Georgia Triumph Association News and Notes
Minutes from GTA meeting 6/16/2009
Submitted by Michael Campsmith, GTA Secretary.
21 members and 4 Triumphs were at the GTA monthly meeting on June 16 at the Norcross Station Café. The meeting was held inside to take advantage of the air conditioning.
Meeting was called to order at 7:21 PM by GTA Director Ashford Little.
TRA annual meeting—Earl Ferguson discussed the TRA
organization, a club for owners/admirers of TR 2, 3 and 4 models.
The TRA annual meeting is the weekend of June 20 in
GTA club merchandise—Jim Orr mentioned there is lots of club merchandise for sale—shirts, coolers, mugs, etc. Buy some stuff and support the club.
Drive to Wolf Mountain Winery—Michael Campsmith reminded everyone about the drive to Wolf Mountain Winery on Saturday, June 20. There has been a change to the starting point and route—we will now leave out from the Starbuck’s at the corner of Mansell Road and Highway 9 (Alpharetta Highway); this Starbuck’s is on Mansell Road 2 miles west of GA 400. Mike Hurst has laid out a route along the back roads, so make sure your car is in good working order. We will meet up starting at 10 AM and leave around 10:30. We have lunch reservations at the winery for 12:30 PM.
Michael’s phone number the day of the drive is 404-932-8057. Number for the winery is 760-867-9862.
Triumph
To raise money for John’s cause Joe is selling raffle tickets. You can also purchase magnetic “rallye boards” for your car; those are $15/each; again, see Joe for details.
Ashford would like the GTA to have strong support for John’s visit and cause. If possible please plan to drive your car with the club and John on July 3 and 4.
Summer Pig Roast—Russ and Pat Turner usually host the summer pig roast at their house, but are unable this year due to ongoing renovations. Russ has still volunteered to cook, but now we need a place to have the party. If you can open your house to about 40-50 people please let Ashford know. Event was originally scheduled for July 25 but that might be negotiable depending on venue availability.
Pub night June 25—There will be a GTA pub night on
Thursday, June 25 at the Harp Irish Pub,
Roadster Factory Summer Party—Will be in western
Car show at
Stan Strickland discussed a small car show he attended at
the
Ashford mentioned a show/gathering in
Hot weather is here, but we are still trying to get events on the calendar. If you have ideas for events—drives, tech sessions, parties (I’m still waiting for my open house invitation from both Ashford and Joe)—please plan them out and let the group know. The more ideas put forward the more opportunities there will be for people to participate. And if you do participate in an event, please take pictures and write something for the newsletter.
P.S. We have been meeting at the Norcross Station Café for years and I just now learned that the name of our regular waitress is Linda. Please greet her by name the next time you see her.
Meeting adjourned at 8:05 PM.
April GTA Meeting Notes
Minutes from GTA meeting April 21, 2009
Submitted by Michael Campsmith, GTA Secretary
Meeting was called to order by Ashford Little at 7:13 PM.
21 people were in attendance, and 4 Triumphs were driven.
Recap of Gore Tour—Mike Hurst described the Gore
Tour that took place on Saturday, April 4.
The Tour is an annual event that starts out with lunch on the lawn at
Chris and Poolie Gore’s place just outside of Dahlonega (site of the first gold
rush in the
Approximately 55 cars participated in a drive through the mountains on a beautiful afternoon. The drivers were divided into 3 groups: fast, half-fast, and touring. Aside from some minor inconveniences the drive went very well. There was one GTA member who ran out of fuel, at least in part due to not having a working gas gauge—or for that matter, any gauge installed in the dashboard. Your secretary was willing to give this member a pass, but others decided this merits a nomination for the 2009 Bozo Award. Congratulations to Gary Wilmerding—you set the bar high! (or maybe low)
Spring Rallye—Richard Waldrop described the Spring
run that is the counterpart to the Damn the Torpedoes run held in the Fall.
This event was on the same day as the Gore Tour (April 4).
The format is that cars assemble and then are given the location of the
first check point; from then on cars try to make the best time between the
checkpoints. The catch is that you
don’t know where your next destination is until you arrive at the preceding
checkpoint in the sequence. The
rally ended on
Richard described some interesting dirt road driving leading up to the first checkpoint, which was located on an old Army Air Corps base. Checkpoint workers were in period dress as WWII personnel. First vehicle in was a La France fire truck, which served as the beer transport for the rallye. Hopefully there are some pictures to go with the stories!
Bowling night—April 18 was the first GTA bowling night of the year, held at Chamblee Lanes (which might now be called 300 Lanes). Approximately 12 GTA bowlers were involved, although memories were a bit fuzzy regarding the event. Evidently there was dancing involved, either next to the GTA bowlers or by the GTA bowlers. Ashford thinks he had a good time, and suggests we have another bowling night later this year.
Upcoming events
Walter Mitty Races, April 30-May 3. The Mitty Races will be held at Road Atlanta the first weekend in May. There will be over 500 cars of various vintage competing in many classes. The Group 44 British cars will be featured, and Thursday night there will be a Group 44 dinner (information is on the Grassroots Motorsports website).
GTA members plan to camp in their usual spot at Turn 5. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Ashford is having a party at his old house (not to be confused with his new older house) on Friday night; please contact him for details.
Vic Richardson also said the Southern Spit-Together is going to be held that weekend as well.
British Car Day, May 16.
This event will again be held at
Some people may travel up Friday night; if so please contact Ashford as there might be things that need to be taken up in advance. Gary W. will bring folding tables and others are bringing pop-up awnings for shade. Signs for Triumph class groupings are rumored to be with Mark Pruitt. We need some people to come early to help with parking.
The GTA will provide lunch of BBQ and side dishes. Members are requested to bring desserts to share, but be mindful of the (hopefully) warm weather and bring items that won’t melt or spoil. Ashford requested that those drinking adult beverages be discreet and place them in plastic cups or koozies. Bathrooms will again be of the Port-a-Potty variety, although there is a rumor that real bathrooms can be accessed through the back of the administration building. You should bring your own seating arrangements—chairs or blanket.
The Car Day registration material suggests travelers avoid I-75 due to continued construction. You can check out the Georgia Navigator website for the latest updates (http://www.georgia-navigator.com/).
Jim Orr showed an awesome mock up of an event t-shirt that will be sold at the show.
Charity drive with MG club this Saturday. Herman mentioned there is a charity drive by the MG club this Saturday; check their website for details.
Ashford mentioned that he needs help from an assistant director to cover when he is not available. Chic Fries was “nominated” for the position and is the new GTA Assistant Director—welcome aboard, Chic!
Michael Campsmith has taken over as GTA Activities Director
with the departure of Ray Sinclair for
This is your club—let’s all make it the best it can be.
Meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM.
August Activities Report
by Mark Pruitt
We went to the Swan Drive-In on Saturday, August 16th. We had 6 cars show up for breakfast at the Old Country Buffet. This was this first drive I’ve ever been on with the GTA that we did not have any TR6’s or any red cars! After we filled up with food we left for Blue Ridge. I took us on some pretty good country roads, stopped at the apple store on the way for snacks and arrived at Blue Ridge around noon. We discovered that the pool at our normal Days Inn was half empty or half full, depending on your perspective. Only the Pruitt’s and Hurst’s were planning on staying the night so we decided to find some place better. Mike and Sue went off in search for another motel with a full pool and came back within a few minutes with success. They found a brand new motel, with pool and as a plus was cheaper than our original, and I might add much nicer! We proceeded to enjoy the afternoon around the pool celebrating a good Triumph day. Late in the afternoon we had Bob and Marilyn Bryan find us with their newly restored GT6 (also is not red). We went to the drive-in around 7 pm and enjoyed a brief rain shower. Then strange things started happening. I went to take a picture and couldn’t believe my eyes when I checked the picture the next day. GTA members that were not in attendance were in the picture and there was a strange object in the sky…. See photo to check out what you missed! Oh yeah, the movie was the new Star Wars Clone Wars, which was not a crowd favorite, but hey, the movie is not why we go! See you at the next drive!
Until next month,
Mark
June Activities Report
Mark Pruitt
The Walter Mitty races at Road Atlanta were a lot of fun. The weather man was calling for a stormy day on Saturday and thank goodness he turned out to be wrong. We had a couple of sprinkles and that was it. We had a group of Ohio Triumph folks come down and join us at turn 5 for the overnight camping. There were a good number of GTA folks that came also. The racing was exciting and we got to see some really cool vintage race cars on the track and up close. Sunday we took a large contingent of Triumphs out on the track for the parade laps, which is always a lot of fun!
British Motorcar Day at Berry College turned out to be a great day! We had around 70 Triumphs come out for the show. The weather was perfect and everyone had a really good time. Pictures of the event are posted on the GTA web site.
Our next driving event will be on Saturday, June 21th. We will be taking a short drive to Athens to visit and tour the Terrapin Ale brewery. I plan on meeting at the Stone Mountain Outback Steakhouse parking lot at 10 AM, which is located on the corner of Hwy 78 and East Park Place. This is the same location we have met at before for trips to Athens and Stone Mountain. I hope to see everyone come out and enjoy the drive!
Stay tuned to the GTA web site for upcoming drives and events.
Until next month,
Mark
May 30, 2008
Do you need any Triumph parts?
Saturday June 7 Barry Rosenberg will
be clearing out all of his stock of
used cars and used car parts. GTA member Joe Earnest will be on site to
help with pricing. Look for great deals on Triumph, MG, and other
English
car parts. 9am until 5pm.
Joe's cell is 678-778-6175
Directions
I-20 West From Downtown Atlanta
Exit Number 24 Highway 61 - Carrollton Exit
Make a right
Go until the roads comes to a T intersection.
Make a left onto Highway 101
Right onto Wesley Chapel Road
Left between the two stone markers after about 1 mile.
There will be balloons, flags, or some other marker to let you know
where to turn.
April Activities Report
Mark Pruitt
The 23rd annual Chris Gore Mountain Tour is Saturday April 5th. Bring a picnic lunch, your Triumph and join the crowd for a great time. After lunch, Chris always leads us a spirited mountain drive that you will not forget! This is the trip last year that one of my front wheel studs was left a little long and I ended up with the GTA Bozo Award. Make sure your wheels are on tight as I will be watching everyone with a camera for this year’s Bozo nominee.
We will be going to Callaway Gardens for a day drive on Saturday April 26th. We will meet at 9 AM at the Tanger Outlet Mall in Locust Grove (same meeting location as the last Polar Bear). From Atlanta, take I-75 South to exit 212, Bill Gardner Parkway. Turn left and then right on Tanger Blvd and right on Tanger Drive. We will meet in the parking lot around the Denny’s. The drivers meeting will be at 9:30 AM and I plan on leaving around 9:45 AM. We will be taking back roads down to Callaway Gardens which should put us there around 11:30 AM. If we have more than 15 people, the group rate to get into Callaway is $11.56 per person, including tax. Should be a fun trip and I hope to see you there!
The Walter Mitty races at Road Atlanta will be May 1-4. There will be many of us Triumph folks camping out over the weekend at turn 5 as usual. Bring your tent, sleeping bag and some beverages and join us for a great time. The vintage racing is great and camping with friends is a lot of fun! More details on this event are on the GTA web site.
As always, if you have any suggestions, please drop me an email or give me a call.
Until next month,
Mark
2007 Annual Polar Bear Drive Recap
Two thousand seven was a dry year - one of the driest years
on record in the state of
On
During the week leading up to the event, the weather
reports called for a nice day on Saturday.
On Friday night, the plan changed.
We awoke to a light rain falling, but a surprising number of participants
braved the elements to attend the
Sixty-five assorted classics arrived at the Tanger Outlet Mall in Locust Grove as the showers started and stopped. The hoods were all up, the “brollies” were out and everyone seemed to be enjoying the pre-drive social, despite the wetness. These folks came out to drive, and a little sprinkle wasn’t keeping them down.
The Drivers’ Meeting was held promptly at
That’s when the bottom dropped out.
The rain came down in buckets.
But the Polar Bears pressed on.
At the scheduled rest stop at
Surprisingly, very few participants aborted the drive. Most notable was Chris Sloan, who drove his MGA with a cut-down windscreen – a feature that prevents installation of the hood and full exposure to the weather. I believe Chris stayed with us until the water level in the car crested the tops of the seats… He certainly qualifies for a “Spirit of…” award for his optimism and enthusiasm.
The rain stopped almost the instant cars began arriving in
The worst problem that was reported (other than flooding) was a TR6 fuel pump that failed about 5 minutes from lunch. That was quickly remedied with an electric model purchased at a local Auto Zone.
Marques in attendance included Triumph (always the featured make!), MG, Mini, Austin Healey, Alfa Romeo, Volkswagen and a small pack of Fieros. Due to the rush to beat the rain, the attendance list is incomplete – and that’s too bad, because this is a group that deserves to be mentioned.
In other Polar Bear News, after PBR-7 was held in
Thanks to all who came out to participate in this year’s event. It would have been much easier to stay home in the warm and dry, but you came out to drive your leaky, unreliable cars in the pouring rain. Some would call you fools, but I would call you… well… ummm… fools. I hate being foolish alone! Thanks again.
Destinations for Polar Bear Run IX are already being considered. Suggestions are always welcome. We’re looking forward to another great year on the road!
Geo
JOIN US: http://www.gatriumph.com/application.htm
December 2007
Activities Report
Thanks to all who participated in the
GTA Fall Rallye is on November 17.
Our friends at the Georgia Sports Car Club put on a great event for us.
