Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Dear John letter to F-1 (Doug & Terri)

[George (ygpz4re]

Gee, I thought Doug was describing the one time I went to Willow Springs....  
We went there - I think it was in '98 - with the Ferrari Challenge series.  
There was an ex-MS F1 car as well as a very old grand prix car once driven by 
Jose' Froilan Gonzalez.  As I recall, there was at least one other GP car there 
- 70's vintage (ex-Alboreto?).  Very cool stuff!

And as a trivial aside, one of the very funny memories from that weekend was 
when we all went to a local sports bar (in Lancaster, CA, I think??) for dinner 
where only one small TV (of the 12 or 14 in the place) up over the bar was 
showing the F1 race that weekend.  By the time all the FC teams arrived, that 
TV was the only one *NOT* showing the F1 race.  The locals trying to watch 
their stick and ball games were really unhappy.  ;-)

And an even further trivial aside - at one of the FC weekend lunches, I sat w/ 
a doctor from Chicago (iirc) who had an ex-Prost F1 car.  Was having some 
software problems with it, as I recall, and all the factory would tell him was 
"ship it back and we'll fix it".  Nice.

The good ol' days.....  :-)

gp

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Picture this ? 1995 or 6 or someplace there ? Willow Springs Raceway in 
Rosemond, CA.  To get there ? leave Los Angeles, go north about an hour.  At 
Rosemond turn left.  If you turn right you end up at Edward AFB and NASA Dryden 
Flight Research Center.



Back to Willow ? Ferrari Owners Club or FCA held a meet there of - - - - old 
F1, privately owned, cars.  About 6 or 7 showed up.  MOST interesting.



But the unfortunate thing today - - - I don?t think the new cars lend 
themselves to collecting AND enjoying them as drivers.  First, no one can fit 
in them whose larger than a Triple Crown jockey, and Two ? the machines are so 
complicated they don?t work well unless there is a 20 person factory support 
team.  There may be Three, Four and Five additional reasons too but I?ll leave 
it at two.



Yeah ? that was one cool week day.  Oh, yeah ? there were also about 20 Audi 
TT?s, unbadged and EPA serial numbered cars, being tested there.  My friend 
Freeman Thomas  (when talking with the Pope one time he said it was in bad 
taste to drop names) told me the cars were being tested ? that?s why we went 
out there.  A double treat ? and the Ferrari F1?s?  just great getting that 
close to previous winners.



Onward

DOUG