Ferrari 355 and Historic Challenge Races at Road Atlanta

Friday consisted of driver's meetings and practices for both the 355 Challenge Cars and the Historic cars. Practice was interspersed with touring and technical inspections.

On Friday all the Foreign Cars Italia 355s were running well until a noise was heard in Tim Robertson's 355. Was it a broken valve spring? Was it a broken header? First the header was replaced and to no avail the car was still not running as it should. Off came the valve cover and in went the scope and sure enough the first diagnosis was right on. Arrangements were made to use Robert Ball's Italian Sports Car shop at the track for an engine swap after Tim Robertson purchased a new 355 engine from the NART trailer. Some may remember Robert Ball who previously worked for Foreign Cars Italia.

At 6:30 Steve Karapetian started tearing the car down and at 7pm Charlie Snead jumped in and shortly thereafter Greg Dickson "Dr Ferrari" came and 10 hours later at 6:30am they were testing the car on the skid pad. The car ran 2 seconds a lap faster in practice later that morning and Tim Robertson was turning some excellent times. Then during the last practice session on Saturday a slower car was in front of Tim Patterson and he appeared to go off line and the car went off the road. The car was damaged to the point that it could not be repaired over the weekend. It was a gallant effort by Robertson, Dickson, Snead and Karapetian.

On Saturday the first 355 Challenge race saw Chris Cox of Chapel Hill drive an excellent race. The race was led early on by Dr Steve Earl in his beautiful Fly Yellow 355 with the Italian colors striped on the bonnet, roof and boot. At mid race Tom Popadopolus in his white 355 made a brilliant pass and the race later went under caution and then finished with Tom popadopolus in 1st, Dr Steve Earl in 2nd and Matt Drendale of Conover NC driving with Foreign Cars Italia came in 3rd. Popadopoulos finished first with a fast lap of 1:34.123 or 97.914mph . Dr Steve Earl had a fast lap of 1:34.896 at 97.116mph. Tim Robertson of Foreign Cars Italia was undable race because of a shunt in practice. The remaining Foreign Cars Italia Team finished with Matt Drendale in 3rd with a fast lap of 1:34.659 at a speed of 97.359mph, Marvin Jones in 9th with a fast lap of 1:39.141 or a speed of 92.58 mph, and Leo Hindry in 14th with a fast lap of 1:40.512 or a speed of 91.69mph.

Then came the Historic Challenge. I was too far away to get the results but the vantage point was excellent. Before me raced (not paraded) two SWBs, a P3, several 512 BBLMs, a 1935 Gran Prix Alfa Romeo fromScuderia Ferrari, a 1950 166 Vigale bodied cope, a Daytona and in all about 18 vintage Ferraris. In first came Chris Cox in Chapel Hill driving the ex Steve Barney Ferrari 512 BBLM.

On Sunday after practice and quiet time for church came the 12:30 buzzer in the resturant and off go Tom Jackson and several Foreign Cars Italia mechanics in a hurry to ready their drivers cars for the 355 Challenge race. The race began with 25 cars on the grid and at the first corner of the 20 lap race was Dr Steve Earl of Ferrari of Houston closely followed by Tom Popadopoulos of Wide World of Cars and then Matt Drendale of Foreign Cars Italia. Close behind was Chis Cox and Carlos Hank Jr. the dicing was spirited and the cars were in full song. Then half way through the race in turn 1 up the hill Tom Popadopoulos passed Steve Earl. Much passing took place and eventually a lapped car nudged the back of Matt Drendale's left fender and bumber causing the tire to flatten. Drendale lost third and limped back to the pits after a spirited drive.

Standing at the tower hanging on the railing was a 3 year old boy wearing a blue cap, blue shorts and yes a Ferrari shirt. Cheering one of the cars in particular he could be heard above the engines going by. At one point he looked over at a gentleman standing next to his perch and he said "Hey Mista, ya eva drive a race car? I have one, well ma Dad does! Ya he goes fast!" The race finished with Popadopoulos in 1st, Earl in 2nd and Hank Jr of Mexico City driving for Ferrari of Houston in 3rd.

In Sundays Vintage event my favorite cars were the 1950 166 Vigale bodied coupe with more patina and passion then wheat in the state of Kansas, the beautiful and mesmerizing Alfa Romeo Tipo C formerly raced by Nuvolari and Leslie Davies exquisite red SWB. Finishing first was Chirs Cox in a 512 BBLM and second was Ed Davies of Florida in a 512 BBLM.

Then came the one hour endurance race in which Marvin Jones and Leo Hindrey competed under the Foreign Cars Italia Banner. Marvin Jones came in 5th place and Leo Hindrey was undable to finish as a result of an electrical problem.

The next Race is Denver Colorado which is Marvin Jones' and Leo Hindrey's home track!

Scuderia Ferrari at Road Atlanta

This car was a Scuderia Ferrari works car and was raced at Monza, Modena, Brno, Tunis, Monaco (twice), Budapest, Nurburgring (three times), the Coppa Cieno (Livorno, Leghorn), Lucca to mention a few. Sunday morning priorto the Challenge Races and to the Formula One Race broadcast from the Nurburgring on Speedvision, 50013 was was featured in a program dedicated to the competition cars in Enzo Ferrari's life. Peter Giddings who raced the car and Mike his mechanic were very friendly and spoke with us in detail about the restoration, the car's history and the pleasure of driving it at speed.

