From: bob@ncube.com (Bob Kehoe)
Subject: More IMSA Notes
Organization: nCUBE Computers, Beaverton, Oregon, U.S.A.
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 16:03:27 GMT

Some quotes from my Thursday evening interview with Al Jr. 
(somewhat paraphrased):

We were discussing the differences between Indycars and GTP cars.
One thing I brought up is that with the GTP he can make some choices
as to tire compounds.  Al agreed, and said they asked him Thursday
which tires he wanted to put on the car.  He chuckled and said "I
dunno" :-)

Al wants to do F1 because of the cars themselves.  Again he mentioned
he had tested the Williams last year at Estoril and has a test at
Benetton in September at Silverstone.  If it happens to be raining,
they'll do it in Spain.  I brought up the deal about how he got this
upcoming test by winning Indy.  Sometime back, he and Tom Walkinshaw
went out to dinner and Al mentioned he'd like to get an F1 test.  Tom
said, "ok, after you win Indy".  Al had to call him back and remind him
of what he said.  As I mentioned yesterday, an F1 deal hinges on being
able to continue running the Indy 500.  Al:  "If they frown on Indy, I
frown on F1".  He always says he would like to stay one step behind Big
Al throughout his career, so Al Jr. needs two more Indy wins to do so.

He had hope to drive one of the Jaguar's in this year's Daytona 24hrs,
but the deal couldn't go thru because of sponsors.  Al likes to do that
race, to get back into shape for the upcoming season.  He stated that
after running the 24, he always says "I'll never do that again", but
keeps coming back.
---------------------------------
Parker Johnstone likes the two-driver rule in GTLights this year.  That
way, if the car is a pig, he can pit and turn the car over to Dan Marvin
:-)
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There has been some grumblings (maybe from Jaguar?) about the Elf fuel
that the Gurney Toyota team imports for their use (it's legal).  Well
Saturday I wandered down to the Toyota pits, found the fuel barrel and
tooks some whiffs.  Nice aroma!  I think I'll bottle this fragrance.
No truth to the rumors that I spent the rest of the weekend spending
a lot of time hanging around this certain barrel, eyes hazed over.
----------------------------------
I was in the Brumos Porsche pits with Bob Carlson (PR - PCNA) and Hans
Stuck.  Bob handed Hans an envelope, which I assumed contained some of
that green stuff.  Would've like to see how much.  As I was leaving late
Sunday, I spotted Hans in his golf cart.  A very young lad, perhaps 2 or
3 years old, walked over and climbed into the passenger's side.  Hans
bent over and said something; they then switched positions and the
little boy was behind the wheel.  Perhaps Hans Jr? (getting an early
driving lesson).
----------------------------------
Early in the GTS/GTO/GTU race, Amos Johnson swapped ends on his Achieva
in Festival and stalled on the grass on the outside.  He couldn't get it
refired, and the car was in a precarious position.  They probably went
another 5-6 laps before a full-course yellow was called so the workers
could get to him.  I don't understand the delay -- maybe one of you SCCA
guys could explain.
----------------------------------
Also a worker-related incident I noticed during the early laps of the
Exxon Supreme race.  Someone went off the outside of T1 and stalled (I
think it was probably a GTU car).  2-3 workers were dispatched from the
station located inside T1.  They got the car going as the first 2/3rds
of the field motored by.  A gap in the field came up, so the workers
were dashing back across the track back to their station.  The next
group of cars were just starting to appear in T1, and one of the
workers, just as he cleared the pavement and got back on the grass
(running, of course), Fell!  I was really worried about his safety for
just a moment.  Thank god he made it to the grass.
-----------------------------------
And lastly -- which one of you was responsible for having the Camel
Girls show up Thursday night while we were doing the remote show?
Not that I'm complaining, but it sure caused me a distraction for awhile
while I was interviewing.  :-)

-cannonball-

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