Congratulations Bill! One of my favorite TR guys. He and his usual
cast of paddock mates are so much fun that I begged to paddock with them
this summer even though it was without my TR.
Detinger is so humble that even tho he sent me a report of that race
weekend, he failed to mention this particular honor. I'm sure it didn't
slip his mind, the honor is just to great for that.
I also had a chance to race with and hang out with Bill Ames in the last
few years. A real gent and wonderful guy. His Ambro was one of the
prettiest little cars I've seen in quite a while.
I commend the selection committee for their wisdom.
mike
Alexander Joseph H wrote:
>
> Bill Ames Memorial Plaque awarded to Bill Dentinger of Beady Eye Racing!
>
> The presentation took place among Bill Dentinger's family and friends at
> Blackhawk Raceway in October during the last vintage race of the season in
> our area. The presenter was friend and partner, Bob "Whirling" Wismer.
>
> This traveling plaque was initiated in honor of the memory of Bill Ames.
> Bill Ames raced Triumphs in the 50s at Road America and other nearby venues.
> Inventive and creative he elected to rebody his TR3 with first an aluminum
> body, and was named the Peyote. The name suggested that the engineering and
> design of the body was influenced by some mind altering substance, and
> perhaps it was. A second iteration of the Peyote was produced and this
> became the Peyote II. It is featured on the plaque, courtesy of Baxter
> Culver of California, while being driven at the Monterey Historics.
>
> Bill Ames and his partner Dewey Brohaugh (sp?) took one more step in the
> development of bodies and the fiberglass "Ambro" was born. Several bodies
> were produced and a few remain today. Doug Karon currently owns #.001 and it
> is beautifully restored.
>
> If Bill started to race special bodied Triumphs in the 50s and 60s, he
> returned to sport for the final years of his life. With experiences in
> between, much of which is worthy of a book, he landed in Upstate New York
> and became involved in the restoration of a beautiful stone mansion, owned
> by Rosemary Remington. The conversion of this 1800s home into a Bed &
> Breakfast led to a longer term relationship between the two.
>
> In the early 90s Bill located one of his Ambro bodies, in Minnesota, on a
> cross country trip with Rosemary. This triggered a desire to do one more
> "special" and he acquired it. Eerily, the TR3 frame he acquired in
> Connecticut, turned out to be one that he had modified many years earlier.
> First, the new Ambro was to be driven on the street, but with some
> encouragement from Rosemary, Bill found his way back to the track with the
> Sport Car Vintage Racing Association. This return to racing was with great
> and obvious joy.
>
> Knowing Bill Ames was to know the Joy of Racing a Triumph. The plaque honors
> Bill Ames memory and may be passed to other Triumph racers on an annual
> basis.
>
> All that know Bill Dentinger will understand his selection as the first
> recipient of this memorial. Selection of the next recipient will be at his
> discretion. (There are no rules in the FOT)
>
> As a long term driver of his historically correct early TR3, Bill is also in
> partnership with Bob Wismer with a Triumph powered "production car" known as
> the Thunderbolt. Congratulations Bill Dentinger!!!
>
> Friends of Triumph
>
> ****************************************************************************
> *******************************
>
> Sidebar:
>
> "Racing With Life"
>
> The last time we saw Bill Ames was in the Summer of 1996. Linda & I were
> guests at Stoneleigh in Elizabethtown, New York, a Bed and Breakfast he
> restored and shared with, Rosemary Remington. Rosemary is delightful lady
> and his patient & loving companion in his final years.
>
> Bill was getting into a tatty British Roadster and heading for a doctor's
> appointment as we were headed for Albany in our TR3A. He waved and
> smiled...it struck us then, knowing the nature of his appointment, that we
> might not see him again.
>
> But we will always have a strong memory of him and the Ambro that he
> developed and raced in the late 50s and again in the 90s. It seems fitting
> to honor him by sharing his memory with others and presenting this memorial
> to someone that exhibits the same kind of joy in racing Triumphs.
>
> It is not intended that the recipient be like Bill Ames for he was certainly
> 'one of kind', and not at all easily imitated.
>
> The keywords are: "Racing With Life".
>
> That was Bill Ames and so be it also with the Friends of Triumph.
>
> Joe & Linda Alexander
>
> ****************************************************************************
> **********************************
>
>
|