Zupan's Historic Car Races, 2001

Jeffrey Butts

This year is the fourth year for the club to tour together to the race. The standard script starts with meeting up at Skyline Burger's between 0730 and 0800 for pre-race bench racing. This year, under a cool, overcast Saturday morning six cars rendezvoused for the trip to the track. I managed to get there moments before Russ arrived in the butter yellow 356B. The Lindborg's Porsche is a sight to see with its driving lights and roll cage. Simpson belts hold the pilots in place. The paint is absolutely flawless. Kelly and Brian Sweeney were the next cars up the hill from the city side of the mountain. Kelly was driving his 1965 High Performance Mustang Fastback. It looks really nice with those factory option wheels. At one time he was going to get some five spoke American Racing Mags (a la Bullitt) but, in my opinion, the option wheels are a better match. Son Brian was right behind him in the Mini Cooper, looking debonair and apparently garnering approving glances from the young ladies down in Northwest Portland. Ferrari drivers were, no doubt, green with envy. Following the Sweeney's was Don Harrison in his 911 Targa. After a winter that included a mechanical tune-up, it was nice to see it out on the road again. Final arrival of the morning was the E-Jag coupe of Bob and Susan McFadden. Such a lovely car with, the glassed in headlights and wire wheels.

As usual, Mr. Sweeney (the elder) led us north on Skyline. The pace was moderate until we encountered a Ford Explorer on the lower half of Germantown Road. He was, no doubt, in fear of throwing a tread. This accounted for the sedate trip off the hill to Highway 30. Once across the St John's Bridge and into North Portland, Russ peeled off and headed out to meet up with Lucia to pick up his paddock pass. The rest of us arrived at the track just after 8:30 and parked our cars.

They have moved the concession tents and vendors further west from the pit area and, while I had the chance I trolled among the tables. This is really the kind of activity that requires a bigger budget than mine and, in the case of some of the material, a bigger car too. I saw a watercolor painting that I really liked. I'm sure that I could have asked Kelly to take it home in the Mustang, but it was hundreds of dollars and I don't have the wall space for anything else. I did get the requisite shirt and a couple of 1/43 scale cars. That put me out nearly a hundred right there.

This year's theme was advertised as GTP cars and a Formula 1 demonstration. I must admit to some disappointment, as there were only a handful of GTP's and only three Formula 1 cars. Oldest of the bunch (and I didn't get a chance to even see it run) was Peter Gidding's Bugatti Type 59. Bob said that he saw it on the back of a truck, but we didn't see it run on Saturday. The GTP exhibition group race was dedicated to Ballard's Wade Carter Jr. Known to members of this club as a skillful racecar driver and frequent entrant at this event in his bumblebee yellow Porsche 906, Carter died in a helicopter crash in early May. Although the total was small, there were a variety of entrants. You may have been watching the Group C Porsches but I was focusing on Bernard Juchli. Bernard has driven a variety of cars and is probably best remembered for his green and yellow E-Jag coupe. The 4.2-liter powered car developed close to 400 HP and was always a pleasure to watch. This year the Jag is sold and he was racing a 1976 F2 Chevron B34. This is the same type of car that 1982 F1 World Champion Keke Rosberg drove in 1976 and 1977. Juchli was engaged in an interesting duel in a mixed pack that included a Carrera RS, a Corvette, and a Lola coupe. I may have forgotten some but you get the general idea. This pack would come down the straightaway with the Chevron close to the front. Juchli would take the right-hander into the Festival well but seemed to be having problems with the gear change as he negotiated the quick left that follows. The rest of the pack would blow by him and then, by the time he got back out of Turn 12, he'd be at the front to play the scene all over again. By the time the qualifier was over he had his shit together and was comfortably ahead of the rest of the group.

The big bore production group was exactly that. Compared to previous years it was pretty much a big bore. The only excitement came when, in the early laps of the qualifier, Cobra driver Rich Mason crumpled the left front of his car coming into the Festival. I never saw whom it was that he hit but the damage put him out of the qualifying event. It was nice to see the 1966 Barracuda of Mike Ritz. There are plenty of 'Vettes and Mustangs around but this car was a one of a kind.

Best race of the day was the Group 6 qualifier. Loosely listed as sports cars from 1960- 1969, it included some sports racers as well. The dice to remember was between Portland's Monte Shelton, driving his 1969 911 and John Delane from Redondo Beach in a Lotus 26R. In 1964 Lotus made less than 100 of these lightweight versions of their Elan. The hard-topped car sports a 1600 twin cam fed by twin Weber 45 DCOE carbs. It weighs about 1540 pounds. That combination made it worthy competition for the 911 and the two of them traded places lap after lap. Neither of them put a foot wrong that I could see and I am only sorry that I did not see who crossed the finish line first. Another good derby in this group was the one between John Zupan's (yes, the sponsor) 914-6 and a BMW 2002 that was not identified in the program

Group 7 was a sentimental favorite, populated with a tub full of 356 Outlaws. A good battle occurred between Greg Campbell's '64 356C and the Alfa GTA of Kevin McKee. The Porsches had some very tight racing with each other and with Alfas and Datsuns aplenty.

All in all it was a great day with good weather and a modest amount of close racing. Campbell Productions puts on a class event and PIR is as good a road course as you can get. Hope to see you at the track next year.