Thanks to Rallymasters Tom Greig and Robert Harvey for their efforts.
So, now that all of the other clubs have pretty much
shut down for the year, the GTA has one more driving event left in 2007.
The 8th Annual
Polar Bear Run will be held on December 29th for our
drive to the US Air Force’s Museum of
Aviation in Warner Robbins. The
gathering will occur at the Tanger Outlet Mall in Locust Grove (I-75 exit 212).
Be there by 9:00 AM so that we can get off to a good start.
The route is planned and all of our ducks are in a row, so the only thing
left to do is to have everyone show up to participate.
Spread the word – all are welcome to join in.
Last year’s drive to the
An interesting note is that the Birmingham British
Car Club, who helped promote last year’s PBR in
For those who have not yet heard the news, Joan and I
have decided to take a long-overdue break from activities planning in 2008.
We’ve been helping out since we joined the club in 1997, and it’s time
for a little rest. That doesn’t mean
that we’re going away, but we’re going to take a step back to let someone else
lead the pack for a while. We’ll
still be participating in all of the GTA events and helping out when we can.
The one thing that I ask of all of you is that you
continue to come out to support our events like you’ve done so well for the past
10 years. It’s your participation
that keeps the GTA alive – and we’re easily the most “alive” sports car club in
the Southeast!!!
It has truly been a pleasure serving the GTA.
I wish that my successors, and all who serve the Club, can experience
some of the joy that I’ve been able to feel during my time in the lead car!
That’s all for now.
Geo
Blue Ridge Drive-Inn Drive
Fifteen cars showed up on Saturday morning (August
25) for breakfast at the Old Town Country Restaurant in Cumming.
With the way the weather has been, it was a surprise to see so many
topless cars during the heat wave of the century, but other than Russ Turner in
his air-conditioned TR6, all were hood-less for the day’s drive.
After a brief comfort stop in Dawsonville, our good
friends Chris & Poolie Gore took the lead to cover some wonderful back
roads. The pace was relaxed, and we
had a chance to enjoy some great scenery.
The drive to
We marked a special occasion as our youngest driver, Alex Pruitt, completed his first extended GTA run behind the wheel of Dad’s TR6. Congratulations to Alex, and we hope to see him in his own Triumph in the not-too-distant future.
Once we arrived at our destination, we all changed and headed for the pool for an afternoon of relaxation in the water before getting ready for the movie.
One thing about planning ahead with an event like this is that you can never be sure (except at Halloween time) what sort of movies you will be seeing. This time, the first feature was the big-screen adaptation of one of our all-time favorite superheroes: Underdog. And though most of the movie-goers in attendance were a fraction of the average age of the GTA folks, we all had a pleasant time.
Keeping with the animal theme,
our second feature was the new Disney movie, Ratatouille.
Yes, a rat with a culinary flair visits
For those of us who spent the night, the next morning brought a dark cloud on the horizon. And it was a really big dark cloud. The west-side group prepared for battle and drove toward I-575, right into the heart of the darkness. As of the writing of this report, I did not hear how they fared.
The Gores and Forsters headed east toward Blairsville, then south on US 129. Joan and I made it all the way home without having to put our top up – finding only a few light sprinkles along the way. We were sure that the closer to home we got, the less chance there would be for rain to dampen our brown lawn. But in an unusual twist of fate, an hour after we had the TR3 in the garage, we had an hour or so of steady rain to give the grass a much-needed drink.
Another memorable weekend is behind us. If you weren’t able to join us this time, be sure not to miss the next one.
Attendees:
George & Joan Forster, TR3
Gary & Lois Wilmerding, TR6
Ben & Betty Turner, TR6
Mike & Sue Hurst, Stag
Chic & Patti Fries, TR3
John & Linda Boehmler, TR6
Russ Turner, TR6
Pat Turner, TR6
Mark & Zak Pruitt, TR4
Alex & Laura Pruitt, TR6
Bob & Marilyn Bryan, GT6
Chris & Poolie Gore, MGB
Ken Smith & Debra, Hillman Minx
At Breakfast:
Russell & Leslie Sanders, Stag
Bill Castleberry, TR6
At the Movies:
Ashford Little, TR6
September
2007 Activities Report
We just returned from our weekend in
There was a surprisingly good turnout for Drive-In
Night, considering the continuing heat wave that is making life in
Last month’s newsletter contained the flier and
registration form for the Southeast VTR
Meet at Jekyll Island. If you
haven’t registered yet, please do so as soon as possible.
We’re expecting this to be another excellent event.
GTA will also be looking for volunteers to help with the Thursday evening
reception and with decorating the banquet hall on Saturday.
Please don’t be shy when it comes to volunteering when you’re at the
event. Check the www.SEVTR.org
website for details and reservation information.
I have contacted our friends at the Georgia Sports
Car Club to help with the GTA Fall Rallye,
to be held in November. We’re
working on a date that works for all – we’re considering the Saturday before
Thanksgiving (Nov. 17), but it hasn’t been confirmed yet.
We should have a plan for next month’s newsletter.
Other fall events include the Norcross British Car
Fayre (Sept. 8), the Carolina Trophy rally (www.carolinatrophy.com
– on Sept. 9-14), Petit LeMans at Road Atlanta (Oct. 3-6), Autumn in the
Mountains at Chimney Rock, NC (www.autunminthemountains.org
– Oct. 5-6), Euro Festival at BMW in South Carolina (Oct. 19-21), Chattanooga
British Car Day (Nov. 3), and the Hilton Head Island Concours (www.hhiconcours.com
– Nov. 4).
We’ll officially cap off the year with our annual
holiday party in December. As
always, it will be a fine end to another great year.
The announcement is a little late in coming, but this
year’s Polar Bear Run is being
planned for a December 29th trip to the US Air Force Museum in Warner Robbins.
I’ve been told that there have been some changes since our last visit a
few years ago, but it’s still offers a wonderful way to experience some of
That’s all for now.
Geo
August
2007 Activities Report
I’m sure you’ve all heard it before, but I just
can’t help saying it: Is it August
already???!!!
I’ve heard a few reports from the VTR National in
Well, after our long trip to
The August event is another old favorite:
See information elsewhere in this newsletter for
times, places, and overnight plans if you choose to spend the night.
This will be our 5th visit to the Swan, and it’s always been
a popular event. Try to make at
least one part of the event if you can.
Plans for the September picnic are almost ready at
the time of this report, but we’re still short a few details.
Stay tuned in next month’s newsletter for the final plans.
The time is drawing near for the Southeast VTR
Regional Meet at
The GTA will be responsible for hosting the Thursday
evening reception party, and for decorating the Convention Center for the Awards
Banquet on Saturday night. There
will be a bit of preparation work before we arrive at
That’s all for now.
GTA Bowling Night
Chamblee Lanes, Chamblee
Seven GTA members showed up to participate in a little bowling action on July 21.
Chamblee Lanes, along the Perimeter in Chamblee, recently remodeled and has gone a little upscale since our last visit. The balls and rental shoes are still the same, but the décor, full bar, and food service are a step up from the traditional bowling alley fare. It all made for a really nice evening.
The GTA Star of the evening was Michael Campsmith, who outrolled the rest of us, but there were plenty of strikes and even more laughs to go around. Everyone’s bowling seemed to improve once Samuel Adams showed up to give us that extra bit of confidence that we all needed.
Also competing for the GTA Trophy were Russ & Pat Turner, Jim & Cheryl Bennett, and George & Joan Forster. Almost everyone drove a Triumph, and as far as I know, everyone made it home without having to push (bowling is a great way to build the muscles needed to push-start a TR!).
We hope to see a few more GTA folks the next time we hit the lanes!
GTA Drive-In Night
This is a heads-up for the upcoming Drive In night, to be announced in the upcoming newsletter. We're going up on August 25. I'm going to have the group meet at the Old Town Country Restaurant on GA20, about 3 miles west of downtown Cumming, on the left. Breakfast will be about 9 AM, and we'll try to leave by 10. I called the Days Inn in Blue Ridge for a one-night rate. A room with one queen is $53.95 +tax and with 2 queens is 58.45 +tax (you can never have enough queens, I always say!). Give them my name or the Triumph club, and they'll hook you up. Phone # is 706-632-2100.
I have no idea what's playing that weekend, but it will be fun, as always. If you plan to spend the night, call early and get a room. We'll arrive around lunch time, and will spend the afternoon at the pool.
Geo.
July
2007 Activities Report
The GTA just returned from a Triumph-ant weekend at
Russ Turner asked that he be allowed to postpone his
summer Pig Roast to a date in September that will be better for his schedule.
We’ll provide all of the information in your next newsletter.
The Main Event in July will be the VTR National
Convention in
If you can’t make it to the National, the GTA will
get together on Saturday, July 21 for a long-overdue Bowling Night.
The plan is to meet at
And while on the topic of favorite events that
haven’t been done in a while, it’s soon time for another GTA Drive In Night.
Tentatively, we’re looking at August 25 for an early drive to
Some come for the drive and return home in the
afternoon, some show up late for the movie, and some take a room at the Day’s
I’m still working out the details on this one.
I’ll publish the facts on the GTA web site as soon as I can, and will
have the final plan in next month’s newsletter, which will allow plenty of
time for reservations and planning.
So with the Pig Roast moving to September, our next
event will be the Southeast VTR Regional Meet at
That’s all for now.
May 2007 Activities Report
May 2007 Activities Report
On April 7th is we visited Chris &
Poolie Gore for their annual Mountain
Tour. There were about 50 cars
on hand for the day’s events, which began with a picnic on the lawn of the
Gore estate. The day was a bit on
the cool side, but the skies were clear, and the day was wonderful.
May 5 is the date for the Orphan Car Show during the Snellville Days Celebration.
Several GTA members participated in last year’s event at
GTA
Spring Weekend Tour to
Joan & I recently visited the resort to check out
the operation under its new management. We
were very impressed – especially by the improvements at the restaurant.
I don’t plan to make any special arrangements for
driving up on Friday – I’ll leave it to everyone to make it there in your
own good time. There will be plenty
of time for togetherness once we’re all there.
It’s easy to get to
The East Side people can head up US441 to
On Sunday, we’ll take the Cherohala to Telleco
Plans to end the day in
Rooms at
Rates for the weekend are as follows:
Lodge rooms (regular): $84
Lodge rooms (Deluxe w/ Fireplace): 94
Cabana Rooms (Poolside): $109
There may also be some cabins available for families
or sharing. Ask for availability -
discounts should be available for the GTA group.
Call the Resort for reservations:
800-849-2258 or 828-498-2211. Mention
the Georgia Triumph Association for your special rates.
Our reservation block will expire on May 22, so reserve as early as
possible.
On Saturday, I’ll make some touring maps available
for smaller groups to venture out to see the local sights, which include the
Fontana Dam, Smokey Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge, the
My schedule did not leave time for me to plan a
driving event for May. If anyone
would like to take charge of a driving event for June 2, the date is open.
Look for last-minute plans in the next newsletter.
That’s all for now.
Geo
Update:
Actually that's not all for now. The 24th annual Atlanta British Motorcar Day is being held on Saturday, May 19th at Berry College once again. The response last year to the new venue was overwhelmingly positive and the BMCD committee has worked to fine-tune the event to make it even better this year. For details and directions see the GTA calendar or www.atlantabritishmotorcarday.com. See you there.
Ashford Little
GTA webmaster
April
2007 Activities Report
Thanks to all who participated in the March tour to
April 7th is the date for the Chris Gore
Mountain Tour. Load up your picnic
baskets and join us in Dahlonega for another wonderful day of fellowship and
great touring. See details elsewhere
in your newsletter.
Master
Mechanic Sam Memolo is hosting a show in Douglas County on April 14.
I’ve heard that there will be some great prizes available.
Expect to see a few GTA folks there.
Proceeds benefit the local Humane Society.
The Walter Mitty historic races are being held at
Road Atlanta on April 26-29. Discount
tickets are available on line through the HSR, Classic Motorsports, and
Grassroots Motorsports web sites. Make
sure to get your tickets early to save a few bucks – especially if you’re
planning to be there all weekend.
My personal schedule is still pretty full, but I’m
hoping to get us out for a little day-trip at either the end of May or the first
week in June. I’ll have something
to announce in time for the next newsletter.
I’m working on our GTA Spring Weekend Tour for the
end of June. This time we’re going
to take a trip to
I’m trying to nail down a weekend when there
isn’t a motorcycle or Miata event planned – it will most likely be the last
weekend of June. I won’t hear for
a few more days, but keep and eye on the GTA web site and I’ll post the
information as soon as I have something worked out with
For the newcomers, our weekends usually start with a
group drive on Friday morning. We’ll
arrive early in the afternoon, and have some time to do a little sightseeing,
hiking, or lounging by the pool before the evening meal.
Some will want to come later, and that’s fine – if you can’t meet
in the morning, be at the Village when you can – better late than never!!
On Saturday, I’ll make some touring maps available
for smaller groups to venture out to see the local sights, which include the
Fontana Dam, Smokey Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge, the
Nantahala River (rafting), and of course, the world-famous Tail of the Dragon at
Deal’s Gap. If you haven’t been
to this area before, you’re in for a real treat!
And on Sunday, we’ll make a group drive back to the
Plans for the Southeast VTR Regional event are
underway for
That’s all for now.
March 1st, 2007
Former Englishman and GTA member Kevin Bowen has made
other winter trips to England for a long weekend.
One of the events to see is the International Triumph Vendor Show in
Stoneleigh just a two and a half hour drive north of London.
