Alexander Joseph H wrote:
>
> FOT and other Friends,
>
> It was Great!
>
> Where could you want to be more...Road America for VSCDA's Elkhart Lake
> Vintal Festival.
>
> Sunshine and 60s when it was important that it be sunshine & 60s.
>
> There were 7 Triumphs on the track...6 TR4s and 1 Thunderbolt. All
> Triumphs that started the race, finished the race! This has to be some
> kind of record.
>
> Personal lap time records fell all over the place as well.
>
> There is report that Sean pulled a 2:56.8 during the enduro. Not
> entirely surprised. A lot of pent up competitive juices reside within
> Sean. When brother Mark left the Pit lane for the second half of the
> enduro, poor old #197 was smoking somewhat...time to change those 5 year
> old rings, eh?
>
> Mike Jackson will not have to hear me whine any longer about the
> Hoosiers. We made some minor changes to the suspension and I ran 27# in
> the tires for qualifying. We changed the pressure to 26# in the front
> and 28# in the rear. The handling seemed to fairly neutral to perhaps a
> little understeer. I did not press the envelope as far as I have in the
> past (while I gain some more confidence in the tires) and still ran a
> personal best lap. The tires seemed to "go away" a bit in the final
> laps...or I was.
>
> Bill Dentinger came to play in the Thunderbolt. This TR powered
> lightweight is clearly faster in the straight and we diced at Bill's
> pleasure. Then he went to play with Jack Drews for awhile. Class act! He
> could have gained a couple of positions more in the race and but chose
> to do otherwise.
>
> I introduced Bill to my mother as "Father Dentinger" as he was wearing a
> black shirt at the Friday dinner. Knowing I could depend on him to do
> something funny, he didnt disappoint me. The girl carrying the dinner
> rolls went by and he shouted at her "nice buns!!!". My mother didnt
> flinch, but I did notice her eyes glaze over. About twenty minutes late
> she said, "is he really a priest"?
>
> Group 2 (our group) apparently behaved quite well. Duck Waddle (Skip
> Barber Instructor) watched with great interest and was highly
> complementary. There was some contact among the leaders and there was a
> report of some activity at the "Kink" but he said that Group 2 ran a
> clean race. I respect Duck's opinions...Many of you know him from his
> many years of competition and driver instruction, eh Hardy? (he said to
> say hi)
>
> Our Team Thicko friends were there enforce. WST drove well & finished
> well, and didnt change a single head gasket. He does plan to contract
> for some Motorhome Driving Lessons from Duck, however. (We hope all of
> those pieces go back on the side of motorhome as they should)
>
> 'Friends of Triumph' racing representation included Bob Wismer, the
> Drews, and the Alexanders. FOT guests included Jim Hill (TR6 WIP), Irv
> Korey (TR4 WIP), and Greg Petrolati (TR4 autocross) John Fridirici was
> there, too...but driving his new Mustang Shelby 350 instead of his TR3.
> I hope I am not forgetting anybody...I am a little groggy from my 2:15AM
> arrival last night.
>
> High jinks? Yes! Jack Drews brought a full sized cutout of Boby Rahal
> with the likeness of Phil Hill superimposed on it, supplied by Dave
> Tedore. Phil stood at attention at our canopies most of Saturday and
> Sunday. Very entertaining to passerbys. It did find it's way to Mr. Hill
> for an autograph. He took a look at this cutout bearing his likeness and
> exclaimed "where did you get that!", while amused and a bit perplexed.
> I explained and he autographed. A hoot. Phil Hill is a very gracious
> individual.
>
> A high point of the weekend was the attendance of my family, including 4
> generations of Alexander's. A low point might have been the flat tire
> on the trailer at the MN/IA border at midnight Sunday with my 83 year
> old mother...but it wasnt. Everything came together and I was rolling
> again in 15 minutes.
>
> This is the season's end for us. Ended on a high note. Thanks VSCDA.
>
> Cheers...see you at IRP. We may be there to watch.
Joe andf all,
A couple of comments on your report.
7 Triumphs with Lucas electrics all finishing without a fire or a
broken axle has to be a record!! Congrats!!! Somebody must be cheating
if everyone was running Lucas electrics on Saturday. We could here
English cars cross firing on the main straight in the rain. They must
have had stock plug wires and distributors?
Team Thicko did a much better job of cooking than motorhome driving.
Speaking as one of Duck's Black Flag "Staff" I can surely agree that
Mr.Duck could help WST"s motorhome driving capabilities. Did you know
that Duck holds the track record at Road America for the post Korean War
over 8000# class at somewhere around 4:30. I know this as I am a highly
rated member of his staff. (the only one with nomex gloves available to
remove his Super Trap at the Black Flag station before he goes out. Also
to retrieve the can of Ether Start so it is not loose in the car during
his sessions.)
Another possibiility for improving WST's motorhome capabilities might be
one of those 18 wheeler schools. There is one near Madison, which is
sort on the way to Road America.
A few highlights of weekend for me were staying warm and dry on
Saturday, seeing the guys and gals from Team Thicko, Friends of Triumph,
and Team Vulture, getting Phil Hill's autograph on a Tech Sticker and in
the book on Carroll Shelby's cars- right above Carroll Shelby's,
shooting the breeze with Dan Binks, Tommy Kendall's crew chief, while
teching all 7 of CHris Hartwig's Mustangs and getting a 20 minute ride
in Al Petkus' original Trans Am Boss 302 in touring on Sunday.
WST I need a Team Thicko sticker on my GT!
It was a good weekend to be remembered for quite a while.
On a serious note, I am Chief of Tech at IRP and will need some help,
particularly on Thursday eveing and Friday morning. Anyone who can help
would surely be appreciated. If you are coming and can help, please
contact me by e-mail or other and let me know if you can help and when.
Regards,
Bill
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