One Man’s Quest To Fill An Encyclopedia

By Rachel Wenzlaff, a member of the Young Journalist Program. 
 
 
Surrounded by some of the most expensive cars in the world at the Lone Star Le Mans, Shane Slement carried a priceless book in his hands… that was also probably worth a hefty sum of money.
 
The Saturday morning autograph session kicked off and people began to trickle into the paddock. A line formed in front of the Ferrari truck. Some fans handed the drivers, Pierre Kaffer and Giancarlo Fisichella, t-shirts, hats, and pictures to sign, while others simply wanted autographs down their arms or across their forehead. But Slement slapped a large book onto the table.
 
He flipped through the pages filled with pictures and scribbled names, before finally settling on a page he was satisfied with. Kaffer and Fisichella signed their autographs, Slement closed the book and was on his way to the next table for more names.
 
Slement has been going to races since he was 6 weeks old, but starting in 2007, he began carrying around a 1970’s racing encyclopedia and filling it with signatures.
 
He’s worked for Porsche for the past nine years, but that doesn’t stop him from getting autographs from all companies and drivers; everyone from Sir Stirling Moss to Carroll Shelby.
 
He’ll continue carrying the book with him to races until he’s content with the number of autographs it holds, which, based on the thick spin of the book and vast number of signatures already in it, won’t be any time soon.

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