Prior to my retirement last year, I was unable to fit the trip in my
schedule. This year, I decided to
make the effort to join Kevin and Russell Sanders.
As most of us know, individuals need to lead, follow or get out of the
way. Kevin is the leader type
and his style leads one to believe that his employees in Tampa either like him
or don’t and nothing in between. His
planning made this trip enjoyable despite the weather and disappointment.
Kevin begins the schedule months ahead of time and includes a selection
of hotel and reservations with reasonable prices.
He made 2 car reservations to avoid getting one not to our liking.
He researched the Internet and selected attractions besides the show.
As an aid to navigation, he had printed Map quest directions for each
day’s travel.
We traveled to London on Wednesday leaving Atlanta at
5:30 PM. Going east, we had a
tailwind and the trip was about 8 hours arriving in London around 7 AM (2AM
EDT). We got the Van over the
full size sedan and began our drive to Kenilworth …… in the snow!
It appeared that we arrived in England during the worst snow in 10 years.
This was not good, since Kevin had made reservations to drive the single
seaters at the famed Silverstone Racetrack just half the distance to Kenilworth.
Driving on the left side of the road in the snow and dealing with the
excess number of signs at the roundabouts was stressful.
Even though Silverstone was not on the schedule till Friday, we decided
to drop by and check their schedule. Prior
to leaving Atlanta, they had told Kevin that they seldom canceled business
because of weather. We arrived at
the track in blowing snow and about 8 inches on the ground.
As we expected, they had cancelled the schedule for Friday and were told
that Saturday would be the next possible opportunity to drive on the track.
As we would learn later, that part of trip would not happen.
Check out the website for Silverstone Racetrack in the UK and see what we
missed. (http://www.silverstoneracingclub.co.uk).
We arrived at Kenilworth in the snow and slush. We checked into our rooms, freshened up and met in the lobby to make our way to a pub for food and drink. Our walk to the “Virgins and Castles” pub took us through a large schoolyard filled with students on all kinds of sledding equipment. At the pub, we had a good meal and I had the first two of my 12 pints of English beer while in the UK. We walked back to the hotel through the little town and settled in for a welcome night’s rest.
We woke up on Friday to more snow, but decided to hit
the road and visit our scheduled sites in nearby Coventry.
The National Transportation Museum in Coventry didn’t open until
10:00AM, so we went by the Famous Coventry Cathedral to see the now ruins from
World II. It’s amazing to see how
the British have left some of the bombed structures in place for all to see.
Check out the website at http://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/.
The Transportation Museum includes items representing cars, bicycles,
motorcycles and horses. Being a
cyclist, this section was of great interest to me and until viewing this
display, I thought I had seen every kind of bicycle.
I will ask that Ashford to include photos of this and other places we
visited. Here is the website
for the museum: http://www.transport-museum.com/.
After the museum in Coventry, we made our way to the
nearby Triumph Sports Six Club. Not
to be confused with the Six Pack Club, this appeared to be a center for a
distribution of third party parts for British cars.
My favorite here was the display of the famous 1965 Macau Spitfire racer.
I am including a picture here for viewing.
The builder of this car was present and spent some time talking to us
about the car. The rear deck reminds
me of the Bugeye and the headrest was shaped from sheet metal and blended
perfectly into the rear deck of the car. The
stock windshield has been removed and a racing windscreen installed in its
place. The bonnet is a GT6 look
alike made from fiberglass and the engine is an 1196 hot-roded to 150 hp!
The oil cooler installation was very technical and was the one I have
been looking for to use in my Spitfire. See
more on their site at http://www.tssc.org.uk/.
Traveling and navigating around the roads on the left side of the road,
tackling the roundabouts in the snow and jet lag wore us down quickly and we
headed back to Kenilworth for food, drink and sleep.
Our first stop on Saturday was the well known, Canley
Classics (www.canleyclassics.com/).
I had seen their website and was surprised to see it’s location out in
the country near Coventry. It
started life officially in the mid 1980s in a 500 sq. ft unit on an industrial
estate in Nuneaton on the outskirts of Coventry. Really only an extension of a
lifetime's hobby (obsession) on the part of the proprietor David Pearson,
Triumph was well and truly in the blood. In
the early days it concentrated on restoration of a broad range of Triumph
models. An early association with John Kipping led to the building and
maintaining of the Kipping fleet of small chassis Triumphs including Herald
Coupe, Herald Limo!!!, Herald Estate, Courier Vans, Saloons, GT6 and John's
famous continent crushing Herald Rally Car.
Unfortunately, the museum was closed for renovation, but we saw the
original Macau Spitfire, a limo Herald and many parts, including quite a few
manufactured from a lightweight aluminum alloy.
It was unheated at Canley and the weather was continuing to be
“dreadful”, so we went on to our next stop at the National Motorcycle Museum
at Solihull, West Midlands. Truly
a wonderful collection of motorcycles and more different brands and styles than
you can imagine and all English !. There
are nearly 700 bikes and they lost nearly 360 motorcycles three years ago in a
fire in one of the wings. Thankfully many of the lost models were either
restored or replacements were found within the market place. Luckily the
collection was insured as some of these bikes are worth over $250,000. Each bike
that comes to the museum is disassembled, restored and reassembled to look like
new. The ingenuity and imagination
of the British was remarkable even a hundred years ago.
The collection included a 1955 650cc Triumph Streamliner, which Johnny
Allen of Texas recorded a speed of 214 mph.
Check the website for this wonderful collection.
The site allows you to look at each cycle on display.
www.nationalmotorcyclemuseum.co.uk.
On our way back to the hotel, we made a pass by an aircraft museum
and I elected to walk through the grounds in blowing snow.
As I said before, the driving at the Silverstone
Racetrack was to be one of the highlights of the trip.
Another venture was to be Kart racing at the Teamwork’s indoor Kart
track in Birmingham. Kevin had
pre-registered the 3 of us for the Gran Prix racing
event. We arrived early to
check the place out and then went to a pub next door for a quick sandwich and,
of course, a beer. To our surprise,
the karts were electrically powered. We
were told in the pre-briefing that the karts had twice the hp of comparable
karts and five times the torque. We
would first experience this high torque on our practice laps around the road
course inside this “meat locker” of a building.
Yeah, it was freezing outside and no heat inside, so you imagine what it
was like inside. Once in our driving
suits and in the karts, the cold seemed to be unnoticed.
We had 13 drivers in our group and the schedule included 5 heats with 6
and 7 drivers in each heat. At the
end, the top 8 of all heats run a race for the top 3 spots.
The entire event was computer controlled including the start through the
finish and the results were displayed on monitors at the staging area almost
immediately after each heat. We made
the top 8 and Kevin made the podium in 3rd place, Russell was 4th
and I was 6th. The other
10 in our group were part of a bachelor’s party there in Birmingham.
I think we all had good time.
The International Triumph Vendor Show didn’t start
until 10:00AM on Sunday, so we got to sleep an hour or so more than previous
mornings. Sunday was a beautiful
blue-sky day, so we got to see some of the English countryside.
Mike Hurst had purchased some Vendor passes to the show, so we were able
to enter the event early while the vendors were setting up.
It seemed like every Triumph part was in existence at this show.
Too bad the currency exchange is so steep; else we could have picked up
some reasonable deals. I was
able to spend time with experts in areas of SUs, trannys, roller rockers, oil
cooler installations, various rim installations, shop tools and other sundry
items. There were some interesting
cars at the Triumph show including a beautiful TR3 with colors very much like
Chris Gore’s purple MG. There was
the original prototype four door Herald sedan on display as well as several fuel
injected TR6s and a few nice looking Stags.
There was a rare TR5 with an asking price of 24K GBP’s….. that’s
$48K! My favorite was an original
Dolomite; a big two-seater convertible. We
walked the floors for 4-5 hours before leaving and going on to the British
Heritage Museum, which would be our last event for the trip.
The British Heritage Museum (http://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/)
is not normally open on Sunday, but part of it was on this day to allow the
multi-day classic rally cars to get their tech inspections before the Monday
morning start. These are very
serious rally drivers/navigators. For
better visual, the front of the cars have at least six more lights of some type
and the cars are required to have a roll bar.
The dash is covered with various computers and timers.
All types of cars are entered and we saw one TR3.
The 2 floors open on this day had some cars to view and these included a
beautiful 2001 Jaguar open wheel Formula One racing car.
There were several beautiful MG cars that were intended for future
production, but never made it. I am
sending photos to Ashford for viewing on the GTA website.
Take a minute to see these cars. On
our way into Kenilworth, with all the snow now melted away, we got to see the
famous Kenilworth Castle built in the 13th century and claiming King
John as one of it’s residents. They
were closing, so we were only able to see this magnificent structure from the
outside.
Our flight back home was scheduled for a 1PM
departure on Monday. The traffic
back to London would be heavy, so we left at 7:30AM and made it in plenty of
time. However, with so few
opportunities to get gas along the way, we spent the last hour of the trip with
the low fuel light on and the gauge was below zero when we got there.
521 miles on a mini-van VW! We
made our flight and 9 ½ hours later we landed in Atlanta and as much as I love
flying, boring has new meaning. Four
days in England between two days traveling; now I know why this trip is done
only every other year.
January 9, 2007
It was 7:30 AM and the skies over Newnan were heavy with clouds, but that didn’t stop the faithful from assembling for the start of the Seventh Annual Georgia Polar Bear Run. The weather reports called for only a slight chance of rain, but the sight of those clouds kept many from joining the fun.
Only 55 cars started this year’s winter tour, but by lunchtime, that number doubled. Several clubs from the Birmingham area joined the tour in Talladega, where the tour group was to stop for lunch. The western group met at a community college parking lot to watch the Georgia cars drive by, but the group from the east all pulled into the parking lot for an impromptu classic sports car show in a town known as a Mecca for stock cars.
The tour continued through the twisty, scenic roads in the hills of Alabama, and ended at the Barber Motorsports Museum, where still more cars awaited our arrival. In all, an estimated 130 cars participated in the day’s activities.
The best part was that after only a slight sprinkle following the start of the drive in Newnan, there was no rain for the rest of the day, although, we understood that the Atlanta area received quite a bit of wetness.
The Barber Museum is a wonderful place to visit. There are hundreds of vintage motorcycles on display, as well as several dozen classic sports and racing cars. If you missed the PBR and are ever in the Birmingham area, you would do well to spend an afternoon browsing the displays.
After the museum visit, a few GTA members spent the night in nearby Oxford, Alabama. The evening was spent occupying half of a Mexican cantina, where we feasted on fajitas and margaritas until the wee hours. Ole!
In the morning, most of the group took the Interstate back home, but a few brave souls found some lovely back roads to explore, and had lunch at the highest point in our neighbor state at Cheaha State Park. This will definitely be GTA weekend destination in the future!
Special thanks to the folks at the Barber Museum, the Birmingham British Motoring Club, the Newnan Police Department, and Allen Knight of the Mini club. And thanks to all GTA members who helped out and participated in another great event.
Polar Bear Run VIII will be scheduled for December 29, 2007 – your suggestions for a destination are always welcome. Happy New Year!
December 7, 2006
December 2006 Activities Report
The GTA Fall Rallye was held on a rainy November 11th. Eleven GTA entries braved the elements – especially fog – to complete the route and find most of the answers to the questions that were asked. When all was said and done, the Team Forster (TR3) edged out Team Turner (TR6) to claim the title. The score was so close that one answer’s spelling decided the First Place trophy. Thanks to Rallymaster Alan White and the Georgia Sports Car Club for hosting this event.
The route for this year’s Polar Bear Run is set. The drivers’ meeting will begin promptly at 9:00 AM on December 30. Be sure to come a little early to kick some tires and meet the crowd.
We’re doing something a little different this year for lunch. Since there isn’t any place to eat close to the museum, and we’re passing through downtown Talladega about lunch time, you will be provided with a list of all of the eateries along the route, and you can stop as you wish to grab a bite to eat. There are a few good BBQ shacks in Talladega , as well as an assortment of the usual fast food places. We expect to have a large contingent from Birmingham join us in Talladega for the last leg of the drive. I’m expecting about 150 cars by the time we reach our destination.
There have been a lot of questions regarding overnight arrangements after the Polar Bear Run. I tried to locate a suitable location in the Birmingham area to accommodate a large group, but that location does not seem to exist.
So rather than organize a large group gathering, I can offer places that you could spend the night comfortably if you don’t wish to return to Atlanta until Sunday morning. The best areas are at I-20 exits 185 and 188 near Oxford and Anniston, Alabama.
Exit 188 has a very new complex of motels, restaurants, and shops. Lodging includes the Jameson Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Wingate Inn, and several others. Restaurants are mostly within walking distance of the motels.
Among the motels at exit 185 is an Econo-Lodge in the older roadside motel style. It’s clean and inexpensive, and has 3 restaurants within walking distance. Joan and I will probably be staying there (256-831-9480), and will run the back roads to the Atlanta on Sunday morning. Feel free to join us.
FYI, the museum is about 130 miles on I-20 from the west Perimeter. You should have time to get pretty close by the time darkness sets in if you’re coming straight home
We’re also planning to spend Friday night in Newnan to get a fresh start on Saturday. Among the motels at I-85 exit 47, we’ll be staying at the LaQuinta, which is very close to the starting point. There’s also a Best Western, Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Motel 6 in the same general area.
This year’s Polar Bear Run will be dedicated to the memory of our good friend Bob Kassow. Bob planned many driving events for the GTA, including the route for Polar Bear IV, which took us from Roswell to Dahlonega to the Dick Barbour racing garage at Road Atlanta. He will surely be missed.
