American Iron Roadster class

[SPARKY]

SB--- does he cares about EVERYBODY's Roadsters 

[Stan Back]

Well, you can't always be there.  And trust someone else to bring up the obvious.  And the calculating cheating of some.

Twice during different SpeedWeeks, while we held the C/StR record at Bonneville, there were competitors who were told their entries were illegal.  And why.

And each of them chose not to fix the obvious and simple problems.  Problems you could see from 50 feet away.  Each of them chose to wait a month and get the record at World of Speed.  And each slipped through with no notice.

It's hard to get one back after it's been awarded, but it sure piszed us off in the way that they got them.  Both made the Two Club, too, but I don't know if that was retracted.

Yeah, we're all buddies in this venture.  But how would you feel if that happened to you?  I'm still piszed (you can tell) but only at the entrants, not the process.  Our inspection and certification is very thorough, but with so many classes and so many specific rules, this can happen.  Both still run in another association that takes their word for whatever.  Wonder how they make out there?

Stan

[Model A coupe]

Jimmy,I can tell you about Dave Koskella's car.He was running a '34 ford  in B/GR ( pic on page 155 of THE AMERICAN HOT ROD).1969 deceided to build the Austin as ED Cholakain had ran one.Used a Kellison body that he didn't like made fender/tire wells for it,no fenders,and used prior engine('57 Chrysler) with no rebuild.It was legal as far as the rules were in 1969.Mark Dees and Dave both used a '34 Chev. grill shell (that's all Dave and I had) but were not verticle,our's (Dave's) was laid back a little.Mark had a faring/headrest on his.We had an airfoil,not plate attached to rear axle,was told to remove it but allowed to make 1 run with it,time not allowed.Back in the pits taking off the air foil(NOT a flat plate) over heard 2 guy's talking and they said "208,not bad for first run".Well, car slowed 7 mph without it.Switched to fuel in '71 qualified at 231 but lost traction on return run and chunked a tire.Then the bomb dropped.Stock grill and hood.We would have to make the engine a V6.We had the car without a hood and I took a piece of alum.1''x1/8'' and laid out a profile of a modified roadster usuing the cowl rules in effect and said this is what needs to be done.He was depressed ( had FTSCTA written everywhere in the garage) but agreed. Ran n/a then he bought a junk 392 blower engine and put together 1 good engine,set record just shy of 250.He still has the car.He also did most of the machine work on the Thermo King cars.

[jimmy six]

Thanks Model A. I of course met Dave, at Bonneville, when I was running my 40 Chev coupe. When he saw I had bought the Barrious/ Minnal Austin he came over to see what I was doing. He saw it with the Austin grille (maybe the only one that ever ran one), the 31 Chev grille, and some time later in the 90's with the 32 grille. He saw it with Joe Fontana's fuel GMC inside and made mention that even though my stock head gas GMC held the XO gas record that ALL Austins that he knew of were in the 200 MPH club and I should not let them down.
Well I didn't, so along with Dave, Marks, Amos Beard's modified, mine, and Bill Goldman's we have kept the Austin's tradition. The one thing I could always count on is spotting Dave walking into our pit with about 1/3 of a cigar stuck in his teeth and a smile on his face. I'm glad he still has the roadster. Thanks for your story...JD

[SPARKY]

JD  glad to see you back posting more ---you bring a lot to the table with your experience and insights!!   thanks

[Model A coupe]

Jimmy,Dave still likes cigars!