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RE: Thicko@Grattan, part 2

To: "'Black Bart'" <blackbart@thicko.com>
Subject: RE: Thicko@Grattan, part 2
From: Alexander Joseph H <AlexanderJosephH@Waterloo.deere.com>
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1998 16:07:28 -0500
Thanks Gary, for the Group 2 Report....why part 2, though?

sorry some of us Group 2 guys were not there...glad that Jeff Snook was
there to uphold the TR honor....wonder why one of the FOT called him DR.
JEFF?

What fun that you and El Donato are racing so close....was Kerry there?
Inquiring minds want to know.

Regards,

Joe

        ----------
        From:  Black Bart[SMTP:blackbart@thicko.com]
        Sent:  Tuesday, August 18, 1998 3:53 PM
        To:  team-thicko@autox.team.net
        Cc:  AlexanderJosephH@Waterloo.deere.com;
vintage-race@autox.team.net; vscda@iserv.net
        Subject:  Thicko@Grattan, part 2

                   Sunday, Aug 16, 1998 VSCDA's Grattan, Michigan race event
                                     Group 2 Race Report

        We all want to thank Phil and Judy Cull, race directors, and their
helpers
        for putting on another GREAT event.  Lots of track time, and off
track
        activities to keep everyone happy.  Thank you, Phil and Judy.
Because of
        the large number of entrants in Group 2, Phil had to move some cars
into
        Group 8. This worked out well as the size of the grids was perfect.
        Although the 1275cc Bugeyes were in Group 8, we still had a large
number of
        British cars for the spectators to see in Group 2.

        Team Thicko had a great showing of cars in the Group 2 Race.

        Gridded third, was TT driver Rick Gurolnick, in his beautiful 1960
Porsche
        356, nicknamed "Dr Dreadful", after the very successful toy he
designed.  He
        was third fastest in qualifying with the MGB's of Les Gonda and John
Targett
        ahead of him.  Jeff Snook in an amazingly fast and very pretty
Triumph TR3
        was up in the front as well. Throw in a few more MGB's, Porsche
356's and
        TT's own George Olsen, driving his Healey 3000 and you had the top
qualifiers. 

        Following that group, the Sprites and other small bore cars were
gridded.
        Jim Donato in his 1962 Sprite and Gary Speckman in his 1959 Bugeye
Sprite
        were supposed to grid 11th and 12th, but were late getting to the
grid so
        started at the very end of the 27 car field.

        Ahead of them were the Bugeyes driven by Chris Ducklow, Paul
Fitzsimmons,
        Matt Primack and Barb Nevoral. TT drivers Craig Bielat and Tim
Covert were
        driving their Lotus Elites.  (Craig's needed some emergency
fiberglass body
        repairs...but thats another story..right Jeff?)  The Triumphs of
Bill
        Dentinger and Fred Lapham and Rick Dunleavy in his 1963 English Ford
Cortina
        were also out there.  A wildly painted Volvo 544 Sedan too.
Probably the
        prettiest and for sure the most expensive car out there was a 1954
Ferrari
        GT Europa, driven by Joe Moch.  This car was actually driven to the
track,
        and driven home, just like the old days.   Also out there was the
rare 1960
        Tornado ThunderBolt, driven by Bob Wismer. I know I missed some
names and
        cars, and I apologize for that.  

        When the race went green, Jim and Gary started making their move
forward.
        Lots of good racing action as they moved through the field.  On the
last
        lap, they were neck and neck coming out of the last corner. Coming
down the
        front straight to take the checker, neither knew who had crossed the
line
        first, it was that close.  A real photo finish, but the timing light
saw
        Gary's Bugeye first so gave him the position, with Jim milliseconds
behind.
        They finished 11th and 12th overall.

        The race at the front was very interesting as well.  Rick was
determined to
        take the lead as he had had some minor problems through-out the
weekend,
        sorting out a new engine in his Porsche.  Finally on lap 11 of the
15 lap
        race, he took the lead and stayed there.  He commented afterwards
about what
        a great bunch of drivers we have in Group 2.  The fastest 10 cars
had all
        lapped the rest of the field, and Rick said there was lots of
pointing going
        on, making for safe passing.  With speed differentials like we see
in Group
        2, this is very important as the faster cars come up behind to lap
the
        slower cars.

        Final results had Rick Gurolnick(Porsche) in first place, Les
Gonda(MGB) in
        second and John Targett(MGB) in third.  Jeff Snook(Triumph TR3) took
fourth,
        with Don Munoz(MGB), Gary Armbrecht(Porsche), John chatley(Porsche),
Rich
        Worby(MGB GT), ML Hilliard(MGB) and Geroge Olsen(Austin Healey 3000)
        rounding out the top ten.

        Another great weekend of racing at Grattan Raceway came to a close.
Thanks
        again to Phil and Judy Cull, and all the workers who participated to
make
        this a safe and enjoyable time for all.




        

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