Mail Call

Hi Pete,

Regarding your report on the Turkish Grand Prix, I feel that it is worth mentioning the beneficial effects of the course design there, particularly the use of paving in the run-off areas.

Several drivers went off at the high-speed turn 8 and instead of becoming mired in a gravel trap and having an injury accident of the type that cost Michael Schumacher an additional World Championship a few years ago, they gathered themselves up, got the car under control and got back in the race. Before the track was built, John Fitch and I sent out a press release headlined "Pave the Gravel Traps." It is printed in the web site, www.racesafety.com. It was widely distributed, including copies to FIA, and Silverstone and Spa did pave gravel traps. I don't know what influence it had on the Turkish track design but there probably was some. John, of course, is delighted to see the feature. We somehow missed it the first year of the race there and I understand the Istanbul track is unchanged from its innaugural race.

Tim Considine called me yesterday to mention it and he sent a letter to Bob Varsha at Speed Channel calling his attention to the Fitch design feature. I don't think I saw any gravel traps at all on the course but John and I are going to look at it again to make sure.

Regards, Carl Goodwin

In addition to being a contributor to VeloceToday, Carl Goodwin is an award winning author, and has been working with John Fitch on an udpated autobiography of the famous driver.

Dear Pete:

I think you are a little unfair on Terry O'Neil's treatment of a very difficult section. Terry is a thorough researcher and how do you report a drunken party 50 years later...it wasn't accurate then, never mind now! Fifty stories of drunken parties is no more interesting. Yes, there could have been more on Nassau itself, but so much work went into finding the facts of the racing that that would have been another book. I know you like the book for the most part, and I for one am very grateful that someone has done it, and done it very well.

I also have a slight suspicion that what is remembered as a very great time doesn't always bear close analysis! And when everyone drank themselves into oblivion and got up to various hijinks...well, that was in the time, and it isn't always so funny now.

What I really like in this kind of work is that you can pretty much depend on the accuracy of the story...and I have heard the Levy/McCluggage story told another way too!

Ed McDonough

Ed is a well known historian, whose last work, "Alfa Tipo 33", was reviewed in VeloceToday.

Dear Pete, Thanks for the interesting reports, and Alessandro Gerelli's report on the Oldtimer GP. One photo is very unusual: the engine-bay of the silver (grey) 250 GTE. This car must be very much 'uprated'. In any case this is a much later quad-cam engine!! Daytona?? Or 275 GTB/4??

Perhaps Alessandro can tell us more!!

Are you already in possession of Massinis /Anderlonis Opus Magnum on the Non-Pininfarina Ferraris of the 50s and 60s?? I think it is distributed in US by Roush's Ferrari market-letter. Superb photgraphy...

Always enjoying VeloceToday...

Best regards from Michael Catsch

We referred the Ferrari question to Alessandro, who replied: "I am sorry but I have no more info. I too, was surprised by the carburettors and the twin cams. The car was not racing and was exhibited in the big tent in front of the old boxes and it was raining very very hard......"
We don't have a copy of the latest Massini book for review. We shall ask...ed.