Joe Alexander,
I've been working on my Triumph Triple and, man, I'm not going to get it
together in time for the race! Ergo, to maintain my social independence and
mental sovereignty, I guess I'll have to trailer my old full suspension
bicycle for alternate transportation. A super friend offered to let me
take his Norton Commando (which I sold him 6 years ago), but somehow that
just doesn't seem right. It's too beautiful a machine to throw into my
personal mysterious mix of traditional racer's brew.
But, in my mind, an important aspect to this entire vintage racing stuff
has to do with that old sense of self-sufficiency we used to take for
granted back at the mid-century era. In 1959, I was a student at Kent
State and drove my 100-4 Healy down to Mid Ohio for, I think, an SCCA
event. I was absolutely embarrassed by two Mini-Coopers who had zero
disregard for the fine traditions of English motorcar sports racing. But,
in those days, most of us drove to the race and we scorned the Outsiders.
Hell, I have a great old photograph taken in 1981 of me trophying an SVRA
race(2nd Place) in my 300SL with hubcaps and without a rollbar!
But back to now. I've got plenty of camping gear left over from myriad
other misadventures which I will tote on up to Ohio. I'm thinking I'll
leave Atlanta Wednesday afternoon and RON in Knoxville so that I can stop
off at Middlesboro, KY to check out the P-38 on Thursday morning. That
ought to put me into wherever Mid-Ohio is sometime in the middle of the
afternoon. I'll get a chart before I leave…or somewhere up the road.
I understand that you'll are camping somewhere on the racetrack campus. If
you will wear a smile and a white carnation in your lapel, I'll find you.
It ought to be a fun weekend! I plan to be incredibly smooth and
unbelievably fast, so watch your mirrors!
Richard Taylor
TR-4
Atlanta
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