On Masten Gregory's bail outs....got to remember that the drivers didn't have
to use seat belts in the '50's and into the '60s. It was a lot easier to
say: " I bailed out before the shunt" .....when actually, the impact was
usually the impetus for one to be catapulted right out of the cockpit!
Fishing stories.. .racing stories.... don't they usually become more
imaginative as they are retold? And don't you guys all agree that....
fantasies are a hell'va lot more fun to listen to!
Regarding Masten Gregory's death. Someone may be a bit confused over the
private plane crash deaths of Curtis Turner and Lance Reventlow in the early
'70s, and Al Holbert in the late '80s ...with Gregory's fatal heart attack
just a few years ago.
More importantly.....Masten Gregory was one of the great American Sports Car
privateers of the 1950s...who had an outstanding driving career while winning
the Nurburgring 1000 in 1961, co-driving with Lucky Casner ( now that's
another story!); Le Mans in 1965 with Jochen Rindt in a Chinetti NART 250/275
LM Ferrari; and still later...a big third place finish at Sebring with Toine
Hezemans in an Afa T33-3 in 1970 ...behind the Andretti/Giunti/Vaccarella
512S Ferrari, and the McQueen/Revson 908 Porsche.
Lee Raskin, Arnolt-Bristol and 356er.
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