The first time I got hit on track
The first time driving Laguna Seca
Passing in the Watkins Glen Bus Stop
Pittsburgh Vintage GP in a famed GT6
Taming a Factory Five Cobra on track
Crashing a Toyota FX16 at Chimney Rock
Photograph courtesy Toyota
Everyone who races has stories. Some are about victory so sweet, but most are more likely about total disasters. Here is the seventh of my seven hairiest moments on track.
The Chimney Rock Hillclimb was one of my favorite events until it ended in 1995. The year before, it had been held on Earth Day, and I guess I knew then that the writing was on the wall for its demise. Somehow, roaring race cars through a beautiful park on Earth Day seemed a little wrong.
Nearly a decade earlier, we were working closely with Toyota, and it had given us a new 1987 Toyota FX16 to build and race. While trying to juggle a lot more duties in our magazine business, I was running late–something more common in my younger days–and after jackknifing our broken old motor home in an off ramp, we were running even later.
With that fiasco somehow solved and the crappy motor home back on the road, we arrived at the track with no sleep just as the event began.
Once out on the hillclimb course in our beautiful new Toyota, I somehow forgot that course I knew so well and plowed off the mountain. I broke racing’s number one rule and got in a race car when exhausted.
Luckily, I didn’t hit any trees, and the workers were able to pull me out. I rolled back down the mountain in total shame.
The funny part of this story is that, while I hadn’t seen my wife for the better part of the morning, she was sitting right there at that very corner, watching. When she ran up to see if I was okay, the corner workers waved her off and told her she couldn’t get near “the incident.” She told them, “Don’t worry, that’s just my dumbass husband and I need to check on him!”
I cringed when I read the title to this article. I still have my 1987 FX16 GTS (bought it new) and I still autocross it. I smile every time I get behind the wheel and I'm aware of it. Not bad after 187,000 miles.
I knew I liked your wife for a reason.
While racing for about 45 years with SCCA, I have had my share of butt puckers. The worse was going into Turn 12, Canada Corner at Road America in my F-Production Honda CRX. At about 120 MPH, Put on the brakes and nobody home. Pumped them and thought where am I going to go with this thing.
When I pumped the brakes, the functioning brakes took hold. The car turned 90 degrees to the right and head-on into the wall. All four tires were off the ground at impact. Everthing in front of the firewall was damaged. I suffered no physical injuries. My wallet was sore for a long time.
PS: Cause- Left front brake line nicked by the wheel weight causing the loss of pressure.
Does anyone know where our old FX16s are? Those were from before my time. Randy Pobst drove one for us, though.
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