Historic Sports Car Racing Virginia International Raceway July 6/7/8, 2001

Nestled in the gorgeous parkland countryside that is a feature of the North Carolina / Virginia borders you will find an absolute jewel of a race track known as the Virginia International Raceway (VIR). Originally opened in 1957, when the inaugural race was won by Carroll Shelby in a Maserati, this 3.2 mile circuit enjoyed great success and patronage until it was forced to close its doors at the height of the fuel crisis in 1974.

VIR then lay dormant for two decades until, in 1994, an ambitious six year restoration of the 1,200 acre facility was begun. The result is a spectacular and impeccably presented road racing venue that has been reborn as a veritable racing Mecca. With superb facilities, an incredibly efficient and gracious administration staff and a challenging seventeen corner circuit with numerous excellent vantage points for spectators, VIR is an absolute gem of a facility. Re-opened in 2000, VIR is already a favourite testing ground for NASCAR and some of the fabulous prototype racers from the Petit Le Mans Series.

The July 4th weekend racing program was sponsored by the HSR organization and featured a diverse selection of cars ranging from a 1952 Jaguar XK120 to an almost unbelievably fast 1995 Indy car. An initial walk around the paddock on Friday morning left me somewhat bewildered: there was truly magnificent machinery everywhere I looked! Mechanics worked frantically, preparing their cars for what promised to be a feast of weekend racing. It really was an awesome sight.

I was pleased to find my good friends Bill and Trent Terry (Terrys Jaguar Parts, IL) in high spirits after an encouraging practice session the previous day. The Terry family had brought their formidable 1962 E Type (# 77) to VIR having been told of the venue by our mutual friends, Larry Ligas and Dave Hinton of Predator Performance, in Largo, Florida. The Predator team had competed at VIR during the inaugural 2000 season and Larry, in his beautifully presented and exceedingly quick 1961 E Type FHC, had apparently been leading Trent around the circuit prior to my arrival, showing him the racing line.

Friday, July 6th

With greetings exchanged and old friendships renewed, it was now time to dust off the stop watches and plant right feet a little closer to floorboards! Trent and Larry were racing in Group 5 alongside thirty eight vintage sports and racing cars ranging from ground rumbling Corvettes and Camaros to a brace of exquisite and diminutive Lotus 23s. The grid also included an amazing gathering of Porsches, Mustangs, Sunbeam Tigers - and three E Types, including # 77 and the Predator car.

Two officially timed practice sessions were scheduled for 10am and 3pm. Trent, who admitted to still feeling his way around the VIR circuit, was third fastest with 2.09.162. The fastest car on the track was a 1966 Lotus 23B driven by Bob Wagner (2.08.715) followed closely by Eric Bretzel in his impressive sky blue Porsche 911. Larry Ligas, who was fifth fastest (2.10.854) on the day in his 1961 FHC, was forced to bring his afternoon session to an early close when his water temp gauge crept up to 210 degrees. Other than the need for a fresh set of tyres, Trent declared himself delighted with the way # 77 was performing and said he was looking forward to race qualifying scheduled for 8.05am the following morning. He acknowledged that he was going to have to 'find a second' from somewhere if he was going to beat Bob Wagner in the blisteringly quick Lotus...........

Friday afternoon, following practice, saw us scrambling to help Larry out with his cooling problems. After much cursing of cellular telephone technology and a number of frantic calls to the Classic Jaguar shipping room back in Austin, we finally managed to persuade UPS that we really did have to have a new aluminium radiator brought from Texas overnight...and yes, we did know the next day was Saturday....and yes, we were aware that VIR was in an extremely rural location....

Although I told Larry that his cooling problems were solved and his equipment would be there on time for him to compete the following morning, I was secretly concerned that all our efforts might be in vain. I spent most of Friday evening with my fingers firmly crossed and muttering prayers to the UPS gods.....

Saturday, July 7th

Well done UPS - I never doubted you for a moment! A gleaming Team CJ radiator and some rather fetching French blue Team CJ silicone hoses did indeed make it to Virginia - and Larry was back in the medal hunt!

The gorgeous Predator E Type	Team CJ radiator to the rescue!

Trent arrived at the track bright and early to find one of his brand new Hoosier tyres had gone flat overnight. With qualifying due to start at 8.05am, there was no option but to borrow a used wheel and tyre from Larry - who fortunately runs the same wheel and tyre combination as # 77 on his 61 FHC. It was hardly ideal going out to qualify on mis-matched tyres, but nonetheless Trent set off in good spirits. Larry went out to try to get a decent qualifying time using his old radiator, as by 8am we had yet to see the much anticipated UPS delivery.

