Collecting to Build

Su and I go to a "Quiz" night every Tuesday at our local British Pub. Yes, I know, sad, isn’t it. Nevertheless, it’s got to be a routinely pleasant evening with anything from two to twelve people on our team, depending on who’s in town.

I’d like to say that our team usually wins, but it’s pretty evenly split between us and a bunch of Canadians and English people, who come down as "Snowbirds" in the winter to enjoy Florida’s warmth.

I digress; One of the stalwarts of our team is Lee Self, a fount of useless trivia, particularly where Motor racing is concerned. Lee wrote the book "Porsche Turbo USA" and is to be found every March at Turn 10 at Sebring and at "Petite Le Mans" at Road Atlanta in September.

Two years ago, I was coming back from Sarasota when I encountered Lee and his wife Jerri, returning from the Sebring 12 Hours. I caught up with them as we drove over the "Sunshine Skyway" bridge across Tampa Bay. When I drew alongside the "Dumpster" (Lee’s ancient Chevy Voyager van), I saw that there was something lashed onto the van’s roof, something that projected out each side by about a foot.

When I drew alongside, I saw what it was: The carbon fiber hood from a Chrysler Viper! Lee explained through his open window as we slogged through the Sunday afternoon traffic. "Came off a car that crashed at Sebring" he shouted. "I got it from trackside and the team said to keep it. It’ll go with my Jaguar XJR-5 nose that I got in 1987!"

So back to this Tuesday. Lee arrived at the pub, a huge grin on his face. "You must see what I got at Road Atlanta!" "What is it this time?" I asked him. He led me out to the Dumpster and proudly opened the rear door. There, inside, was a long rear wing. "Got it off the Dyson car when it spun and hit the bank on the last lap" Lee announced.

I got to thinking. "You know, Lee, if you carry on at this rate, it’ll only take about five years and you’ll have a complete racecar." "I know," said Lee. "I’m working on how to get an engine and transmission now!"