That’s all for now.
October 25, 2006
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Euro
Auto Festival - 2006
The
GTA was represented at the 11th annual event held at the BMW
Zentrum Factory/Test Grounds by Ray, Barbara & Jennifer Sinclair and
Jennifer’s friend Matt,
The
show featured about 500 cars total with 77 Triumphs entered. The BMW
grounds are excellent for displaying the cars and the test track facilities
provide wonderful opportunities to drive their cars and our vintage cars.
The museum was open and very educational re their progression of sports cars;
the factory was closed to touring due to a model change.
Auto
cross using the Z-4’s was a blast on Saturday, costing $20 for three runs;
passengers rode free of charge. We could run with our vintage cars on Sunday.
Also on Saturday, there were five driving events at their test track facility,
costing $25 each or $100 for all five events. Coaches were available to assist
drivers improve their skills in several of these events.
The
Sunday Rallye covered 90 miles of the NC/SC country side which was bathed in
Fall colors. The route took about 2-1/2 hours to navigate.
The
Mariott in
October 25, 2006
Activities Report
November 2006
Things were a little quiet on the Activities front in October. Triumph was the featured marque at this year’s Euro Festival at the BMW, but we have not received any official reports as of the time of this report.
The GTA Fall Rallye will be
held on November 11, starting at the Premium Outlet Mall on GA 400 in
Dawsonville. The drivers’ meeting
will begin shortly after
We are looking for a volunteer or two to help work during the Rallye. If you don’t want to compete, but would like to be involved, please inform your Activities Director. This may involve recording departure times of the cars, monitoring a checkpoint, and/or tallying the results. The rally-master will be glad for the help.
The GTA Christmas Party will take place over the first weekend of December. Be sure to make your reservations ASAP. As always, this will be a memorable event.
Polar Bear Run VII is shaping
up nicely. The Birmingham British
Car Club has expressed an interest in meeting us for the drive.
If all of the
That’s all for now. See you on the road.
Geo
August 29th, 2006
September 2006 Activities Report
Words cannot describe the experience of Russ & Pat Turner’s Pig Roast & GTA Summer Picnic on August 26. Just picture 50 GTA members sitting around the smoker, all fat and happy from the fabulous BBQ meat crafted by the club’s own grillmaster. If you didn’t make it to the party, don’t worry… somebody ate your share for you! Thanks to Russ & Pat for another wonderful afternoon.
We promised a driving event for September, but I’m afraid that we’ll have to cancel that one. Unforeseen circumstances kept us from planning a proper drive. I’ll do my best to make it up to you later.
The big news for this month is
that we have a destination for this year’s Polar Bear Run.
On December 30, we’ll be taking the group to
I’ve had a lot of requests to
repeat last year’s Polar Bear overnight stay.
Unfortunately, I’m having a terrible time locating a suitable place to
host the group for the evening. If
anyone has any ideas of any place to the north, south, or east of
That’s all for now.
Geo
Monthly Impromptu Tech Sessions
Several members of the GTA have begun some very casual tech sessions to fix minor things and of course to share a little camaraderie. Mr. Joe Earnest shows the proper technique to accomplish said tasks.
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August
2006 Activities Report
The GTA & Friends enjoyed the July driving tour to the Talladega National Forest on July 15. The weather was pleasant up to our arrival at the picnic area, but a brief shower after lunch provided a little steam to warm things up in the afternoon. Thanks to Richard Waldrop and our friend Allen Knight from the Mini club for their efforts in planning an enjoyable day.
A few reports have trickled in from the VTR National Convention in Dallas. Heat was not mentioned, only the good times. Hopefully, we’ll have some reports soon.
The GTA Summer Picnic is on schedule for August 26. Be sure to be there, and please make sure that you call Russ & Pat to let them know you’ll be there. See details elsewhere in the newsletter.
The Roadster Factory’s Summer Picnic is coming up in August. Several GTA members are planning to travel to Pennsylvania for the event. If you’d like to go up and would like company on the road, post a message on the GaTriumph bulletin board to see who else is heading that way.
We were hoping to schedule a full day driving tour in September, but didn’t get plans finalized in time for this publication. The date would be later in the month – stay tuned for details as they become available.
That’s all for now.
Geo
June 27, 2006
July
2006 Activities Report
In case you missed the articles on our recent trip to Hendersonville, NC, the GTA had a superb weekend. Thanks to all who helped with the planning and execution of our large meals. For those who weren’t along, we decided to cater dinner on both nights, rather than try to take a group of 30 people out to dinner. We bought all of the food at the local wholesale clubs and split the costs among the participants. For $20, each person had burgers and bratwursts with all of the fixin’s on Friday evening, and a multi-course Filet Mignon meal on Saturday. We invited the local British car club to join us for Saturday’s festivities, and we had a total crowd of over 50 people.
I had the opportunity to preview the July driving tour to the Talladega National Forest. Richard Waldrop and our friend Allen Knight from the Mini club have worked out a really nice route to take us from Fayetteville to the mountains of eastern Alabama. This will be a picnic basket run, so be sure to pack a lunch. Look for the full-page ad in this newsletter. We’re hoping to avoid the majority of the heat by leaving Fayetteville a little early – it should be much cooler once we get into the mountains. Then we’ll end the drive at a Sonic for ice cream, as a treat for the survivors! Don’t miss this one.
The VTR National Convention is going to be in Dallas in July. There hasn’t been a lot of talk in the GTA from people planning to attend, but if you’d like to go, information can be found on the VTR web site (www.vtr.org). You can also contact our VTR Liaison, Ronnie Babbitt for more details.
Russ Turner has reserved the mobile smokehouse for a GTA Summer Picnic on August 26. At this time, we are planning to have the event at his home, but there may be some last minute changes. For now, set aside that date and watch next month’s newsletter for any changes and directions to the party. As before, the GTA will provide the BBQ and soft drinks, and everyone will be asked to provide a side dish, salad, or dessert to share.
The Roadster Factory’s Summer Picnic is coming up in August. Several GTA members are planning to travel to Pennsylvania for the festivities. If you’d like to go up and would like company on the road, post a message on the GaTriumph bulletin board to see who else is heading that way.
The Norcross British Car Fayre has been set for September 16 in the historic district. This is adjacent to the location of our monthly business meeting. This year there will be a Grand Prize giveaway of 2 British Airways tickets to London. Registration for the show is $20 per car, day of show.
We’re hoping to schedule a full day driving tour in September. There should be info available in time for the next newsletter.
The Euro Festival at the BMW factory in Greer, SC, is featuring the Triumph marque this year. We expect to do our part to support the event.
The Autumn in the Mountains British car show, which the GTA has visited many times in Flat Rock, NC, is being held at Chimney Rock Park this year. For details on this show, visit the BCCWNC web site: http://www.autumninthemountains.org/.
That’s all for now.
June 20, 2006
Seeing RED.
Seventeen Triumphs loaded with
friends traveled to
First of all, I’d like to take this opportunity to address any of you who have cars being restored and have not decided on a color yet. May I suggest the other color: NOT-RED.
Twelve of the 17 cars on our journey were the same color, which made keeping track of everyone quite a chore. “The red TR6… no, the other red TR6… no, not that other red TR6, the one behind the red TR3…” It was all very confusing.
But other than the monochrome theme, the weekend was excellent.
Cars arrived a few at a time at
the starting point in
We began on Hwy 28 in downtown
As we arrived at the
Just before our arrival in
At the Cedarwood Motel, we feasted by the pool on brats and burgers. A few of the locals stopped by to see what we were up to, and we had a great evening. On Saturday morning, a group of cars from the British Car Club of Western North Carolina (BCCWNC) joined us for a drive of about 100 miles.
Shortly after the start of the drive, we came upon a tasty little stretch of road with a sign: Dangerous Road – Sharp Turns – 15% Grade. About 1.5 miles and 12 switchbacks later, we had a little problem. The gas pedal on my TR3 fell to the floor. The linkage from the pedal broke. I made a call to Dave at TRF to see if he could recommend a quick fix, but he said that he’d never seen this particular part break, and new ones are not available. The Devil is usually portrayed as being red – and he is vengeful. We tied a string to the front carburetor linkage and made a hand throttle so that we could get the car back up the 12 switchbacks (maybe it was 13???) and back to the motel for repairs. That was exciting. A tiny weld, courtesy of a BMW mechanic, and we were set.
After the rest of the group returned from their tour, we had a Happy Hour consisting of snacks, beverages, and the pool. We had invited friends from the BCCWNC to join us for dinner, and nearly 20 of them arrived to share the meal with us. Russ Turner prepared 30 pounds of filet mignon on the motel’s charcoal grill, and the Ladies Auxiliary, led by Joan, did all the rest. Mario Seguin brought a case of French (red) wine to share, and the meal was complete. We stayed out under the stars until the wee hours chatting with our new friends.
On Sunday morning, after our
breakfast in the Gazebo, we snapped our group photo and headed for home.
It was another great drive, with a fine lunch in Highlands, NC, and an
ice cream stop when we arrived in
I’d like to thank my wife, Joan, and the all who helped to feed the masses (dinner for 50 on Saturday night) over the weekend. Thanks to Russ Turner for his efforts at the grill, and to Neal Weinmann and Carol Carter of the BCCWNC for their help in coordinating the drive and guest list for our stay.
Be sure to see the photos posted on the GTA web site, and be extra sure make your reservations early for our next weekend in the mountains!
May 25, 2006
Fourteen
cars met at the freshly-out-of-business His & Hers buffet in Acworth for a
bit of a late start. Construction on
I-75 put about half of the participants a few minutes behind schedule, but
everyone arrived in good spirits, and we eventually got the show on the road.
We
had a perfect day for driving, and we did lots of it.
We even managed to get a police escort through the little town of
It
was just past noon when we arrived
After
lunch, we continued the drive, and ended up in
Participants:
Bob
& Jane Kassow, MGB
Kevin Bowen, Sports 6
Bill Castleberry, TR6
George & Joan Forster, TR3
Mark Pruitt & Zack, TR6
Vic Richardson, Spitfire
Jennifer Sinclair, TR7
Ray & Barbara Sinclair, Herald
Rusty & Nancy Smith, TR3
Shawn Tarleton & Astrid, TR6
Ben & Betty Turner, TR6
Russ & Pat Turner, TR6
Steve Cripps, Mini
Eric & Ann Hoffman, Volvo P1800
May 2006 Activities Report
The month began with the 21st running of the Chris Gore Mountain Tour. As always, it was a wonderful day in the mountains near Dahlonega. Many thanks, once again, to Chris and Poolie for hosting such a wonderful event.
The Walter Mitty historic races will be at Road Atlanta during the weekend of April 28-30. Look for the British car parking just after you cross the bridge into the infield. Mike Munson will be representing the GTA on the field of honor. Come out to cheer him on and buy a GTA RACING T-shirt to support the cause!
A full day to
The Cedarwood Inn is filling up
quickly for the weekend of our
Richard Waldrop has been
working with our friends in the Mini club for a tour in July.
The tentative date is the 15th.
An evening of barbecue will follow the drive.
The proposed route will take us from the
No final date on the Summer Picnic yet, but we’re expecting an August date. Please stand by.
That’s all for now.
April 2006 Activities Report
The March 18 tour to
The Chris Gore Mountain Tour will be taking place either just before or just after you receive this newsletter. Look for a report next month.
The Walter Mitty historic races will be at Road Atlanta during the weekend of April 28-30. The British cars will have a reserved parking area in the infield. This will be on the left just after you cross the bridge. There are apparently no separate areas for the individual clubs, but there should be plenty of room for all who wish to visit the Car Corral area.
A full day driving event is being planned for May 20. The starting time and place will be published on the GTA web site shortly, and full details will be included next month.
There will be a spring weekend
tour to
A summer driving event is being
planned by our friends in the Mini club. A
date has not been set, but it may be in July.
An evening of barbecue will follow the drive.
The proposed route will take us from the
We’re also looking at several dates for this year’s GTA Family Picnic. This will be in July or August. Stay tuned for more details.
The Norcross British Car Fayre has been scheduled for September 16. The event took a year off in 2005, but the folks of Norcross are eager to have us back for 2006.
That’s all for now.
March 2006 Activities Report
The Chili Cook-off on February 18 went very nicely. The crowd was the biggest ever for this event. All in attendance ate well – probably more than any of us should have! Thanks to Pat and Russ for hosting the party.
The March 18 tour to
Be sure to pack a picnic lunch for Mountain Tour on April 1 in Dahlonega. This is always one of the most fun events of the year, and it’s a good chance to meet our British cousins from the other clubs. If you haven’t been to this one before, each car is given a detailed set of directions and a map for the 70-80 mile loop. There are several rest stops along the way, and each car can travel at its own comfortable pace. It is always one of the nicest events of the year. You won’t want to miss it!
The Walter Mitty historic races will be at Road Atlanta during the weekend of April 28-30. Large numbers of GTA members are expected to be there. Last year, discount tickets were offered through Classic Motorsports Magazine. Registration information is not posted at the time of this newsletter’s deadline, but keep an eye on the Classic Motorsports web site for updates and ticket information: http://www.classicmotorsports.net/mitty.php.
A full day driving event is being planned for May 20. Details will be announced soon.
Plans are being made for a
weekend adventure to western
That’s all for now.
February Activities Report
To begin, I’d like to thank all of you who helped with all of the things that we were able to do over in 2005. It was a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to another good year on the road.
