A World Champion gets his first Healey ride. A dark sky, rain threatening; early Sunday morning 18 June, 2000, at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, site of the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, Canada. “Follow the course marshal’s instructions and DON’T SCREW UP! We’ll be in front of tens of thousands of people and…
I always knew where Mulholland Drive was though I didn’t find out just who Mulholland was for many years. I was raised near this epic road carved in the mountain, and when I got my first car I headed straight there. I believe the day Mulholland Drive was created—sometime around 1924—someone drove it fast. Famous…
A while back, I wrote up an article about my plans to race an MG Midget in the I/GT class at the Bonneville Salt Flats in September, 2012. The plan was to campaign the “Milwaukee Midget” at the World of Speed event, which is run by the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association. Without going into…
Roger Hamel of the Austin Healey Club du Quebec called and asked a simple question, would I like to join them for the Canadian Grand Prix F1 Pilot’s Parade. As an F1 fan, I’ve been to a few different races, but like a bunch of potted plants being delivered, the driver introductions have typically consisted…
Memories serve vital purposes: they keep us from repeating mistakes, and better yet they push us to repeat things that matter. Hill climb races exist more in memory than in reality. It’s time to make new memories. The Hill was not a leisurely drive on nicely paved roads through a scenic countryside. No, the Paddyfork…
Forget the Sound of Music. On the first weekend of August, the hills near Flintstone, Maryland were alive with the sound of competition cars on a 1.2-mile, nine turn, rural road up Polish Mountain. Fred and Barney must love the deep-throated sound of the Yamaha-powered D Sports Racers, the Mustangs and Camaros, Mazdas and even…
You awaken Sunday morning; think about the concrete barriers, Like riot police, shoulder to shoulder, At the far end of Panther Hollow Bridge. The Healey is traveling three times the legal limit, Cars are trying to pass. The Jersey barriers scribe the outer edge of the far sweeper. When you ask Zappa if he takes…
Roger Hamel of Le Club Austin Healey du Québec called. Would I like to participate in the Candian Grand Prix’s F1 Pilot’s Parade and watch the race? He then emailed a picture of his wife, Lise’s, 100-6—the car I’d be driving. The gears in my brain slipped into overdrive. I’m a huge F1 fan, so…
The Kastner Cup is an annual race specifically for Triumphs and Triumph powered cars. It is held at a different track every year and has been that way since 2003. There are no points earned, no championship standings, and no money won. Yet it is a prestigious vintage race and the cup is a coveted…
“Drive my car while I shoot some video.” So said my friend, Jim Pesta, at the 40th Anniversary Collier Brothers Memorial Trophy race weekend at Watkins Glen. What he had in mind was sneaking in front of the racecar caravan heading to the center of downtown Watkins Glen. Lined up behind us were all the…
