1.
How long have you been a member of SCCA?
I
have been an SCCA member for only 3
years. I was looking
for some 'motor-heads" that have a common interest as mine. Also I
was looking for some information about road racing in this area as I
was helping a friend of mine with an ex-Bonneville Record
holder/Vintage Racer restoration
project.
2.
What was your first car?
My
first car was a 1951 Chevy – of course only a 6…no V-8's in Chevy's
line up until '55…reminder.
This was in 1961 so it was not a classic just an old car…My
Dad thought I was nuts when I paid $300 for it…. In a few months I
installed a slit and blocked exhaust manifold and a cool sounding
set of dual exhausts…then commenced to dispense of every 1949-1950
flat head V-8 Ford I could find!
3.
What was/is your favorite car?
If I
have to choose only one, I guess my all time favorite car is of
course the Corvette, but as far a model of Corvette it would have to
be a 1957 Fuelie, Still love the older model straight axle
cars. I have owned two
Corvettes' in my life a 1965 Coupe, which I had started to restore,
but sold to obtain my first of two Auburn's. Currently Becky and
I own a Yellow 1993 Corvette Roadster and no
Auburn's.
4.
What is your favorite racing memory?
I
have been an avid spectator/armchair racer…attending approx. 30 Indy
500's and countless practice days and Qualification days…growing up
only 60 miles from Indy afforded me an opportunity to attend easily;
sometimes at the expense of “sick days" during high school. Probably
attending the early days of Trans-Am and CAN-AM races at Mid Ohio
and the road races at Meadowdale outside of
Chicago. One memorable one was
watching Jim Hall and Roger Penske drive the Chaparrals to a 1-2
side-by-side finish after the King Cobras blew up at Meadowdale in
1964-65 not sure exactly what year.
5.
Who is the racer you admire or respect the
most?
Really a tough question
here, as I have favorites in all phases of motorsports. I guess the
first and still my favorite has to be Roger Penske; his racing
ability was limited, but his mastering of every phase of Motorsports
as a business plan still amazes me. Mark Donahue as the real first
engineer to win in most areas he participated in, of course with
Penske equipment. The entire Unser Family; a total of 9 Indy 500's
victories, Pikes Peak etc, (if they could only handle snowmobiles
and four runners). Rick
Mears for 4 Indy wins in only 15 starts. Jeff Gordon for driving
sprint cars on dirt to NASCAR Championships before he was 30 years
old. Jimmy Clark,
Jackie Stewart, and now Michael Schumacher…amazing F1 ability! Don Garlits for pioneering
drag racing and raising it to a professional level. Parnelli Jones
for mastering Indy cars, Baja Off-Road racing, Trans-Am, Daytona,
and LeMans. A.J. Foyt for mastering every form of racing machine,
firing his own father as chief wrench, elevating the fine art of
cheating to a new high (hiding a nitrous bottle in his driving
suit). I cannot leave out Steve McQueen, Paul Newman,
and James Garner for their ability to drive and win in amateur races
and for their making the best auto chase and racing movies ever. I
could go on-and-on from here so I will
stop.
6.
How do you rank the following (driver, car, car preparation)?
Well
as I mentioned in the last question when naming my favorite drivers
there is a common thread running through all those names. Equipment
and car preparation are of great importance, without it the
consistency will not be there no matter how good are the drivers'
skills. Example Al Unser Sr. is as accomplished a driver as there is
in the sport, but he suffered in his later years through poor
equipment and only won his 4th Indy when he piloted a
Penske car. On the flip
side you have drivers with great ability when driving well-prepped
cars also Juan Montoya in Ganassi cars and now in F1 with Williams.
Not saying Williams is ill prepared, but sure no match for Ferrari,
and who is? Was
Schumacher a giant star before Ferrari picked him up? Answer is that to be great
you must have all the ingredients, driver, car and preparation…..big
bucks sure help!
7.
What makes you successful?
What
measures success…money, power, living life? I have had the most success,
because of having a wife and family that loves me for whatever I am
or want to do. I am
competitive by nature; this keeps me going. It was once said that
"winning is not the only thing, it is everything". (Vince
Lombardi)
But
wining at all costs may not be worth the effort, so I just enjoy
where I am and remain satisfied to compete either in business or
fun. The joy I find in
Solo racing is fantastic; it is somewhat inexpensive, lets the
competitive juices get churned and you meet some great people in the
process. I started this
pretty late in life but I still want to whip the "flat bellies"
every time I come out.
My success rate here is about 30/70, so I have some work to
do … or maybe I’ll just change classes
again!
