Pg. 24 VARA - Victory Lane

VARA/SVRA
High Desert Challenge
Willow Springs International Raceway, California
#37 Tom Neely, 1970 Datsun 510;
#53 Rob Bellevue, 1970 BMW
2002; #84 Antonio Covelli, 1966
Alfa Giulia.
24
May 2016
• Victory Lane
#48 Ken Rodenbush, 1964 Volvo 1800S; #54 Bill Manofsky, 1991 Mazda Miata; #76 Eric Inkrott, 1975
Fox FV.
March 19-20, 2016
The High Desert Challenge, jointly as opposed to the slower and more technical
hosted this year by the Vintage Auto Racing “Streets of Willow” track which is adjacent)
Association (VARA) and the Sportscar Vintage has as a backdrop several imposing, desertI climb out of the car and step into in the Racing Association (SVRA),
mid-morning sun. It’s my first time in the took place under seasonal warm
paddock since late last season, and just then but pleasant temperatures. The
it hits me - the smell of high-test gas, brake event, which was held over
dust and Castrol racing oil - Fantastic! Isn’t the Saturday and the Sunday,
this what we’re all here for, those visceral had a substantial turnout with
sensations? The smells and the sights of 138 entries in six race groups
racing cars doing what they were designed ranging from Formula Vee to
and built to do?
Indy cars and F5000s, with
everything from
an MG Midget to
Cobras of various
permutations along
the way.
As the name of
the race weekend #8 Bob Hatle, 1984 Ford Swift DB-1;
implies, Willow #16 Todd Strong, 1975 Titan Mk 9.
Springs Raceway
is located in the high desert a bit scrub-dotted peaks which, along with that fast
over an hour from the Los Angeles downhill back-straight and the oh-so-tricky
Basin. Even if you’ve never been Turn 9, make this track instantly recognizable.
here, you’ve seen this historic
In addition to the events typical of most
(built in 1953) track many times – vintage race weekends (practice and qualifying
if not in scores of car commercials, races on Saturday, then practice and flag races
then in television shows and on Sunday, each 20 to 30 minutes in length),
movies. The entertainment the High Desert Challenge featured a 2-hour
industry loves this track because enduro event late on Saturday afternoon. Open
it’s a relatively easy drive from the to all race entrants, 17 cars and drivers started
#11 Wayne Blasman, 1970 BMW;
studios and production companies. the event and 15 finished. Although much
#84 Antonio Covelli, 1966 Alfa Giulia.
The 2.5-mile track (“Big Willow” of the field consisted of small sports coupes
– story and photos by Mike Greene
www.victorylane.com
Victory Lane
• May 2016
25
#6 Eric Inkrott, 1978 Crossle 35F; #291 Kim Madrid, 1978 Ford Crossle
(a la the Datsun 510s and the BMW 2002s),
there were a few outliers, including a Datsun
Wagon, a 1994 Toyota WSR, a 1981 911SC,
and two Mazda MX-5 Miatas. The rules of
the enduro dictated at least one mandatory
stop and driver change (thus, each of the
teams had two drivers) lasting a minimum of
10-minutes - the thinking on the part of the
race organizers being the relatively long stop
would prevent hurried, potentially dangerous
shortcuts with things like re-fueling or other
mechanical tweaks to the cars. It still made
for excitement down at pit-lane exit, with
the timing staff counting down the seconds
until the cars and drivers were able to return
to the track.
The relatively languorous duration of
the race gave me the opportunity to speak
ENDURO
PL CL DRIVER/CAR
1 CR Nelson/Prost 1:38.253
1 CP McDavid/Wilkins 1:37.876
1 BSL Blasko/Blasman 1:41.470
1 GTU Neel/Gzitsouis 1:40.681
1 BS Eglin/Shuman 1:42.123
#24 Marc Rauchfuss,
1974 Lola T332
2 CR Major/Mzijor/Fibrow
2 BS Wass/Hughes
1 DP Randall Stark 1:45.245
1 WSR Deneen/Michie 1:38.439
1 GTL Villata/Tinsley 1:40.855
1 BSL1 Youdeen/Evan 1:52.188
2 GTU R.Villata/Dunnigan
3 CR Wycoff/Petersen
1 AP V. Dean 1:48.523
4 CR Drouin/Davis
GROUP 1
PL CL DRIVER/CAR
1 EP D. Isaac/1973 MGB 1:40.120
1 CSR T. Farrington/1963 Elva Mk IV
1:40.665
1 BSLX K. Blasman/1970 BMW
1:40.410
2 EP G. Monise/1968 MGB
1 RSR H. Koenig/1987 Renault 1:40.881
1 FV2 E. Inkrott/1975 Fox FV 1:40.753
1 DSR K. Marouf/1960 Seiler
Quicksilver 1:37.537
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May 2016
for a few minutes with the drivers either
waiting to climb into their cars or having
just completed their
stint. All expressed
to me the importance
of keeping in mind
the true spirit of
vintage racing – that
it’s truly not about
the winning, but
about the comradery
among the racers and
the shared passion
for the cars and the #121 Peter Giacobbi, 1959 Ferrari Testa Rossa.
sport. I was able to
witness this in action as one of the race teams 510 of Eglin/Shuman, of Phoenix, AZ. It was,
scrambled mid-race for a replacement fastener for many including myself, a good way to
in the engine bay. Word went out up and down start the season.
