Sorry to repeat this send but may not have suceeded the first time.
Hi all...Just a note on September's First Annual Los Angeles Vintage Gran
Prix which did get a page of press in the recent Autoweek magazine (Right
after the ads I am told). In fact the article stipulates there were a lot of
"TR4A's"....that was US!! The whole "E Ticket Triumphs" Team was pitted
together (Minus one TR3) which gave us an 8 car conclave. Even the local news
was done from the trunklid of my car (#195) and from the cockpit of Mordy's
car. Not quite the rush as having R.W. "Kas" Kastner sign my car at the
Tustin Thunder Races in August (At my request he was pleased to sign the
whole set of team cars as "OK to Race- R.W. "Kas" Kastner" in indelible pen
and then we had the signatures clear coated...HEY!!...if Shelby can do
it...why not KAS??...smile). He is truly fun to talk too...probably a whole
lot more fun to chat and drink with...unfortunately we hadn't been out yet
that day.
But all in all the LA GP was a fun event. It was a big $$ event for most
folks and brought out the Tim Allen's, Carrol Shelby's and the groupies. Ah
yes..... the groupies. There were many GP women if you know what I mean. Not
just the usual "folks" you find at the usual Vintage race. And I might
add...no one in our pit complained...smile. In fact the Hooter's girls and
the Miss Tecate visits were taken in stride with as much class as our humble
team could muster. It did drive the Cobra guys crazy to see Miss Tecate
sharing free beer in the TR pits rather than in thier Cobra digs across Pit
lane. I guess class shows huh?...LOL.
But I digress. There were no less than 18 Triumphs entered and all but 2
finished...the two that didn't finish succombed to fender rash and were
restricted from finishing...NO MECHANICAL DNF'S.
With little or no modesty I'm pleased to say I placed third in EP1 class
behind a P-speedster and A-Guilietta and went home shiny side up and no
fender rash althouth a two hour clutch job on Sunday morning kept the event
from being repair free. The clutch disc actually split and seperated...new!!
Never seen it before...don't want to see one again. That and the mess of
melting out grease from the front wheel bearings. We have now switched to Neo
P600 Synthetic.
Racing past the Downtown Civic center...down Olvera Street...screaming down
Alameda and back and forth over the Harbor Freeway overpasses thru narrow
concrete barriers was totally different than dicing at say Willow Springs
where the runoff is an excursion to vist tumbleweeds and Lizards. But the
tunnel effect and sounds were fantastic. On the "E Ticket" Team we had 4
TR4A's, 1 GT6, and 3 Spitfires. Our TR3 member was financially recovering
from his last shunt at Tustin so didn't make it and our fifth TR4A wasn't
finished yet..
There was at least one other TR3, one other TR4A, and the other 8 entries
were Spitfires. I'm sure Victory Lane and the like will have coverage soon.
It suposedly will be covered on Speedvision or ESPN2 as well soon (November
I've heard). I'll keep you all posted on that one if it is of interest. Since
Ford supposedly invested almost $5M...yes million...in the race it's gotta
get some press.
Well I know I'm usually a quiet chat, but thought you'd like to know we're
keeping the Triumph flag flying on the west coast too. Keep in touch. Someone
let me know I sent this to the FOT web would they. This thing doesn't burn
Castrol or flicker Lucas so I am never sure. Thanks
Bill Burroughs, E TICKET TRIUMPHS #195
So West VTR National Rep, 70 TR6, 68 TR250, 59 TR3A,
73 MKIV, 69 GT6+ and two 65 TR4A Vintage Race cars. Happy Motoring!
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