Trent set a blistering pace in qualifying, turning in an impressive 2.07.235. Fully 2.25 seconds faster than his best time of the previous day, yet still only good enough for third place on the grid for the afternoon's trophy race. Pole position went to Mike Trombly (2.06.69) in the second Lotus 23, second spot belonged to Eric Bretzel in his Porsche 911 (2.06.909) and immediately behind Trent would be Bob Wagner's Lotus 23 (2.07.326). Although Larry had gamely qualified in 9th (2.10.325), he had yet to swap out his radiator and, to make matters worse, was now experiencing serious handling (oversteer) problems.

Trent Terry's office	The fastest E Type in the US

With the arrival of the Team CJ cooling goodies, Larry and a willing band of Predator volunteers set about swapping out the radiator. With the bonnet off and the old radiator removed, the cause of his oversteering problems was revealed. The front left mounting bracket for the front sway bar had completely sheared off! Quite how Larry managed to qualify as well as he did, with a car that must have been terrifying to drive, is a testament to his driving skills. With the additional repairs needed to the sway bar, the Predator gang barely had time to ready the car for the big race scheduled for 12.25pm. They worked feverishly and refused to accept the possibility that they wouldn't be ready for the race. In the end, they made it with minutes to spare. Larry and the Predator team deserve huge credit for even making it to the grid.

12.25pm - Showtime!

As the cars pulled onto the track behind the bright yellow Mustang pace car, I was bursting with emotion. My writing skills can't do justice to the feeling one gets when standing in the midst of such magnificent rolling thunder. Suffice it to say I felt a mixture of fear, excitement and awe - and I felt privileged to be in the presence of these great cars and their courageous drivers. The announcer introduced the competitors and gave a special mention to the presence of what he described as 'the legendary Terry racing family'. I smiled at Bill Terry and realized that I was proud to call him my friend. Modestly brushing off the commentator's kind words, Bill confided in me that despite grid starting positions, he still saw Bob Wagner (Lotus 23) as the clear favourite for the race. He just didn't see how Trent could get by the little Lotus. When I asked "Why not?", Bill said "Because that's a hell of a driver in a hell of a fast race car". Although I didn't express my thoughts out loud, I couldn't help thinking that Bill's words applied equally to his son in the # 77 car........As I dwelt further on his words, I realized that they actually applied to another Lotus 23 (pole) and two brutally quick Porsche 911 IROC cars, all of which combined with Trent to make up the first five positions on the grid. It seemed we were set for a great race!

After the warm up lap, the pace car pulled into pit row and the green flag dropped. Grid order remained unchanged for the first handful of miles. For a spell, Trent gave up third place to the Bretzel Porsche....but not for long. As the pole sitter struggled to maintain his position at the head of the field, a minor re-shuffle on lap three saw the race order change to Wagner (Lotus 23), Bretzel (IROC Porsche) then Trent in his 62 E Type. One lap later and Trent had overcome the Porsche and was hard on the heels of the Wagner Lotus. The Jaguar looked strong - almost menacing - and I found myself craning my neck each time the combatants reappeared into view around turn 16, otherwise known as Roller Coaster Bend.

By the beginning of the 5th lap, the Wagner Lotus and the Terry E Type had pulled away from the rest of the group. These two cars and drivers were clearly the class of the field. Unfortunately, an off-road excursion at the end of the back straight led to a full course yellow and saw Wagner and Terry stuck behind the pace car for two excruciatingly slow laps. Just as it was beginning to look like Trent would not get another opportunity to challenge the Lotus 23 under the green flag, the pace car flashed into the pit row and the battle royale was resumed.

With just one more full lap of racing remaining, Trent set about trying to catch the lightening fast Lotus in front of him. As the leaders appeared around Roller Coaster for the final time, Trent was still behind the Lotus, but clearly charging harder than ever. Down the fast hill towards Hog Pen, Trent got closer and closer to the Lotus with every revolution of his wheels. As the cars rounded Hog Pen and entered the finishing straight, the excitement was intense. With spectators around me jumping up and down with excitement, the two cars charged into the front straight and excruciatingly out of sight as they headed towards the finish line.

My senses switched from visual to audio as I listened to the commentator screaming over the loud speaker system that he couldn't believe the finish he was seeing! In ever increasing decibels, the commentator exclaimed, "Terry has pulled out from behind the Lotus and he's trying to get alongside........Wait, yes, he is coming alongside! I don't know if he can catch him....hold on, he is catching him. This is incredible folks...here they come now....and Trent Terry in the Jaguar has won! What an amazing race!" The commentator went on to say "This is a race Trent Terry will remember for a very, very long time". He isn't the only one!

