Me.........well there's not really much about me
I would like to know more about you. Whatever you wouldn't mind sharing. I see nothing in your profile that would tell me you're into drag racing. I don't know if you'll understand but I've always been a racer and not really a fan. So many people know all the drivers and race details but all I had time to do was concentrate on me.
Of course I remember the greats and I remember Bo Laws but I don't know the history behind the cars and drivers. I have done some extensive reading about Arnie Beswick but that's about it.
In my early years like many young men drag racing was a cool thing to do.
Raced my 63 split window in up State NY, Cicero drag way. Was getting to go to college, GMIT. At the same time period, Viet Nam was starting to heat up.
Anyway, I moved to Michigan, Grosse Point woods area, got involved with a local SCCA group of guy's and by this time had a 66 BB conv. Put a ton of money in it but couldn't the rear set as I wanted..........who walks up to ask questions and did I need a hand..........Zora Arkus-Duntov, with pal of his Bunkie Knudson. Once Zora found out I was student of GMI..the question was, Would I like to visit the Tech Center Warren Mich.....HELL YES. 3rd Fl Studio 3.
Well to speed this up......I became an Engineer employed by GM Chevrolet Div for the next 23 years. R&D suspension design , chassis design, and last 8 years with Chevrolet Rce shop. A full life friendship with the best engineer's of their time and mine. I can't express how wonderful these men were in their expertise, and FAR FAR better than I could ever have imagined myself to be.
Further down the road...........I was involved with the hi performance engineering aspects of R&D with the following: March Chevrolet GTP Blue Thunder of the Whitting Brother's , The March Buick LeMans GTPV/6 turbo ( Test bed for the later Buick Grand National Turbo) The Lola Eagle T-800 series Chevrolet V-6 and V-8 GTP , The Chevy SpiceGTP Works LTD of USA of Atlanta, and finally the #65 Chevrolet Intrepid GTP of Pratt Miller/ Bob Riley design for driver Tommy Kendall under direction of then young like myself, Dough Fehan of now GM Corvette Racing.
Retired now for some years, still active in racing, Road Racing, and every so often get a call to design /build and fabricate a race chassis.
Hang out with Blackforest folks and owner Brian Knott, although not as much as I'd like, then there's also my best friend and builder Jimmy "The Shoe" Shoemaker, cheif wrench of many a Daytona 24 and Sebring champion race's.
The list of old friends from the East coast to the West coast go on and on.
Chairman of the very 1st., Grand Sport Reunion held Oct, 26, 27, and 28th 1978 at the Harder Hall resort Sebring, Fl. Where UNLIKE the last reunion of Amelia Island, at Sebring the Grand Sports did battle against one another, rather than just pretty face concours BS.
And the First Reunion had Zora, Gib Hufstader, Ashod Torosion, John Gibson, Fred Price, Dick Giuldstrand, just to name a few or the ORGINAL ENGINEER's of the GS. Orginal driver's there as well. I'm very proud of this reunion as this was the begining of the fame the cars became today. Had it not been for that reunion, the car's would be just another race car as they were prior to the exposer. Why exposer? There were also over a dozen magizine head editors there to cover the event. Something the last Reunion did not have.
There were many reason's for the failure of the last reunion to liver up to expectations of the first, even though all 5 GS did make it, and only 3 of the 5 at the 1st reunion.
The Saker GTS was a design build of my brother and I back in 2004. Motor Tend & Road and Track covered this car pretty close, and it's race in the 25 hour endurance race at Thunderhill. Very beautiful GTP looking car, but A/Sport NASA that weighed in at 1500 pounds w/ 750 HP single spool. Started dead last due to late grid show, and 70+ cars on the track. But, with-in 4 hours worked it's way to forth place.
Now day's, I just hang out and visit with old friends. Oh yes, drop by corvetteflorida to shoot the breeze. YEAH YEAH, I know....long winded and too much information.:wavey::lmao: