My return to COM after a (somewhat) long hiatus

[cfossum]

I may have ended up with that Gold RX7, I had one parked in the side yard for a while. It had the same 16" wheels and a wing that looks similar to that one. Hard to tell from the pic. The car is gone but I still have the wing!
-Carl

[kfoote]

Dean Clark stopped driving several years ago, but I have seen him and Cathy several times spectating at races that I was working at in various parts of the country. I think the last time I saw them was at the IMSA Watkins Glen 6-hour last year, and I have also seen them at Daytona and Laguna Seca. They do quite a bit of travelling.

[DeanSmith]

I may have ended up with that Gold RX7, I had one parked in the side yard for a while. It had the same 16" wheels and a wing that looks similar to that one. Hard to tell from the pic. The car is gone but I still have the wing!
-Carl

Gone as in crushed or just sold on.

Was the interior burgundy? Did it have en electric fan conversion with switches for it as well as the fuel pump on the center consol? If so that was more than likely my / Groves old car. If you would be willing to part with the wing I would be interested in it. I have been wanting to get that car back but if it is gone getting the wing back would be really cool.

[DeanSmith]

Dean Clark stopped driving several years ago, but I have seen him and Cathy several times spectating at races that I was working at in various parts of the country. I think the last time I saw them was at the IMSA Watkins Glen 6-hour last year, and I have also seen them at Daytona and Laguna Seca. They do quite a bit of travelling.

If you see him say hi to him for me. Great Guy!!!! With the obvious Name connection he seemed to take an interest in what I was doing when ever I was up at a COM event. Always encouraging me on and had some helpful insight in to driving.

[cfossum]

I may have ended up with that Gold RX7, I had one parked in the side yard for a while. It had the same 16" wheels and a wing that looks similar to that one. Hard to tell from the pic. The car is gone but I still have the wing!
-Carl

Gone as in crushed or just sold on.

Was the interior burgundy? Did it have en electric fan conversion with switches for it as well as the fuel pump on the center consol? If so that was more than likely my / Groves old car. If you would be willing to part with the wing I would be interested in it. I have been wanting to get that car back but if it is gone getting the wing back would be really cool.

Gone as in crushed, sorry to say. It was pretty rusty when it was given to me as a parts car. Now, I don't remember the dash switches at all (as I probably never sat in it and drove it), but I do sort of remember learning that it had been Grove's car at some point so there is a good chance it was the same car. Anyhow, I'm quite certain the wing was saved even after it rode around on my track car for several years.

[djsteviec]

Carl, is that the car that I may have caused to be put to sleep?

[cfossum]

No, the gold one was a parts car. You killed the car that I had been driving for twelve years!

[brucesallen]

If you get the Mister Too on track we could probably arrange a drive/follow check ride for an old member.
You made me look over my shoulder to the 1992 Lime Rock COM photo on the wall of my first RX7 dedicated track car and first Greased Shadow. Of course I started COM in 1987 in my new RX7 87 turbo. Mike Wilson was instructor. Instruction in those days meant two laps around Bryar with an instructor and then some time standing at a couple of corners with a number of other students while the single instructor pointed to bad driving. We drove all of our cars to each corner via the track and parked just off the racing surface. I learned lift-throttle over-steer spinout that day.

[StephanAlfa]

I joined COM in 2000 and I see names form the past that you have perhaps not mentioned but they are still around:
Matt Miskoe (and father)
Chris Tier
Lee Walsh
Sam Webster - Chief of Operations!
Dan Darcy
Fred Ferguson
Marc Epstein
Mark Wheatley
Rod Folia
Frank Perron
....
any names rings a bell from your time?

[Ed Sawyer]

I am still here, and drove a lot in that era. I hope to get back to COM this year. My 2 boys are older now (10, 6) so I should be able to make time for the track again. Dean, in your picture with the ancient helmet, that is my white Honda Prelude in the background (#162 at the time) with the rookie stripes still on the trunk. I started COM in 1995 or 1996 so that would have been back in those days. I still have that car and would run it with COM if/when I get the chance this year. Good to know some of the old crew are still around.

[drgrumpus]

I'm so old, I don't know what a hiatus is. I started with COM in 1984, then "graduated" to EMRA in 1988. I was involved with COM through the early-mid '90's serving as event ops chair. Bill Miskoe took that job on after me. I quit wheel-wheel racing in 2005, but have stayed active in TT's and track days. The past 4 years I have been doing hill climbs in Vermont with NEHA. I recommend that activity for the TT'r who is getting bored with NHIS. My current car is a 1972 MG Midget with a Toyota 7AGE (7AFE with 4AGE head) engine. 1450lb with 130whp. Fast enough for an old f__t like me. I plan to come to one of the COM events this year.

Mike French

[cuda6666]

Mike, you are old But nobody has been running with COM as long as I have (first event in 1965). Got to remember to pay my membership this year.

[dinoracer]

We need more cars like that around here ^^^^^^^^^^^^

[DeanSmith]

Dragging up an old thread. For some reason I never saw all the reply's after I lst posted in here.

Things got crazy in my life after I posted up here back in 2015. I did this crazy thing and decided I wanted to be president of the company I worked for so I baught out the rest of the owners and now I own it. (not sure what I was thinking at the time) but it has been a fun adventure.

Anyway if cfossum still has that wing and you want to part with it let me know. (dsmith (at) ehadesign.com )

Frank!!!!! OMG I always remember you blasting by me in that cuda on the front strait. Every time you went by I had to remind my self that I could not get out and walk that I was actaully "at speed".

Seeing that list of names brings back lots of memories. I really need to see about getting up to the track with my son. He is expressing an interest in cars now. I still have my 924S that I was driving when I walked away from racing. It needs a new motor (that I have pickled in the shed) and it would be basically track ready less safety equipment updates and a new set of tires.

I went fishing through some of the photos on the old site and found this. It is me in the back of the line in my RX7.


WOW does that bring back memories!!!!!

Anyway I was just reminiscing with a friend today about racing and then i remembered COM and this thread and wanted to post up.

[DeanSmith]

Another Question while I am here.

I just went and looked and I am in the system already (I registered back in 2010) but I can not see out how to pay membership dues. Can I just mail a check some place or is there a place where I can use my card on line.