U.S. Grand Prix

The lump under the tarp is my friend, Ron Johnson. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

In October of 1965, I attended the Grand Prix of the United States at Watkins Glen Grand Prix Course, what is now Watkins Glen International.
I had attended the year before with a bunch of guys from my college, and they also attended in 1965, although not with me.
There probably had been some sort of falling out, whereby I wasn’t interested in -1) getting drunk, and -2) thereby rebelling against the college’s silly rules.
The college was Houghton College in western New York, an evangelical liberal arts college, and it had rules against having fun.
Drunkenness and debauchery were of-the-Devil.
Not that I minded that much.
It made pursuit of a college education more attainable.
Drunkenness and debauchery weren’t around to distract.
So I attended with them in 1964, but was kind of out-of-it.
More interested in the cars and racing.
In the summer of 1965 I bought a fabulous sportscar, a 1958 Triumph TR3 that had been drag-raced.
I affectionally called it “The Beast.”
It was immensely strong.
So a friend and I decided to take this car to the U.S. Grand Prix.
Into the infield we went, dodging staggering drunks swigging from large open wine-bottles and leather whiskey flasks.
“Is this one of the racecars?” some drunk slobbered.
“Sure. Look out! We’re headed for the paddock!” we exclaimed.
BRAPPAH!
We took along a tarp and sleeping-bags, the idea being to spread the tarp between the hood and the trunk, and sleep under it. (See picture.)
The college yearbook had loaned me their fabulous Honeywell Pentax 35mm SpotMatic single-lens-reflex camera.
I got one myself after I graduated, and used it over 40 years.
I also took along a college stepladder, wedged in behind the seats topdown.
Watkins Glen was horrible for trackside racing photography; flat.
The new “boot”-section hadn’t been added yet.
You had to have a stepladder to get above the crowd along the fence.

Photo by BobbaLew.

Race-winner Graham Hill in a BRM.

The race was won by Graham Hill (“Grime-Heel”), so we tumbled back into the Beast for return to the college.
I had used a route of scenic back roads.
We got as far as way-out Meads Creek when my car suddenly died.
The tiny bakelite finger that rode the cam in the distributor to work the points had broken.
The points weren’t even contacting at all.
We coasted to a stop next to a honky-tonk roadhouse, and stuck our thumbs out.
The stepladder was abandoned.
Nothing was passing — we were out in the middle of nowhere.
Finally we went inside the roadhouse. I had an idea.
We bought the place out of popsicles, broke the popsicle sticks, and wedged ‘em inside the distributor.
Idea being the popsicle sticks would fill the space of the broken bakelite finger, and thereby work the points.
VIOLA! The car started, and ran, although very sloppily.
We headed for Route 17 in the dark.
Finally the first set of popsicle sticks wore out; but I had extras — I thought they might.
I installed another set under a streetlight, and it ran again. Got us all the way to Greenwood.
It died, so I shoved in the clutch on a downhill, and cranked it again; but everything locked solid.
We parked it roadside and hitchhiked back to the college with a fellow student who was passing.
My sister’s boyfriend helped push it back to the college with his car.
I got it running again.
Removal of the starter freed everything. With a proper point-set it could be push-started.
I had the starter rebuilt, but it was burned out.
I had to park it on hills, so I could coast-start it.
Or corral a bunch of students to push.
I was in no financial position to get a new starter-motor.

• “Grand Prix” is a series of premier open-wheel auto races, usually one per country throughout Europe; Formula One. A U.S. Grand Prix was added. Formula One still races. It included entrants like Ferrari — still does.
• “Watkins Glen” is at the south end of Seneca Lake, a long Finger-Lake. It was near many colleges, and could also draw from New York City.
• “Houghton” is the college from where I graduated with a BA in 1966. I’ve never regretted it, although I graduated as a Ne’er-do-Well, without their blessing.
• “Graham Hill” was an English Grand Prix driver, who won the drivers’ championship a few years in the ‘60s. —He was killed later crashing his airplane.
• The “boot-section” was an addition to the original racetrack, added in the ‘70s. It was within a bowl, so you could photograph down into it.
• “Route 17” is a fairly busy state highway across southern NY. A parallel interstate was later built, Interstate-86, the “Southern Tier Expressway.”
• “Greenwood” is a tiny rural town near a junction along Route 17. It’s almost to Route 19 in Wellsville, the road we took up to the college.
• “My sister” is Betty (Elizabeth). She’s second after me, 64 (I’m the oldest at almost 66). She lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and is married to a guy named Tom. — That boyfriend was her first husband. (Tom is her longtime fourth; and a success.)