goodwin, the gentleman who participated in the training program for his story for one of the top publications in the UK. It was pretty easy to tell that he is a switched on guy who is very connected with the automotive scene. The ride back changed from mere transit to an eye opening experience where Colin explained really what was going on with the racing, low sulfur diesel in America, and how I could get a running car for 250 British pounds. At this point I am really just happy to meet new people, but to meet someone with an intimate knowledge of the scene I am trying to break into is incredible!

Additionally I rode with Stuart Price an incredibly talented automotive photographer who just happens to be living a few blocks from Douglas and Ina in High Wycombe. After the ride back he was kind enough to have me by to his home where we had some ‘traditional’ British cuisine, Indian curry. Stuart is a very cool guy, because he and I share many similar personality traits. Just like me with racing, Stuart knew he wanted to pursue his passion for cars and photography. In turn he attended a University for the arts where he single mindedly pushed towards his dream and as a result became a truly phenomenal photographer. He became employed by Autocar as a staff photographer and is now living his dream. I hope he won’t be too mad if I post one of his magnificent images.

By the time I ended back at the apartment I had well decided it had been my best day so far in the United Kingdom.

Hope you are doing great, because after a day like this, I certainly am!

Michael

Over the Top

Growing up in Texas and being involved in motorsport for many years I have seen a lot. Cool cars, infamous characters, and up close looks of top professional racing teams. Where I come from, things are big, and it generally takes a lot to impress me.

Yesterday, I was not impressed. I was completely blown away. One month ago I sent my CV to the Palmer Sport racing school (www.palmersport.com/), and a few weeks ago I was extended an invitation to their facilities for an 'instructor training day.' Or atleast so I was told.

My day started at 5am because I had to get to the train station by 5.52 am to make the train to London and then transfer to the Train to Bedford, near the Bedford Autodrome, the home of the Palmer Sport racing school. After making the necessary train switches I arrived in Bedford at 8.08, caught a cab, and made it to the Bedford Autodrome right on time.

(break in story) Before continuing on I must admit what I was thinking at the particular moment before I walked into the Palmer Sport offices. I have worked at three 'top' racing schools in the United States, I have worked with some seriously professional people and managed to stand out as one of the top instructors. This should be a piece of cake. The only problem in my reasoning at this point is that it was wrong. I had massively miscalculated the magnitude of the Palmer Sport racing school and frankly had no idea what I was walking into. (Continue story)

After navigating through layers of offices I was shown to the 'Wilson Suite' a medium sized meeting room where five other applicants were already sitting. At the front of the room there were a number of instructors, immacuately dressed, in Palmer Sport racing school kit's (kit is the British term for work outfit). To the back of the room there were a number of individuals with video cameras and photojournalist still cameras.

The day started with introductions around the room of instructor applicants. Although I had not recognize any of the applicants they all looked the part. They were racing drivers with years of European road racing experience. A champion of the Formula BMW program, a Danish/Nordick kart racing champion, and a Karting WORLD champion were in attendance. After driver introductions the instructors at the front of the room introduced themselves and mentioned their racing experience. Le Mans, European GT, Formula 3, and Formula Palmer champions would be showing us the ropes.

At this point I was seriously impressed with my company. Once introductions had concluded the day formally began with a background and history of the Palmer Sport racing school. Their goal was simple, to be the best racing school in the world and provide and provide clients with an experience they cannot receive anywhere else in the world.

At some point during all of this history the karting world champion became a bit bored and put his head down on the desk. I didn't think much of it at the time, but apparently the instructor took notice. After the adminstrative presentations we broke up to participate in different Palmer Sport exercies.

I drew the lucky straw (or I might have been the odd man out) and I was sent with Nik a European Ferrari GT driver for the site tour in a big Renault Van. Nik showed me the premises of the Bedford Autodrome, an ex- Royal Air Force bomber base. Included in the facility were two hangars used for race car preparation, the main office, as many as seven different suites for clients, a 'top secret' hanger where only high ranking officials in the company could visit, and count them FIVE different racing circuits. The different tracks ranged from .8 miles to 1.8 miles and could be connected to create a 4+ mile super racing course. During the tour of the racing course a Jaguar sports racer was on the track 'breaking in an engine,' when he passed us he was probably doing close to 100 mph.

After the site tour we returned back to the main office area where the other drivers were eating lunch. I joined them and started to learn a bit about their programs. After a few minutes one of the instructors came into the lunch room and asked to have a word with the karting world champion. That was the last I would see of the world champion. During lunch the camera crews had returned and as it turned out they were following one applicant in particular. As it turns out it was a faux applicant, rather a journalist by the name of Colin Goodwin. He is writing a story for Autocar magazine about the incredible difficulty of becoming an instructor at the Palmer Sport Racing School.

After lunch we returned back to the meeting room where it was announced to us that the world champion would not be with us for the rest of the day, tomorrow, or the forseeable future because he showed that he really didn't want to be an instructor for Palmer.

I was starting to realize that today was much less an 'instructor training day' as it was an 'instructor elimination day.' We weren't here to learn about their school, we were here for them to decide if they want us to be a part of their organization.

During the afternoon the fun and games officially concluded and things started to get very serious. Again the applicants were broken up and we went to a sampling of the different events the driving school offeres. Although essentially we were being given a chance to learn, there were very strict expectations set up for every event. If we could not meet those expectations we would be dismissed from the program and not applicable to instruct for the school. During this period we did an off-road trial in a Defender jeep, a car control course, and a lapping session on the west circuit in a Cataran where we had ten laps to get within two second of the most senior instructor at the school who admited to having 'hundreds of laps' around the track.

