Richard,

Nice pictures, I like seeing how people and appearances have changed over the years. As far as tracking down your old car, if you still now the VIN, you might have some luck finding where it is now.

 

Duettos in race prep looked very cool.

 

Richard STILL has a winning smile!

 

Richard, I was only 7 or 8 when those pictures were taken, but I remember racing at College Station about that time. My Dad raced a G-Production Giulietta there around '73-'75. I remember watching Joe race a Showroom Stock B Alfetta in the mid-70's as well. If I recall correctly, he raced competitively well into his 70's.

Erik

 

Very old Texas Racers

I remember racing at College Station about that time. My Dad raced a G-Production Giulietta there around '73-'75. I remember watching Joe race a Showroom Stock B Alfetta in the mid-70's as well. If I recall correctly, he raced competitively well into his 70's.

There are a few more pics that Danyl is working on, one is of a Gold or Yellowish Giulietta that again I can`t recall the owner, but he loaned me rain tires & rims for a wet race before I had rain tires.
Here are a few more, a good one of Joe & wife in our paddoc, the first ex-wife, and the young carmugeon. That`s Joe`s # 35 DP Alfa 1750 Spider in the background of the 2nd pic.
Some of these I hate to post

 

There are a few more pics that Danyl is working on, one is of a Gold or Yellowish Giulietta that again I can`t recall the owner, but he loaned me rain tires & rims for a wet race before I had rain tires.
:

Richard, if the gold Giulietta was #57, it was probably my Dad's. I'm pretty sure this one is from Ponca City, OK.


Erik

 

Old Pics

Corvairs sure get no respect!
I will nudge Dan to convert some more of the pics inc. the Giulietta. There are pics from Ponca , Dallas, Memphis, Lake Charles, Rd. Atlanta, Sebring, Lakeland, Daytona, that Beth has not "parceled out" as of yet. It had taken 32 years to begin to get any of these so I`m being nice. Do you understand how hard that is. For Me
Actually she is a true sweetheart

 

Fantastic old pics. Keep em coming.

 

LOVE the pics. Keep on bringing! I was barely a couple of years old, but there's something about the 70's that makes me wish I was my parents age back then. Those were the good ol' days

 

Early Texas In the Rain

In the Rain in 1971 or so, and again during the San Jacinto Region`s National Race in 1972 that I won on someone else`s rain( mud) tires at College Station .

 

In the Rain in 1971 or so, and again during the San Jacinto Region`s National Race in 1972 that I won on someone else`s rain( mud) tires at College Station .

Wow! this is cool.. too old but still very alive to see... haven't seen the race though!

 

All predate me. I raced at TWS in 1983, 84, 85. Formula Vee. I am trying to remember some of the Alfa guys from then. Bob Fernald from Austin was around then but I don't know anything about the 70's or if he was around then.

 

Thanks for posting these pics. They're inspirational to me as I'm having built a Duetto racer from the ground up.

Did you ever think that old race car of yours would ever be such a rarity in the future? You hardly ever see Duetto racecars.

So how does a Duetto fare against a similarly prepped GTV? Is the Duetto's shorter wheelbase a liability?

 

Nader, I think you were addressing your question to Richard. But since I race a GTV against Duettos, I'll take a crack at it! Theoretically, you could argue that a spider should be faster because it has less frontal area, and perhaps a lower center of gravity. But my experience is that similiarly prepared cars are VERY similar in performance. Mike Besic raced his 1750 GTV for years before I bought it. He then switched to a 1750 round tail. His performance (which is impressive), wasn't much different than it had been before.

One thing to check with your local organization is what weight each would need to race at. A spider prepared to D-Prod may be allowed to weigh significantly less than a GTV prepared to B-Sedan.

