Amici,
The West coast Vintage Auto Racing Association came to Pahrump Nevada last
weekend to try out their new racetrack. For those not in the know, Pahrump
is a little town about sixty miles from Las Vegas that is more famous for
it's legal brothels than racing venues.
The track is the home of the Bragg-Smith Driving School where Corvette buyers
are sent to train in the handling of their new acquisitions. It is a 2.2
mile ribbon of pristine asphalt winding uphill and down thru the Nevada
desert. It officially lists 8 turns but those eight turns seem to each have
any number of kinks, twists and crooks connecting them. What initially
appeared to be a go-cart track turned out to be a very technical, tight
rhythm track. It was adored by the big bore and small bore racers by Sunday
afternoon.
I took the GT6 out Saturday morning and set the top time in class with a
1.56.6 to grid me second next to a B-sedan BMW. Come the race, I fluffed the
start when I missed the 2-3 shift and fell to third behind the big yellow
Volvo. The BMW disappeared into the distance but I couldn't see that cuz all
I saw for the next four laps was yellow tail and doors. Actually, that's not
all I saw...about the fifth lap I saw a black flag with my number out so I
roared into the black flag station to find out why. It seems myself and the
BMW jumped the start!! Now my childlike mind can't comprehend how the pole
sitter can jump the start and I'm further bewildered at how I got sucked into
it. And then I gotta wonder about them 10 cars up my butt and alongside,
they didn't jump the start as well? Anyway, I was upset but went out in
fourteenth spot to finish twelfth.
John Wilkins Silver Bullet Spit held up the Triumph honor however and
finished second to the Volvo on Sunday. If he'd have had front brakes on
Saturday he'd most certainly have won on both days. Other Triumphs were in
attendance. One notable was the future EP champion, Alan Bryan, who didn't
help his points any by breaking the crankshaft on Sunday. Luckily for him the
second place contender also broke a crankshaft. Rounding out the Triumph
contingent were two newcomers in a Spitfire and a TR3.
All said, it was a marvelous weekend at a marvelous facility. Weather was
perfect, track was a treat, and no one's said a single word about the
hospitality of the town...
Steve
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