[Fot] Swan Song...

[tom strange]

Bill & Bob ...
  I'd like to echo everyone elses comments ... its fast, and
a very pretty car; 
you two have done well with it ...  heres hoping its
future life will be as 
great as the past few years ...
 
Tom
http://www.fot-racing.com/spit/caption/tom_strange.htm


#4 white spitfire
________________________________
From: "BillDentin at aol.com"
<BillDentin at aol.com>
To: fot at autox.team.net; TornadoRegistrar at aol.com
Cc:
CDHEXTALL at aol.com; wiallisons at hotmail.com; office at tidemaster.co.uk
Sent: Mon,
July 18, 2011 9:43:06 AM
Subject: [Fot] Swan Song...

Amici...

After
completing 111 race events since coming to North America, our Tornado 
Thunder
Bolt sang its swan song yesterday at Road America in the Kohler 
International
Challenge Group 3 (Vintage Sports Racers) feature race.  Bob 
Wismer was
driving and finished first in class (Vintage B/D Modified).  While 
the
Thunder Bolt is a production based car, it was often asked to run with the
sports racers to fill out a light  grid.  I'm not sure what Vintage B/D
Modified means, but I think it was an effort to enhance our chances...and
we'll 
take that.  The Thunder Bolt is a pretty car, and looks great running
with 
the sports racers.

Some frosting on the cake was the fact that in the
Friday night Race Car 
Concours de Elegance contest the T-bolt earned its
second straight 'RESERVE' 
award.  The Road & Track Race Car Concours de
Elegance is probably the 
largest, and arguably the finest Race Car Concours
in the USA.  I am not sure 
what 

the 'RESERVE' award means, but I think it
is something like, "Yeah, your 
car is gorgeous, but you can't win every
year."  Down through the years, the 
Thunder Bolt has
won four trophies in
this prestigious race car Concours.

Interesting to our partnership is the
fact that without our keeping close 
tract Bob and I ended up each running
exactly fifty-five race events in the 
car.  The guy we bought it from ran
one, for a total of 111 race events since 
coming to North America.

The
Triumph drive train is heavy, and the Thunder Bolt chassis is very 
light. 
Stress cracks in the bucket are a concern.  We've decided that 111 race
events is enough.  Bob's son-in-law, Doug Allison, will take over the car,
detune it, and freshen the cosmetics.  It'll now start a life as a street
car, and probably go on winning beauty contests.

The car is very popular at
Road America, where it has completed thirty-nine 
events.  So we got lots of,
"Say it ain't so!" comments from fellow racers. 
We were asked often about our
feelings now that the Thunder Bolt is being 
retired from racing.  I think
most thought our reaction would be sadness.  
But not so.  Satisfaction would
be far more descriptive.  It's been a great 
run.  Very satisfying.

Bill
Dentinger
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