From 1969-72 I was in the US Army and was stationed at Ft Ord California. The famous Laguna Seca road circuit is located there and I had the great pleasure of watching Donahue, Jackie Stewart, Peter Revson, Parnelli Jones, George Fulmore(sp), David Hobbs, Denny Hulme, Jackie Oliver etc. race in the Can Am and Trans Am series. What a great time, sitting at the bottom of the famous Cork Screw turn with my Pentax, a couple of jugs of table wine, on a warm California day, watching some of the greatest racing drivers in the world. Thanks for sparking those great memories!
DG At 10:19 PM 1/16/02 -0500, you wrote: >Hi, Stan, > >I saw Mark Donahue at least twice, maybe three times, all at Mosport. Saw him >in one (or maybe two, can't remember) Can-Am(s), demolishing the field in that >ugly Porsche 917 Turbo. (amazing, how I found the Gulf Mirage 917K Lemans >car to >be one of the most beautiful cars ever, yet found the Sunoco 917 Turbo >CanAm car >one of the ugliest...). But what an awesome car! He set the record for the >fastest closed circuit (oval) speed in that car. I don't remember what it >was, >but it was scary! > >I also saw him racing F1. Can't remember the team, but it was an American >one. >First National? American Express? I think it was the former. I believe >it was >managed or part owned by Roger Penske. I don't think they did very well, and >only lasted a season or two. We snuck into the pits (without passes, but hey, >no one stopped us!), and I got a shot or two of him, along with Gilles >Villeneuve (or was that another year?) and the French F1 driver Francois >Cevert, >who I think was with Tyrrell at the time, and was killed in an accident >shortly >thereafter. Lord knows where those prints are now; maybe in my Mom's attic. > >Great driver, Mark! > >regards, >frank > >Stan Halpin wrote: > > > He was my hero. I saw him race in a CanAm at Watkins once . . . That was > > around the time I was "working" as 1/2 of the pit crew for a SCCA racer > with > > a Lotus Elan (held together with 100-mile-an-hour tape). I was thinking of > > buying a Formula Ford or Formula V, but for once I realized my own > > limitations . . . > > > > Donahue was an artist. > > > >-- >"The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist >fears it is true." -J. Robert >Oppenheimer >- >This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, >go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to >visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
