We were all treated to a spectacular weekend for SVRA's Vintage Grand Prix
at Watkins Glen. The weather was great, and the racing was even better.
This year the featured marque was Alfa Romeo, and there were about 60 Alfa
race cars on track. Peter Krause helped put together an great showing of
the little Italian jobs, and the Alfa racers really did a great job on track.
The Triumph paddock comprised of Donn Sopp, Russ Moore and Andy Konopka in
their Spitfires, Randy Williams in his TR3A, Dick Stockton and me in our
TR4's. Bud Babcock and Richard Naze were there in their sidescreen TR's.
The Beady Eye boys paddock looked like they had brought REAL race cars, the
Thunderbolt and the Wiz's Sports 2000 graced their tent. Jeff Snook brought
his beautiful Lotus XI.
The Thursday and Saturday the Beady Eye Wine and Cheese parties were well
attended as usual, and even though Don Brick was not in attendance his Bleu
Cheese was! Yum!!!
The Glen event has 5 sessions over 4 days, so there was plenty of time for
socializing. On Friday afternoon the race cars get to drive downtown and
make a couple laps around the original road course, always a fun time.
On track in Group 3 we had a blast. Dick Stockton brought his car loaded
for bear after watching the insanely fast MG's pull away from him last
year. He obviously built some real power, and almost has all the bugs
worked out. He ran the whole feature and gave Randy Williams a real run for
his money. Randy came out on top of the Triumphs, but if Dick's car would
have been running 100% I don't know if that would have been the case.
However, Dick does feel the curse of DNF's has been lifted and I am sure he
is already working on getting the bugs worked out.
FOT'er Bob Adams, who is Dick Stockton's voice on our illustrious group,
was part of Dicks crew, and had a great time. It was great to meet such an
enthusiastic young man, and see him getting involved. When I get to be as
old as Dentinger I will need someone to race with! Rumor has it Bob is
going to give Dick a computer and teach him how to use it. We'll see!
Donny Sopp's engine woes from last year are behind him, this was his second
event on this engine and he ran strong. There was that time he came into
the paddock on the hook, but he blamed his crew for thinking they could
refuel his car once for the weekend and that would be enough! Andy fought
fuel issues all weekend, he even got his wife to bring parts from the Moss
counter in New Jersey! Russ ran great as usual, but if he ever gets around
to building that new motor... Kent Bain broke his uber-fast Spit taking the
green in the feature, really clogging the works in turn one on the start.
Our friends from Western Pennsylvania Triumphs came out in force, and
helped me greatly in pits, the false grid and the paddock. Thanks guys, now
that I finally get around to looking at the tire temps and pressures on
these Hoosiers it looks like we are hoping to change tires. I guess we will
be doing it all again!
Next stop, Mid-Ohio with VSCDA, October 14-16. This is a super event gang.
Be there!
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