<div dir="ltr">Since we are telling Charlie Kates stories:<div>Bill Fornwalt and I were racing a TR4 in SVRA events in the mid 80s.</div><div>Charlie and his friend Bill Clark approached me at the 1986 VTR national.</div><div>Charlie wanted to go racing and did so with much enthusiasm.</div><div>He became Ken Gillanders' eastern test bed.</div><div>Any new hot racing part that Ken got Charlie got it first.</div><div>If it was going to fail or cause damage to the car Ken made sure the driver (Charlie) was thousands of miles away and could only reach him by phone and not by the neck.</div><div>Bruce</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Sep 27, 2019 at 3:16 PM Vince G via Fot <<a href="mailto:fot@autox.team.net">fot@autox.team.net</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="auto">
Great hearing the stories from fellow FOT’s. Priceless Thanks for sharing...<br>
<br>
<div id="gmail-m_-1447430452424645291AppleMailSignature" dir="ltr">Vince</div>
<div dir="ltr"><br>
On Sep 27, 2019, at 1:40 PM, Mike Jackson via Fot <<a href="mailto:fot@autox.team.net" target="_blank">fot@autox.team.net</a>> wrote:<br>
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</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
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<div style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:arial,sans-serif">
Yea, not a dream. Back in the day when SVRA had a spring race down here in South Florida and Charlie had a relative that lives near by to visit.
<div style="font-family:Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt">Not only was he actually hanging upside down, in a FULL Batman costume but he had his little portable potty stationed back there with a rubber alligator placed as if it were about
to be flushed down AND a boom box playing "See You Later Alligator" by Bill Haley and the Comets</div>
<div style="font-family:Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch1UQ47rWKU" style="color:rgb(0,0,255)" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch1UQ47rWKU</a></div>
<div style="font-family:Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt"><br>
</div>
<div style="font-family:Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt">Oh yea, Charlie's business is as a caterer/chef so he had purchased some 'gator chunks locally and fried them up to hand out to those passing by.</div>
<div style="font-family:Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt">That evening a friend found a certificate for labeling a bat roost which we filled out and stuck to the side of his trailer.</div>
<div style="font-family:Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt"><br>
</div>
<div style="font-family:Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt">And then he retired from racing and wasnt heard from for several years until after his wife passed away. Out of the blue he calls me years later and says "Well, my wife is dead
so I guess it's about time I get back to racing" He was interested in finding another TR4 and I located one in the Midwest to send him to see. Irv Corey's car as I recall. Before he got there I mailed Irv a bat-a-gator to put in the car. In the end he
bought a different Brit car but at least we got him back! </div>
<div style="font-family:Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt"><br>
</div>
<div style="font-family:Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt">And, the bat-a-gators are another chapter that involved an argument about whether his Bat or my Gator was male vs female. But seriously, think about it, have you ever seen a gator
that looked female? Me neither and I've seen a bundle of 'em down here. Including the one that used to live in my pond, we named him Burt, after BS Levy.</div>
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<blockquote style="padding-left:5px;margin-left:0px;border-left:2px solid rgb(0,0,255);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,sans-serif;color:black">
-----Original Message----- <br>
From: fubog1 <u></u><br>
Sent: Sep 27, 2019 10:30 AM <br>
To: <a href="mailto:grandwazoo@earthlink.net" target="_blank">grandwazoo@earthlink.net</a> <br>
Cc: <a href="mailto:fot@Autox.Team.Net" target="_blank">fot@Autox.Team.Net</a> <br>
Subject: Re: [Fot] Charlie Kates and his TR4 BAT vs GATOR <br>
<br>
<div style="color:black;font:10pt Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">
<div><font size="2">I remember a dream I had of him in a batman suit, hanging from the roof inside of his racecar trailer, down @ PBIR...</font></div>
<div><font size="2">Strange dream.</font></div>
<div><font size="2">Glen</font><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:10pt;color:black">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Mike Jackson <<a href="mailto:grandwazoo@earthlink.net" target="_blank">grandwazoo@earthlink.net</a>><br>
To: fubog1 <<a href="mailto:fubog1@aol.com" target="_blank">fubog1@aol.com</a>><br>
Sent: Fri, Sep 27, 2019 10:25 am<br>
Subject: Re: [Fot] Charlie Kates and his TR4 BAT vs GATOR<br>
<br>
<div id="gmail-m_-1447430452424645291yiv9529432044">
<div>
<div style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:arial,sans-serif">
<div>I just love that picture!</div>
<div><br clear="none">
</div>
I'd have liked to tell either the Batman story from PBIR or the Bat-a-Gator one from Rd Atl or the "Circle of Truth" from PBIR but they all take much too much explanation.
