MG Sports Cars

We're at the La Quinta.

Bump. Well it looks like the Roadmaster is going to be pretty busy between now and the Power Tour thanks to the guys back east who have a whole line up of shows to attend. A great outing for the WV show thanks to Dan as well. We're still looking for volunteers to host the car after the Power Tour. Rob has some events he wants to attend but then we need to get it started in another direction if we can. Between Rob and I we can probably get the car back to Kansas City if that would help anyone plan anything. I know it's early in the year to be thinking about summer events, but I along with others need to plan our time off work if we're going to take part in any moves.

I believe the Champagne British Car Festival will be conflicting with the Power Tour in June.

We need to get it up to Grand Rapids in August for the UML Summer Party. The purists will have a cow.

The Des Plaines All British Show is in September and draws 700 or so British cars.

The Indy Show is usually in September and draws a couple hundred.

So does the St.Louis show, also in September....not to mention the Kansas City meet.

Seems as though the Memphis show is in October as is the Chattanooga Choo-Choo.

First off-- Bill, just AMAZING job you're doing handling the Roadmaster scheduling. I can't say thank you enough for jostling all these dates and desires, etc. You get it to even half the people who want it, I'll be suitably impressed!

Some notes at this end:

A) I have talked with Dale Spooner, thinking that if/when the RM makes it my way I could find a time to get it up to Him. He said thanks but just too busy to worry about it. So, don't feel you're leaving Dale out-- he'll be pleased to hear it's wracking up the miles! :-)

2) I think we're onto something re: California and/or Florida-- why does the car need to be "put away" in October? It's still very driveable weather down here for most of November (and then again in February) and year round at the other two. Should we consider taking Guzman up on his offer of the car "wintering" in California? I think my concern (and probably Jim's, too) is that at some point we'll probably have a list of maintenance items and small fixes compiled and we might have to "careen" the car to get these done. :-)

c) And, one question about logistics (that alludes to Jim's problem of getting back from Muskegon...): is there a set format for delivering the car? In the past, often he who has it next has gone and retrieved it (rather than it being brought, though that wasn't always the case.) I'm just wondering if it aids logistics to follow a similar format? Otherwise, some people do tons of driving to get the car and the others none at all, etc.

c-4) I also wonder if the hand-offs make sense to occur AT THE CAR SHOWS. This gives a reason for the next guy (and his buddy) to go over in their car, pick up the roadmaster (from the guy who's taken it to the show with HIS buddy, etc...) and then bring it back. Seems a higher chance for success in having the extra drivers on hand, plus it has the "draw" for why someone would be there. Also has an "open time" for exchange-- the time of the show going on.

Just spitballing...

5) AS for when it comes here-- I'm easy. :-) Steve said he might bring it up to get on the dyno so I'll make sure to drive it then. And I'm happy to take it up the east coast to anyone else (Tim Duhamel, Jim Stuart?) and hop a train back. :-) The local car show is *just* before Palestine, and I'll miss it so as to be on my way to Texas. Only other event that it might be cool to do would be the Gold Cup race (late October-- winter storage by then?) 'cuz I could take it around the track during lunchtime laps and then keep it in the Paddock for all the Gearhead/Racers to see. :-)

6) How are we getting it to Canada, eh?

Cheers,

M



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/2012 05:51PM by madmax.

Max, there are no set rules, but what I'm striving for is to be able to make exchanges at events if we can. I"ll try to use a hypothetical example. Say I had the car in KC, I'd take the car to the St. Louis Briltishcar show and hand it off to Rick or Pete who could then take it back to the Champaign area with them, then they could take the car to a show east or north of them and hand it off to someone else in the group. That way we'd eliminate most of the special trips by exchanging the car at shows these guys would normally attend anyway. I could get a ride back to KC with one of my friends who is there anyway and Rick and Pete could drive over together and then drive back in seperate cars. We may not always be able to make such arrrangements, but even without a show I can think of places I could swap off the car where I might be visiting friends or relatives anyway, it will just require some coordination to make the connectons work out to everyones advantage. The problem with the California leg is that we don't have anyone in the group between Texas, Denver, or South Dakota and California, that makes a convient swap chain very difficult to work out and travel costs wll be much more than most of us want to absorb personally. We will find a way though, if not this year then maybe after the 2013 British V8 meet, where maybe Bill G would fly in as he's done for many events and drive it back to Camarillo. Options are open, we just need to figure out the details.

