Fw: AROC Driver Of The Year...my choice...

[<pkrause@domain.elided>]

- ----- Original Message -----
From: <pkrause@domain.elided>
To: <alfa@domain.elided>; <alfa-digest@domain.elided>
Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 1999 9:42 AM
Subject: AROC Driver Of The Year...my choice...


> Got my copy of Alfa Owner last night, turned to the "Competizione" page
> after looking at the classifieds (and dreaming...) and saw that Michael
> Helmsley had selected Brian Haupt as AROC Driver of the Year. While I
enjoy
> Mike's earnest devotion to SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) amateur
racing
> and I wish in no way to diminish Brian's considerable current (and
historic)
> accomplishments (after all, I'm now looking after a creation of his, the
> Devin bodied Ermini sports racer powered by a Giulietta engine), I would
> have rather seen a greater connection between the Club and the racer
> selected. I also happen to think that while Alfas are under-represented in
> SCCA competition (Paul Spruell is gearing up for the 2000 season in E
Prod),
> they are plentiful in vintage and historic competition here and abroad.
>
> My choice for AROC Driver of the Year is Capitol Chapter member and former
> National Board member Hugh Tompkins of Bethesda, Maryland who, in his
first
> full year of competition, entered and completed eight full weekends
without
> a DNF! With the help of Club member Jack Beck, who is this countries
> foremost authority on the 1300 Alfa engine, and my company, Krause &
> England, Inc., Hugh ran the wheels off of his Riviera Blue 1959 Giulietta
> Sprint Veloce, garnering several top finishes and attracting the notice of
> the leading automotive press. From an article in Autoweek about the
> Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, which saw a spectator crowd of over 45, 000
> people, his charge to the front was exciting and inspired, finally missing
> first place overall by an agonizing 2 1/2 seconds! Tompkins also was
> profiled in Victory Lane Magazine and in the latest issue of Grassroots
> Motorsports. His car, a 1961 Sebring veteran, was put together from eight
> boxes by me (shameless plug) but it took Hugh's not inconsiderable
> commitment of time, money and dedication to haul himself up to third (out
of
> 12, TWELVE Giuliettas as well as 23 other cars) on the grid at Lime Rock
> after Saturday morning practice on Labor Day weekend this year. By the end
> of the year, Tompkins was able to be within a couple of tenths to some of
> the quickest Giuliettas in the country, Sandra McNeil's very quick Sprint
> Veloce, prepared by KTR in Massachusetts and Bob Kullas of Avon,
Connecticut
> in a Spider prepared by our shop.
>
> There are many drivers in vintage and historic who merit attention. In the
> Northeast, in VSCCA, there are perennially the quickest cars of Sandra,
Dick
> McGlinchey, Scott Terry, and Deb Abraham. Paul Glynn, Dave Yeager, Brad
> Marshall, Bob Gett and Skip Person (sp?) also are stalwart
competitors.There
> are the later cars of Jim Hayes, Keith Goring and David Rivkin. In the
> Southeast, Bob Kullas' Giulietta, Ceaser Cone's Duetto, Bill Bryan's GTV
and
> Gary Plichta (finishing 4th overall at Lime Rock this year) in his GTV.
> Steve Piantieri, former AROC DotY, has moved to roundy round stuff and
> having a lot of fun at it. From the Midwest, Denny Freyvogel, Ted
Bernstein,
> Bob Colaizzi (probably the quickest Alfa historic racer in the country in
> his 2 liter Duetto, Jr.) and the mistress of the Giulietta, Rita Manganaro
> come to mind. Let's not forget the dean of GTA's, Roman Tucker and his
whole
> equipe. Further West, there are a whole crowd who I haven't had the good
> fortune to meet, including all of those Pacific Northwest bunch,
> particularly the attractive (and fast) Heather Mozart in her GTA (she
graced
> us with her presence at Lime Rock a couple of years ago). Don Queen and
Alan
> Ward are two of the better known West Coast competitors and I'm sure I'm
> missing quite a few other folks as well; my point is simply that there are
> more places Club members are active than current racing.
>
> I hope everyone will talk up their favorites so we can all cheer on our
> "picks" and I hope everyone has a happy and healthy Holiday Season!
>
> -Peter Krause
>

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