The official results confirmed Trent as the winner in his E Type in a time of 20.39.46, followed by Bob Wagner in the Lotus at 20.39.54. Trent had won by a mere 0.08 of a second...or about half the length of a Lotus 23 at full speed! The time sheets also showed that Trent had recorded the fastest lap at an incredible 2.06.597, measured on lap 4 immediately before the full course yellow had been called. Once again, Trent Terry had put on a show to remember in what just might be the fastest 6 cylinder E Type in the world!

Larry Ligas finished in 6th position, immediately behind the third E Type in the class, driven by HSR supremo, Howard Turner. Incidentally, I was delighted to hear from Larry that his new Classic Jaguar radiator scrubbed 30 degrees off his temperature gauge!

Some of you may have noticed that the thundering American muscle cars have been conspicuous by their absence throughout this report. The highest placing V8 engined car was a 1973 Camaro driven by Craig Sagon, which came in 7th, immediately behind Larry Ligas. The next best V8 was Gary Jones' 65 Mustang back in 17th position.

Politics and Fair Play..........

In the interim period since I last watched the Terrys race at Daytona about 6 months ago, HSR supremo Howard Turner, who not only finished fifth behind Trent in the above race, but also owns the Lotus 23 driven by Bob Wagner, apparently decreed that # 77 is a tube frame race car and as such should carry a 200lb race penalty in all HSR events.

As someone who probably builds more E Type Jaguars than anyone else in the country, and one who happens to be intimately familiar with every square inch of # 77, I feel entitled to express my opinion that Turner's ruling is entirely unfair. Trent Terry's E Type is no tube frame race car! From the firewall forward it is of almost stock construction. It has entirely original engine subframes, picture frame and bonnet hinge frame. It also has E Type control arms and torsion bars (just one example of a number of Team CJ products I am proud to say the car features) whilst at the rear the IRS is pure Jaguar. To label the car as a tube frame racer is an absolute nonsense. I say if Howard Turner wants to beat Trent Terry he should attempt to do so with his right foot, not a rule book he writes himself. Better yet, Mr. Turner, have Bill Terry build you an engine and install some of our Team CJ products and your chances will increase dramatically........... from zero to slim.

The talk in the paddock following Trent's marvellous victory over two Howard Turner owned cars was that at future HSR events Trent might be required to carry a sumo wrestler as a passenger. Even then, the combination of Bill Terry's unsurpassed race engine building skills and Trent's incredible wealth of driving talent would assure us of a great show.

Predator Dominates Group 2

2.20pm saw Predator's Wavy Hinton racing his famous 1952 Jaguar XK120. Always hugely entertaining to watch, Dave had qualified his venerable 120, easily the oldest car in the entire field, fully 4 seconds faster than his nearest group rival! There really isn't much I can say about the 2.20pm race other than it was a fantastic exhibition of driving prowess on Wavy's part. I watched in awe as this beautifully prepared XK120 FHC just blew the rest of the field away. After eight flawlessly driven laps, all that remained was for Wavy to live up to his nickname as he waved regally at all the appreciative spectators around the 3.2 mile circuit. At the risk of gloating (in the name of Jaguar), I couldn't help noticing that Wavy actually managed to lap one Porsche TWICE during the course of his eight lap race.

Winning is thirsty work!	Typical Predator presentation

Touring in the Rental Car

On Saturday afternoon I took the opportunity to tour around the track for a few laps behind the pace car. It was fascinating for me to see the circuit at first hand. The experience gave me even greater respect for the race drivers as I identified the various corners and sections of the track about which I had heard them talking in the paddock. How Trent Terry manages 145mph through the essess on the back straight is utterly beyond me. Someone should have a word with that young man........I found that particular section of the circuit pretty frightening at something approaching highway speeds.

After four or five laps - I lost count as everything was frankly a bit of a blur - I headed for the security and safety of the paddock, making a mental note to book myself into racing school as a matter of some urgency. I also swore that I would never again believe any form of advertising from the motor industry. Whoever said 'wider is better' is full of it. My 'wider is better' rental car handled like a bass fishing boat on the open seas.

Your intrepid reporter is off to racing school!

