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Watkins Glen race report

To: fot@autox.team.net
Subject: Watkins Glen race report
From: Henry Frye <henry@henryfrye.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 08:04:40 -0400
We were all treated to a spectacular weekend for SVRA's Vintage Grand Prix 
at Watkins Glen. The weather was great, and the racing was even better. 
This year the featured marque was Alfa Romeo, and there were about 60 Alfa 
race cars on track. Peter Krause helped put together an great showing of 
the little Italian jobs, and the Alfa racers really did a great job on track.

The Triumph paddock comprised of Donn Sopp, Russ Moore and Andy Konopka in 
their Spitfires, Randy Williams in his TR3A, Dick Stockton and me in our 
TR4's. Bud Babcock and Richard Naze were there in their sidescreen TR's. 
The Beady Eye boys paddock looked like they had brought REAL race cars, the 
Thunderbolt and the Wiz's Sports 2000 graced their tent. Jeff Snook brought 
his beautiful Lotus XI.

The Thursday and Saturday the Beady Eye Wine and Cheese parties were well 
attended as usual, and even though Don Brick was not in attendance his Bleu 
Cheese was! Yum!!!

The Glen event has 5 sessions over 4 days, so there was plenty of time for 
socializing. On Friday afternoon the race cars get to drive downtown and 
make a couple laps around the original road course, always a fun time.

On track in Group 3 we had a blast. Dick Stockton brought his car loaded 
for bear after watching the insanely fast MG's pull away from him last 
year. He obviously built some real power, and almost has all the bugs 
worked out. He ran the whole feature and gave Randy Williams a real run for 
his money. Randy came out on top of the Triumphs, but if Dick's car would 
have been running 100% I don't know if that would have been the case. 
However, Dick does feel the curse of DNF's has been lifted and I am sure he 
is already working on getting the bugs worked out.

FOT'er Bob Adams, who is Dick Stockton's voice on our illustrious group, 
was part of Dicks crew, and had a great time. It was great to meet such an 
enthusiastic young man, and see him getting involved. When I get to be as 
old as Dentinger I will need someone to race with! Rumor has it Bob is 
going to give Dick a computer and teach him how to use it. We'll see!

Donny Sopp's engine woes from last year are behind him, this was his second 
event on this engine and he ran strong. There was that time he came into 
the paddock on the hook, but he blamed his crew for thinking they could 
refuel his car once for the weekend and that would be enough! Andy fought 
fuel issues all weekend, he even got his wife to bring parts from the Moss 
counter in New Jersey! Russ ran great as usual, but if he ever gets around 
to building that new motor... Kent Bain broke his uber-fast Spit taking the 
green in the feature, really clogging the works in turn one on the start.

Our friends from Western Pennsylvania Triumphs came out in force, and 
helped me greatly in pits, the false grid and the paddock. Thanks guys, now 
that I finally get around to looking at the tire temps and pressures on 
these Hoosiers it looks like we are hoping to change tires. I guess we will 
be doing it all again!

Next stop, Mid-Ohio with VSCDA, October 14-16. This is a super event gang. 
Be there!

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