1 DP K. Rodenbush/1964 Volvo 1800S
1:42.700
3 EP D. Schwartz/1958 Turner 950S
4 EP S. Belfer/1962 Triumph TR3B
1 DPX P. Giacobbi/1959 Ferrari Testa
Rossa 1:43.806
1 GT3 C. Weleff/1999 Toyto Celica
1:40.397
2 DP S. Smith/1969 Triumph GT6
3 DP G. Gomez/1971 Porsche 914
4 DP F. Daley/1964 Triumph TR4
1 CS D. Racine/1960 Mini Cooper
1:45.159
5 DP R. Stark/1974 MGB
6 DP D. Wallace/1964 Triumph Spitfire
7 DP B. Pierce/1968 Alfa Duetto
1 CS1 M. Leven/1967 Mini Cooper
1:44.942
8 DP D. Langdoc/1977 Blakely Bantam
9 DP M. Breuner/1967 Triumph TR4A
2 DPX F. Trueman/1967 Porsche 911S
5 EP J. Beck/1969 MG Midget
1 FP M. Klein/1964 Triumph Spitfire
1:48.258
#46 Sean Neel,
1981 Porsche 911 SC.
2 FP K. Ayers/1963 Triumph Spitfire
6 EP G. Raymond/1976 Porsche 914
1 CR2 B. Manofsky/1991 Mazda Miata
1:51.327
3 FP J. Davis/1963 Triumph Spitfire
• Victory Lane
the pits, and one of the other teams rushed
back to his trailer to provide the missing part.
Smiles all-around !
At the end of the day (literally) after nearly
2 hours, it was the 1990 Mazda Miata of
Nelson/Prost (which started in 3rd place but
leapt to first place in the first lap and never
looked back. Such a sizable gap had they
opened that just before pulling in for their
mid-race driver change, they had lapped the
entire field! Coming in 2nd place was the
#77 car, a 1970 Datsun 240Z of McDavid/
Wilkins, which finished one lap down, having
completed 62 laps. Following was the 1969
BMW 2002 driven by the team of Blasko/
Blasman, then that Porsche 911 SC driven by
Neel/Gzitsouis. In fifth place, the 1972 Datsun
1 FV1 R. Rinck/1969 VW Caldwell D13
1:52.349
1 FV K. Beck/1967 Bandido 1:54.718
7 EP R. Varner/1964 MGB
4 FP R. Barnett/1963 Triumph
2 FV D. Readinger/1965 FV
5 FP K. Marouf/1951 MG TD
6 FP R. Grabowski/1962 Triumph Spitfire
1 Historic D. Klink/1951 Allard K-2
2:01.670
7 FP C. Novia/1981 Mazda RX7
1 EP1 J. Calabro/Jaguar XK 150
#64 Kenneth Davis,
1963 Ford Ranchero.
8 EP P. Konkle/1962 MGB
10 DP M. Dunst/1966 Triumph TR4A
11 DP P. Smock/1966 Triumph TR4A
9 EP T. O’Brien/1967 MG Midget
GROUP 2 .
PL CL DRIVER/CAR .
1 BS W. Graham/1973 Mazda R X-3,
1200 1:35.211
2 BS S. Link/Dastun 510
3 BS T. Neely/1970 Datsun 510
1 BSL R. Bellevue/1970 BMW 2002
1:38.060
4 BS V. Torres/1972 Datsun 510
2 BSL K. Blasko/1969 BMW2002
5 BS D. Wyckoff/BMW 2002
3 BSL K. Lippiatt/1970 BMW 2002
4 BSL K. Blasman/1970 BMW
5 BSL W. Blasman/1970 BMW
6 BS M. Francis/1972 BMW 2002
7 BS A. Covelli/1966 Alfa Giulia
6 BSL J. Ireland/1970 BMW 2002
8 BS L. Hasseler/1969 Datsun 510
7 BSL N. Talbot/1972 BMW 2002
1 CS R. Davis/1963 Mini Cooper
1:43.368
1 GTL R.G.. Fisher/1969 Datsun PL- 510
1:41.442
9 BS T. Leeming/1973 Alfa Romeo GTV
10 BS B. Wass/1967 Alfa Romeo GTV
1 BSL1 J. Samson/1969 Alfa Romeo
GTV 1:50.349
11 BS J. Migliaccio/1967 Alfa
2 BSL1 G. Youdeem/1972 BMW 2002
12 BS S. Crooke/1965 Alfa Romeo GTV
2 GTL G. Murph/1970 Opel GT Coupe
13 BS T. Ermish/1971 Datsun 510
14 BS M. Kinna/1972 BMW 2002
#85 Bob Wass,
1967 Alfa Romeo GTV.
GROUP 3 .