<div><br clear="none">
<div id="gmail-m_-1447430452424645291yiv9529432044yqt79961">
<blockquote style="padding-left:5px;margin-left:0px;border-left:2px solid rgb(0,0,255);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,sans-serif;color:black">
-----Original Message----- <br clear="none">
From: fubog1 <br clear="none">
Sent: Sep 27, 2019 7:41 AM <br clear="none">
To: <a href="mailto:billdentin@aol.com" target="_blank">billdentin@aol.com</a>, <a href="mailto:grandwazoo@earthlink.net" target="_blank">
grandwazoo@earthlink.net</a>, <a href="mailto:tr3a58dean@gmail.com" target="_blank">tr3a58dean@gmail.com</a>,
<a href="mailto:fot@autox.team.net" target="_blank">fot@autox.team.net</a> <br clear="none">
Cc: <a href="mailto:charlie106@att.net" target="_blank">charlie106@att.net</a> <br clear="none">
Subject: Re: [Fot] Charlie Kates and his TR4 BAT vs GATOR <br clear="none">
<br clear="none">
<div style="color:black;font:10pt Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">
<div><font size="2">I have one of Charlies (cardboard) bats right here in my office!</font></div>
<div><font size="2">And then there's this photo if it goes through the innernets...</font></div>
<div><font size="2">Glen</font><br clear="none">
<div style="float:none" align="left"></div>
<div>
<div style="float:none" align="left"></div>
<div>
<div style="float:none" align="left"><img id="gmail-m_-1447430452424645291yiv9529432044TIE.4441890" style="margin: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" alt="Kates & gator & TR.jpg" title="Kates & gator & TR.jpg" width="275"></div>
<div><span><span><br clear="none">
</span></span></div>
<span></span></div>
<span><span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div><br clear="none">
</div>
<div><br clear="none">
</div>
<div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:10pt;color:black">-----Original Message-----<br clear="none">
From: Bill Dentinger via Fot <<a href="mailto:fot@autox.team.net" target="_blank">fot@autox.team.net</a>><br clear="none">
To: grandwazoo <<a href="mailto:grandwazoo@earthlink.net" target="_blank">grandwazoo@earthlink.net</a>>; tr3a58dean <<a href="mailto:tr3a58dean@gmail.com" target="_blank">tr3a58dean@gmail.com</a>>; fot <<a href="mailto:fot@autox.team.net" target="_blank">fot@autox.team.net</a>><br clear="none">
Cc: charlie106 <<a href="mailto:charlie106@att.net" target="_blank">charlie106@att.net</a>><br clear="none">
Sent: Thu, Sep 26, 2019 2:45 pm<br clear="none">
Subject: Re: [Fot] Charlie Kates and his TR4<br clear="none">
<br clear="none">
<div id="gmail-m_-1447430452424645291yiv9529432044">
<div>
<div style="color:black;font:10pt arial">
<div>The infamous BAT vs GATOR race. </div>
<div><br clear="none">
</div>
<div>I was there. I seen it. </div>
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</div>
<div>They waved, when they went by.</div>
<div><br clear="none">
</div>
<div>Bill Dentinger.</div>
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</div>
<div><br clear="none">
</div>
<br clear="none">
<br clear="none">
<div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:10pt;color:black">-----Original Message-----<br clear="none">
From: Mike Jackson via Fot <<a href="mailto:fot@autox.team.net" target="_blank">fot@autox.team.net</a>><br clear="none">
To: Dean <<a href="mailto:tr3a58dean@gmail.com" target="_blank">tr3a58dean@gmail.com</a>>; <a href="mailto:fot@autox.team.net" target="_blank">
fot@autox.team.net</a> <<a href="mailto:fot@autox.team.net" target="_blank">fot@autox.team.net</a>><br clear="none">
Cc: charlie106 <<a href="mailto:charlie106@att.net" target="_blank">charlie106@att.net</a>><br clear="none">
Sent: Thu, Sep 26, 2019 11:35 am<br clear="none">
Subject: [Fot] Charlie Kates and his TR4<br clear="none">
<br clear="none">
<div id="gmail-m_-1447430452424645291yiv9529432044yqt24284">
<div id="gmail-m_-1447430452424645291yiv9529432044">
<div>
<div style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:arial,sans-serif">
<div>Charlies old TR4 is now owned and extremely well driven by Mark Wheatley. It is a joy to see it every time its at the track with us.</div>
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</div>
I dont want to bore everyone with a hundred stories of that '92 weekend. But, here's my favorite..
<div>Charlie and I remain great friends even tho he races some Jap thingy now. We had been running literally door handle to door handle all weekend long and having a great time at it. His wife Betty passed away some years ago but she and my wife Sandy were
on the hillside at the keyhole for the "big" race that weekend. During the race as we continued to come thru the corner either nose to tail or side by side Betty says to Sandy "I sure am glad Charlie doesnt take this too seriously and only does it for fun".
Sandy bit her lip and said nothing. After the race she got Charlie off to the side and told him that he would "owe her forever" for not explaining to Betty just how seriously we did, in fact, take it. </div>
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</div>
<div>Ok, one more... in the paddock he blipped the throttle and it ran up more like an F1 car of the era. "Charlie you POS, it's supposed to have a flywheel on it!" His reply "It does".... "Well it's supposed to have a weight at least in two digits"...."It
does! Eight point five"</div>
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</div>
<div>Dear God, there are so many more Charlie Kates stories both that weekend and thru the years.</div>
<div><br clear="none">
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<div>Mike</div>
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<blockquote style="padding-left:5px;margin-left:0px;border-left:2px solid rgb(0,0,255);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,sans-serif;color:black">
-----Original Message----- <br clear="none">
From: Dean via Fot <br clear="none">
Sent: Sep 26, 2019 12:11 PM <br clear="none">
To: "<a href="mailto:fot@autox.team.net" target="_blank">fot@autox.team.net</a>" <br clear="none">
Subject: [Fot] 1992 Mid Ohio <br clear="none">
<br clear="none">
<div>
<div>Don’t know if this will transfer, but this is from the race in 1992 carried in Vintage Motorsports Annual. I Photo</div>
<div>Showing Mike Jackson and Charlie Kates.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Sent from <a rel="noopener noreferrer" shape="rect" href="https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986" target="_blank">
Mail</a> for Windows 10</div>
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