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The RMVR Hosted First Ever Bobsy Reunion September 1-2, 2012
We didn't get the turnout I'd optimistically hoped for but we still had a great time. Until a couple of weeks before the event, four or five out-of-state Bobsy cars which were expected had to cancel. Those cars, with the Bobsys already owned by RMVR members, would have resulted in a field of at least 10 Bobsys on the grid! Alas, only one out-of-state owner, John Baird, God bless him, made it. Thanks, John. Sadly in the week or two just before the event, a couple of out-of-state folks were unable to attend as they'd planned. Our condolences to Tom Kinsman (WA) who had a bad accident in his SR-2 just weeks before the Reunion and to Tom Miller whose car (the Mong Porsche Special) suffered a frame fracture at the Mt. Equinox Hill Climb (also just weeks before the Reunion). He simply couldn't get it properly fixed in time to make the trip from New Jersey like he had enthusiastically planned. And a couple other owners who had committed to come backed out at the last minute. Boo hiss.
But we still had a nice turnout and good weather, albeit hot. We also had a number of Bobsy enthusiast visitors who came to just "hang out." Of special note was Graham Cowell who came all the way from the UK. He is the owner of SR-2 #14 which he now owns and races in the UK and in Europe. He was in the States and made time to spend the weekend at the Reunion. Way cool, Graham!
Don Anderson had a long-planned family trip which prevented him from attending the Reunion with his wonderful Porsche powered SR-3. He made up for it by supplying some really nifty hats for everyone who was able to attend. Thanks Don.
A special thanks for the wonderful turnout of RMVR sports racer owners. It was the largest ever turnout of sports racers for any RMVR event. All but a couple RMVR SRs were present ---- everything from a small displacement Elva to a big-ass Lola T-70 and a McLaren CanAm!
Of course, the real story is that RMVR has the largest collection of Bobsy sports racers of any vintage club in the country. The Bobsy Registry has confirmed the current ownership of 47 cars -- seven are RMVR members! And of the 23 cars that are still actively "on track," five are with RMVR! And all five were on track the weekend of the Reunion! Well, not the entire weekend, but .... that's racing, huh?
Pictures below of each Reunion & Sports Racer Challenge participant were taken by yours truly. Again, thanks to each of you for attending.
And you can follow this link for the group photos (e.g. the above) taken by Ange & Naomi DiBona. They are active RMVR members and were kind enough to take the pictures for us. Please consider purchasing your favorite photos from them. Their website is www.dnamedia.biz/ where in addition to several group photos, Naomi took quite a number of nice "on-track" photos. All are available for sale.
Here's a pictorial of those attending the First Ever Bobsy Reunion and Sports Racer Challenge Thanks to all for a great weekend!
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Bob Alder's SR-3 Had to resort to a "file" photo of my Bobsy since I didn't get a picture of myself at the Reunion. Oops! |
John Baird's SR-3 Thanks to John for making the trek from California! Consequently he was the winner of the "Furthest Driven" award, a very neat little Weber carb jet holder donated to the event by Duck Waddle. Thanks, Duck. |
Dick Bensen's SR-5 Dick worked his fanny off completing this car. It was a basket case when he got it last year. It is the actual Jim Trueman "Red Roof Inn" SR-5. Very nice job, Dick! A welcome addition to the RMVR Bobsy fleet. |
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Joe & Ian Cesare's SR-4 Prototype Until recently, Joe & Ian's SR-4 Prototype was thought to be the only one to exist. As it turns out, it was the only one to be really completed by Jerry Mong. Joe & Ian have raced this car for years with RMVR. This car is now being offered for sale. CLICK HERE for complete details. |
David Irwin's SR-4 Prototype As noted in the prior frame, another SR-4 chassis was recently documented. David had owned this chassis for years, but in the last year found documentation that it was another SR-4 Prototype chassis that was never completed by Mong. The buyer highly modified it for an opposed Porsche engine. David will so fit this chassis with a similar engine, as it was in the day. But he brought it out anyway in it's "under restoration" state. Yet another Bobsy in the RMVR stable. |
Frank Slejko's SR-2 Frank is another RMVR member and has raced this Alfa powered Bobsy for a number of years. He also owns a very neat little AUSCA sports racer which his daughter usually races. Unfortunately, she was out of state and couldn't attend and race the AUSCA. |
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Ken Petrie's Ocelot |
Ken Petrie's SR-2 | Ken Petrie's McLaren CanAm |
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Kenny Petrie is like the woman who lived in a shoe that had so many children she didn't know what to do. But he figured it out for the Reunion weekend bring three of his neat sports racers, including his SR-3. Kenny's "regular" race cars are a big-ass V-8 ground pounding Corvette and a McLaren F-5000. Kenny has cars! We envy him very much.
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Phil Shires' Elva MK6 Phil is another RMVR stalwart racing as often as he can when not being deeply involved, for the past several years, with the wonderful Colorado Grand. |
Terry Hefty's Elva MK7 This BMW 2.0L powered beauty is but one of Terry's very, very neat collection of significant cars. And he actively races his cars all over the world, livin' the dream!
Speaking of "all over the world," Terry, with a Lotus Elan, Phil Shires (with his Elva, Diane Alder with her Miller, and I (with my Titan Formula Ford) were four of six RMVR racers who had the excellent adventure of attending the New Zealand Festival of Speed back in 2004. For that complete story, click here. |
Diane Alder's Miller My wife loves her Miller Sports Racer. After the Bobsy Reunion weekend we did a couple of other race weekends including the October RMVR event at Pikes Peak International Raceway. That weekend was her 100th race weekend! She has seat time in this puppy! |
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Tom Pester's Sable |
Dick Steen's Elva MK7 |
Bob Rowley's Lola T-70 |
| This was the first weekend for this car with it's new owner, Tom Pester. Tom, his wife Judy, and son Jeff, are regular RMVR racers out of El Paso, Texas. Tom & Jeff normally race Formula Fords and Judy her neat Porsche 356. Tom acquired this unique car (only one in existence???) from Frank Slejko and this was Tom's first outing in this Porsche (2.0L) Powered monster. | Dick and his lovely 1600 cc TwinCam Elva MK7. Yet another RMVR regular, he has raced this car for years. Diane and he have had their battles over the years. | Mr. Rowley was kind enough to bring out his beautiful Lola T-70 -- one of the most beautiful race cars ever built. Is that V-8 power ever gnarly? What a machine. |
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So, that was the turnout. By Sunday afternoon' Bobsy & Sports Racer Feature Race, a couple of cars had a DNS. Dick Bensen broke a half-shaft on Saturday, Petrie's SR-2 had a gear box problem, and then his Ocelot broke a timing belt. Ugh! But he still made the feature race with his McLaren. (It's a tough life, but Kenny is up to the task!) And a couple of other cars had a DNF during the race, mostly heating issues, so that by the end of the Feature race, only the mighty survived Here's the MyLaps.com results for the Feature Race. |
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