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Re: [Fot] Quick notes from Thriller at Miller

To: chasgee@aol.com
Subject: Re: [Fot] Quick notes from Thriller at Miller
From: "Greg \"Lunker\" Hilyer" <lunkercars@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2007 18:21:39 -0600
Hello to Chuck and all,
What a blast at Miller!
As I said to you, Kas,et al., It is the resume part that has kept me
from applying for FoT membership. To Larry Young in particular...
thanks for your nomination earlier this year at Hallett - sorry I
didn't respond but the bio/resume part but me off a bit and I wasn't
quite sure how to go from there. Thanks again Larry for lending me a
ballast resistor - after smoking two Pertronics now, I [now] only run
points! Also thanks to Mark and Chuck for the official nomination and
second. On to the boring stuff about myself:

Greg "Lunker" Hilyer
323 Claremont Ave NW Suite K
Albuquerque N.M. 87107
505-345-2055

45 years old [young?]
Currently living "off the grid" [solar power only] in the mountains
[7200+ feet] between Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
Spent my first 26 years in the Seattle area.
After childhood immersion in sportscars [thanks to my long departed
father] started in the automotive industry in 1975 at the age of 14.
Sweeping out the body shop at the South Seattle Auto Auction was far
from glamours but at least I got paid to be around cars. By the age
of 23 I was general sales manager of the most successful and
innovative auto auction in the country... the first to be fully
computerized and the first in what was to become  "chain" auto
auctions. A [McConkey] family owned sale bought by GE Credit Corp.
then partially owned by Ford Motor Credit, ATD and currently Manheim
Auctions. My "Semi Retirement" was my 26th birthday in 1987 - the
year we managed to average 1000 cars sold per week - 52,000 odd cars
sold for the year- a record that stood for 9 years! ... 26 years old,
the keys to the place in my pocket and 28 acres of cars with the keys
in the ignition - talk about a kid in a candy shop!
Left Seattle in '87 for Ashland OR., and with the help, guidance, and
assistance of some wonderful mentors, started wrenching on customer
cars. Haven't worked for anyone other than myself [and customers]
since. Went to Santa Fe in 1996 on a 3 week vacation. Liked it so
much that a week later I went to the local coffee shop, got a cup of
java, found a table, and put up my hand written sign "traveling
mechanic seeks your broken car" and didn't return to Oregon for 7
years. Did more "mobile mechanicing" than I care to remember. 2002
started Lunkercars Vintage Auto Sales LLC in Albuquerque - A micro
auto dealership specializing in British cars with the occasional
German, Italian and American muscle-car thrown in for good measure.
First Triumph was around 1989 - a sorry little Spit that came to me
with a 2"x4" wedged in place of a long gone motor mount. Current
inventory includes the purple '63 TR4 racer, a '65 TR4 with a
undetermined future, '61 Herald convert and a '70 Spit that I own but
have never laid eyes on. Other Triumph ownership includes  Spitfires,
TR3's, 4's, 6's, TR250, TR8 and perhaps others I have forgotten. Oh
yeah!... almost forgot about the 14 disassembled Triumphs that Connie
and I harvested out of the 9,000 mountains of northern New Mexico,
but that's another story.
This all seems a bit boring and a bit egotistical to me but it is
what was asked for. I will follow-up with details about the car which
to me [and hopefully to all] is much more interesting.
Thanks to you Kas for the honor of meeting you in person [not to
mention the books my car was built by], you Chuck for the great
competition [and congratulations on the cup... want to go to the kart
track again?]  and to Mike Bruner for the borrowed starter - bump
starting on the grid is never stylish - I'll have a new one on it's
way to you as soon as I get your mailing address.
Greg "Lunker" Hilyer

o?<
On Jul 2, 2007, at 10:35 AM, chasgee@aol.com wrote:

> Thanks Mark.  We had a great weekend with nine Triumphs attending.
> It was an honor to receive the Cup this year.
>
> We missed our brethren from the Midwest and east...hopefully next
> time.
>
> Thanks to Kas and Peggy for making the trip and pouring the
> champagne.  It wouldn't be a Kastner Cup event without them.
>
> Kudos to to Greg Hilyer from New Mexico!  He campaigned a very fast
> TR4 and also shellacked us on the go cart track.  We also nominated
> and seconded him in person for FOT membership with Mark Bradakis
> present (an official, unofficial ceremony), so Mark, please add him
> to the list.  His email is lunkercars@earthlink.net.  Greg, when
> you get some time, please tell us more about yourself.
>
> All in all, a great time at a fantastic facility with great
> friends.  I'm sure there will be pictures to follow.
>
> Chuck Gee
> Blacksmith Racing
> Spitfire
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark J. Bradakis <mark@bradakis.com>
> To: FOT@autox.team.net
> Sent: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 10:32 pm
> Subject: [Fot] Quick notes from Thriller at Miller
>
> Some random FOT driver in the grid:
>
> http://fatchancegarage.com/images/chuck_gee1.jpg
>
> Honest, it really was the Triumph I wanted in the picture!  Here's
> a close
> up of that same Triumph shortly after the race, it must have picked up
> some, uh, debris coming off course:
>
> http://fatchancegarage.com/images/k_cup.jpg
>
>
> Congratulations Chuck.
>
> mjb.
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