I will survive

A little over 41 years ago a young Greek man left his home and headed to the United Kingdom in order to pursue a dream. The young man, little over twenty three years of age, wanted to become a motor racing driver, a champion no less. He had his dream, was intent on pursuing it and was prepared to make any sacrifices as needed along the way.

You, observant and regular reader, have already spotted it - that was me, younger, hungrier, full of piss and vinegar. Boy, was I determined and prepared to suffer in order to reach my target, do what was necessary, get out of my comfort zone; getting to the dream was all that mattered. And, as luck would have it in about March or April of that year Gloria Gaynor appeared on stage at the London Palladium for an amazing concert that I was fortunate to witness, when her song 'I will survive' was at number 1 in the UK chart.  I didn't just go to see her and dance along to her rhythms, I listened to her words, took courage and belief that I could cope with my suffering, acquired new determination.

Suffer I did, in many ways, some of which seem almost amusing today, spending weeks sleeping in my car, with only the occasional friend's sofa bed  as a luxury break, little money for anything other than a quick bite at a fast food place, survival only important as it allowed continued dreaming, and the effort needed to achieve The Goal (spoiler alert, it never was, fully).

Of course I could never have managed even a fraction of what I did without the support of some wonderful people along the way:

1. My parents, despite their misgivings for my chosen goal were able to provide crumbs to help me stay alive.
2. DH and IM-H gave me a base in London and allowed me to help in their enterprise, learning about London and survival skills while meeting interesting people along the way.
3. My two volunteer mechanics of 1980, Graham and ... (apologies, I have forgotten), whose unpaid if unskilled support helped me race for pennies.
4. My wonderful friend Vic Holman, still a friend today, who trusted me when nobody else, including myself, had any reason to, and allowed me to race while owing him a not insubstantial amount of money.
5. All the people whose names I rarely knew who offered me their support every weekend, with kind words, smiles and encouragement, helping me believe in myself.
6. The great Bob Geeson, the best race engineer I have ever known, whose support, cynicism and humour - not to mention unrivalled technical ability - allowed me to seriously dream of the top, and to show my best colours.
7. All the other racing car manufacturers, engine builders and the financial supporters large or small who, in so many ways allowed me to spread my wings, show my potential and fly. And dream.

Some of the above are no longer with us and may never have known how grateful I have been for their support. Others know, or knew. The adventure took place, the result was not what was hope for though I did achieve quite a lot with very little, but I did survive.

I'm still surviving, Gloria, if only just, but instead of dreams I now have memories.