Steve,
Thanks for the great race report! The Silver Spit was definetly much better
on Sunday with brakes. FOT members be advised that you can come see Steve's
GT6 in Las Vegas, "his home track" NOV. 9-10 for the VARA Prosche Alfa
shootout and see some FOT members beat up on those German and Italian
machines. All attending the SEMA show should stay a extra day or 2 and
support the wide variety of Triumphs and show support for Alan Bryant in his
Spit and his quest of the EP Championship. Looking forward to Vegas!
John Wilkins
"66 Triumph Spitfire"
----- Original Message -----
From: <Gt6steve@aol.com>
To: <FOT@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2002 6:24 AM
Subject: VARA does Pahrump
> 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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