Hitting the Marks, Lap After Lap!

Juan Manuel Fangio was born in Argentina in 1911. His first racecar was a converted taxicab. This quiet, bashful man from humble beginnings went on to win 5 world championships - a feat that was only recently bested by German Michael Schumacher. Fangio won the world titles driving for Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, and Maserati.

It was often said that the cars he drove were not always mechanically superior, but he overcame whatever they lacked with his driving skill. He was able to go to a new track with which he was unfamiliar and, within 2-3 laps, be turning record times. His car control abilities were legendary. Although I never had the opportunity to see Fangio race, I had heard he was regarded as the best driver in the world with only Ayrton Senna and Jim Clark being his equals.

My racing mentor, Rich, told me about watching Fangio drive in the 12 hours of Sebring – a race which Fangio won in 1956 and 1957.  Rich had positioned himself at one of the corners where he could watch the racers up close as they approached the turn. Now remember, this was in 1950’s when crowd control consisted of a short chain link fence only a few yards away from the track.

Rich told me he and the crowd gathered there watching in awe as Fangio approached the turn and hauled the big Ferrari Monza 860 down from speed. As the car reached the apex of the corner, Fangio put the hammer down and the sweet sound from 280 HP Ferrari engine came to full song as the car was skillfully pitched sideways. Fangio executed a perfect 4 wheel drift to edge of the track and disappeared down the straightway. It was all done in one seamless fluid motion.

Rich and his friends noticed a shiny spot on the track near the line Fangio was driving through the corner. They noted where Fangio positioned the Ferrari, in relationship to that shiny marker, as he drifted through the corner. His position was the same each lap. It wasn’t just close to the same but actually the same.

As the race went into the nighttime hours Rich and his friends returned to the corner. The powerful flamethrower headlights on the Ferrari revealed the shiny spot and that Fangio’s line through the corner was exactly the same, lap after lap, even in the darkness. Obviously the tires on the car were sometimes new after a pit stop and other times worn. The fuel tank was close to full on some laps and nearly empty on others. The brakes were probably well worn and fading as the race went on.  But none of these circumstances changed where the Ferrari’s tires passed the shiny spot each lap.

I believe that this is an earthly example of the consistency of the Lord in our lives. His love for us is consistent and unfailing. In the daylight, in the shadows or in the darkness, He is there. We can count on Him no matter what the external circumstances of life are.

Recently a friend was sharing with me how he had just begun to see clearly how God had been working in his life over the previous two years. I knew that those years had included the deaths of loved ones and all kinds of challenges and heartache. He shared that while he was going through the problems it was hard to see any real purpose for all that he had experienced but in hindsight it became so obvious that God was there with him the whole time.

We worship a Savior who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We can place our trust in Him. He alone is worthy…

^{HEB 13:5-8} Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Richard Lewis

Pathway Christian Church

Riverside, CA