[Fot] Sebring Triumph Research

Sat Apr 9 23:29:03 MDT 2016


A walk through the TSOA Newsletter will fill you in on a lot

http://www.templeoftriumph.org/tsoa/tsoa.html


>> The following excerpt was written by Bruce Stutzman for the  
>> Western PA
>> Triumphs newsletter, in it Bruce claims (and is backed up by the  
>> official
>> Sebring results) that Allan Patterson was the first in the World/ 
>> US. Allan
>> is seen racing at many vintage events in his red 1953 Allard that  
>> he bought
>> new.
>>
>> Ed Major
>>
>> Alan Patterson, a native Pittsburgher, has the distinction of  
>> being the
>> first person, not just in the U.S. but the world, to drive a TR in  
>> a road
>> race. Alan did it not just in any old race, but at the 1954 12  
>> hours of
>> Sebring, an internationally sanctioned endurance race. I thought  
>> this was a
>> story that needed to be told. At the time Alan was not a stranger to
>> Sebring. He raced a MGTC there in 1952 and 1953. He later took a  
>> job working
>> his way through college, at Price Motors in Coral Gables, Florida.  
>> Price
>> Motors was a new TR dealer and had just received its first  
>> shipment of four
>> brand new TR2's. Alan suggested to the owner (he doesn't remember  
>> his name)
>> that they race a TR2 at Sebring. The owner liked the idea and  
>> asked the
>> factory for authority to do so. The factory gave the OK but without
>> financial support. They prepared one of the new TR2's to be the  
>> racecar but
>> they took all four (the entire shipment) to Sebring for parts. As  
>> it turned
>> out they needed them all. The race took place on March 7, 1954.  
>> Alan took a
>> friend Jim Hendricks to be his co-driver and several fraternity  
>> brothers and
>> their girl friends to be his pit crew. Alan remembers that the car  
>> was
>> totally reliable (with one significant exception) and very fast. That
>> exception - the engine blew, so they installed the engine from  
>> another of
>> the new TR2's. That engine also blew so they took the engine from  
>> another of
>> the new TR2's. When that one went they swapped their last engine.  
>> When the
>> last engine showed signs of trouble Alan pulled into the pits,  
>> waited till
>> the race was almost over, and then re-entered the race so he would be
>> running at the end. Nevertheless, Alan completed 105 laps,  
>> finishing 24th
>> overall and 4th in class. In 12 hours Alan had wiped out Price  
>> Motor's
>> entire first shipment of new TR2's. So what was wrong with the  
>> engines? As
>> Alan remembers it, when they dismantled the engines they found  
>> that they had
>> suffered from oil starvation. He thinks, but is not sure after all  
>> this
>> time, that it had to do with the location of the oil holes in the  
>> bearings.
>> The factory no doubt quickly rectified this problem.
>>
>>
>> Sebring 12 Hours                                 7.3.1954
>>
>> Pos. NO Driver / Nationality       Car        Entrant     Laps      
>> Time/retired
>>
>>
>> 24. 35 Alan Patterson / USA  Triumph TR2 Alan Patterson   
>> 103         3. S2.0
>>     Jim Hendricks / USA
On Apr 8, 2016, at 6:05 PM, Joe Alexander wrote:

> Good source. Thanks!
>
> Joe Alexander
> 645 1st Street
> Jesup, IA 50648
> The-vintage-racer.com
> Gasketinnovations.com
> Cell:  319.464.4711
>
>> On Apr 8, 2016, at 4:52 PM, Paul MacDonald <macdonaldp at rogers.com>  
>> wrote:
>>
>> http://www.racingsportscars.com/make/archive/Triumph.html
>>
>> I know that Peter Bulkowski's car ran Sebring 12 hour
>>
>> Paul
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Fot [mailto:fot-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Joe  
>> Alexander
>> Sent: April 8, 2016 1:03 PM
>> To: fot at autox.team.net
>> Subject: [Fot] Sebring Triumph Research
>>
>> FOT:
>>
>> I am pursuing the existence of Sebring Triumphs, whether they be  
>> factory or
>> privateer.
>>
>> Also,  am looking for contact information on those Sebring drivers  
>> and
>> current owners.
>>
>> Kas has supplied some old information on some of his drivers.
>>
>> Most of know the existence of at least three of them.
>>
>> 57 TR3. Stephen Skinner. UK
>> 62 TR4. Keith Files. UK
>> TR250K. Bill Hart. Washington
>>
>> Any Spitfires, GT6s, etc.?
>>
>> I am not much of a historian. Can use help.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Joe Alexander
>> 645 1st Street
>> Jesup, IA 50648
>> The-vintage-racer.com
>> Gasketinnovations.com
>> Cell:  319.464.4711
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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