Six Wheels

[dmano]

Check out Covini's six wheeled sportscar.

http://www.gizmag.com/go/2754/

[nplenzick]

ccm911 wrote:

I can't believe that we actually had F1, not only in America, but so close by. It's a shame that the Glen whored themselves out to the NASCAR folks instead of improving the track and courting the F1 Circus.

Actually Chris if it wasn't for NASCAR there probably wouldn't be a Watkins Glen racetrack today. It's Bernie E. that caused the problem. At the time the GP was at the Glen the track was owned by the town. They floated a bond to extend the course labeled the "new extension" now known as the boot. They also upgraded the the entire course to the new safety standards that were required at the time. The town really want out on a limb to do this, meanwhile Bernie kept sucking, more, and more money from the F1 Circus. You'll notice in some of the photos that the guardrail was looking a little shabby . That's because toward the end of the 70's the track didn't have enough money to paint it. Bernie had grandeur ideas and he had no intention of helping the Glen, instead he said at the time that it was to far away from a metropolitan area for people to attend. Funny how NASCAR packs them in today! Around 1980 the track went bankrupt, they only had limited SCCA races of which I was lucky enough to participated at the time. It was truly a thrill to be racing formula cars at a track that a few years earlier I was a spectator watching F1. Sometime in the early 80's Corning bought the track and then the ISC. All of the improvements you see today are a result of NASCAR and the ISC. It's a shame that the F1 community didn't see the benefit of keeping this track on the schedule, it would have been the North American version of Spa by now. I attended 9 F1 races at the Glen and everyone was more then I can put into words, the sounds, the crowd, the bazaar weather ( it snowed on us more then once), are things that I will never forget. I still remember one weekend that was truly rotten, cold drizzle with some snow mixed in, we were just trying to stay warm in our tent that overlooked the boot, when we heard the sounds of F1 cars starting up in the pits and then the crackle of cold exhausts coming into the boot and soon the whole valley filled with the sounds of Cosworths, Ferraris, and the screaming Matra's . I wish you could have been there. Maybe when Bernie goes to that great gold bar in the sky the Glen could have a chance to host a F1 race again. It's really the only place in North America where it truly belongs.

[ccm911]

Nick, if you were trying to make me jealous, you have succeeded.  I think Brubaker saw a bunch of them as well.  I can't think of anything more exciting than your description of the cars firing off in the distance, and then actually seeing them in the boot.

It is truly a loss that we can no longer experience those thrills. 

But hopefully, the DE folks can appreciate the history of the track, and of the town.  I mean, here we are years later, walking the same streets as some of the past legends.  And then driving the same track....wow!!


So I guess the last excitement here in the US for me will be the AMA Superbike guys. Now to see them run the Glen........  

[JoeP]

In summary - It was 200,000 young Riesentoters all in one place to watch Formula One.

[ccm911]

And did these young folks "experiment" with alcohol?

[JoeP]

ccm911 wrote:

And did these young folks "experiment" with alcohol?

...in much the same way that Apolo Ohno "experiments" with speed skating.

[nplenzick]

ccm911 wrote:

So I guess the last excitement here in the US for me will be the AMA Superbike guys. Now to see them run the Glen........

I doubt they'll ever go to the Glen due to the guard rail being pretty close to the track. If you ever get the chance you really need to go to Barber Motorsports in Birmingham. It the motorcyclist Mecca. Not sure how the Indy car race is going to play out there this spring as it's on the tight side for four wheels, however word has it when I was there this past fall if they can handle the crowds for the IRL then they may try a bid for the Moto GP. That would be equal to F1 at the Glen. I met Mr. Barber for a few minutes the other year, he was a past Porsche guy and a PCA member.........he's also pretty cool and he's the type of person that when he puts his mind to it you can bet your bottom dollar that it will get done.

[ccm911]

Now MotoGP would be the ultimate!!!  I would spend my last dollar to see it live.  I would drive down in the Targa if I had to.