One chance in life

[Bruce Nunnally]

Narrow misses that make one appreciate how fragile life can be:

Regardless of what you believe, I’m sure of one thing – this video will show you loving appreciation for what we hold dearest… life

[Cadillac Jim]

When I had my 1966 427 cid Corvette, I ran in a hill climb sponsored by the Texas Spokes sports car club in Austin, TX. The vast majority of those guys didn't like Corvettes or any American cars, although there was a core of mature adults in there somewhere because I saw them in action and talked to them several times. Once the clowns in the Spokes put a C-mod Chev-Healy in my class, A Production, without telling me just before the last of 3 runs -- at his own request because he was being beat in C-production and he was an official of the club; I cruised because no one was close to my times and they gave that clown my trophy at the presentation, which is when I found out about it all.

Another time a downpour started just as I was staging for my first run. It was coming down in buckets. They would have postponed anyone else's run but they insisted that I run in a downpour that was so thick you couldn't see the next turn. My time was less than 4 seconds off the course record; my friends said that you could have heard a pin drop for about a minute after my time was announced back in the pit area. I was running street 225-15 R60 Michelins on 7-inch rims.

Back to the thread topic: At one of the hill climbs, there was a spectator about halfway up the course, who would come out of the bushes and stand on the pavement in my line when I came through. He did that on the first and second runs; I had to drive around him, disrupting my acceleration out of a switchback an setup for the final straight, which severely impacted my times. The first time, I complained. The second time, I announced that everyone there had signed a release and that I was keeping my line, spectator or no spectator on the track, and that I was staying on the throttle until the finish line about a thousand feet farther, no matter what. There was no spectator on the track for my last run.

[Bruce Nunnally]

Sounds like you had LOT of fun with that 66 Corvette.

[WarrenJ]

The fellow in the bowling alley at 0:35 was definitely a "Brooklyn Boy!" LEFT HANDED!!!

[Cadillac Jim]

Bruce -- yes, I had a *lot* of fun with that 427 Corvette. If I had kept it until I left Austin a few years later, I probably would still have it. The Spokes hill climbs were not my best experiences, although I did have a good time working on other people's cars at the event, including that Chev-Healy, the 1963 fuelie split-window coupe that ran Goodyear Sports Car Specials ("Blue Streaks") and held the course record, a 289 Cobra, and whatever else I could find that needed a hand or a tool or whatever. No one ever drove their car to the track and beat my times, either, with my street tires and such. My preparation consisted of switching my factory mags with their 6" rims for 1967 Corvette steel wheels with 7" rims and the street Michelins, changing the plugs and air cleaner element, and checking the oil and water. Lastly, would remove the louvers in the hood vents to allow better cold air flow to the air cleaner. Then I would drive to the event in it. The car guys were great; the zoned-out Euro-freaks I ignored as best I could.

WarrenJ: The bowler was right-handed. He was holding a beer in his right hand, leaving his left hand to... was that a hurl?

Just kidding. That guy should have bought a lottery ticket that day.

[WarrenJ]

WarrenJ: The bowler was right-handed. He was holding a beer in his right hand, leaving his left hand to... was that a hurl?

Just kidding. That guy should have bought a lottery ticket that day.

Did you note he took out the sevin pin on the lane to his left?

[Cadillac Jim]

His lane had the 7 and 10 pins set, the lanes to the left all had the 7 pin set, the lanes to the right all had the 10 pin set. I think it was a staged trick shot that went well.