This month, Pat Turner is hosting her annual Chili Cook-off. This is always a fun time, and a good crowd. Directions and information are published on another page.
On March 18, we’re going to
do a short driving tour to
Chris Gore has announced April 1 as the date for his annual Mountain Tour. For the newer members, Chris hosts about 50 cars on the front lawn of his home in Dahlonega for a picnic lunch every spring. After lunch, all cars are given directions for a scenic loop that ends back at the Gore house. It’s always one of the nicest events of the year.
The Walter Mitty historic races will be at Road Atlanta during the weekend of April 28-30. Classic Motorsports and Grassroots Motorsports magazines sponsor the event, and there are lots of activities geared to the sports car enthusiast. There’s some good racing, too!
Atlanta British Motorcar Day is
scheduled for May 13. The venue has
moved from Chateau Élan to
For the last few years, we have
included an overnight driving tour in the late spring.
This year, we will be a joint event with the British Car Club of Western
North Carolina (BCCWNC). We will
plan to leave the
There will also be a full-day driving tour before the start of summer. The destination is being discussed, and will be announced soon. The date will be coordinated with the NC trip.
July is the time for the GTA Summer Picnic. We’re checking on having another day on a lake, similar to last year’s event. Be sure to bring the whole family to this one!
The VTR National Convention
will be in
The Euro Autofestival is being
held at the BMW Zentrum in
We expect to schedule one or two driving tours and another rally in the fall. The Christmas Party will be planned for early in December, and Polar Bear Run VII is scheduled for December 30.
We also expect to host a few tech sessions throughout the year. If you have any other suggestions for events or destinations, please contact your Activities Director. All input is welcome!
That’s all for now. We look forward to having you join us in 2006!
January, 2006
The Sixth Annual Georgia Polar Bear run was held on December 31, 2005. Our weather forecast had been poor for the week leading up to the event, but it changed on Friday: the rain would stop before dawn, and skies would clear for the morning’s gathering.
This year, we had 99 cars participate in the drive. Once again, Triumphs dominated with 28 cars. Other marques included MG, Mini, Jaguar, Lotus, Hillman, Riley, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Pantera, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Datsun, Miata, and a few other assorted vehicles.
The drivers’ meeting went
quickly, and cars were on the road just before 10:00 AM.
Our route paralleled I-85, I-985, and US441 for the first 80 miles as we
passed through Oakwood,
There was a visit to the
Tallulah Gorge Overlook, with a nice view of the falls.
The final leg of the journey was the best.
It began with a short section of Old 441 along the river.
The road turned to wind through the cottages and boathouses surrounding
the lakes of
The tour started arriving in
Helen about 1:30 PM. A few left
immediately for the ride home but most stayed for a bite to eat and a little
shopping. Some of the other tourists
staked out spots along
But the day was not over.
The Polar Bear group had reserved over 40 rooms at the Unicoi Lodge, just
north of town. After settling into
our rooms, we enjoyed a wonderful buffet in the main Lodge, which featured fresh
mountain trout. A New Year’s Eve
cocktail party was held in the lower level of the Lodge after dinner.
This gave us a chance to meet the participants who traveled from far and
wide to attend our event. There were
folks from
The New Year arrived right on
time, and we did our best to give 2006 a warm welcome.
However, after a good night’s sleep, the warmth would soon be gone.
A small group of crazy people had their breakfast on Sunday morning, and
then took a drive down to the beach at
The Lodge was cleared out by noon on Sunday. As far as we know, there were no casualties or losses during the weekend, and everyone seemed to have a great time.
Thanks to all who helped with planning and running the show. Polar Bear VII has been scheduled for December 30, 2006 with the location to be determined. Stay tuned for more information over the coming months.
Happy New Year!
December 12, 2005
The GTA Christmas party was a good time. I'm not sure of the total attendance, but we filled the room so I'd estimate around 75 or so including the future Triumph owners. The weather prevented many Triumph from showing up, well except for me and Mark Pruitt. Oh, Mike Munson and Kathy drove their TR8, but that thing has A/C, heat, and a fairly snug top so they get half-credit. The food was excellent, and John Drosdick modeled his new sexy Christmas outfit for everyone. Driving events are fun, but I also enjoy our get-togethers where we really get a chance to see and talk with our members without worrying about whatever malady is wrong with you car at that moment.
The next GTA event is the annual December "Pub Night", which will be held at the Norcross Tavern the night of December 20th. Directions are posted on the GTA calendar page, but it's the bar near where we usually meet and it has a red door. Got it? See you there.
There's still time to reserve for the Polar Bear New Year's Eve party - same contact info as before - must use event # (1224) to make a one night reservation. There are no driving events, but our first meeting of the year is on January 17th. Pat's setting a date for a Chili Cook-off in February. TBD. George Forster is working on a driving tour in March. TBD.
November 19, 2005
December Activities Report
The Fall Rallye was held on November 19. Details will be published elsewhere in the newsletter. As usual, the Georgia Sports Car Club provided a wonderful day. Thanks to Rallymaster Alan White, and the rest of the GSCC crew.
We have a lot of interest from the other clubs for this year’s Polar Bear Run. There will be more than a few participants from out of state, and the reservation list at the Unicoi Lodge is close to 30 rooms as of this writing. As explained earlier, the overnight portion is optional, but if you don’t have any other plans for New Year’s Eve, please join us.
The official cutoff date for reserving at the Lodge has passed, but you can still make reservations for New Year’s Eve – please use the event code (1224) to make your reservations, otherwise, you will be subject to a 2-night minimum stay. Also be sure to contact the Unicoi Lodge directly – the statewide reservation phone number and Internet reservation systems cannot take reservations for groups, therefore, you will not have the option for a 1-night stay. I’ve had several calls on this, so beware.
Plans are underway for several events in 2006. Pat Turner has already reserved February for another of her famous Chili Cook offs. We’re also looking at a driving tour for March. Chris Gore and Walter Mitty will have events in April, and British Car Day is in May. We’re hoping to have a weekend getaway later in May. If anyone has any ideas for any other events, we’re always happy to hear them.
That’s all for now. I’d like to thank everyone who helped with our activities in 2005. It would seem that we had another great year on the road! Let’s do it again next year.
Thanks
Geo
November 10, 2005
November Activities Report
We had to cancel the original driving event scheduled for the end of October, but we threw a little outing together at the last minute and tried to get the word out to as many as possible – thanks to those who responded. One more reason to join the email list through the GTA web site!
A suggestion was made that we visit one of the many cornfield mazes in the area. We picked Uncle Shucks near Dawsonville. There were only 4 Triumphs (and one minivan) in attendance, but we had a nice day. This looks like an event that we could put on the schedule as a proper driving event for next season, so watch for it to happen.
The GTA Fall Rallye is on track for November 19. Everything is ready; all we need is for you to come out to enjoy the day. Please plan to attend.
In Polar Bear Run news, if you haven’t made your reservations at the Unicoi Lodge for New Year’s Eve, there’s still plenty of time. Please don’t wait too long, though, as it will aid our plans if we know that you’re planning to join us.
As I mentioned last month, we’re looking for ideas
for events in 2006. I’ve already
had some good input, so I think we’re off to a good start.
Please keep the ideas coming!
October 24, 2005
The SEVTR is over, and it was a good one. Further reports will be forthcoming. Thanks to all that helped out to make the GTA's contribution well received by the other participants. The Thursday night welcome reception was more than anyone expected - a lot of "bang for the buck," and with all the help from our members, it wasn't too much work for any one of us. And Kevin's "pyrotechnic wings" display was truly amazing.
Thanks also to all who helped with the banquet. The GTA will have the same responsibilities next time, so stand by for more of the same! The date of the next SEVTR is being discussed - it may be fall of '06, spring of '07 or fall of '07. Some are concerned about an annual event being too much activity, so we'll have to see how an alternate schedule will work.
We were hoping to schedule a driving event for the end of October, but the planning was delayed due to the Regional, so we will have to postpone that one. However, the GTA Fall Rallye is on track for November 19th. Once again, we will be working with the Georgia Sports Car Club to plan the event. See details on the web. Last year's rally was a blast - we're expecting another great one.
The Polar Bear Run is coming together nicely. Some have even promised to attend from out of state. If you know of anyone who needs a place to stay on Friday before the drive, keep an eye on the web site, or contact the Activities Director for details. Our start will be near several motels and restaurants, so there shouldn't be any trouble. The starting point is tentative at this time. We'll be sure by the time the next newsletter is published - and if we move, it won't be more than a few hundred yards.
This year's PBR ends n Helen, with the option of staying over for a New Year's Eve party. Anyone may attend one part of the event without the other, so if you aren't going to spend the night, please don't let it keep you from coming to the drive. As in the past, the drive will end in plenty of time to get home before dark. AS well, if you can't make the drive, you're still welcome to meet us in Helen for the party - LBC is optional.
Finally, now is the time to start thinking about events for 2006. Please forward any ideas to the "Activities Department.
Thanks
Geo
September 8, 2005
September Activities Report
The big event from August was the GTA Summer Picnic, during which we celebrated the Club’s 25th anniversary. There were nearly 80 members and guests on hand for the day, and 24 assorted Triumphs. Our guest list included a good number of the charter members of the GTA. Mike Elder was recognized for his role in obtaining our VTR charter, as was Bob Ragan for being the only member of the GTA with 25 years of continuous membership. Thanks to Russ Turner for preparing the day’s meat, to Steave Freeman for providing the excellent venue for the picnic, and to the members who helped with setting up and serving the meal.
We also need to thank Hal Doby for his efforts. Hal designed and produced a special 25th Anniversary tee shirt, which debuted at the picnic. Shirts can be purchased for $15 at any future GTA event while supplies last. Assorted colors and sizes are available. Hal also produced the plaques that were presented during the picnic.
Problems in Norcross have forced the cancellation of this year’s British Car Fayre, originally scheduled for September 10. This would have been the sixth year for the event, which is held adjacent to the site of the GTA’s monthly meeting. Apparently, there was a conflict with the parking area at the last minute. Organizers of the show are hoping to resume the event in the fall of 2006.
The 6-Pack Trials are coming up very soon. We’re expecting a good turnout from the GTA. Contact Ashford Little for details.
This is your last notice for
the 2005 Southeast VTR Regional at
A few folks have volunteered to help with the Thursday night welcome reception and the Saturday evening Awards Banquet. Don’t be shy about helping out – every little bit helps. We hope to see you there.
We’re working on a driving
tour for October. Tentatively,
we’re looking at October 29. The
final word will be in next month’s newsletter.
Other October events include the Euro show at the BMW plant in
The Georgia Sports Car Club (GSCC) has offered to host the GTA Fall Rally on November 19. We had a pretty good turnout for last year’s rally, but the weather was a bit damp, so many stayed away. We’re hoping for a better turnout this time. More details to come.
Kevin Bowen is working on plans for this year’s GTA Holiday Party to be held on the first weekend of December.
Finally, we have a plan in
place for this year’s Polar Bear Run (PBR VI), which will be held on the
traditional last Saturday of the year, December 31.
This year’s event is scheduled to take place in two parts.
The first part will be the traditional
Part 2 involves a New Year’s
Eve party for anyone who wants to join in. We
are currently working with the
If you don’t have plans for the end of the year, you can come spend the night with the GTA. Join us for either or both parts of this most excellent event. Stay tuned for details.
That’s all for now.
August 20: Cruise Night
On Saturday, August 20, the Lotus Owners Group
is sponsoring a British
Invasion Cruise In in Suwanee.
The event starts at 5 PM and will be held at Giovanni's Italian Restaurant
on Peachtree Parkway and goes to dark.
The address is 3630 Peachtree Parkway,
Suwanee - this is the Kohl's parking lot. The phone # for Giovanni
is 770-232-1122. Bring all of your
best British regalia to celebrate this fun night.
August 27: GTA Summer Picnic
I haven't had many replies from folks who
intend to come to the picnic. Please don't wait until the last minute, as
we have to buy lots of food for everyone. For you listers who are not
members of the GTA, This is one of only two events during the year that are
restricted to members and their families/guests. However, it's never too
late to become a member of the GTA!!
As we've mentioned, this party is to celebrate
the Silver Anniversary of the GTA. We have invited all of the original
members of the club to attend, and have heard from several who will be
travelling from out of state to help us celebrate. This will be a great
day, and encourage all members and their families to attend.
Please drop me a note if you're plannign to
come to the party. Directions are published in the August newsletter - but
if you need more, please let me know.
Thanks.
George
July 25, 2005
Activities Report
We had a good turnout for the July
16 Drive In trip, despite the weather. 29
people in 17 cars participated. Fourteen
cars made the drive to
A few GTA folks were spotted at the SCCA regional races at Road Atlanta on July 23 & 24. GTA racing legend Mike (Tiger) Munson earned a first place trophy in the E-production class with his TR6. Congratulations Mike!
The GTA’s 25th Anniversary Picnic is on track for August 27. Information is published elsewhere in this month’s newsletter. Cars, boats, and the whole family are welcome to join us for this wonderful day. We’re hoping to make this a very special event to celebrate a special milestone – please do your best to attend. Please let us know that you will be attending so that we can be sure to have enough food on hand.
The Southeast VTR Regional is getting closer. Be sure to make your room reservations and send in your event registration soon! The GTA is hosting the evening meals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. If you’re attending, please give a little of your time to help out – the more that help, the less that any of us will have to do to make this successful.
