Well, I not only survived another Race Weekend, but with a little help from my friends, I survived to finish my first 50 years on Planet Earth. All went well until author Burt Levy
(THE LAST OPEN ROAD; MONTAZUMA'S FERRARI;
amazon.com )
decided it would be a good idea for me to have a Jaegermeister or two in honor of being a member of Pentagenarian Set. Burt and I have shared a beverage or two over the years along with my home-made Salsa, etc, at races from Elkhart Lake, WI to Sebring, FL. If you have any passion for automobiles, sports cars, road racing and mechanics, Burt's regular column in British Car Magazine is Must Reading. His books make wonderful reading and great gifts for the "motorhead" friend or relative.
I managed to get almost as much track time in during lunch hour "touring" as my good friend Edgar Boles did racing my '53 XK 120 Jaguar. Edgar did a great job turning in a best time of 3:01 minutes for the 4 mile, 14 turn "Country Road Of Racing!" I'm still a little ticked off at him since he beat my own best time by almost a full three seconds!
What a dope! Didn't he know it's not proper race etiquette to beat the owner's best time when invited to be a Guest Driver? Fat chance I'll ever let him drive my car again!!!
Anyway, so far 50 feels pretty good. Touring during this spectacular weekend's weather with Fall Colors nearing peak, the smell of high octane fuel and hot brakes, driving lap after lap of Road America in an early '50s open car, topping 115 MPH on the straights, with wind in the face and bugs on my teeth did the boy some serious good!
Now, I guess I'll have to see just what was happening in the "real world" of Wall Street while I was playing Hookie!
Best regards, Tom |
