Zag,
I'm not sure, but I think the current thread was directed at me, and has
to do with my response stating Tom Patton is still winning in the name of
Sunbeam. His GT-2 car is without doubt a silhouette car, exactly as NASCAR
has run for years. Nevertheless, he is campaigning his car in contemporary
racing to our mutual advantage.
I have been involved with Rootesmobiles since my birth: I came home from
the hospital in one. I have had 14 Rootes cars, and I built an Alpine 5 that
was marginally competitive in NWR SCCA SOLO 2 in the mid seventies. I took
this car to Tigers United 5 in Redding, California, and the autocross for
TU-5 was a separate event held south of our "Tiger" event, in Chico. In
California, I was surprised my Alpine ran in a lower class than in the
Seattle area. The event was in every way a SOLO 1 on an airport: I beat the
second place car in class by just over 28 seconds. Just shy of a lightyear.
The first place trophy is sitting proudly in my home. (however, I beat the
next higher class top time by only six+ seconds).
I bought and then built my MK 1 Tiger to be a healthy machine on the
street. I drove it daily for my business and accumulated about 80,000 miles
beyond the (alleged) 40,000 miles it had driven since I was told it had been
refreshed. I took the plunge and outfitted it and myself with the
appropriate safety equipment, and I took a drivers' school. I road raced my
Tiger in Vintage events for six seasons AND I drove it daily for my work.
During those six years, it accumulated another 20-30,000 miles.
Incidentally, I would be interested to know the name of a more avid Rootes
supporter than myself.
I have been involved with road racing thru several Clubs from Northern
California to British Columbia for almost twenty years as a race worker or as
a crewmember. I personally watched the last of the English race cars, MGB's,
become obsoleted by Japanese iron. Their "Swan-song". No matter what
Huffaker did to his MGB's, it was over. All gone. The end. The
Clubs I refer to are SCCA, IRDC, and CSCA.
There are very few people on this list that are qualified to go
door-to-door with a competitor on a road course: you and I are two of them.
We have been there and done that. I am surprised by your anger.
Jim Leach Pacific Tiger Club Seattle
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