PL CL DRIVER/CAR .
1 FFN J. Reichert/1998 Swift DB6 FF
1:28.348
1 CF S. Paterson/1979 Ford Formula
1:29.320
2 FFN E. Little/1986 Swift DB-1
3 FFN R. Grabinski/1986 Swift DB-1
2 CF K. Marshall/1978 Lola 440
#83 Vincent Dean, 1965 Shelby Cobra; #187 Keith
Kuchler, 1974 Porsche 911.
1 EFF T. Strong/1975 Titan Mk9
1:32.854
3 CF K. Madrid/1978 Ford Crossle
2 EFF E. Inkrott/1978 Crossle 35F
3 EFF B. Hatle/1984 Ford Swift DB-1
4 CF P. Stratford/1977 Crossle
5 CF N. Hunziker/Crossle
4 EFF B. Gann/1975 LolaT342
1 FF R. Jones/1969 Winkelmann WDF1
1:37.256
2 FF R. Chalmers/1970 Merlyn MK20
3 FF T. Sabo/1969 Caldwell D9
4 FFN M. Stratford/1999 Swift DB1
5 FFN B. Smrz/Swift DB6
4 FF J. Fuhring/1983 Crossle 55F
GROUP 4 .
PL CL DRIVER/CAR .
1 SSB P. Reyns/1971 Lola T212 1:29.009
1 GTU J. Wilkins/1971 Datsun 240Z
1:32.423
1 GTO M. Gerace/1970 Porsche 911E
1:33.517
1 WSR P. Deneen/1994 Toyota WSR
1:37.199
1 CR G. Nelson/1990 Mazda Miata
1:37.429
2 GTU S. Neel/1981 Porsche 911 SC
2 CR M. Sasko/2006 Ford Mustang GT
1 CP J. McDavid/1970 Datsun 240z
1:44.172
3 GTU T. Gatsoulis/9185 Porsche 911
2 CP T. Stahler/1992 Porsche 968
4 GTU R. Villata/1971 Ford Capri
1 CP1 C. Trueman/1967 Porsche 911S
1:47.979
#130 Rod Davis,
1963 Mini Cooper.
2 CP1 A. Waterhouse/1958 Jaguar
XK150
3 CP S. Chuck/1972 Datsun 240Z
1 APX D. Lawrence/1977 Chevrolet
IROC 1:51.960
3 CR S. Drouin/Mazda Miata
1 S2 M. Brannon/2001 Van Diemen
1:37.408
GROUP 5 .
PL CL DRIVER/CAR .
1 AP A.C. D’Augustine/1965 AC Cobra
1:31.487
2 AP V. Dean/1965 Shelby Cobra
3 AP R. Wall/1965 Ford Cobra
www.victorylane.com
1 APM S. Shody/1965 Cobra 289 FIA
1:34.142
1 BPGT B. Long/1965 Corvette 1:33.903
1 Nascar D. Isaac/1993 Chevy Lumina
1:35.077
1 BP T. Diaz/1965 Ford Mustang GT 350
1:35.384
1 BPX K. Marouf/1990 Marcos 1:35.483
2 Nascar S. Nelson/2000 Coleman
2 BP C. Skeels/1965 Mustang 289
3 BP K. Kluth/1963 Corvette
2 BPGT D. Fitz/1967 Corvette
1 IMSA J. Longwell/1975 Chevrolet
Monza 1:38.149
#61 Donald Racine,
1960 Mini Cooper.
4 BP M. Kelley/1965 Ford Mustang
GT
1 GTO M. Brandhoff/1965 FFR Daytona
Coupe 1:40.370
2 BPX P. Pendleton/1966 Ford Mustang
GT
5 BP B. Kelley/1966 Ford Mustang GT
2 GTO G. Lemke/2006 Factory Five
Challenge
6 BP B. Countryman/1966 Ford Shelby
GT 350
1 AS J. Spencer/1968 Camaro Z28
1:44.864
GROUP 6 .
PL CL DRIVER/CAR .
1 Indy J. Webb/1986 March 1:18.774
1 FA P. Reyns/Chevron B27 1:21.175
2 FA E. Swart/1971 Chevron B19,
3 FA M. Vanderhurst/1972 March 722
1 FSV3 P. Lisec/1985 Ralt RT/5 1:25.157
1 ASR M. Vellone/1980 March Mazda
1:26.654
1 F5000 M. Rauchfuss/1974 Lola T332
1:27.590
2 F5000 R. Olney/1975 Lola T400
1 S2 M. Macduff/1989 Swift DB2
1:31.770
1 CS2 R. Bragg-Smith/Lola 492 1:32.058
2 FSV3 R. Southern/1985 Ralt RT5
1 SSB J. Kuhns/2008 Zephyrus Mk IV
1:28.498
1 FSV1 B. Barham/1971 Lola T250
1:39.945
2 CS2 M. Denering/Lola T492
1 FC N. Coe/Swift DB3 1:35.157
Victory Lane
• May 2016
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