Mogfolk and vintage racers -
The marque was well represented with five Moggies amongst the 125 entrants
for the official grand-reopening of this fabulous 3.3 mile circuit in
southern VA. Participants included Hank Giffin with his +4, the McOmbers
with their 4/4 (which they've owned and raced for 38 years!) and fellow MOPs
Peter Dunn (4/4), Don Greimel (4/4 aka Tweety Bird) and yours truly with the
+8. The good news is that it was sunny and dry for four straight days. It
was also HOT with heat advisories for Sat & Sun. The Morgan paddock
certainly attracted its share of visitors with present owners, past owners,
hopeful owners, and past racers stopping by to share a story and our shade.
A sizable crowd of spectators were at the track on Sunday, obviously
realizing this was the real racing in the area as opposed to that other
brand down the road in South Boston . . . . . . . Don and Gene's 4/4s
didn't miss a beat all weekend ( and why should they, they're 4/4s after
all!) with only a "fuel supply problem" on the next to last lap taking away
a very strong performance by Don Greimel who ran at this track when it was
new. Hank Giffin's +4 was fast as ever but Hank was trying to come to grips
(no pun intended) with his new tires. (And I have the video to prove it!)
Peter Dunn was a contender until suffering a flat during the feature and
yours truly ran great (if a bit hot) all weekend until I dropped out of the
feature with my temp needle well above H. Best to bail out before any
damage was done. It was 95 F. with high humidity. Time for an alloy
radiator! Overall, in spite of our little gremlins, and taking in account
the entire weekend, I'd give us a solid B+ for results and an A for effort,
spirit, and camaraderie.
This was a great event which can only get better as word spreads and more
people participate. A large number of names from VIR's past were in
attendance as honored guests, a special VIR alumni race was held, and the
banquet food was the best I've ever had. Even we "common" entrants were
treated more like guests than mere paying entrants. A class act at a class
facility. The false grid is covered and the bathrooms are air-conditioned!
Hey, what's not to like!
Cheers, Craig Seibert 1968 Morgan +8 car no. 611 "Duff Morgan
Racing"
|