To: Friends of Triumph
SIXTH ANNUAL BLACKHAWK VINTAGE TRIUMPH was its usual success. Great weather
(albeit storms a couple of nights), good turn out, safe racing (Tony Drews and
Don Brick went FAST), fun track party Saturday night, and on and on and on.
THIRTY (-30-) new students entered the Beginner's Competition School. Twenty-
eight were graduated. Two broke (including Buxner's TR4...a rod we think).
Dan's buddy was doing the school in Dan's car. The car looks gorgeous after
his violent cart wheels at Grattan (same event, session and lap, I rolled
twice) a few years back, but they have some gremlins. Dan will find them!
A warm and fuzzy story...the school included a sixty-seven year old guy and
his 1953 MGTD. When he served in Korea in the 1950s, he saved up $1,000. He
came home and bought the MGTD. He lived twenty-two miles from ROAD AMERICA
and always wanted to race it. Six times he almost sold it, when the kids
needed bread, socks, or schooling. Finally, at sixty-seven years of age, he
did a VSCDA Driver's School successfully, and raced with us all week end in
VSCDA's Group ONE. At luck would have it, Group ONE had an outstanding turn
out, and he was one of six or eight MG-T's. There was also all sorts of other
NEAT stuff (i.e. an old Riley, an Allard, old Jags, an early Lotus, etc.,
etc.,)
Talk about a happy fellow. Some time in late December the smile will come of
this guy's face. That's what it is all about. In addition, about a dozen
students came up to me throughout the week end. Shook my hand. Looked me
straight in the eye, and said, "This is the most fun I have ever had!" He
don''t have to tell me, I know that's what it's all about.
Of course when they tell me, "This is the most fun I have ever had!", I assume
they mean with two layers of clothing on.
Bill Dentinger
PS
I had my first 1998 Event without breaking something. I ran a 4:55 rear end
without overdrive. I don't think anyone was beating me out of the corners,
but it seemed like I was shifting every three seconds, and out of RPMs every
twenty feet. Got to do something different for ROAD AMERICA in three weeks.
Still fun though...and you ALWAYS find someone to race with.
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