Streets of Willow

California Association of Sunbeam Tiger Owners

Saturday and Sunday, Sept 30 and Oct 1 2000

Web master enjoyed the company of Mat Thibaud, Steve Alcala and Dan Walters at the Streets of Willow for some open track fun with LASAAC. Dan was one of the hired gun instructors. Mat brought out his fresh engined 289 stick shifter (was auto) Mk 1 Tiger for its first outing in 2 years. Steve brought the familiar green Alpine to tune up for Coronado later this month. Buck Trippel and a friend came out on Sunday and Mat
and I gave them a few passenger laps at the streets. I did not bring the Tiger but my One Lap veteran Mustang Cobra. Weather was great warm and sunny. Not too crowded, about 50 entries which provided 3 groups with lots of track time. The only downer of the event was the rare occasion of a car flipping over on its back. Steve was
entering the skid pad turn, a 180 degree right to the front straight, when the left axle snapped off at the hub. The lost traction sent the car sideways for a second until the end of the axle housing took a bite of asphalt and over they went. The Alpine with now passenger Steve got settled on its top and scraped and spun along a hundred yards before coming to rest with only three wheels in the air. Fortunately the turn
is part of the open asphalt skid pad with more room to roam than Steve needed.

Steve was OK enough to drive himself home (wounded car on trailer) and is determined to keep his date on the grid at Coronado. (Hedid!) The car is already back together as I write this and ready for paint. Unfortunately restoration of the Alpine hardtop is going to be difficult and those hardtops are very rare indeed.

Much thanks to Mario Veltri and LASAAC for renting the track for this event.

Photos attached tell the rest of the story

Rick
CAT Treasurer
Web Servant

PS I was able to get a photo of steve just before the axle broke. He
was flying!

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