Martin, Mi

Hal:

Ted posted some results on the SDC Newsgroup, but here's a quick summary:

Three Studebakers competed: The Plain Brown Wrapper, The Stude Tomato, and Doug Tjapkes' newly-done (work in progress to some extent) 1963 Lark Regal 2-door with R2/Powershift. Doug and mechanic Art had the car running well Friday but with a few things to sort out, did not return Saturday for the shootouts.

The Plain Brown Wrapper drew a 1968 Buick GS 455 Stage I hardtop (not sure if all that nomenclature is exactly correct, but that's what we remember it as) who had qualified with a 13.17 ET Friday. The PBW qualified at 13.16. The PBW, with Ted as Pilot, won both of the first two races against the Buick to win that shootout.

The 1963 Stude Tomato, Ted's R2/4-speed Lark Custom 2-door, drew a

1970(?) LeMans 455/4-speed convertible, a very nice looking car. (I apologize for being less specific than normal; a 24-hour flu attacked about 3AM Saturday morning. I wound up spending the shootouts half asleep under the shade of my truck, having recycled breakfast to mother earth at the edge of the grounds fence about 10AM and being "out of it" the rest of the day; ugh.)

Saturday was terribly hot, a disadvantage for supercharged cars. All the Stude shootout runs were made with temps over 90 degrees; Ted recorded a peak of 97+. Even so, Ted also drove his '63 Lark past the

455 Pontiac in the first two runs and thus won his shootout in the first two rounds of the 2-out-of-3 format as well. Probably owing to the heat and continuing traction problems, neither The PBW nor The Tomato broke into the 12s at any time during the two days.

Chuck and John Kern made the trip in their 1963 R2/Powershift Avanti and it ran fine up and back. But they had just replaced the torque converter and the stall speed wasn't what it was supposed to be, so they did not compete. It made a nice car to add to the display at Pit Studebaker on Saturday, however.

I apologize for not remembering the SDCer's name who had his Laguna Blue 1964 Daytona convertible in the group as well. The Avanti, the Daytona, and both race cars comprised a nice display in the pits for people looking around. Lots of good will and good Studebaker exposure.

'See ya' all in September for The Pure Stock Musclecar Drags! A reminder, though; we aren't planning to take The Plain Brown Wrapper to Stanton in September. George Krem will be moving and unable to attend, so we'll likely have only The Tomato. But it looks like Richard Poe and Peter Sant and, hopefully, John Raab anmd Doug Jtapkes, will be fielding entrants in Stanton as well. BP

Thanks for your usual excellent summation. Y'all make us proud to be Studeholics!!!

JT