Gentlemen,

Here an exchange from the Race Cars and Motorsports forum.

[quote](from Curtis Jacobson) I'm sure Roadmaster would be welcome in the paddock at Road Atlanta during The Mitty, April 27-29. At least six MGB GT V8 racers are planning to meet there. I was thinking of flying into Atlanta just for the weekend, and probably renting a car. I'll camp at the track. Is it possible that I might be able to "borrow" Roadmaster for that weekend?

[quote](from Bill young)Curtis, you need to get in touch with Dan Masters. He should have the car around that time. You could probably fly into Tennessee and drive the car down to the Mitty and then back so that he could take it to the Blount county event the following week.[/quote]

Bill and Curtis (and everyone else)

That's the weekend I had planned to get the car from Steve, over in NC. The following weekend it's scheduled to be in the Street Rod show in Knoxville; the weekend after that, it's due to be at the British car Gathering in townsend. A couple of options come to mind:

1. I could get it a week earlier and then Curtis could pick it up here as Bill suggested.
2. If someone could get it to Atlanta in time for Curtis to take it to The Mitty, I could then pick it up in Atlanta.
3. If someone could get it to me a week or so prior to the Mitty, I could take it down to Atlanta and bring it back here after Mitty.
4. Curtis could fly to NC, pick the car up, and then take it to The Mitty, and then fly home out of Atlanta. I'd pick the car up in Atlanta and drive it up here.

I think option 1 would be the best. I can show Curtis some realy great driving roads from here to Road Atlanta (including The Dragon, if he wants). It is, if I remember correctly, about a 4 hour drive from here, but a very pleasant drive. Another plus to option 1 - The Knoxville air port is MUCH less of a hassle than Atlanta, and you can avoid the madhouse that is the interstate system getting from the Atlanta airport through the City of Atlanta

I thought you guys could work it out Dan, thanks for responding. Hope it works out for all, I know that Curtis would love to drive the car throught the mountains down to the Mitty, I know that I would.

The Dayton, Ohio British Car show is always the first Saturday in August, this year August 5. The Dayton show is the largest British car show in Ohio, typically having 325 to 350 registrations. Dayton is located 50 miles north of Cincy and is @ 200 miles from Grand Rapids. This would be be a logical place to display the car and is a potential "leg" on a trip to Grand Rapids.

That sounds good Mike, we'll see if we can get the car headed back your way before then.

It looks like I will have the CAR for the bug show at Lowes motor speedway on April 22.
I will plan to take it there and then get it to Dan the next weekend.
OK?

Steve

That will work fine if Curtis doesn't step up and want to take it to the Mittty. He'd have to pick it up from you and drive it down from SC instead of Tennessee, the get it back to Dan. Curtis, what say you? Is it something you can work out? If so then the Roadmaster will be busy every weekend from April 22 through May 13 and that's what we want, plenty of guys driving it and great exposure for the project. Doesn't get any better than that.

re: "The Mitty" race weekend at Road Atlanta, April 26-20

Please count me in as definitely committed!

