Dateline Reading PA.
A short but very loud profanity was heard coming from car #114 following a
mishap at turn 7 during todays running of The Pagoda Hillclimb. On his second
run of the morning, Rich Rock, driving a silver 1970 TVR Vixen, approached
turn seven at what can only be described as "a little too fast".
The tail end of the car swung out dramatically as Rich turned in to the
corner. According to the corner workers, for a split second it looked like
he just might make it, but when the tires on Rich's car regained their grip,
the car abruptly changed direction and headed straight for the outside of the
corner, coming to rest with the nose of the car in the sloped dirt
embankment. The bonnet, torn from three of its attachment points, opened
straight up on impact.
Corner workers jumped to action. After quickly determining that Rich had
sustained no injury, evident by his animated gestures and colorful language,
they pushed the car back on to the road for a closer inspection.
Finding nothing on the car severely damaged, the bonnet was loosely attached,
and Rich slowly drove the car away, to the applause of spectators.
Asked later about his initial utterrance, Rich replied, "I'm sorry, I
misspoke. What I meant to say was 'OOPS' ". Rich continued, "It was an
experiment, you see. I was trying to find the fastest way through the turn.
It didn't work out this time, but I'll be back".
Rich didn't make another run after the incident, finding prohibitive damage
to the suspension, but his earlier times were good enough to earn him a first
place trophy in his class, besting a TR4 and an Opel GT.
Well, that's how it went. The bonnet will need some work, but it's not too
bad, nowhere near as bad as it looked from the drivers seat, or anywhere
else, according to witnesses.
The big problem is damage to a front upright. It's bent pretty good where
the threaded portion meets the rest of the piece. I need another one, one
with the left-hand threads. Where can I get one? Will one from a Spitfire
work? What are my options?
Thanks!
Rich Rock
Pottstown, PA
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