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Post by OT on Mar 25, 2002 21:08:37 GMT -5
Just read a news article which reminded me of a what I thought was a humorous situation many (many) years ago at Warwick Farm - Sydney.
I had been spending the morning practice session in the pits on a local race weekend, when these two brothers, who for the first time (and I think the last time) were competing in the same category - "Sports Cars" (from memory I think they were both in Lotus 23's), came back into the pits after the end of the session and brother A had a bent front right guard and brother B had a bent left rear guard. They stopped their cars in their allocated spots in the paddock and brother A jumps of his car and shouts at brother B "What the f#ck did you do that for?!?"
Apparently brother B had chopped brother A off in one of the corners in the circuit and had caused the damage to the two cars but had managed to keep going. After a heated "debate" they settled down to rectifyiing the problem with the old gaffa tape and things seemed all better.
On race day, I was down at my usual flag post and during the race for these sports cars, brother A came out of the corner and proceeded to chop brother B off. The result was that brother B had a bent front right guard and spun off the circuit and couldn't get going again and brother A continued with a bent left rear guard. The very next lap, brother A comes into the corner before my flag point and the car dies with an electrical problem. We jump over the fence to push the car back thru the gap in the armco and brother B gives us a hand - the more hands the merrier. Well, as soon as we get the car stowed away, brother B just about rips brother A's helmet off and screams "What the f#ck did you do that for?!?"
I burst out laughing, and had to explain that I had seen both brothers asking each other exactly the same question on different days at different parts of the track because they had done exactly the same damage to each other on those different occasions. Hilarious!
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Post by King_Aj05 on Mar 25, 2002 22:43:07 GMT -5
thanks OT, enjoyed it!
feel free to add more!
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Post by OT on Mar 26, 2002 3:55:26 GMT -5
Don't know if I've done this one before or not - but anyway -
On another occasion - (motor racing used to be fun in the old days) - in the pits at Warwick Farm, there was this guy (a competitor - can't remember his name - but Herb will do) that would come barging into the pits on practice morning and always hog the best spot for his site in the paddock and would procede to take up more space than he was entightled to. For some reason, I've got in my mind that he used to drive a Mini but from memory, I'm pretty sure it was an EH Holden (an Aussie tintop) on this occasion. He was fastidious about his setup and everything was neat and proper and in it's right place under his perfectly setup (overly large) tent. And he would then sit very smugly in his perfectly setup chair and table and let all the passers-by think he was just terrific.
A few of the other competitors decided to teach him a lesson. One guy snuck in under his car and tied a rope to - it must have been his diff housing and the other end to the far corner of his tent. A few of the other guys had, several minutes before motored off to the scrutineering area and parked their cars just on the other side of the srutineering bay as would be the normal practice as to where they would park after the cars had been checked over.
Anyhow - the scene had been set - One of the other competitors came running up to Herb, pointing at scrutineering and shouted "Jeez Herb scrutineering's just about closed - get your arse over there quick!"
Herb takes a quick look at his watch - not registering that it wasn't the right time for scrutineering - panics and jumps in his car, fires it up and burns the grass with wheelspin getting the car moving. Traction finally sets in and once he has got momentum, the rope goes taut and pulls his whole tent inside out and drags all his belongings about 50 yards before he realises what has happened. Needless to say, the air went blue with the language that followed. I think they probably heard that little discourse in the township over a mile away.
Funny thing is, it didn't stop him from always trying to muscle his way into the prime spot.
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Post by Henrik on Mar 26, 2002 6:32:45 GMT -5
OT,
Thanks for the stories! Keep 'em coming :Bounce:
From how you describe it though, I think a similar atmosphere can still be found at club races.
I was at Sebring two years ago with a friend who races a Formula Atlantic. His dad was competing in the club race over the weekend. Now Sebring might be a famous name, but the paddock area really is a far cry from what can be seen at modern F1 circuits. The people all had their little tents set up, some had nice trailers etc, but it was really a barbeque and beer atmosphere (although beer was only permitted after 18:00).
There were all kinds of cars there, ranging from the above mentioned Formula Atlantic to a Saab 92 (two stroke).
Above all, it was FUN to be there. Really enjoyed that, and look forward to doing it again sometime.
Henrik
P.S. My friends dad won his race.
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Post by ozcar on Mar 26, 2002 9:11:21 GMT -5
HAHAHAHAHA!!!! :Bounce: :Bounce: :Bounce: that is seriously funny OT - some really classic stuff. ;D having heard from the likes of a few of you guys (most notably all in this thread) it appears some classic days of racing also provided a much more intimate spectator experience. i guess to the point of full interaction. i imagine you have gotten similarly close to the action at other forms of racing including the f1's. unfortunately that is a distant thing of the past and today one feels priviledged to experience such involvement. 8) i just wondered if it now feels that way - considering amongst others the things which these sports have lost... cheers
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Post by greg99 on Mar 26, 2002 9:23:41 GMT -5
Ozcar, Allow me to confirm that this is definitely NOT the feeling in an F1 paddock - everything is regulated to the millimeter, on the ground and now in height. Being in an F1 paddock - if you are that lucky to get in - feels like being in an operating room: very sterile and please do not touch anything, avoid looking if you can (that's about the size of it). CART still has that family atmsophere and friendliness although it won't take long until they regulate everything. Paddocks in other WC such as SBK, MotoGP, etc.. and I'm sure the lesser series, are still a great place to be. Don't despair!
