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Lee Brahin's Tyrrell hit the guardrail and, in the ensuing melee, about 7 other cars were severely damaged.

Caught up in the chain reaction was our good friend Gordon Medenica in his beautiful 782 F2 March (seen at right before the incident, coming up on Divi in Finn's Lotus 79).

Gordon's March was actually launched through the air (this can be seen on Lee Brahin's on-board video).

Such a shame! The car was 100 percent original – as was possibly the case also for Steve Hynes and Dudley Cunningham's cars, both of which were destroyed.

Fortunately Gordon's car will be fine, with a little work.

 
Divi in the Lotus 79 w/Gordon Medenica
 in his March 782 in hot pursuit

- Photo by September 8th

Serendipity Sidebar:  Before the above qualifying race, Rick Carlino had been fit to be tied because he felt he had not been given his rightful place on the grid and was instead some six or seven places farther back. However, when everyone not involved in the crackup filtered back onto pit lane, Rick had a huge look of relief on his face as he remarked, "I'd have been right in the middle of all that." For once, Rick's bad luck turned good – at least as far as Group 9 was concerned.

Again, all the crew were there watching Hamish drive the little Lola down the hill from Turn 5 to "the boot."

The car sounded and looked absolutely splendid in the late afternoon sun.

Well done Hamish!

- Photo by September 8th
(click to enlarge)

And now, the much anticipated Group 9 + F1 race. 

Divina Galica was with us again as well, in Joel Finn's JPS/Lotus 79 with yet another freshened engine. Ed Barker and John Black of Hudson Historics were overseeing and maintaining the car for Divi. 

The Lola 240 was a close overall 3rd in qualifying (F/A class), with second place in easy reach -- all the more surprising, as the Lola should not be that competitive with the later RT1 Ralts and '78 and '79 Marches.

There was some confusion as to grid position before the start of the race, with Fitze being "slotted" on the strength of his times in Sunday morning's warm-up. Bobby Brown didn't have a problem with this, but the Ralt RT2 team was really bent out of shape – curious, as they were some 5 seconds a lap slower….

The race got off to a good start and a clean, "flag-free" race ensued – albeit on the short side! Five laps??!! (Long way to come, Knoop, for only five laps. Sorry mate, but thanks for showing!)

Hamish did his usual thing, stretching out a small lead and maintaining it.

Rick Knoop and Fitze tried to pressure him; Hamish may have been a little tired but he was in the FW07 which he loves and in which he feels totally relaxed.

Well done everyone! – Knoop and Fitze for joining Hamish on the podium, Divi for yet another stellar drive in the stunning 79 and, Rick Carlino  – ever getting even more comfortable and quick in his fabulous Surtees (which every spectator seems to remember racing here in 1972-73 – it always captures a lot of attention).

Poor Derek was ready to make a flying start at the drop of the flag in Carlino's Lola, only to have no drive, the flywheel bolts having sheared. Better luck next time (at VIR)!

The Historic Enduro was a mammoth undertaking for our team, which was not well-rehearsed in pit-stop tactics. In past years, we were quite the experts running multi-car Enduro efforts, but not lately.

On the first pit-stop, under full-course yellow, all four cars came in at the same time.
 
A well-oiled machine we were not. Imagine the Marx Brothers.    You get the picture….

Except for Paul Flowers, who always times himself  (yellow Chevron B31 - above), everybody was tripping over their d@#$*...  trousers. Paul got away cleanly and exactly on time, having been refueled.

Rick Carlino and Hal Jones were fueling the Gropa themselves and got away a little over time.

Hamish and Rick Knoop….?

Well...........

             .....no one had a clock on them....

Phil Meany caught the ire of another officer and proceeded to get into an argument with him.

He finally left well over time.

Paul did his usual, consistent, fabulous job in his B31 Chevron and came across the line at 3rd overall. He was on the podium, a well-earned spot!

.....Phil Meany finished pretty well up the grid after a really forceful drive, working his pit-stop frustrations out by going faster and faster

......Rick Knoop in Hamish's Lola was stranded out on the track somewhere with a dead battery (strange).

.....Rick Carlino's Gropa, with best buddy Hal Jones driving, had suffered a meltdown somewhere out on the track.

And that, as they say, was that!  The weekend was over.
Some bad, some good, and some great results....
but, in the main, more smiling faces than not.