These events by themselves were not difficult, it was however the expectations they set for us that raised the difficulty level from 'fun day at the track' to 'qualify or go home.' For me personally the difficulty was further raised by the fact that the vehicles were all 'right hand drive' with the gear shifter in the center of the car so I would have to use my left hand to shift!

Somehow I managed to, as far as I could tell, pass all of the examinations. I was able to get right at the permisible mark from the senior instructors lap time and given the fact it was pouring with standing puddles on the track I hoped they would take it. I certainly gave it everything I had and given the circumstances I thought it was a darn good lap!

At the end of the day they let us go home and told us they will be in touch with us in the next few days. This was certainly a great challenge and while I think I impressed, I am going to be closely checking my email over the next few days!!

I hope you are all doing well.

Warmest regards

Michael

"Somedays you are the pigeon..."

My second week in the United Kingdom has been a roller coaster. Although very productive in the form of administrative efforts - banks, cell phone, and interenet access, these things are all boring and the bantering about them will stop at this moment!

After last week’s meeting with Sam Roach of the British Formula Ford Championship I was provided with an incredible list of contacts of teams and manufactures who are involved with the series. At the very top of that list to pay a visit to is Van Diemen a race car manufacture who has been involved with British Formula Ford for many years. Furthermore I have a personal history with the marquee as I have driven two cars which they manufactured in the Formula Continental class in the SCCA. Additionally when I tried out for O’Brien Racing I drove one of their incredibly fast Pro Formula Mazda cars. For the opportunity to meet the director of the company, as you must imagine, I was certainly very excited.

Friday morning I woke up bright and early to start the three and a half hour rail journey to Norwich, the home of Van Diemen. Norwich is located in the eastern part of the United Kingdom. Overall their headquarters is about 140 miles away from High Wycombe, additionally it is separated by four transfers when traveling by rail.

The first trial of this journey was swallowing the ticket price which faced me at the rail station. Up to this point I understood rail travel to be a cost effective mode of transportation. Clearly this is not the case when traveling to Norwich! £35 British pounds later ($70 bucks!) I was the proud owner of a one way pass (known as a single) to see this new and lovely part of the country.

After boarding a standing room only train to London, where I would then transfer two ‘tube’ lines, and board a train to Cambridge my cell phone received a call from the director of Van Diemen. Unfortunately, a major client from Indian was in town and had unexpectedly added a day to their visit and would force our meeting to be postponed. Sure enough I missed the call and by the time I received the message I was almost to Norwich.

Once I received the news the damage had already been done and I would be forced to purchase the return segment to my trip back to High Wycombe. Next week I will most likely be making the same trip, good thing, because I now know how to buy a cheaper ticket!

Once I arrived in Norwich, the station was in a town called Thetford. In order to make the best of my day I spent a few hours exploring the town to see what it would have to offer in case it turns out to be my future residence. Thetford is an remarkable, little village. By foot there are many things to explore such as an old priory build by monks in the 1100’s, a riverwalk which runs through the town and a number of other hidden treasures. From first impressions it is a quaint, but romantic little village and I imagine I would get on just fine there.

PHOTOS FROM AROUND THETFORD

St. Peter's Church built in 1300's rebuilt in 1789
A statue of Thomas Paine

A riverwalk through town with wildlife that is not shy to walk up and try to talk you out of some bread!

Although it was an unfortunate turn of events, I was happy to have some time to explore my potential future residence. The meeting will be rescheduled for next week, so hopefully I will have good news to report soon. Furthermore, on Monday I will be traveling to the Beford Autodrome to do an instructor tryout at their racing school. The school looks awesome with lots of great cars.

I hope you are all doing very well and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Cheers

Michael

British Formula Ford Championship Director

Dear friends,

Today I met with Sam Roach the managing director of Racingline, the organization which manages the British Formula Ford Championship (as well I must add for the series current success and resurgence in popularity). Mr. Roach's operation is based in Milton Keynes and is very impressive organization. Aside from managing the Formula Ford championship they manage another race series along with other motorsports related marketing programs.

After riding around the British rail system for a few hours I arrived in Milton Keynes the home of Racingline. Mr. Roach was kind enough to pick me up from the station in his VW Jetta and we blasted off down the road towards his office. As we were heading down the road he explained Milton Keynes is one of the few cities in the UK which is actually based on a grid system. We flew from round about to round about, separated by what to Mr. Roach was, I am sure, medium lengthed straight aways. Mr. Roach who is a racing driver in his own right said the left front tyre on his jetta always demanded more service than the rest. I am sure that had nothing to do with the abuse it received under hard braking and the G forces he put it through in Milton Keynes round about systems.



Once we arrived at the Racingline headquarters I received the official tour of the facility which seemed to quickly pass the business offices, lounge, coffee bar, and headed directly to the racing shop where there were a number of cool racing inspired (and proper racing machines) on display. Although I would say without question the highlight of their collection was the Ford Rally car, my attention was also caugh by a VW van which Mr. Roach tells me competes in a road racing series where cars of many makes and models compete against one another and are balanced out by weight.
The Ford Team RS Rally Car
A Racing mini van!
One of the VW Racecars on display for the Saloon classes.




After Mr. Roach and I sat down in the Racingline conference room I was very happy to learn about the approach which Ford United Kingdom as well as Racingline take to the series. We were also able to discuss a number of opportunities which I will have within the series as well as with some of the teams that compete in the series. At the conclussion of the meeting I felt like I had made a fantastic new contact and confirmed that moving to the UK to participate in this series is the right decision.

Next week looks to also have a number of exciting meetings coming up as I will be following up with some of the teams Mr. Roach suggested I contact as well as with Van Diemen one of the top British racing car manufactures who I actually have a history with.

I hope you all are doing well and I appreciate the notes you have been sending me.

Michael