RE: Posers and Non-Posers (was Re: Porsche Guys)

["Buchholz, Steven" <Steven.Buchholz@kla-tencor.com>]

> As for little old men in cool cars, I'll never forget the sight of the
> late Juan Manuel Fangio, then age 78, driving the Mercedes Benz W196
> Grand Prix car around Laguna Seca several years back.  M-B had a
> brand-new 600SL as a camera car, with a factory driver in it and a
> photographer hanging over the rear deck, shooting film of Il Maestro at
> the wheel.  I was up in the Corkscrew that day, fairly close to the
> track, and could hear the engine of the W196 -- Fangio would drop back
> behind the camera car and the F1 car would sputter, then he'd nail the
> throttle and the silver cigar would *leap* forward as though it was
> about to drive completely *over* the camera car.  They disappeared
> around turn 9 (the sweeping, weirdly cambered left-hander that
> disappears under the bridge) and a few seconds later, the roar of ten
> thousand throats lifted up over the oak trees and all of us in the shade
> near the Corkscrew turned to see any sign of what happened.
> 
... I was fortunate enough to be standing right near the bridge over turn 9
when that happened ... it was incredible!  Fangio nailed the throttle at the
first sign the car was off the track.  I think I've even got pictures of the
before and after.  Fangio really liked that open track in front of him ...
and the camera car driver got a good round of applause on the next lap.  I
would have hated to be one of those people sitting up in the back seat when
the car looped ... good thing the rollbar was already up!

Now Scott, was that a veiled reminder that you never know what you'll see
when you go to the Historics? ... ;-)  The shows on a week from Saturday!
There is a fairly good number of Audi fans that will be in attendance as
well ... not enough for a corral, but should be plenty for some good
cameraderie!  Plans are firming up for the caravans down ... I'm hoping that
we'll be able to continue the event with a dinner/drive afterwards ...

Steve Buchholz
San Jose, CA (USA)