The fall driving events will be
announced shortly. So far, there
will be a day trip to
Plans are being drawn up for this year’s Polar Bear Run VI. The date has been set for December 31 (the last Saturday of the year, and New Year’s Eve). As in the past, we’ll be planning a drive designed to have everyone home before dark, but we’re working on an option that involves an LBC New Year’s Eve party after the drive for anyone who is interested. We’re looking at several options that involve dinner, a party, and a hotel/inn/motel stay. We’re discussing the arrangement with several venues at this time and will have the information ready in plenty of time to plan and make your reservations. If you’re looking for a little different way to ring in 2006, this may be for you.
Several ideas for tech sessions were presented in the past few weeks. We expect to have something on the calendar soon.
That’s all for now.
July 18, 2005
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On July 16, members of the GTA
met for breakfast at the Old Town Country Buffet in Cumming.
The question of the day was not IF it was going to rain, but HOW MUCH
rain we would encounter on our weekend adventure to
Despite the impending doom from above, we saw 14 cars, including some new additions. Floyd & Daphne Moody made this their first GTA event, arriving in a white MGB, which they recently acquired to hold them over until their Spitfire project is complete. Richard Waldrop introduced his new ’77 Spitfire, which he had purchased a week earlier.
Other members included Ray & Barbara Sinclair (Herald DHC), Jennifer Sinclair (TR7), Mark & Laura Pruitt with Alex & Zack (TR6, BMW cabrio), Mike & Kathy Munson with Sam (TR8), Rusty & Nancy Smith (TR250), Joe Earnest (Herald), Mike & Sue Hurst (Stag), Bill Castleberry (TR6), Bob Kassow (Ginetta G4), and George & Joan Forster (TR3). Alistair Niblett joined us in his rally-prepared Triumph 2000 saloon.
By the time we reached our first rest stop near Jasper, our windscreens were showing the first signs of sprinkles. All hoods went up before resuming the drive. Within the next few miles, the skies opened up and it began to pour. It didn’t last long, but the showers continued throughout the rest of the drive.
We arrived in
When evening rolled around, the GTA occupied the majority of the front row at the Swan. We were joined by Chris & Poolie Gore from the MG club in their MGB, Chic Fries and his friend Patty arrived in a TR6, and Ashford & Catherine Little stopped in with the family SUV.
The first feature was the new Love Bug movie, Herbie, Fully Loaded. The rain found us again, about 20 minutes before the end of that one. Showers came and went for the rest of the evening as Tom Cruise saved the world during War of the Worlds.
Those who spent the night
retraced Saturday’s route back to
In all, we had a lot of fun and nobody suffered any permanent water damage.
June 28, 2005
Activities Report
We had 40 people show up for
the June drive to Hiawassee on June
18. About half were GTA members.
Nine cars came down from western
The next event will be the July 16 Drive In Night. I just heard that a few people made reservations at the Days Inn and said that the motel was not aware of the rate negotiated for the GTA. That should be worked out by the time you receive this newsletter. The rate that I was quoted was just over $55 for a room with one queen bed. That rate included tax. Add about $10 more for a second bed. If you did reserve at a higher rate, we’ll work that out when we get there.
Remember, you don’t have to
spend the night to make the drive. Last
year, only about half of the cars spent the night.
We’re expecting the drive to end about
There’s racing at Road Atlanta during the weekend of July 23-24. There’s a good chance that our own Mike Munson will be running the GTA TR6 at the event. Watch for details on the GTA web site and through the GTA mailing list and come out and support him.
The GTA’s 25th Anniversary Picnic is on track for August 27. Directions will be published in next month’s newsletter. Cars, boats, and the whole family are welcome to join us for this wonderful day. We’re hoping to make this a very special event to celebrate a special milestone – please do your best to attend
If you haven’t made your reservations for the Southeast VTR Regional, you’re running out of time. There still time to register for the event, but the host hotel is at the half-way point and should be close to full by the end of next month. Don’t be left out! The GTA is looking for a few volunteers to help with our part of the regional. See the ad elsewhere in this letter.
We’re also looking for ideas for some tech sessions to be held over the coming months. Let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions.
That’s all for now.
June 16, 2005
Hiawassee Trip
The GTA and friends went out for lunch on Saturday, June 18 to celebrate Fathers Day.
The group met in Dawsonville,
at the Outlet Mall on GA400. The air
was cool and crisp, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky – a nice change from
all of the recent rainy weather. Thirty-three
cars showed up to drive. There were
16 Triumphs, and the rest were mostly from the MG and Mini clubs.
After a brief drivers meeting, 
the caravan was underway just after 9:00
AM.
The route included some of
north
Lunch was at the Yacht Club at
Fieldstone, on the banks of
About 8 cars found the campground just outside of Hiawassee where the Atlanta British motorcycle club was hosting a big weekend rally. There were about 300 bikes on hand, and close to 1000 people. The event was closed to all but paid participants, but the LBC group was allowed in for a peek. We were as much of a novelty to them as they were to us.
While chatting with some of the bikers, we heard a young son say to his dad, “I didn’t know that Triumph made cars!” It made us realize that Triumph had been out of business for 10 or more years before these youngsters were born.
Our visit was cut short by the
threat of the rains returning. While
the day began without a cloud in sight, there were heavy showers on the way back
home. 
Most who departed immediately
after lunch seem to have avoided most of the severe weather, but the few who
stayed to the end got a bit saturated. Regardless,
it was a great day and a great drive.
GTA members present included Ray, Barb, & Jennifer Sinclair (Herald), Tony Lewis (TR3), Shawn & Astrid Tarleton (TR6), Paul & Vickie Logue (Spitfire), George & Joan Forster (TR3), Mike & Sue Hurst (TR4), Russ Turner (TR3), Pat Sarno (TR6), Mark Burns (TR6), John Drosdick (TR6), Bob & Jane Kassow (Ginetta G4), Gary & Lois Wilmerding (TR6), Ben & Betty Turner (TR6), Craig & Linda Drinko (TR8), Chic Fries (TR6), Mike & Jane McAllister (Spitfire), Doug Winch (TR3), and Phil Profili (TVR 2500M).
June 12, 2005
Activities Report
Weddings and graduations seem to have kept a number of GTA members from attending the Micros in Madison event during the Memorial Day weekend. As a result, only a dozen Triumphs were present at the event. Those who did attend all had a wonderful time, especially during the meals. The next event will be in 2007. Triumph will likely not be the feature again, but if you want an event that’s a little different than your normal British Car weekend, this is a good one.
The June driving tour is planned for the 18th of this month. See details elsewhere in this issue for the meeting time and place. I’ve had correspondence from a few groups in the Carolinas who want to meet up with us along the way, so we should end up with a good sized crowd. The tour will last most of the day, and will end up in Dahlonega. I hope you’ll make plans to join us.
We’re planning another Drive In Night for July. Last year’s event was a lot of fun, so we’re going to leave early, and will have a little pool party at the Days Inn of Blue Ridge in the afternoon before the movie starts. If you don’t want to see the movie or spend the night, you can still come along for the drive and be home in time for supper. If you do spend the night, we’ll have a nice drive back toward Atlanta on Sunday.
The TRA National meeting is later this month in Branson, Missouri. I’ve only heard from one Atlantan who is planning to attend. Contact me for details if you decide to go at the last minute.
The VTR National and Roadster Factory Summer Picnic are also rapidly approaching. This would be a good time to start planning to these events. The best way would be to post a message to the GTA mailing list through the web site. If you don’t currently subscribe to the mailing list, it’s a great way to keep in touch with your fellow GTA members and to keep up with the latest news regarding events. Look for instructions for joining on the GTA web site.
The GTA 25th Anniversary is officially on July 2. Be sure to celebrate if you can. The Club will celebrate this milestone with a picnic on August 27. We’re hoping that all members will be able to join in. Watch for details and mark the date on your calendars.
Finally, the VTR Southeast Regional is getting closer. A check with the host hotel earlier this week shows that there are almost 40 rooms reserved at this early date. There are only 120 rooms at the hotel, so we recommend that you make your reservations early so that you’ll be able to stay close to the action. We’re expecting that the Days Inn will be full by the end of July. See the SEVTR web site (www.sevtr.org) for more details and convention news.
May 13, 2005
Chateau Élan is now behind us and I just received the details on the June drive - see calendar. So if you missed British Car Day, how did it go? Reactions to the GTA's move to a new spot were mixed at best. The cars were strung out over a wide area and no one made sure that the parking plan, as I understand it to be, was carried out. The result was less than stellar. I certainly understand the desire of various clubs to display their cars in more desirable locations and I fully support rotation among the clubs, but in my view this year's BCD suffered from a lack of oversight. Let me know hear from you about what you liked, disliked and how it might be improved for next year.
On a more positive note, the GTA continued it's tradition of serving up a fine B-B-Q lunch. The weather was spectacular. And it the turnout was very good; better than the past several years in my seat-of-the-pants estimation. All in all, a good day. Upcoming we have the aforementioned drive to Hiawassee, and with the weather getting a bit warmer, you won't want to miss an opportunity to head for the mountains for some twisties and cooler temps. See you there.
May 2, 2005
Wow!!! What an experience this past weekend was. Being that up close and personal with a car competing in the Walter Mitty races was surely an experience that will be with all that were involved in helping Mike Munson and the GTA field an entry. Thanks to all who contributed and a full write-up will be coming within the next 24 hours or so.
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April 28, 2005
Daisy lives!!! All Hail Tiger, Harry & Idol for getting her back together. Steave Freeman & Mark Pruitt will be functioning as crew this weekend for the Walter Mitty races. Go to the races, they are fun, and even if your car doesn't move, like mine, then take your normal mode of transport. This is one of the best overlooked things going on in Atlanta. The weather will be super as well.
Qualifying Races on Friday and Saturday are at 9:00 AM
April 27, 2005
I
spoke with the folks at GRM/Classic Motorsports this morning and was given the
following information on events and times. Race times and some of this
is covered on the GTA website on the first page. However, here are some
particulars.
That’s
what I know for now.
R.
Ashford Little II
'70
TR6
CC54994
GTA Webmaster
April 11, 2005
Chris & Poolie's Mountain 2005
This year’s tour started out with very strange weather. On Friday it rained all day and into the night. The next morning at 8:00 the skies were clear, cold, and windy. I thought the weather would dry out and warm up by 11:00. It had done this many times for past tours. So Poolie and I agreed it was a go for Saturday. At 9:00, while I was putting out the Union Jacks, the sky very quickly turned dark. Then I felt sleet hitting me on the back.
Then at 9:15 the sky turned clear and dry, by 9:30 it turned dark again and started to rain. By now it was clear to us the tour had to be postponed to Sunday. This was problem because a lot of people were already on the road. I've never had a lot of need for cell phones numbers, but boy did I need them now!
Dennis Deloatch was leading a group MGs, Steve Cripps was leading a Mini group, Bob Kassow had his group, George Forster had the Triumphs and then there were all those others driving on their own. I E-mailed and called everyone I could. After a month of preparation for this tour I was very disappointed and stressed out with Mother Nature. I got through to Nancy Deloatch, George Forster, Bob Kassow, and some of the others.
Right in the middle of E-mailing I looked up and here came six Mini Coopers, a Spitfire, and a Volvo right up the driveway. These were soon followed by a TD, 2 Bs and 2 TR6s. Now I had to tell them that Tour was postponed until Sunday. We invited everyone to come in the house where we could be dry and warm. There we could plan on doing something with this nasty day.
We all looked at the forecast on Netscape, which said that Sunday was going to be clear and 65 degrees. After 2 hours of talking and drinking coffee everyone decided to just go home. As they left another MGB pulled in the driveway and our power went out. Saturday was a long day.
Just as had been forecast, Sunday was beautiful. By 10:30 a group of Triumphs pulled up on the lawn followed by a steady flow of British Cars. MGAs, a TVR, Minis, TR3s, an Alfa, Spitfires, Midgets, and MGBs all pulled up to picnic and have fun. This was the way it was meant to be!
After a few hours of good fellowship I called everybody together for the traditional drivers meeting. Because this was the 20th annual Mountain Tour, Poolie and I were awarded plaques from the Georgia Triumph Association, The Madmen (Mini Club) and The Peachtree MG Registry. We were both very surprised and grateful.
By the time of the drive it was perfect top down weather and I cranked up the MGV8. It has been 2 years since this car has been back on the road. I took the car apart to put in a T5 transmission, which took a lot longer than I thought it would but that another story.
There is nothing like the site in your rear 
view mirror of 42 British Sport Cars following you down the road. Our first
break was in Suches sometimes referred to as little Canada because it is valley
surrounded by rural mountains and lakes. There is only one gas station, which is
normally dominated by motorcycles; today it was full of British Cars!
From here we drove right through a twisty
part of national forest to US 129. Minis loved this section. From here we went
on a straight rural road 
that took us past the highest point in Ga. We saw a
dusting of snow on a mountaintop, which reminded us of the strange weather we
had on Saturday. Then we followed a mountain stream and a few more twisty roads.
After we returned to our house, people talked some more, said their good byes and headed home.
Poolie and 
I would just like to say thanks to
all who came Saturday or Sunday. Thanks for the awards.
It really was special to us.
Thumbs up and see ya next year in the hills!
Chris Gore
April 1, 2005
Although this isn't the official start of spring, April 1st seems like it ought to be, and unfortunately we aren't being welcomed in with dynamite driving weather today. If April showers bring May flowers then we in the Atlanta area should have some serious flowers next month with all the rain we've had lately. The weather is supposed to clear for the Chris Gore Tour tomorrow, and I hope the weather guys are right, but then again they don't exactly have a good record of being accurate.
