CONTROVERSIAL ROOKIE “PETE”
OLSON FINISHES SEASON IN DISSAPOINTING FOURTH PLACE AFTER NO-SHOW FOR FINAL
RACE DAY
_______________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
January 25, 2002
Hollywood, CA - The Fall 2001 JHR Championship concluded on
January 6th, 2002, with Round 5 of the prestigious West Coast race
series. The surprise of Round 5 was the
absence of rookie Pete Olson, who had still held on to second place at the end
of Round 4. In the final standings,
Olson was 4th overall, quite a result despite the points lost due to
his no-show in the final round. Due to
a family tragedy, after a difficult and controversial season Olson was unable
to make the final Round.
“You are aware of
the results at the end of Round 4”, said Olson at his apartment in
Hollywood. “I did not know until very
recently that at the end of that round, I was still in second place overall. This is very disappointing for me. To know that I had a great shot at finishing
the season in second place, but ended in fourth because I did not race in the
final round.”
After all the hard work, the controversy, and even a
hospitalization after the accident in Round 1, Olson had to feel
disappointed. But he is still very
confident about his future in automobile racing. We asked Olson about his determination to realize his
professional goals.
“Racing…competing…is in my blood. I have been doing it all of my life, in one form or another. Everything I have worked for, it would all
be a waste, if I would give up. Even
despite that fact, more importantly, I cannot imagine doing anything else. Of course, I thought about stopping, about
racing at JHR, and not going to JHR, about not competing anymore. But what else am I to do? I find no other alternative. I live for the speed, the competition, and
nothing else can give me this feeling.
It is impossible to describe the joy I get from racing…not only the
thrill of the speed and the competition, but the feeling that one receives from
breaking personal barriers, to drive hundreds of laps to find just that one
tenth of one second that will give you victory…the excitement of defeating
opponents in the arena of the track…of seeking perfection where perfection is -
an impossibility. All of these things,
I cannot give them up. No other
profession can give me these feelings…to be on the limit, to push that limit,
to exist in a world where nothing else matters but for your machine and
the unforgiving track. Everything else
is secondary to this. So, I must go
on. I will go on. And I will win.”
Despite distractions, Olson feels that he can back up this
statement with great performances.
Regarding his family’s tragedy, Olson said, “I should tell you that my
brother was a big fan of open wheel racing.
I know what he would want me to do: not to give up, but to go on, to
succeed in my passion. To give it
everything, absolutely everything I have, deep inside - that is the
difference between winning and losing.”
For more information on Peter Olson, visit his website at www.peteolson.com. And to follow the Jim Hall Kart Racing
Series, go to www.jhrkartracing.com.
- - - -
Charles Schepens
Schepens Promotions
29000 West Nine Mile Road
Farmington Hills, MI 48336
_____________________________________________________________________________