Topic: Buttonwillow joys and sorrows
This was a great weekend for Team Tinworm and the Super Snipe (v2.0).
Not only did the car run great all weekend, but we went home with the IOE!
We finished 76 (out of 111) and 6th in Class C despite being the second-slowest
car on the track. The old story of the tortoise and the even slower tortoises.
We did our best to keep out of your way. I told everyone on our team to watch
the mirrors, figure out which side everyone else wanted to be on, then stay
on the other side. There were a couple of occasions when I was not 100%
successful at that, but I tried. I apologize if we caused any problems for you.
The most memorable moment for me was coming up Phil Hill while passing one
of Spank's police cars. Suddenly, Crazy Mike in the Aqua Volvo came up like
a rocket and threaded the needle between us just as we crested the hill. It was
an awesome bit of driving. Three abreast going into the turn, single file coming
out, with the Volvo in the lead.
We had a father & son team driving: Chuck Goolsbee and his son Nick. Chuck
has driven the Super Snipe before and has lots of Lemons experience. Nick
had never been in a race car before. Despite a (very) slow start on Saturday,
Nick blossomed on Sunday and demolished his dad's best lap time. The best
part is that he ended his stint with a grin from ear to ear. I think he is hooked.
The only mechanical problems were simple to fix. The usual fuel blockage
by what I call "brown Saran wrap", despite many attempts to flush out the gas
tank. A blown exhaust header gasket late on Saturday which threatened to
deafen Chuck. And a sudden engine stoppage 15 minute before the checkered
flag on Sunday. (I think it is a bad distributor rotor, but don't yet know for sure.)
Perhaps the best moment happened after the race. Chuck and Nick had a
layover at the Phoenix airport on their way home, so dropped in to the Mexican
restaurant for margaritas and tacos to celebrate our IOE win. They struck up a
conversation with a guy at the next table. He asked about Chuck's car-themed
t-shirt and Chuck told him that they had been racing all weekend. It went like
this:
Random Guy: "What kind of car were you driving?"
Chuck: "You have never heard of it. It was a Humber Super Snipe."
Random Guy: "Oh, so you were racing with Alan Frisbie!"
Chuck & Nick: <Jaws drop, eyes bug out, totally speechless>
The "random guy" turned out to be an old friend and mentor who I have known
for 40 years. He just happened to be changing planes in Phoenix on his way
home from visiting family.
The next think I know is my phone rings with a call from my old friend. But when
I answer, "Hi Mike", I hear, "This is Chuck Goolsbee". Needless to say, I was
very confused. It was a perfect ending to a great weekend.
I hope everyone else had as fun a time as I did.
Alan
IOE winner in the Super Snipe -- Buttonwillow 2012
IOE winner in Super Snipe v2.0 -- Buttonwillow 2016
"Every Super Snipe in Lemons has won an IOE!"