CSRG Season Opener

[John Z Goriup]

CSRG (Classic Sports Racing Group), a local vintage racing Club of the highest caliber, with the best cars, a grand roster of gentlemen as members and several must-see race meetings a year in the Northern California area had its first event of 2012 at Sears Point over the weekend.

Unfortunately Saturday was windy, rainy and blustery, so I chose to go on Sunday. The weather was perfect, and evmn though attendance was down quite a bit, those who persevered had a great day !.

Porsches were a little thin on the ground, and it seems there was an unusually high number of 912s to be seen, both competing and in the parking lot, including a rare '76 912E in black, and an especially lovely SWB 912 in blue............don't know the name of this particular blue but it certainly looked striking. Compliments, very nicely done! Hank Watts' very quick " Koala car ", his Rolls-Royce metallic Green 912 ( Hank is the author of "Secrets of Solo Racing" ). Perhaps the name of the car is because the color so resembles the juicy leaves of the Eucalyptus trees Koalas feed on exclusively to maintain their life long stupor.

[72targa]

Thanks for posting, John. Wanted to go but had to finish my taxes!

[John Z Goriup]

There were other Porsches entered, specifically Walt Sikes immaculate Solex-equipped '67 silver racer, and Mike Raischle's beautifully done '67 R recreation ( both featured in last year's Porsche Pic o' the day thread ) but seeing and hearing them on track reminded me why I think so highly of both cars. Thor Johnson from Seattle brought down his wonderfully refurbished & refreshed 910, after this winter's change to the original livery it wore as a factory entry at the Daytona 24 Hour race.

[John Z Goriup]

I'm fully aware that I open a lot of my threads saying that even though this is a site dedicated to early 911s, I continue to believe that there is a fair number of members who are moved and touched enough by the sight of other marques from back in the day of the "golden era" of post war vintage racing that it's worth posting these finds.

There was one such notable example of this period at Sears Point yesterday, a '63 Troutman-Barnes created Chevrolet powered racer called the "Scorpion". Please see the placard ( Image #1 ) for additional history and details.

In one of those magical co-incidents that people will talk about, next to the Scorpions pit was a clean and solid JaguarXK 120 race-car belonging to none other than..................wait for it please,......... Tim Barnes, Tom Barnes's nephew who was happy to pose next to his uncle's creation. The Weber carburated Corvette GS-based Chevrolet motor was especially delectable, and did it ever sound nice ! Please note the model-correct Hildebrand knock-offs, exactly like the original car ran almost 50 years ago. Enjoy.

[C.Plavan]

That is the Blue of my race car. Porsche "Royal Blue". Great color, but I'm biased.

[John Z Goriup]

Porsche "Royal Blue".

Thank you.............very interesting. "Königs Blau" - looks outstanding on a 911 even though it's originally exclusively an early 356 color and was never actually offered on new 911s.

JZG

[John Z Goriup]

One more image of the Troutman-Barnes Scorpion, on track this time ( please note the modern aero-aids to fight lift, added years after the original construction ).

[John Z Goriup]

Another exquisitely constructed and restored car, this time a pre-war Indianapolis racer was the '38 " Sparks Special " only beaten by Wilbur Shaw's winning Maserati in '46'. Owner claims that it is widely assumed this car would have won had it used the then generally used methanol fuel, instead of the lower-energy ethanol fuel specified by the engine builder, his decision chiefly based on the magnesium construction of the motor for weight reduction reasons, which made extra fuel stops necessary.

The car is powered by a heavily Offenhauser-based 6-cyl. in-line, mechanically-driven supercharged motor: please note the "pop-off" valves at the forward ends of the stainless steel log inlet manifolds - interesting to see the designer treating the inlet side like two 3-cylinder motors........I assume that's done to ensure even cylinder filling. 2-speed transmission with 2 - pedal cockpit setup, huge drum brakes operated by externally-mounted hand-operated brake lever ( conversion to hydraulic brakes is a relatively recent modification ), and a hand-made, asymmetrical, aluminum body................absolutely fascinating.

[John Z Goriup]

Sorry, perhaps this is just a mildly schizophrenic reaction brought about by a long, interminable winter and not having posted on a daily basis for a long time, so maybe I m subconsciously compelled to compensate all on one day and one thread, but come to think of it, is it really possible for a vintage race-meet report to be complete without at least including some Alfa references ?

For this weekend's CSRG coverage, allow me to present some Alfa GTAs ( which I'm pretty sure Chuck Miller will appreciate ), one of a mere handful of actual 1930s Scuderia Ferrari-run Grand Prix cars still used as they were intended to be used - on the track: shown is a 1935 Alfa-Romeo Tipo 8C35 with a 3.0 liter ( reduced from the original 3.8 liters by Fred Offenhauser back in the day to comply with changing GP rules), 8 cylinder, DOHC in-line, supercharged motor. The the first Alfa to have independent suspension and a 4-speed transaxle. This car also has stellar racing provenance with appearances at Monza, Monaco, the Nürburgring, and the Vanderbilt Cup at Roosevelt Field in '36 & participated at the Indy 500 from '36 to '47 in the US, and has been driven by Nuvolari, Dreyfus, Guiseppe Farina among others............yes, GP cars lasted a lot longer back then and were normally used for much longer than one season, with appropriate changes only applied when the rules required them. A true Titan from the era of Titans.........in Tazio Nuvolari's hands a similar Alfa was the only car of any marque to have actually beaten the Silver Arrows ( Mercedes and Auto Union ) in an International Grand Prix prior to WW II.......and a Giulietta, just like the first Alfa I ever owned.

[John Z Goriup]

.....and a few detail shots of this unique and magnificent relic from another time altogether.

JZG