The photo on the front page is of a long time member. Who is it? Take a guess and send it out on the GTA email list. C'mon its not that hard, but you gotta like the bunny suit.
Also in the news, and it's not an April Fool's joke is the return of the GTA Participation Points race. Check it out and come on out if you want to win. See the link at the bottom of the index page for full results.
See you tomorrow at Chris Gore's house for the tour.
March 21, 2005
The GTA kicked off the driving season this past Saturday with our Spring Drive to Athens, GA. About 20 cars, including a pair of Hillman Minx's showed up for the drive. We took off a bit NE of Atlanta and wound our way to Mr. George Bugg's automotive collection on the outskirts of Athens. Mr. Bugg's has only been collecting cars for the past five years of so, but has amassed a beautiful collection of mostly pre-war cars and trucks including a stunning Hudson Straight 8. Following a leisurely tour of his cars, the tour members and Mr. Bugg enjoyed lunch in downtown Athens, and then split up for the drive home. About the only obvious missing ingredient was Mr. Joe Earnest and his "Dawg Herald."
Next up on April 2nd in the annual Gore Tour, check the calendar section of the website for details. See you there.
March 7, 2005
The GTA was represented at this year's Atlanta Flower and Garden Show at the Georgia World Congress Center. The "red, white, & blue" cars were displayed at the entrance to the show on the second level, which allowed us to drive several hundred yards through the carpeted concourse of the GWCC through the escaping crowds. It was quite a fun little adventure.
Next stop, Amelia Island next Sunday.
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March 1, 2005
March may not be the official start of spring, but in my mind it ought to be a little warmer than the 32 degrees it is as I write this update. Let's hope this the last hurrah and driving season comes roaring in shortly. Hmm, maybe we need our own groundhog - something like Lucas De-Normanville, who could let us know when the driving season will start.
Despite today's cooler weather it didn't prevent a good turnout this past Saturday for the annual Chili Cook-off hosted by Pat Sarno. Here's a quick report on the day's festivities.
CHILI COOK-OFF NIGHT
By Pat Sarno
It was a great night for the Chili Cook-off. Members came from far and wide and the crock-pots were steaming. The weather held up for a wonderful night as many members drove their Triumphs wondering if they were going to be this year’s winner. The results were close, however, no one could beat the Cincinnati Wonder Chili made by Richard Waldrop. A number of door prizes were given away. The members had a hard road to go when it came time for Game Trivia. Three games were played to include: “How many words can you make out of Georgia Triumph Assoc.” and two Unscramble word games for “Car Parts” and “Things at the Beach”. The room came to a hush as everyone concentrated and came to a screeching halt on two mystery words. The mindbenders were “sunroof” for Car Parts and Daiquiri (yes, Triumph members there are three “I’s” in the word Daiquiri) for “Things at the Beach”. Everyone had a great time and the evening was a big hit. Of course, next year we will be modifying the directions a little to help the lonesome drifters who were very happy to have their cell phones on them for further directions. A total of 32 members and 10 children attended the event. Thanks to everyone who came and made the event an evening to remember.
Well that's about it for now. The spring driving season will kick off, with or without a blessing from Sir Lucas DeNormanville on Saturday, March 19th, but don't forget the club meeting on Tuesday the 15th. Cheers.
February 14, 2005
I keep saying this, but this REALLY is going to be a fun and exciting year. The buzz about the Walter Mitty is growing. The number of cars and people coming in from across the country is substantial, and there is a group coming from the UK complete with their race cars in a specially made container. You owe it to yourself to come to The Walter Mitty; you will not be disappointed. As more information becomes available we will let everyone know where to go to hook up with all the other Triumph nuts.
I would also be remiss in not mentioning the SEVTR at Jekyll Island September 29, 30th & October 1st. The website is up and partially running, much like my car right now, but that's another story - www.sevtr.org. There are some really cool photo up on the site, and I'll be adding more info and content as time goes along.
The GTA Chili cook-off is rapidly approaching so we should all tear ourselves away from whatever we are doing and do some experimenting in the kitchen.
Oh and go out and buy some flowers for your loved ones... camshafts don't count.
January 17, 2005
The January GTA meeting is tomorrow night so fire up the Taurus or Camry and come on out to Norcross - I know it's too cold for most of you, but I'll be there trying to earn my spot on this year's Bozo list by seeing how long I can drive on some bum U-joints.
Our new Activities Director, George Forster, will be introducing himself to the club and filling us in on all the things going on in 2005. All kidding aside, the calendar is chock-full of all kinds of stuff to keep an LBC enthusiast busy, almost too busy. We've got the Mitty, Chateau Élan, TRF's Party, 6-Pack in NC, SE-VTR in Jekyll just to mention some of the larger events, and I don't have the time or patience to go over all the other events, but luckily Geo loves this stuff. Please either come on out or take note of the website calendar or newsletter so you can plan ahead and not miss out. We've really got a lot going on.
Oh, and just to let everyone know in case you missed it. Joe Earnest is now officially old. Yep, he's over 40 now. Things were looking extremely bad for the boy until Bart showed up Saturday with his Herald at the Brake Pad in College Park. This gave him one running Triumph - he was relegated to a Taurus prior to that. Taurus's rock, or so he says.
Who knows what else might go one during the first meeting of the year?
January 9, 2005
Happy New Year to those who were huddled at home yesterday away from the cold.
December 20, 2004
This past Friday evening I got an email from a buddy who's into cars egging me on to join him Saturday at Donuts for Derelicks. This has been on my list of things to do for about two years now, that and his daring me to drive in cold weather got me and one of my sons to show up. Let me tell you that this is a good thing. If you like cars - and I hope you do - and like donuts - and who doesn't - then you need to go. It's real complicated and the rules are many - you show up talk about cars while eating donuts and having coffee. That's it! The cars are a mixed bag which on Saturday included my TR6, a Jaguar C-type, '50 Ford flatbed truck, a couple of 911s, '66 Mustang Fastback and a Pantera along with several others. Go.
December 14, 2004
The GTA engine rebuild session had a good turnout. I'm still waiting on the official tally, but early returns with 70% of the precincts reporting show about 20 members. I had to leave a bit early and we did run into a snag or two on getting everything timed up so there may be a little more work to do.
Next Tuesday, December 21st is Pub Night so come on out to the Norcross Tavern.
Then we are off until the PBR on January 8th, see the calendar for details.
December 7, 2004
Good morning everyone on this rainy Pearl Harbor Day. The GTA held it's annual Christmas Party over the weekend, and it was a great success. Many thanks to Richard & Maria Kozicki for hosting the event; turnout was good and I believe a good time was had by all. The grub and toddies warmed our bellies and got everyone primed for one of the highlights of the evening - the annual gift exchange. However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Dyan Henard and her absolutely scrumptious sweet potato dish. Remember Dyan, you are supposed to forward the recipe to me. The gift exchange is always a fun time at the party with the thieving of gifts making it even more interesting.
Our outgoing director, George Forster, was toasted by the incoming director, Kevin Bowen, for the fantastic job he has done with the club over the past five years. During George's tenure the club membership has grown dramatically, but the club is also out on the road on a regular basis and also hosts a number of social and tech sessions throughout the year. Many thanks to George for his leadership.
George has always been at the forefront of virtually all of the aspects of whatever the club may be doing. He's never been afraid to get his hands dirty whether it be helping a member with a mechanical problem or leading the way at a tech session. George also led the way in 2004 by claiming yet another accolade and finishing up his post by winning the 2004 GTA Bozo Award. Apparently he had a "fuel delivery" problem on a drive over to Athens earlier in the year. I'll let George fill you in on the details, but be sure to ask him to explain the intricate details of his malady when you see him next - he's always happy to share his tale with any and all.
2004 GTA Bozo Award Winner
This Saturday, December 11th, the GTA is hosting another tech session, which is the assembly of a TR6 engine. This will take place at Tony Lewis's garage at 2100 American Industrial Way, about a mile and a half inside the perimeter off Peachtree Industrial Blvd just behind Advance Auto Parts. If you get lost, you can call Tony at 678-362-7062.
Also, the 2004 Polar Bear Run, which will actually be on January 8th is coming up. We expect another large turnout. If you've never been, then don't miss this run - it's definitely one of the best runs of the year.
See you Saturday.
November 15th, 2004
The GTA participated in a TSD (time, speed, distance) rally this past
weekend, and I'm still waiting to get a full report, but I did get the following
from our fearless leader:
I think that most of us had a good time
on Saturday, despite the gloomy weather. If anyone would like to write up
the event for the newsletter, your input would be most welcome. Please let
me know - lest I have to write it myself.
Here are the results from the "LBC"
class. Class places are listed, overall are in parentheses. Driver
is listed first, followed by navigator (I think).
1 (3) Joan & George Forster, TR3
2 (4) Bill Castleberry & Bill Westbury, TR6
3 (6) Dan Frew & Connie Dietrich, TR7
4 (7) Chic Fries (no navigator), TR6
5 (8) Chris Gore & Mike Miller, MGB
6 (10) Al Salvatore & Kevin Bowen, TR6
7 (11) Mike & Sue Hurst, Stag
8 (12) Ken Smith & Denise Kingsley, Hillman
Saloon (tie)
8 (12) Jim Stewart & Jim Wilson, TR6 (tie)
10 (15) Mark Pruitt & Alex Pruitt, TR6
Al Salvatore traveled from Anderson, SC for the
event.
Kevin arrived in his Sports 6, but teamed up
with Al for the drive.
This was Dan's first driving event with the
GTA.
Bill Castleberry had promised that his friend
Jim will be joining the GTA soon.
The MGB and Hillman are long-time friends of
the GTA.
Thanks for coming.
George F.
There were also some contributors to a recent different kind of TSD, and I would like to thank George, Mark, & Ronnie in particular for helping to assure that yet another DTT went off without a hitch - except for the ordinary hitches that is.
Next month promises a reprieve from the regular meetings with a night at the pub instead. The Norcross Tavern is down the street from our regular meeting spot. The address is 29 Jones Street or just down from where we usually meet.
And let's not forget the GTA XMAS party is coming up in a matter of a couple of weeks, December 4th, the details and directions are on the calendar page.
Oh, and I almost forgot, don't forget about the engine reassembly session going on December 11th. The location is the same as where we took it apart. I'll also get the physical address in a day or so, but it's Tony Lewis's garage off Peachtree Industrial Blvd. about a mile and half inside the Perimeter.
October 26, 2004
Despite not having updated the news recently, that doesn't mean that the GTA has been sitting around doing nothing. This past weekend the GTA held it's third annual drive to Cloudland Canyon led by the brisk Bob Kassow. Close to thirty cars showed up for an beautiful drive that covered hundreds of miles. If you haven't been on this drive before (and I haven't yet) you really should mark your calendars early and plan ahead for next year's drive. It might be considered a last hurrah drive before the weather gets cold and nasty.
On November 13th, the GTA is joining up with the Georgia Sports Car Club for a Fall Rallye (details can be found on the calendar), which is the last official drive of the year. The following Tuesday, November 16th, will be the monthly GTA meeting in Norcross. In December the GTA has their annual XMAS party on the 4th, and the monthly meeting on the 21st will be superseded by a Pub Night.
The Polar Bear Run this year will actually be next year on January 8th with a trip down to Macon (see calendar).
The GTA is also in the middle of the engine rebuild project, but the reassembly date has not been set yet - stay tuned for details.
August 30, 2004
Saturday, August 28th, 2004 numerous members of the GTA gathered at Tony Lewis's garage to do a little disassembly on the GTA's parts car. The session was very informative and most of the attendees actually got their hands a little dirty. Despite the nasty appearance of the engine, the general condition was much better than anticipated, however, the final verdict will be rendered as to what needs replacing after the machine shop has done their due diligence. Stay tuned for the follow-up session and where it gets real interesting... the reassembly. Also many thanks to Mark Pruitt who took time out of his busy Hollywood schedule to film, direct and produce the very cool video. See Engine Tech Session Video.
August 20, 2004
GTA Engine Tech
Session
The GTA TR6 project car has an engine that is in pretty sad
shape. We are going to attempt to bring it back to life with the help of
our fellow GTA members.
On Saturday, August 28th, Tony Lewis will host the first step in the rebuilding of a TR6 engine. At 9:30 AM we will meet at the Horton Service Department, where we will completely disassemble the TR6 engine. As with all important projects we will begin with coffee and donuts before attempting this delicate procedure.
If you've never seen the inside of a TR engine, this will be a good chance to get your hands on the parts that make a Triumph tick. You will learn the right way to do it, along with a couple of helpful hints in case you're ever inspired to take on a similar project of your own.
The Horton garage is located just off Peachtree Industrial boulevard, about 1.5 miles inside the perimeter. The address is 2100 American Industrial Way, and is directly behind the Advance Auto Store. Coming south from I-285, you turn left off of Peachtree Industrial just past the AA store.
We expect to be through with this day's work and a discussion for the required machine work in time for lunch. Reassembly will occur at a later date, after all machine work is complete. Don't forget to bring your cameras and note pads! If you have any questions or get lost on the way to the garage, call Tony at 678-362-7062.
See you there!!!
July 20, 2004
Ronnie Babbitt, Jim Davis, Ashford Little and Mark Pruitt represented the GTA
at the 2004 VTR national convention in Richmond, VA, July 14-17th. The
weather was excellent and had been guaranteed not to rain due to Ashford's
lengthy windshield wiper procrastination project. With approximately
250 cars attending the show, the turnout was great, and the host club, the
Richmond Triumph Register, put on a clinic as to how to host a national
convention.