Although I haven't bought airline tickets just yet, I have at least left a phone message for Steve and I've spoken with Dan. My hope is that it will be convenient for Steve to pick me up at the Columbia SC airport on Wednesday afternoon, April 25th. (I think that's about forty minutes from Steve's home in Lugoff SC.) The drive from Lugoff to Road Atlanta should take about four hours. I'll have the Roadmaster on display at the track for the whole race weekend. Then, I expect the paddock at Road Atlanta will start emptying out around 3 or 4pm on Sunday... and I'll head toward Alcoa TN. That's also about a four hour drive. (I'll definitely want to do it in daylight and on dry roads because I expect it to be a magnificent ride the whole way!) My thought is to meet up with Dan on Monday morning, have a nice lunch somewhere, and hand off the car. Dan says the Knoxville airport is only about three miles from his home... and it looks like there's a 4pm flight back to Denver. I hope this plan suits everyone else, because I'm getting very excited about it!

Now... I could use some help with one other detail. While I'm at The Mitty, I expect I'll have a paddock parking pass and I also expect it won't be any problem at all for me to park the Roadmaster in very close proximity to the MGB GT V8 racers... Jerry Richards, Les Gonda, etc. - I know they'll love to have it! But I understand there will also be "car corrals" where various car clubs will be shining-up and showing their streetcars during the race weekend. It would be ideal if someone would volunteer to help me with the presentation of the Roadmaster in that context. (Smile and talk to the nice people about the dynamic Roadmaster team and their visionary mission. Talk up the Roadmaster's various sponsors. Encourage children to try out the driver's seat. Wipe away dirty fingerprints. Etc... and incidentally free up more of my time so I can photograph more racecars.) Anyone interested?

It's gonna be a great weekend!

That's great Curtis! I'm a bit too far away to help with the show part, but hopefully someone will step up. I'll bet you could probably rangle a drive around during the lunch break as well so everyone could see it on the track. I know we'll all be seeing some great photos from the event and the car will get great exposure to the racing community.

When I have been to the Mitty, and it has been a long time, they had a large area near the main gate for the Car Corral, but it was not open the whole weekend. That has probably changed. It would be a good idea to get Jerry or Les or one of the other guys to save you a parking space in their pit area. Are you going to drive the car to an from the hotel, or bum rides? We found that staying in Gainesville worked a little better, but there may be more hotels closer now. We stayed at the Shoney's Inn the last few times I went.

Burt Levy always did a thing on the PA the few years I went, interviewing the famous drivers and other car owners throughout the weekend. It would be really cool if you could hook up with him if he is going and get interviewed. They always had parade laps too. That would be fun.

Be sure to point out to the Triumph guys that the Roadmaster does have TR parts..(shift knob, hood latch) : )

Yes, as Dan said, other British cars represented there including Jag rear and wheels and Aston type fuel filler, but basically it's still an MGB GT. Dan I was wondering where that Triumph shift knob came from?

I can check with Tim Stoddard and see if we can get any preferential parking for the Roadmaster at the Mitty.

Great idea, Rick! Bill, the TR7 shift knob come from Edith's TR7. We found it in the trunk or glove box or something. Roadmaster needed one, seo I stuck it on there. The main reason I mentioned the Triumph stuff is that is the featured marque at the Mitty this year since it is the 60th anniversary of the TR. Kas Kastner is scheduled to be there.

OK...the e-mail has been sent along with some pictures of the Roadmaster. The "Ways & Means Committee" along with Curtis was copied on this e-mail.

"The main reason I mentioned the Triumph stuff is that is the featured marque at the Mitty this year since it is the 60th anniversary of the TR"

Great, maybe Curtis can sell the shifter knob! It'll be in the glove box. ;)

(my preferred motel)

Quote:

Are you going to drive the car to an from the hotel, or bum rides?

Assuming it's like most other racetracks, my preference is to bum some floor space in an empty car trailer. Jerry lives near Road Atlanta. If he goes home to sleep in a real bed each night, he might be happy to have someone doing guard duty at his trailer. Back in the day, my college buddies and I used to tent-camp in the infield at Road Atlanta. The paddock will be more convenient to toilets, showers, and especially racecars - not to mention free beers. (I'll save a bunch of money and commuting time too!)

You guys should ALL come to this race. It's going to be a GREAT weekend!