welcome John, great to have another Northwesterner in FOT! I look forward
to meeting you. I race in Sovern as well as down here in Portland. My goofy
car (Peyote) is also welcome at Monterey (or at least has been for the last
ten years).
I strongly recommend the SCCA (http://www.oregonscca.com/) and Team
Continental driving schools (http://www.teamcontinental.com/)--more track
time and instruction for less money than you'll find anywhere else. Prodrive
at PIR is also very good as you already know--nice folks. PIR is a great
track for learning to drive--fast and technical with lots of run off. You're
going to love racing at Pacific Raceway--very exciting and challenging (if a
little less forgiving than PIR), and a great bunch of people in SOVERN
http://www.sovren.org/
If you have any questions feel free to email me directly.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-fot@autox.team.net
To: FoT@autox.team.net
Sent: 2/1/2004 8:15 PM
Subject: Intro!
Greetings! Thanks for allowing me to join your membership and special
thanks
to Joe Alexander for nominating me!
Joe suggested I tell you a little about myself and how I came to be a
Triumph
fan. Married to a tolerant sometimes car fan, Susie, three grown boys
(two
car buffs), two granddaughters, and two adopted retired racing
greyhounds. I
have worked for the Frank Russell Company in Tacoma, WA for almost
thirty five
years and my current position is Western Division Director for the US
Distribution unit. We are a pension consulting, investment advisory and
money manager
research firm. Our best advertisement is the Russell 2000 index for
small cap
stocks.
I have been a car fan since I saw a Stanley Steamer pull into the space
next
to my Dad at a White Castle hamburger store in 1947 in Orange, NJ.
Bought my
first sports car 50/50 with my Dad in 1963, a 57 MGA and drove to a
dozen car
dealers looking for a summer job in 63 on Long Island. Landed a summer
job as a
gopher with Raymond Foreign Sales in Islip, a dealer for MG, AH,
Triumph,
Renault, and Daimlers. A blast and I really got the Sports car
fever---and never
lost it. Even got to go to the sports car races at the Bridge with one
of the
sales guys in a right hand drive Lotus 7.
I've had a bunch of different makes over the years, but always wanted to
replace the 67 TR4A I had to sell when I went off to SE Asia in 67.
Susie and I
had a six month old son and she never has mastered the art of shifting,
needed
more space, etc. It was serial # CTC70786 L and I still have the owners
handbook and original paperwork if any one knows where the car is
located unless the
salt on the NY roads lead to a premature departure. IRS, wires, navy
blue/blue interior. Purchased the car from Raymond Foreign Sales on
9/9/66 for
$3,096.30.
In 1996 I purchased a green 67 TR4A and last month a 63 TR4 Vintage
racer
through Jack Drews/Joe Alexander. While I was visiting Uncle Jack in
Geneseo, Il,
he put me on to a nice 64 street TR, red/tan with wires all cosmetically
restored. Bought that one so I am up to three Triumphs! Excited to go
vintage
racing and will start this April at Pacific Raceways (X-Seattle Int'l
Raceway) and
look forward to meeting any of you out there or look me up at Monterey
Historics where I help crew Dr. Cordell Bahn's 1950 Allard JX2 #18!
Never have had a racing license, but have autocrossed and been to dozens
of
track days with the Porsche Club, and Proformance Driving School at PR.
Also
attended Bondurant's Grand Prix Course and last Fall the Advanced Road
Racing
Course.
Thanks again for allowing me on board and I am anxious to meet anyone at
the
races or other events!
Regards, John James
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