I've just looked up my wages on a contract in 1969. I was working for Ulf
Norrinder who ran a Lola T70 Mk 111B and a T142 F5000 car. My wages were
£35 per week (about $100) plus win bonus. We racemecs used to insist on
several expenses 'deals' when we got to know people who'd invite us to
'stay over' in far off lands. America was always a favorite venue. We'd
insist on $10 a day cash if we were racing in the States, rather than have
our hotel and food bills paid in an all inclusive trip.
Sometimes we'd ship the racing cars in less engine and gear box, which we'd
fit on arrival in the States (probably to save shipping costs ie shipped as
'spare parts.' We'd fit the engines in at a racing shop owned by a
delightful guy named Fred Opert somewhere in a place called Paramus (I
think), New Jersey. Fred imported British racing cars to sell in the US. We
also borrowed his big transporter called 'Big Red.' Fred himself raced a
911 Porsche one year at Daytona (1969/70/71). One of his mechanics was a
great guy called 'Herbie Schnieder'. Do any of these names register with
any FOT members? Herbie was a 'fixer,' he put us onto a deal with the
Valvolene guys whereby, in return for putting Valvolene stickers on tool
boxes etc, we'd get several free pairs of racing overalls and wind cheaters
etc. After a race a pair of dirty racing overalls was worth about $20 to
enthusiasts in the paddock !!
Paul
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