Wow, all that without breaking your nose. Amazing.. :->
-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Miller [mailto:millerls@ado13.com]
Sent: Monday, September 27, 1999 10:01 AM
To: Spridgets
Subject: Great Weekend(way long)
I'm car'ed out. What a weekend, Cherry's Jubilee all day Friday, Saturday,
and Sunday. We had not planned on going Sunday but the Bugeye won the
"Spiffy Sports Car" award so we had to attend the awards ceremony to pick up
the plaque (http://www.ado13.com/cj99/SpiffyAward.jpg). There were actually
four Bugeye's this year and quite a few other British cars but no square
bodies. An Austin Healey 100M also won an award. The first couple of years
at Cherry's they kind of frowned on British cars but are starting to come
around. Since they are a bunch of hot rodders you do not get penalized in
the judging for being non-stock :-) It also helped that the head judge used
to race Sprites.
Friday, there was a poker run down the coast to Big Sur with a $1000 prize.
Had the prize went to the worst poker hand we would probably have won. About
500 of the 1,020 registered cars participated in the run. It was pretty neat
cruising down the coast with all of the Hot Rods and Custom cars.
Friday night there was a cruise down Alvarado in Monterey, through the plaza
at the Double Tree and around cannery row. Really got claustrophobic going
down Alvarado in the Bugeye. There were thousands of spectators and they
were not restricted to the sidewalks. People pressing right up to and
between the cars all along the street.
Saturday at Laguna Seca I did three hot laps in a Porsche 911 Turbo race car
with a young man that really knew how to drive it. Over 130 on the front
straight, 120 between turns 4 and 5 and way too fast through the corkscrew.
He scared the crap out of me on the first lap at turn 5 because I thought he
was going to take the corner at 120 MPH. As we went by the 5 marker, I'm
thinking ok it's time to start braking, when we passed the 4 marker, I'm
thinking, what the hell is he going to do, as we passed the 3 marker, I'm
thinking, this crazy bastard is not going to brake. Coming up on the 2
marker, I'm thinking we are going to DIE. I guess I did not realize how late
they braked :-) After that it was a real blast.
Also did 5 laps in the Bugeye. Got to wind it out to max in 1st through 4th
on the front straight. We must have been doing all of 70 at the top of the
hill, slightly less then the Porsche Turbo but the corkscrew was just as
much fun. I also started braking at the 5 marker on turn 5 :-) The track
through the corkscrew is down hill so the Bugeye goes like hell on that part
of the track, wide open in 3rd at about 55 or so on exit. The sound from the
new glasspack is pretty wild, the car sounds way faster then it really is
when it gets over 4500 RPM.
On Sunday all of the award winners did two parade laps. I embarrassed myself
by running out of gas on the 2nd lap. I always carry a 2 1/2 gallon jug with
me so we did not hold things up too much.
The people making the official video of the event loved the Bugeye. They
filmed the car and interviewed me on Sunday and said that the Bugeye would
definitely be in the video. Guess I will have to order a copy :-)
I lost a lugnut on Friday, never had a lugnut come off in my life. Anybody
have an extra one for the Minitor(?Sp.) mag? The other 3 were tight so I
don't know what I did, must have just missed tightening it when I put the
wheel back on last week. Old age sucks, I'm getting to the point where Sandi
has to check my fly before letting me go out in public.
Paul, the car ran great all weekend, maybe the new muffler fixed the
problem.
A few pictures can be seen at http://www.ado13.com/cj99/cj99.html
Larry Miller
http://www.ado13.com
Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep
your mouth shut.-Ernest Hemmingway
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