Bob--
I took in the AUHC race from the bleachers at turn 14--"The Roller Coaster".
Rob Rowland, who was running probably fourth or so at the time, went off there
and hit the tire barrier pretty hard. He hopped out and observed the balance of
the race from the barrier. Shortly thereafter Sprite driver Wendy Leake did a
180 off the course at the same spot and stalled no more than 20 feet from the
track, a dangerous place to be. After a lap or so she was able to restart and
completed the race. After the event was over Rob pulled his left front fender
away from the wheel, restarted and drove back to the pits under his own power.
This morning the biggest dents in his car had been pulled out, paint cracks
covered with black tape and he competed in today's heat. Apparently no damage
done beyond esthetics.
BTW during the noon break Bill Emerson held a dedication ceremony for the
future site of the Healey Museum adjacent to VIR--more info about this will be
released at Conclave. And I DID smell the distinct scent of Castor Oil
(Castrol) throughout the weekend.
Best--Michael Oritt
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But yesterday, all of those Healeys roaring around the track was just great.
The Aussie's kicked American butt big time, but I also heard that one of their
cars may have been damaged when it ran off the track in the Upper Chicanes and
hit the tires pretty hard. Anyone know anything more about that? One of the
American drivers told me about it, but he did not know the outcome. Sorry some
of you guys had to miss it due to the schedule change. I guess it had to do
with the "Italian Festival" the track was promoting. Talking as we were
walking out, I told Steve that the only thing That was really different about
the atmosphere was that there was no "aroma" of Castrol around the paddock.
Bob Johnson
BJ8
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