CSRG at Sonoma Raceway - Sears Point

[John Z Goriup]

A reminder about the CSRG Charity Challenge at Sonoma Raceway this coming weekend, October 5 & 6.

Supposed to be the nicest weekend weather-wise we've had in quite a while - if you're planning to attend Jim Braezeale's First Saturday of the month R-Gruppe get-together, why not continue on to Sears Point and catch some great vintage racing.

Just think, you can even buy a lunch-hour break ride in a car you'll probably never own, but have always lusted after, you can cross an important item off your personal bucket list, and the money goes to charity.........Win / Win.

JZG

[davewadd]

It has been several years since I was able to attend this event, but I highly recommend it. The lunch-time rides are awesome! I took a ride in a 906!!!

[John Z Goriup]

First the sad news.

Spent a beautiful, warm, sunny autumn day at the Raceway yesterday, but the joy at getting out of the house ( where a major & totally unforeseen remodel as a result of a broken waterpipe upstairs has made life an inconvenient and disorganized mess ) was dampened by being told early in the morning that one of the most enthusiastic and dedicated members of the CSRG group, co-founder David Love, had passed away Friday morning.

David, originally from Lousiana, started racing in a borrowed MG-TD, then in his own 356. After moving to California in the early '60s, he purchased his famous '58 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa as a mere well used race car in need of a complete rebuild. As of this last weekend, David and the Ferrari, one of a total of 19 customer TRs plus two factory TR entries produced, had been together for 47 years. He calculated that he had driven approximately 30,000 racing miles in it, in a total of over 250 separate racing events. David's car was quietly parked at the end of the covered garages throughout the weekend.

At the last CSRG meeting in April I saw John Thornton, as I always did at these weekends, spoke with him and left for home at the end of Sunday feeling a little more optimistic about his chances. He passed less than a week later. Yesterday the CSRG, of which johnT, as he was known on the Registry and the signature he used to end his usually sharp observations and comments, was such an integral and important member, recalled and honored John in the form of a number of his old friends running the John Thornton Memorial laps with his son Eli driving John's beloved blue Emory-built 912 R at the head of the group. The car was then parked for the remainder of the day at the foot of the Winner's Podium.

Please switch to the new, separate thread titled "CSRG - Oct. '13" for coverage and photos of the event.

JZG