[Fot] Phill Hill - Triumph - British Leyland party CSPRRC 1975

[Bill Babcock]

Hey, Racer Bud, how did I get dropped from the newsletter. I thought  
the only way to unsubscribe was to kick.

On Sep 25, 2008, at 6:18 PM, RACER BUD wrote:

> Wonderful stuff   I'm gonna forward it to my newsletter Gang
> Racer Bud
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: michael cook
> To: Clark W. Nicholls ; fot at autox.team.net
> Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 5:19 PM
> Subject: Re: [Fot] Phill Hill - Triumph - British Leyland party  
> CSPRRC 1975
>
> We had that party at every Road Atlanta Run-Offs for about ten  
> years. Theoretically it was only for drivers and crews of British  
> Leyland cars but when we expected maybe 300 people we always got  
> about 500. In 1971 or 72 we had the Playmate of the Year as a guest.  
> Another year, Paul Newman brought in a rather large "professional"  
> lady from Atlanta and had her go after Bob Tullius. She was only  
> wearing something like a toga which didn't cover much.
>
> We had to be careful at one end of the party room because it was  
> close to a church and it was illegal to drink liquor within a  
> certain distance from a church. So there was a rope stretched across  
> the hall about 20 feet from the end wall and you could not have  
> alcohol on the other side of the rope.
>
> You had to have a private party in those early days to get a drink  
> in Gainesville. We all had to imbibe freely before the Sunday night  
> victory banquet because on Sunday even private parties were veboten  
> and there were security guards stationed outside the Holiday Inn  
> Hall, checking the guests for suspicious packages or concealed  
> bottles.
>
> Actually, the British Leyland cocktail party began at the original  
> "experimental" Run-Offs at Riverside and Daytona. I think the first  
> one was at Riverside in 1968 and the host was a west coast PR agent  
> named Ian Dunne who did the publicity for Kas's team. At Daytona we  
> crammed ourselves into a room at the Daytona Plaza and honored a  
> female driver ... Eloise Norris from Texas who raced a Mini. I have  
> a picture of a cake we had made in the shape of a Mini.
>
> I don't have many photos - too busy being a good host and besides,  
> one hand was occupied by a glass of JD. Or somethi9ng called  
> Lightning Creek - memory of that is a bit hazy.
>
> No special diets, no vitamin drinks, no early to bed. Drivers could  
> always come to the BL motor home in the paddock for black coffee and  
> donuts the next morning.
>
> And there was great racing while the drug-running Whittington  
> brothers who owned the track flew low over the circuit in a P-51 and  
> a Bell AiroCobra.
>
> Since Clark asked, do you have anythiong to add Ted?
>
> Mike Cook
>
>
>
> From: cwn74 at aol.com
> To: fot at autox.team.net
> Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:46:29 -0400
> Subject: [Fot] Phill Hill - Triumph - British Leyland party CSPRRC  
> 1975
>
>
> I remember meeting and chatting with Phil Hill at the 1975 British  
> Leyland party at the SCCA CSPRRC (Champion Spark Plug Road Racing  
> Classic at Road Atlanta) at the Gainesville Holiday Inn.
>
> Boy were those the glory days!
>
> David Hobbs was there as were the BL team.
> The 3 Mikes: Mike Dale (drove a bug-eye at the time), Mike Cook (we  
> all know Mike!) and Mike Barratt (east coast competition guru, I'm  
> still driving his carb rebuild on my Spitfire).
> Group 44, Huffaker, all the drivers and crew of BL products (MG, AH,  
> Triumph, Jaguar) were there.
> A grand time was had by all!
> If only I took photos!
>
> Perhaps Mike Cook and Ted Schumacher can expand on this gala event!
>
> My claim to fame was suggesting they have Watneys Red Barrel at this  
> event (the bar had only 'merican brews). The next year we had Watneys!
> http://www.retrowow.co.uk/retro_britain/keg_bitter/watneys_red_barrel.html
>
>
> Clark
> Clark W. Nicholls
> '72 Stag '74 Spitfire
> "Reality... It's not what you think.
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Bill Babcock
Babcock & Jenkins
Billb at bnj.com
503.936.7660
www.bnj.com

Editor
Ke Nalu e-Magazine
Paddlesurfing's Web Journal

Bill at kenalu.com
www.kenalu.com
blog: www.ponohouse.com/ponoblog

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