Erik

 

Duettos back in the day,

They were rarely seen as race cars. Particularly in the South, and SouthWest Region where I was racing. I started racing with this Duetto (it followed a Giulia Spider) when it came to me from California in 1968 as a "Red October". Some catfish has driven it into a lake and submerged it completely. It was in perfect condition otherwise, and it took about 2 days of work with friends at a fire station with a low pressure hose to flush everything, Yes, everything, and had it running perfectly within a day. Best $500.00 ever spent on an Alfa. I drove it for a few months and decided it was going to be the race car!
About 1974 I built another DP 1750 Duetto (green) with wide steel fenders as tire rules had changed allowing 7 inch and cantilever tires. I think Danyl has a pic or two of the green car. I built the body for it as a street car before it became a race car as the EP car was still very good. It (the DP Duetto) was sold as I had enough on my plate.The EP Duetto got the fenders streched a bit as well. The pic below is at Rd America at Elkart Lake about 1975 with the streched fenders.

I just found the 2nd pic. If anyone can accurately identify where this pic was taken I`ll give you a cam of your choice!

 

Richard, for a cam, I'll take a wild guess! Lake Charles, Louisiana. How many more tries do I get?

Erik

 

I'll give it a shot. In the background is THAT CORVAIR again. Silver this time. Try for the same track with the white Corvair tow car. Ah... pine trees too.

 

Track guess....

Richard, for a cam, I'll take a wild guess! Lake Charles, Louisiana. How many more tries do I get?

Eric:
Lets say 10 No multiple shots! need justification for your choice!
The highest elevation at Lake Charles was two Hay Bales on top of each other not counting the Tower!
But I`m really safe! Keep looking at the elevation though. Pine trees. It will through you off

I'll give it a shot. In the background is THAT CORVAIR again. Silver this time. Try for the same track with the white Corvair tow car. Ah... pine trees too.

Gordon:
what do you need a cam for? you have a bunch that I made
You just collect stuff, you don`t drive them The nice Ferrari and Alfa are all gummed up from sitting.
Anyhow: Wrong and you didn`t name the track anyway!

 

I like camz. I send 'um to the CAMMASTER and he grinds 'um up. Sorta like sharpening pencils. Do we get multiple guesses? You didn't answer. There used to be some pine trees at Road America. I tried to drive into them once.

 

There used to be some pine trees at Road America.

OK, that`s 3 wrong Answers

 

Old Racers (and engine builders.)

I get 10? Humm.... Elevation... Rocks..... Pine trees..... Corvair..... Gremlin...... In the south..... Dirt not red like Atlanta... Wait a minute, Florida's flat. That leaves maybe Dallas or Memphis.... Too hot in Dallas for how everyones dressed. How about Memphis?

Ok, now where was I in that gummed up Ferrari when I won this one?
You get a giant box of plastic peanuts if you can guess.
Hint: This was when my wife banned me from this activity.

 

Hmmmm...

OK. My turn...
The number.... on your car..# 65.
Let me guess. The maximum speed you were allowed to drive it by either: your insurance agent (1) or your wife(2)
I think I am going with 12.
Rj

 

No no! My race # was 64. Always had # 64. But that day someone else was assigned 64. Since the car was a 65. I chose that. Same as my IQ.
But ... wait? Did I win? Memphis, right?

 

We Have Real Friends On The Bb

I hope Eric doesn`t mind that I assembled this from our PM`s but it just shows what is out there Now if I can copy that picture of her butt, maybe I can twist a few more of mine/ours from her!

Originally Posted by Alfar7
Eric,
Do you know when the picture was taken of your dad`s car & you guy`s on the Corvair in that post on 1-21??
My last race there was in `74 so I wouldn`t have been there later.
But I keep seeing that girl in shorts, and if that isn`t Beth`s (Dash One) butt I`m loosing it !

Originally Posted by genericwood
Richard, the gold car burned in a house fire in the Fall of '76, so it had to have been before that. I'm not sure if Dad raced that year, so most likely it was '75 or before. Based on my size in the picture, it was probably '74 or '75. In the summer of '74, I would have just turned 9. I was a really big kid, but I'm guessing I couldn't have been younger than 9 in that picture.

If you look closely, the girl in the shorts is walking next to a dark-haired guy in jeans. Might be you? You can pull the pic off of Curtis' web site and blow it up for a better look. ThisCrazyGarage.com

I'm still thinking about your mystery track picture. Not sure which tracks you travelled to. Doesn't appear to be an airport course. Looks more like a park. Maybe Lake Afton or Lake Garnett. Don't think it could be Wentzville. As you can tell, the tracks I remember are all in the midwest.