Sunday, July 8

The story of the first part of the day was weather - and lots of it! I guess there is a price to pay for all the magnificent parkland and the majestic trees that make VIR such a scenic setting. That price is rain - buckets and buckets of rain. At 8.30am, in a torrential downpour, Wavy Hinton took his XK120 out for the one hour enduro race. As skilled and enthusiastic a driver as he undoubtedly is, the conditions were just too treacherous and Dave decided that it wasn't safe to continue. Larry Ligas took note and withdrew his E Type from the Group 5 enduro and it began to look very much like # 77 and the Predator Jaguars might be headed for the trailers. The main Group 5 and 2 Trophy races were scheduled for 3 and 4 pm respectively, but by late morning there were no signs that the weather might break.

At this point I actually headed back to my hotel with a view to rearranging flights and returning back to Texas early. However, the moment I reached the hotel carpark back in Danville the rain stopped and the sun came out. Oh ye of little faith, I mused. Flushed with renewed enthusiasm, I dashed back to VIR, where I was now on first name terms with the man on the gate, and ambled into the paddock hoping nobody had noticed my faithless departure. I came across the Terrys uncovering # 77 and was excited at the prospect of the thrilling racing the afternoon held in store.

By the time Trent and Larry went out for the 3pm Trophy race, the track was amazingly dry considering the morning's downpour. That said, it was obviously going to be a little slippery and Bill Terry was more than a little concerned about the lightweight and extremely nimble Lotus race cars. He pointedly told Trent that it would be impossible for him to beat Bob Wagner in the Lotus 23 and that he shouldn't even try to do so. Trent disagreed, saying that he most certainly could beat him. "He will get around me early on (remember Trent would be on pole by virtue of the previous day's victory) but once my tyres come in after a couple of laps I'll be able to run him down. Don't you worry, dad". Bill just smiled at me and muttered something unprintable about children not listening to their parents......

As the cars sat on the grid waiting to be led off on the warm up lap by the pace car, the commentator began to wax lyrical about this race being about who had bragging rights to the fastest E Type in the US. Although I suspect that everyone in attendance already knew the answer to that question thanks to the evidence which had been presented the previous day, we listened with amusement and anticipation as each of the contenders was introduced.

Off on their warm up lap then time for the green flag - the race was on! Almost immediately Bob Wagner got around Trent and beat the # 77 Jaguar around turn one. The two cars rapidly pulled clear of the field and by the time they appeared at the entry to the front straight for the first time, a clear pattern was already emerging. Basically Trent was stalking Wagner in the Lotus. I have now been privileged to watch Trent race often enough to recognize when he relishes the task at hand. He clearly felt he had the beating of the Lotus and almost seemed to be taunting the race car ahead of him.

On the the second, third and fourth laps, Trent drafted the Lotus along the front straight, each time poking the Jaguar's nose out and 'taking a look', just to let Wagner know he was there. There was a look of inevitability about this masterful exhibition of driving - and I would have bet anything that Trent had victory in his grasp. Unfortunately, however, I am as good a gambler as I am a weather forecaster, and it was not to be. As the two cars appeared around Roller Coaster Bend for the fifth time, I saw that Wagner had opened up a 20 length lead over Trent. As # 77 turned right onto the front straight it was clear that all was not well and Trent brought the car into the pits. It turned out that the car had developed a bad miss while heading up the back straight and was only running on 5 cylinders. Trent's racing was over for the weekend.

Wagner went on to win the race virtually unchallenged with Larry Ligas finishing 16.744 seconds back in the second place spot after an excellent drive. Trent took some consolation from the fact that he had recorded the fastest lap of the race - at 2.06.885 - compared with Wagner at 2.06.985 and Larry at 2.08.261.

As sorry as I was to see Trent retire with mechanical problems, great credit must go to Bob Wagner in the incredibly fast Lotus 23. Bob had driven superbly all weekend and had been the man to beat from the moment the stop watches started ticking on Friday. Congratulations also to Larry Ligas who overcame a number of mechanical difficulties and thoroughly deserved his hard earned podium finish in the big race on Sunday.

One Final Exhibition

To close out a superb weekend of racing we all gathered together and watched Wavy Hinton put on an exhibition in the 4pm Group 2 Trophy race. As he had done the previous day, Wavy decimated the field from the green flag and treated everyone in attendance to a glorious display of Jaguar dominance. With victory never in doubt, the gracious old XK stormed around the track while the commentator reminded the crowd that in 1948, the XK120 was the fastest production car in the world. I suspect that the ghost of Soapy Sutton, who piloted the record breaking XK120 back in its heyday, was with us on the hill waving back at Wavy Hinton as he took his well deserved lap of honour.

Dan Mooney
Team CJ