Thanks NVF for another great article for the "ages" (or aged?) with fascinating photos! I admire Dave Olson for his racing career.
I wanted to race sports cars since since spending many weekends watching the exciting events at Meadowdale Raceway outside Chicago while in college. My first sports car was a 1962 MGA in 1966, then a 1962 Triumph TR3 in 1967. I still wanted to drive fast in my BMW M roadster until I finally succumbed to the lure of a new 2005 Prius which still gets me from Lake Berryessa to Napa regularly at 225,000 miles on the odometer.
I've been to Sonoma Raceway (Sears Point racetrack at the time) many times. It's where I took the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving course and learned to race go-karts. Riding ATVs around Knoxville OHV Park and Stonyford Recreation Area and racing jet skis at Lake Berryessa and other lakes followed.
Agree. Nothing beats going fast. I invite you to the CSRG fall classic races at Sears Point, oops, Sonoma Raceway, from Friday, Sept. 13 through Sunday, Sept. 15. I believe admission is free, so there's no point in not showing up. On Saturday and Sunday, you can buy a seat in a race car to go three laps around the track, benefitting Sonoma Children's Charities. I did it in a 1962-3-4 MGB two years ago and loved it. Wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and closed toe shoes and bring $125 to $200-$300, depending on the car you've chosen. My first car was a 1959 Triumph TR-3, which I bought for $400 in 1971, when I was 17. Great car, great memories. My brothers and I loved the old English sportscars and owned a bunch, all beaters, barely running, but we learned a lot about cars and what made them run. BTW, do you have a spanner I can borrow? Best to you, Peter, thanks for your great memories!
It's on my calendar. My MGA had that electric fuel pump located behind the driver's seat where you could hear it vibrating. But evey very now and then the contacts pointd would stick and the engine would start to sputter from lack of fuel. Not nice on a Chicago freeway. Had to keep a small "spanner" with me to reach backward and tap the fuel pump to get it started again. Replaced that pump quickly. Reminds me of how easy it was to work on cars in the "olden days".
Thanks NVF for another great article for the "ages" (or aged?) with fascinating photos! I admire Dave Olson for his racing career.
I wanted to race sports cars since since spending many weekends watching the exciting events at Meadowdale Raceway outside Chicago while in college. My first sports car was a 1962 MGA in 1966, then a 1962 Triumph TR3 in 1967. I still wanted to drive fast in my BMW M roadster until I finally succumbed to the lure of a new 2005 Prius which still gets me from Lake Berryessa to Napa regularly at 225,000 miles on the odometer.
I've been to Sonoma Raceway (Sears Point racetrack at the time) many times. It's where I took the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving course and learned to race go-karts. Riding ATVs around Knoxville OHV Park and Stonyford Recreation Area and racing jet skis at Lake Berryessa and other lakes followed.
Nothing beats going fast (safely).
Agree. Nothing beats going fast. I invite you to the CSRG fall classic races at Sears Point, oops, Sonoma Raceway, from Friday, Sept. 13 through Sunday, Sept. 15. I believe admission is free, so there's no point in not showing up. On Saturday and Sunday, you can buy a seat in a race car to go three laps around the track, benefitting Sonoma Children's Charities. I did it in a 1962-3-4 MGB two years ago and loved it. Wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and closed toe shoes and bring $125 to $200-$300, depending on the car you've chosen. My first car was a 1959 Triumph TR-3, which I bought for $400 in 1971, when I was 17. Great car, great memories. My brothers and I loved the old English sportscars and owned a bunch, all beaters, barely running, but we learned a lot about cars and what made them run. BTW, do you have a spanner I can borrow? Best to you, Peter, thanks for your great memories!
Thanks Dave,
It's on my calendar. My MGA had that electric fuel pump located behind the driver's seat where you could hear it vibrating. But evey very now and then the contacts pointd would stick and the engine would start to sputter from lack of fuel. Not nice on a Chicago freeway. Had to keep a small "spanner" with me to reach backward and tap the fuel pump to get it started again. Replaced that pump quickly. Reminds me of how easy it was to work on cars in the "olden days".
Great article, brings back memories of the early days of the SCCA and sports cars in the Napa/Sonoma areas.
John Sales
Thank you, John, nice to hear from you.