As once again, your Humble Scribe Tomaso’s Stumbled
Down another Wabbit Hole and got Stuck Below! As what’s that ‘Ol Beatles song ‘bout
Fixin A Hole? Whilst I’m busy keeping Dry whilst Spacklin’ Cracks in the No Fenders
Posting rotation!
Yeah, I know this No Fenders story is now
completely Outta’ Date since I forgot to wind it’s Second’s Hand, but I’m gonna
run with it anyways, even if Ye Nofendersville Sun Dial is now completely
obscured by the Murky Gray Rain Clouds here on thoust Oregon Coast!
As Sports Car racing will completely shift to
thoust Rear-view Mirror following this weekend’s delayed Petit Le Mans 10 Hours
Season Finale on November 13th. The very last time Y’all can watch
Sports Cars or Any Motor Racing on NBC Sports, (NBCSN) which ridiculously
Comcast is Killing Off at year’s end, Bastardoes!
Thus Petit
Le Mans also marks the Swan Song of not only the little Daytona Prototype
that Could! When Mazda ends it’s RT24P programme, but IMSA curtails it’s GT Le
Mans (GT LM) Category, which has whimpered along this season with a paltry tree
cars, i.e.; the two Factory Corvette C8.R’s and a lone
Privateer Porsche 911RSR-19.
As not only is it the final race for the GT Le Mans
class, but both the BMW M8 GTE and it’s Kissing Cousin the GT Daytona M6 GT3
Coupes. AS next year will see the debut of BMW’s GTD M6 replacement with it’s
brand new M4 GT3 “Saloon.”
Memory lane…
Meanwhile, and Nah, NO Late Show
Quarantine-while’ Jokes here, Hya! I suppose it was totally Apropos that John
Hindhaugh would briefly chat with ‘Ol Ronnie Fellows during the Rolex 24
broadcast, since after all Fellows was celebrating the 20th Anniversary
of winning the Rolex 24 Outright behind the wheel of a Nasty Corvette C5.R!
As Fellows, who’s now 60 years old was calling
from Up North Eh! And mentioned how his eyesight wasn’t exactly what it was
back then. Whilst calling out GM’s Jim Campbell for his promised seat time
behind the wheel of a current day C8.R Vette’ racecar, since Ron would like to
compare it with his ‘Ol Muscle Memory of those Nasty GT-1 Spec’ GTS Corvette
racecars.
As Fellows won the 39th 24 Hours of
Daytona Overall with team-mates Johnny ‘O,” (O’Connell) Chris Kneivel and
Frank Freon aboard the No. 2 Corvette.
And I suppose it was even more Apropos or
Symbiotic that NBC Sports had ‘lil E’, nee “JR.” or simply Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
as part of this year’s 24 Hours of Daytona Announce Crew, which probably
brought back a Flood ‘O Memories for Junior, since he and his father “The
Intimidator,” ‘Ol Ironhead’, aka Dale Earnhardt Sr. garnered Mucho Media
Attenzione by racing the team’s second Corvette C5.R racecar with team-mates
Kelly Collins and Andy Pilgram sporting the legendous’ number 3 on it’s flanks
that year! (Two Decades ago)
As I know I watched that race, since I can still
fondly recall those Narly front engine 7.0 liter pushrod V-8 C5.R Vettes’ in
Thar iconic Banana Yellow paint, with that number 3 in bold , slanted black
script beneath the side windows.
As the Earnhardt’s Seester’ #3 Corvette would
finish fourth Overall and second in class, in what would be Senior’s
penultimate race before perishing in the Daytona 500 just weeks later, arguably
one of NASCAR’s Darkest Days.
https://www.netcarshow.com/chevrolet/2001-corvette_c5-r/
Ironically, the Daytona Beach News Journal reprinted
assorted articles from twenty years ago this past January, primarily round it
being the 20th Anniversary of Earnhardt, Sr’s Death. Along with publishing
a few stories regarding that year’s Rolex 24 race outing.
As Godwin Kelly wrote that Junior’ thought he’d
broken the car’s transmission in the Dead ‘O Night, and after the crew spent
21mins diagnosing the transmission, they discovered it was actually a broken
halfshaft which took another 18mins to replace!
This dropped the No. 3 down to 6th
Overall before they moved up the order, and presumably is the reason they didn’t
win the race that year.
Godwin also noted how Earnhardt, Jr. didn’t get
to drive as much as he wanted to, due to the abundance ‘O Wet stuff, nee
precipitation during the race. As Junior’ noted when you’ve got accomplished
(Sports Car) drivers like (Kelly) Collins and (Andy) Pilgram on hand, you Don’t
want to mess up the car and simply let them drive in the Wet instead! But was
looking forward to returning to another Rolex 24.
Even more ironically, symbiotic or is it
Synchronnicity? Godwin Kelly, who served as the Daytona Beach News Journal longtime
NASCAR Scribe, retired at the end of last season after 40 years and was known
as NASCAR Royalty! As I find this ironic since it’s the same year that the
ledgdnous’ D-Squared’, aka Donald Davidson also retired, coInky-dense?
And now unfortunately we’ve lost both Bob
Jenkins and Robin Miller, along with Uncle Bobby, aka Bobby Unser, who I’m sure
would have something unflattering to say about Namby Pamby Sports Car Drivers,
who back in the 1950’s were referred to as the Wine and Cheese Club Me Thinks?
Or definitely as the Stringback Glove Boys!
And thus, it seems almost too perfect for IMSA to be putting a lid upon these Nasty GT Le Mans Bad Boyz’ twenty years later, most prolifically the Narly Corvette’s which will hopefully return next year as part of IMSA’s newly mandated GTD )Daytona) Pro Class…