Erik

QUOTE=genericwood]Cool! I wish my Dad was still around to enjoy the memories. The world is very small. A few years ago, I contacted Tom Turner to inquire about a race car he had for sale. In the conversation, he mentioned that he had lived in Kansas when he began racing. We later realized that he had helped my Dad pull an engine under a tree limb at Ponca City after a broken rod had holed the block! It might have been the same weekend that the picture was taken!

Erik

"Is this the "Don`t Call Me Dickie" Tom Turner who`s discription of his parked car at Roebling was an "Electrical Problem" because the #4 rod took off the starter?
RJ"

The very same. In the case of my Dad's car at Ponca, we didn't have a spare engine. But we did have a spare rod. So the motor was pulled, and a Coke can was sacrificed to cover the hole. It was pop riveted and epoxied, and car was raced the next day! You could still read "Coca Co" on the side of the block.

By the way, I was in Wentzville a couple months ago for one of my son's football games. MAR is now a big subdivision. Not sure if you have seen the book "ghost tracks". But you might enjoy it. It was written by the SCCA historian and includes write-ups on a bunch of the old tracks that no longer exist.

Erik

Originally Posted by Alfar7
The world is too small!, It was Ponca City, in `72, and although I`m cut off, it appears to be me & Beth walking past your dad`s Alfa, and it was his wheels & rain tires I was on in the pic in the muddy car race in the college Sta. Pic! First National win for me in the wet.
Wow!

But what is more important, is that the pics unlock a wealth of seamingly lost information and memories since the accident in 2003. Like a back entrance into a warehouse!
I had totally no recollection of racing at MAR until you mentioned Wentzville.
Thanks
Richard

Cool! I wish my Dad was still around to enjoy the memories. The world is very small. A few years ago, I contacted Tom Turner to inquire about a race car he had for sale. In the conversation, he mentioned that he had lived in Kansas when he began racing. We later realized that he had helped my Dad pull an engine under a tree limb at Ponca City after a broken rod had holed the block! It might have been the same weekend that the picture was taken!

Erik

 

I hope Eric doesn`t mind that I assembled this from our PM`s but it just shows what is out there Now if I can copy that picture of her butt, maybe I can twist a few more of mine/ours from her!Richard

I don't mind, Richard. I don't know Beth, but I'm guessing she might not mind having the world see her butt from 35 years ago. Now, if you had a more current picture, you might be able to get all your pictures released!

Erik

 

Well Richard if no one's guessed it yet, is it Hallett?

 

Okay, Richard. Here's my final guess on the track. I had to use some image restoration software to see it. But the VW Bug in the background has Polk County, Florida plates. So I'm going to guess this was from the early 70's at the Lakeland track. Supporting evidence is the sandy soil and berms in the background. The pines are a distraction, I will admit.

Erik

 

What? A Winner? No Way??

Okay, Richard. Here's my final guess on the track. I had to use some image restoration software to see it. But the VW Bug in the background has Polk County, Florida plates. So I'm going to guess this was from the early 70's at the Lakeland track. Supporting evidence is the sandy soil and berms in the background. The pines are a distraction, I will admit.

What
Technology
I couldn`t see that!!!
Ahhhh Man, I just new I had this one covered.

The "Sandy Soil" is an understatement
The Track was a combination of an oval and Drag Strip. And there was always plenty of sand, particularly in the braking zone for the oval. I Changed bearings in a service station that loaned me their lift overnight (places were friendly to racers in little Florida towns back then). Even the Fla. State Troopers were nice to us back then
Well, anyway I`m glad you won! I have several here. If they are not something that is exactly what you need, Just send a core to Debbie Jemison
at WebCam and we will make what ever blows up your skirt.

 

What
Technology
I couldn`t see that!!!
Ahhhh Man, I just new I had this one covered.

Got ya, Richard There was no technology involved. I just looked at the exact same picture on your web site. It was labeled as Lakeland, Florida! HA! Since I cheated, I can't accept the prize. However, some time, I do need to speak with you about trying some new cams for my race engine.

By the way, I know Florida plates list the county now. But did they even have the county listed on them in the early 70's?

Erik