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Post by glendo on Mar 26, 2002 13:18:04 GMT -5
purely and simply....
LMAO!
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Post by RacerX on Mar 26, 2002 14:47:16 GMT -5
ROFLMAO....
Thanks ALL! We must have MORE! I tried starting a "Story" thread on another area of this forum, and it kind of went missing. I love reading this stuff! If anyone has anything to add, please follow suit!
Great stuff, thanks again...
RacerX
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Post by OT on Mar 27, 2002 5:20:33 GMT -5
Catalina Park Raceway - Katoomba - NSW - Aus.
A friend and I were all packed up on a Friday night ready to leave early Saturday morning to get to Sydney where we caught a train to Katoomba. I was, from memory, around 14 at the time and we were carrying a tent, food, cooking utensils and clothes for four days, even though we were only going for two days as the weather in the mountains can be changeable (sometimes the sun would come out).
After hiking from the train station to the circuit (it wasn't that bad, it was reasonably close), we set about finding a reasonable area in the camping grounds to pitch our tent. Just as well we brought extra clothing - it was raining. After making a sterling job of battening down the hatches and making everything secure, we set off to the circuit and settled in for the days practice sessions.
The circuit was pretty crude really - it was shaped like a fattened out letter "Y", but it produced some prety tight and interesting competition. It was in the early days when guys like Ian Geoghegan, Norm Beechey and Bob Jane had just imported their Ford Mustangs from the States and they were HOT! Up against these guys we had the Mini Cooper S's of Peter Manton, Brian Foley and Johnny Harvey and co. Real David and Goliath stuff. But this little circuit obviously suited the Minis. But the standout for me was Jim McKewon in a Lotus Cortina.
I just loved seeing that Lotus Cortina being driven on three wheels. I swear that the front wheel used to get about 18 inches off the ground being pushed through the corners. Just like Jim Clark used to do it.
At the end of the day, my mate and I wandered back to our tent absolutely soaked and realised that we hadn't collected any dry wood. So we scurrled around and eventually got a fire going, cooked our meal, changed into some dry clothes and bedded down for the night. The next morning brought a real pea-soup'r of a fog. It was as thick as... well, I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. We managed to get a fire going, cooked our breakfast, battened down the hatches and headed off to the circuit. As we had camped at the circuit, we were there hours before any of the other crowd and we spent that time wandering through the "pits" waking up the mechanics that had slept with the cars and talking with the drivers as they arrived.
Race day came and went, with many great photos, autographs and memories of some really torid competition. One of the Mustangs (Bob Jane - I think) climbed the bank on the outside of the circuit and rolled back down onto the track. Safety was courtesy of timber fences in those days!
Anyway, to cut a long story short, at the end of race day, we wandered back to our tent, packed everything up and headed back to the train to get us back to Sydney. The whole point I am trying to make here is that: here were a couple of 14 year old kids away on a camping weekend, under our own steam, at a race circuit doing what we loved. If it were today - 35 years later - IF we had got to the circuit without being mugged, we probably would have come back form practice on the first day to find our tent and our belongings, gone. Life was so simple in those days.
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Post by RacerX on Mar 27, 2002 13:21:31 GMT -5
Hey Aj...I have to crown OT of strories....hope you don't mind! OT, another great story! Thanks, and please keep'em coming. I know you can't write one everyday, but I assure you I'll be checking everyday to see if you've posted another one! Too freaking cool...every point: waking the mechanics that slept on the cars, the hiking, the tent...all of it sounded OUTSTANDING!!! Must be a hell of a memory! Thanks for sharing... Later, RacerX
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Post by RacerX on Apr 15, 2002 14:20:02 GMT -5
Well, I feel it's time for another story! LOL I don't know about therest of you, but I really do enjoy reading about other's experiences at F1 races....or any race for that matter! So, I thought I'd pop this guy up to the top for another shot! Hey greg99, I hear you have PLENTY of wonderful stories....mind sharing? ;D I look forward to reading more! (You too OT!!!) Thanks all, RacerXP.S. Is the offer of a cold beer incentive enought to get you to share? ;-)
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Post by greg99 on Apr 16, 2002 8:19:48 GMT -5
Yep got a few stories alright
But I don't drink beer dear RacerX.....
...I'm sure you can do better than that... ;D
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Post by RacerX on Apr 16, 2002 12:50:35 GMT -5
Wuff.... Er, uhm.....H'mm.....well, how about.....uhhhhh......OK, I got it....how about a......no, no that wouldn't work...H'mmmmm......well, er.....ah.......uhhhhhh....let's see......Oh yeah, OK...I have it now! How about a glass of wine? ;D Whaaaaaa whoooooooooooooooooo....... OK, don't be a tease....LOL! (Is the appropriate response here: gimme-gimme-gimme??) Just a little one? Thnks, Rx
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Post by OT on Apr 17, 2002 0:05:21 GMT -5
Thanks RacerX - I've been a bit preoccupied of late - but I will get my finger out soon....
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Post by King_Aj05 on Apr 17, 2002 21:49:34 GMT -5
Well I just "found" this thread again and yes RX, King of stories for sure!
love them OT keep em coming!
Aj King of story reading! lol
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