Just a brief report on the Blackhawk Classic.
Actually two event under one name. A tour through Wisconsin to
Lacrosse, and a vintage race at Blackhawk Farms.
The event was quite disorganized, but fun. It was their first crack
at it, so I will give them some leeway.
On Fri..Stirling Moss spent some time doing a number of demo laps in
an unusual sprite which looked like a cross between a mark 1 and
mark 2.
We then had practice sessions for the race cars and we finally
succeeded in getting the jetting on my weber right toward the end of
the session.
At the end of the day the organizers lined up the race and tour cars
in front of the vintage airplanes (stearmans, gypsy moth, cessna
195, staggerwing beech, etc) for a panoramic photo.
the police then led a tour of all the cars through beloit during the
Riverfest and back again(I did not go due to running a total loss
electrical system (no, this is not typical lucas practice))
The tour then left town...Interesting selection of cars on the tour.
1941 MG NA Magnette, 1930 Bentley, Healey 3000, XK140 Coupe, Nash
Healey (beautiful new restoration), late 30s Rover sedan with four
suicide doors, 1954 Boano bodied Ferrari, Stirling Moss was driving
a late 40s, early 50s Ferrari 212. Peter Egan of Road and Track was
in the Rover. I did talk to him briefly, mainly about tow vehicles,
a common subject among racers...He was hoping the tour was not a
high speed tour due to the performance (maybe I should not use this
term) capabilities of the Rover.
The tour set off with a vintage aircraft escort.
Lots of track time for the racers the rest of the weekend. It
rained heavily each night, but all the track sessions were dry.
I had a good race with a Jag XK120 or 140 coupe. He jumped past me
at the start under power, but I outbraked him at the end of the
straight two laps later. I could not catch the lead car (a sprite
which won the Sprite-Mini Challenge last year) and finished second
in our group.
I am pretty satisfied with the results as this was really the first
outing this year.
The tour group returned at the end of the day Sunday, looking not
too much worse for the wear. They had taken along two flatbeds and
a fully equipped mechanic in a jeep. Peter Egan will write up the
tour for a future issue of R&T and we will get a full report.
Jim
jim
jfuerstenberg@dcmdc.dla.mil or xgg2356@dcmdc.dla.mil
"It has been said that motor racing shares in common with sex the distinction
of being of the most popular, most maligned and least understood of human
activities.
Charles Beaumont and William F. Nolan from "Omnibus of Speed"
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