The 50+5 San Francisco Region anniversary party at the Blackhawk
Museum in Alamo/Danville last Saturday evening was a relaxed gathering
which brought together a number of people I've met along the way in SCCA.
The featured speaker, Peter Hylton of Indianspolis, recounted some
of the early tracks the region raced on, including Buchanan Field, the
original Sacramento Fairgrounds, Stockton Airport, Pebble Beach, and Golden
Gate Park in San Francisco.
Hylton is now SCCA National's official historian and archivist.
Two months ago, in a fit of nostalgia, I drove around the Golden
Gate Park course and took photos of what it looks like today. I gave a set
of prints to Pete who plans on doing a story on that historic track for his
ongoing series in Sports Car magazine about the tracks SCCA used to race
on.
It was at Golden Gate Park that I saw my first road race. Ah,
nostalgia.
With 30+ years as an SCCA member--17 as editor of the club
publication-- I've known a lot of people in SCCA. I had such a good time
talking to old friends that I barely had a glimpse of the cars on display.
There was a display of race programs from the past when the region
staged spectator road races. Included were some past issues of the club
publication when yours truly was the editor and featuring winners of the
Pacific Coast Road Racing Championship. I got a kick out of that.
Out front there were four cars related to region history. One was
the Lotus Elite purchased new by Al Brizard and raced by him for three
seasons in the early '80s. I had seen the car at a historic gathering and
was struck by the reality it had the same number used by Brizard when he
raced it. Turned out it's the same car. Brizard stood by his former race
car with a large grin on his face.
The other car (of the four) was an MGB now owned by Butch Gilbert
who is building a reputation as a vintage race car engine builder. The B
was driven at Sebring by Ed Leslie. It was Leslie, when he was an Area
Governor (they call 'em Directors now) who appointed me to the SCCA's Solo
Events Board way back in 1975. Gilbert was at one time a very active
autocross driver who made two unsucessful trips to the Solo II Nationals in
the '80s. His wife Sharon did snag a first and second in DPL. I reminded
Butch I knew him when. <G>
Two formerly active Bay Area autocross drivers, Dave Schwafel and
Bob Matkovich, were also on hand and indicated they would soon be
campaigning their BP Corvettes in SF Region events. Schwafel wants to run
at the 2004 Solo II Nationals. At one time he was the NorCal Council
Autocross Committee chairman. Then he went racing only to be stricken by
cancer which he managed to fight off. He's now retired from his day job at
United Airlines and now lives in Yuba City, so trips to SF events will be
long ones.
Matkovich has been living elsewhere for the past 12 years (and no
he wasn't doing time <G>) and has returned to the Bay Area. He plans to
resume autocrossing, this time with his son helping him out.
One of the guys who looked me up was Bill Hinshaw who,
unfortunately, reminded me of the time we both competed at the Cobb
Mountain Hillclimb, he in his Morgan and me in my Austin Healey, the LeMans
model. I don't recall how I got there but I do recall straddling a ditch in
the Healey. They towed me out and I drove it home.
Current Solo II folks an hand included Sherry Grantz who is now the
Region's office manager, Solo II chief Bryan Nemy, Site finder M.J. Dunlap
and pal Lolita Adrian, the Barry Chaffins who just recently moved into a
new (to them) home three blocks from the museum, Dennis and Sherry
Armstrong, Peter Mottaz and Ellen Rosenbluth, and the inimitable Jake
Mottaz who stood in front of me when we all got on one of the museum's
glamorous stair cases for a group photo. We made sure Jake's smiling face
will be visible when we see the photo. Yours truly and Pat Kelly were in
there, too. If I missed somebody I'm sure you will let me know.
I wrote a brief history of Solo II in SFR for Regional Executive
R.J. Gordy and handed it to him as we climbed the entry stairs. He found
the print to be a bit small and he declined to read it. That was a bit late
to spring it on him.
They were looking for 500 people but actual turnout was closer to
200. The $40 per person price tag (for finger food) may have scared off
some members. But it was a very nice deal to see fellow SF Region members
at a social gathering. The Region by-laws--long ignored--call for such a
gathering every other month.
Maybe some more Solo II folks will come to the next party.
--John Kelly
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