We were told the car's greatest success was when it was driven by the great Tazio Nuvolari to a miraculous victory at the Coppa Cieno. Nuvolari had retired his Alfa Romeo Tipo C 12C-36 after only 2 laps with a broken transaxele. Nuvolari retired and arrived back in the pits on foot and had Pintacuda in his works 8C-35 (this car) pulled in. By the time Nuvolari got away in this car which did not fit him he was 7 laps behind the rest of the field. Driving in the same spirit possessed by Fangio at the Nurburgring in 1957 he caught his team mates and the rest of the field including the entire Auto Union team and finished with an unbelievable victory.

This car is featured in the Video Racing Red when Nuvolari won the Vanderbilt Cup in New York. Some may remember this is the race were the cup was so big Nuvolari sat in it at the awards presentation.

Other successes of this magnificent Alfa were the Tripoli Grand Prix with Nuvolari in 1st, the Hungarian Grand Prix with Nuvolari in first, Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix with Pintacuda in 1st, and the Vanderbilt Cup with Nuvolari in 1st.

In the autumn of 1936, 50013 was acquired by Swiss privateer, Hans Ruesch, who raced the car at Shelsley Walsh, and then the Donnington GP with a first place and a new lap record with co driver Dick Seaman. The car was also raced at the South Afican Grand Prix taking fastest lap, Chimay with a 1st place, Finland with a first place and a fastest lap of 110.520 kilometers per hour, a first at Bucharest, Monaco, Brooklands, Crystal Palace, 1st at the Sydenham Tropy, 1st at the Bremgarten GP in Switzerland, Milan Italy, the Eifel GP, and 1st at the GP des Frontieres at 130.90 kph.

In April 1938, Ruesch loaned the car to Buddy Feathersonehaugh to run at Crystal Place were the car was rolled. The next owner was Robert Arbuthnot who at Brooklands in the Campbell Trophy set a new class lap record.

After the second world war in 1947 Dennis Poore purchased 50013 and won the first British post war race at 139 kph at Grandsden Lodge and then at Bo'Ness for a new record. Poore set new records at Shelsley Walsh, Prescott, Merston, and came in 2nd at the Brighton Speed Trials and 1st at Ibsley and at Goodwood.

In 1951 50013 Dennis Poore won the British Hilllclimb Championship and three VSCC Seaman Trophies. Poore retired the car in 1955.

After 40 years of in activity the car was purchased by Peter Giddings from the Poore estate and began a lengthy restoration. Today Giddings shares 50013 with enthusiasts from the Pacific to the Atlantic as well as on and off the track. We were certainly fortunate to be among those to see and hear this beautiful Alfa and meet Mike and Peter who are the stewards of this wonderful piece of automobile racing history.

July Event-Jimmy Buffett Rally in Statesville

Corsa Rossa August 11th

We had a slide show consisting of Thor Mirchandani's pictures from competition driving in Sweden and Tom Jones' pictures from Road Atlanta, Lakeland Florida and Rhobling Road Savanah. Photographs were shown of the Pitsburgh Gran Prix by Jim Clarkson and of the club's outing to the 355 Challenge Races at Road Atlanta by Karapetian, Clarkson and O'Brien.

Cars of interest in the parking lot were Burchette's 72 Fiat Spyder, Clarkson's Ferrari 328, Karapetian's Ferrari 308GT4, O'Brien's MGA, Yokley's TR6, Hauser's Healey and Frazier's 3000zx.

Blake Frazier extended an invitation to THE FOURTH ANNUAL Z CAR SHOW October 3rd in downtown Greensboro from 9 to 2pm. For more information call Blake at336 414 2774.

Jack O'Brien announced the Classic Motor Cycle Show at Keply's Barn Sunday September 13th in High point starting at 8am. For more information call Fred Cecil at 336 882 0926.

In September Blake is putting together a trip to the Beech Mountain Hillclimb for September 19th and 20th. If you are interested Blake Frazier is heading this up. For more information call Blake at 336 854 0391.

The Alfa Extravaganza is set for the weekend of September 19th. We are looking for someone to lead a caravan to the event. John Hauser, Cliff Hudgins and Jack O'Brien will not be able to do so since they are officers in the Triad Austin Healey Club which is hosting a regional event and rally at Little Switzerland.

Our October events will include the Corsa Rossa European Car Show October 17th with the rally at 4pm and dinner at 6:30pm and the Mountain Run from Balsam Mountain Inn October 2nd and 3rd and 4th. We will spend Friday and Saturday night at the 100 year old Inn with its beadboard walls, wood floors, hundred foot high porches and grand fire places. We will drive the mountain ridges off 276 South of Waynesville Saturday visiting beautiful waterfalls all the way to Brevard and then back. Sunday we will drive 276 north through the narrow twisting roads following the river north from Waynesville to Historic hot springs. Already registered at the Inn for the weekend are John Hauser and Carol Loree, Steve Karapetian and Miriam Bonds and Jim and Dorothy Clarkson. We have two Ferraris and a Healey. We need some Fiats and Alfa Romeos and MGs. If you are interested call Steve Karapetian at 336 766 1785. To make reservations at the Inn call 704 456 9498.