Jim Davis took home a 2nd place award in Participants Choice for Late-TR6's. Ronnie Babbitt also was awarded a first in class at the Autocross . Ronnie also took home the "on-site repair award" as he was forced to open up the front of his engine on the Sports Six due to a mechanical issue. Not to be left out, Mark Pruitt used a leaky valve cover gasket as an excuse to skip the autocross. Jim Davis also skipped the autocross for undetermined reasons (something about mussing up his hair), and honorary GTA member and frequent traveler, Al Salvatore determined that clamato juice is not served at Red Lobsters.
There are some excellent photos which I'll post to a separate page when I get the chance, but I'll use this opportunity to mention that these events are great fun and if you've not attended one, then put the 2005 VTR on your calendar, which will be in Rockford, IL.
Oh, and I almost forgot, Joe's monkey decided to make a surprise appearance. We had a nice conversation over dinner on Saturday. I mentioned that Joe missed him dearly, but he said he was enjoying his newfound freedom and was in no hurry to get home. Oh well, whatchagonnado?
June 29, 2004
We are parting out an old TR6. Contact George for dibs on parts. What's available can be see @ GTA Parts Car Buffet.
June 21, 2004
Club Regalia is now available. Please contact George @ George Forster
June 15, 2004
Things have been busy lately, with the BCD show last month followed shortly afterwards by the trip down to Andersonville, and this past weekend several club members took off to the Smokey Mountains for an overnight trip. Details will hopefully follow... hint, hint, if you went then please give me a report so I can share it with those members who were waxing their cars instead of driving them.
May 12th, 2004
The Chateau Élan show was a great success. There were approximately 80 Triumphs in attendance and close to 500 cars in total. The GTA tent was in full swing both signing up new members, selling club paraphernalia, and serving up an excellent B-B-Q lunch. And for a change from the past few years, it didn't threaten rain. There were a few impromptu tech sessions on a couple of cars, and about the only casualty was Joe's bulldog which apparently ran off to find the monkey. We'd like to thank all who came out both from near and far and hope to see you not only next year, but on our upcoming driving events.
April 8th, 2004
The Chris Gore Tour was a great success, and if you would like to see some photos of what went on or what you missed then go to the club photos page.
Joe Earnest will be spearheading a group of folks attending
the SE VTR. The point of embarkation will be Joe's house in College 
Park. The address is 2035 Cambridge Avenue and his home phone is (404) 684-1606, cell 678-778-6175. This is off I-85 near the airport (Virginia exit). For pinpoint directions, I recommend you go to MapQuest from your origination point. However, the directions go something like this:
Here’s the quick and dirty.
Departure Date: Thursday, April 15th
– so even if you have done your taxes, it’s still a good day to get outa townDeparture Time: 10:30
– but please arrive closer to 9:30 so we get off on timeDeparture Point: 2035 Cambridge Avenue, College Park
How do I get there? The easiest thing to do is to go to Map Quest and print out instructions from wherever you’ll be coming from. From I-85 you will do the following:
- From I-85 Southbound take the Virginia Ave exit towards College Park #73
- RIGHT on VIRGINIA AVE - go approximately 1.6 miles
- RIGHT on COLLEGE ST. - go 0.1
- LEFT on CAMBRIDGE - go 0.2
Joe's house will be on the right with several cars leaking oil on the premises.
The route promises to be an interesting one and one that eschews the interstate for almost the entire trip. Here is the route for those of you who wish to map it out for yourselves.
-From Joes house we will pick up US29 to Fairburn, GA
-At Fairburn, we pick up Georgia 74 to Peachtree City and pass through Starrs
Mill (a place so special it's not on my map)
-We then pick up GA 85 South to Oakland, Woodbury and Manchester where we break
for lunch at Duck's Trolley. Joe swears their chili rocks so it sounds as
if we will have a tailwind for the remainder of the trip.
-Take Hwy 41 through Talbotton and Buena Vista where it is recommended that Jim
and Ronnie hook up with us. Continue on Hwy 41 through Preston, Weston,
Shellman and Morgan.
-Take Hwy 45 to Arlington and Colquitt.
-Pick up Hwy 27 to Bainbridge, the FLA state line, Havana and our
hotel.
The caravan will be leaving at 10:30 a.m. so we recommend that you arrive approximately an hour or so early. Joe will be serving cucumber sandwiches and tea.
More details to come as they become available or I see fit.
Join us for what will surely be a memorable trip!
The one thought in my mind as I walked up to the car was "Yep, parts car"!
Not one strait body panel as far as I can see. The doors may be salvageable. The bonnet and boot could be salvaged with some work.
Numerous wasp, snake and mice nests were found. There are various motor accessories scattered throughout the drivers compartment and boot. The bonnet latch cable is not to be found so it may take some work to get it open. Frame, well lets just say the car was from a little farther north than Maysville!
The Jobe water-ski sticker on the rear bumper brought back some memories of my days as a competition water skier.
Kathy said "that is an eyesore" so her assessment is consistent with mine as far as the ability to restore the car.
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March 12, 2004
ARE YOU WORKING ON YOUR CAR? OR SHOULD YOU BE?
The
GTA has over 125 members and you can be that more than a few are in the middle
of some project or another. The experience level of our members runs the
gamut, but George & I thought it would be a good idea to post a list of
who's doing what to their cars. I would also like to stir up some interest
amongst the "great unseen" among us who may have their Triumphs biding
their time in the garage waiting on a little attention. So if you will be
kind enough to submit to me what you are working on or would like help with,
then like it or not, some of us will be happy to descend upon your garage
to offer our assistance. We work cheap too accepting only a little grub
and a beverage or two for our efforts.
Please
submit your information in the following format and we’ll get it posted and
start working on a schedule to get all this stuff fixed.
Who:
What:
GT6 body & paint.
Where:
(address and directions)
Contact:
(phone # and email address)
When:
Weekends - contact me for work schedule.
Current
project status: Stripping paint, applying primer, minor body work.
Coming
up: Replacing rocker panel, preparing to paint, reinstalling glass and aligning
body panels.
Include
a link with some photos of the work in progress.
February 23, 2004
Congratulations to Ronnie Babbitt for taking his first drive in his Sports
Six.
Well guys today I finally was able to drive my Sports 6 today, after a frame rebuild, engine change out to a 2litre GT6, and a gearbox rebuild, I drove her around the block today. What a great feeling. The engine is strong and pulls well. I have a couple of pictures up on my website at
http://members.cox.net/rbtr3a/sports_6.htm|
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This past Saturday several GTA members descended upon Michael Campsmith's house and proceeded to yank out an engine and tranny from his cancerous TR6 and deposit it on his nicely reconditioned TR6 donor frame.
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Also, I'd like to make a request for those of you who are in the middle of a major project or restoration to send in some photos and a brief description of what you are doing or where you stand in your project. Just address any correspondence to webmaster@gatriumph.com.
Thanks,
Ashford
January 16, 2004
Hi gang,
I received this from Tim Suddard. I have been to some of his parties before and
they are always fun. Read on and I am sure you will want to attend. I am
considering running my car in the race if I can get some of you guys to crew for
me.
Mike Munson
Subject: Classic Motorsports magazine is throwing a party
Just wanted to personally invite you guys to the Classic Motorsports magazine Walter Mitty presented by Moss Motors on May 1-2. This is our official coming out party and first birthday celebration at Road Atlanta.
All Classic Motorsports readers will be offered greatly reduced admission to the races and all will be invited to drive Kumho Tires' new MINIs on the autocross course to compete for prizes at no additional charge.
Famed author, Classic Motorsports magazine staffer and ride mooch B.S.Levy will be a featured speaker at this event.
Many incredible seminars are also planned. Carl Heideman and his British Motor Trade Association will be organizing the seminars. Seminars will include: welding how-tos, Triumph race prep, hop ups, and much more. We will have some impressive Triumph people on hand to help with tuning questions and problems.
CMC will also be on hand to publicly build up a Lotus Super 7 replica in just two days.
We would also invite the FOT folks to set up a corral for members or to work with local Atlanta Triumph clubs to make sure the marque is well represented at this event.
Come meet the entire magazine staff, get a chance to drive the track, enter the swap meet, car show or just hang out, watch the races and look over all the magazine project cars, including our Rotary powered Spitfire and TR3 vintage race car.
Thanks, I thought this event would interest you guys.
Tim Suddard/Classic Motorsports
January 3, 2004
Happy New Year everyone!!! I trust Santa was good to all of our boys and girls and brought us plenty of goodies for our LBC's. The Polar Bear Run photos are up - there will be more to come, but I posted the ones I took during the drive. If anyone has photos they took during the drive, then please email me copies to webmaster@gatriumph.com. The 17th Street Bridge photo is up and available for download. Thanks to Jeremy for taking the photo and uploading it for me. That's it for now, see you soon, and get that car out and drive it - it's lonely in the garage all alone.
Jeremy & Jon's Smokey Mountain Tour
Early
in the week, I had started getting the bug to make a wintertime Deals Gap run.
I knew I was already going to be off on Friday anyway, so I called Jon
and asked if he wanted to make a little foray up into the mountains.
Since the only other person I knew that was crazy enough to want to do
Deals Gap in the winter time was Bob Kassow, I called him and asked if he wanted
to go as well. Well, I guess, I
finally found something that's too nuts for Bob as he begged off and declined,
so Jon and I decided to double up and just take my 8.
Friday
morning started off with a quick run up through 
to put on
his seat belt since he had forgotten to buckle up after our last stop.
After a few turns I begin to test the waters a bit (pun intended) and see
just how well the tires would hold on the damp road.
The tires were holding fine so I picked up the pace a bit and started
enjoying myself. The road was fairly
empty save for a few hunters parked at the pulloffs.
Towards the end, we did come upon one hunter and his truck full of dogs
going rather slowly, but he quickly let us by.
At the end, I decided that we'd just continue on and head over to
Townsend and then back up and over the other side of the Smokeys.
Starting
back up towards Newfound Gap started getting interesting when we encountered
snow along the roadsides at about 3,000 feet up.
At the gap, we hit HEAVY fog along with the snow.
Obviously, we were taking things a bit easier by this time and I had
started 
wondering
just what I had gotten us into. Up
until now, we really hadn't encountered much weather.
On the way up, we had noticed several pretty good-sized snowmen that
travelers had made alongside the roads. It
was starting to look pretty wintry out so I was relieved when the snow started
thinning out down the Cherokee side. Cherokee
was pretty much a ghost town when we rolled in so we rolled right back out again
and headed along the southern border of the national park.
By this time, it was starting to get kind of late in the day so we made
for home and called it a day.
All
totaled, we put pretty near 400 miles on the TR8.
Was it worth it? Well, the
8's got a pretty good heater and a snug top so to be truthful, it was a pretty
enjoyable ride. Obviously, I
wouldn't have wanted to try this in the old Spitfire, but in a TR8, I'd go again
tomorrow. Just because it’s
wintertime doesn’t mean our cars won’t drive.
Soap and water cleans them right up again.
Anybody up for a trip to the
THE DATE IS SET FOR
THE 4th ANNUAL POLAR BEAR RUN
The 4th Annual POLAR BEAR RUN is scheduled for Saturday December 27th, 2003 leaving from the Starbuck’s at the corner of Mansell Road and Hwy 9 (Alpharetta Highway) in Roswell. (Important note: there is a Starbuck’s on Mansell Road close to GA-400, don’t wait there because we will be west of you about 1 mile with the rest of the group that read this note). Arrive by 8:30 a.m., driver’s meeting is at 8:45. If your breakfast tastes lean toward the sweet side, Starbuck’s has some great goodies, and there’s a bagel shop at the north end of the shopping center for those desiring something a bit more substantial. We encourage “light” as we will arrive at The Smith House in Dahlonega around 11:00 a.m. for a family style meal. The Smith House is renowned for it’s bottomless platters of country style fare. We will depart Dahlonega at 12:45 for a short tour to Road Atlanta where we will visit the American racing icon Dick Barbour and the home of Dick Barbour Racing. For information regarding Dick Barbour and the team, visit their website at www.dickbarbourracing.com. We plan to arrive at Road Atlanta by 2:00 p.m. and depart for home by 3:30 or so.
A few notes on the 4th Annual Polar Bear Run:
Date: Saturday December 27th, 2003
Meet at: Starbuck’s , corner of Mansell Road and Hwy 9 (Alpharetta Hwy)
Time: By 8:30 a.m.
Lunch: Smith House - Dahlonega, GA (cost per person $15 including drink and dessert)
Dick Barbour Racing: Gearhead Nirvana
Report from Little Talladega: By Jeremy Whitehead
On Sunday, November 2nd, a few GTA
members met at the Thornton Rd. exit off of I20 at 7:00am for a day that we’ll
remember for quite a while. Michael Campsmith had found a group that puts on a
driving school at the Talladega Gran Prix road course several times a year and
arranged for a few of us to take part. Talladega Gran Prix is not affiliated
with the more famous Talladega Speedway, but is nearby, being about 12 miles off of I20 in Talladega,
Alabama. Michael, Angie and I all drove our individual TR’s and had signed in
advance
up for the school which I’m told sells out every time it is offered. Angie and
I considered ourselves novices and as such, signed up for group C, the slowest
and tamest group. Michael, having a bit more experience, signed up for the
intermediate B Group which runs a little faster. Upon arrival at the track, we
took part in the drivers meeting which covered the basics and the rules of the
day.
The object was NOT racing or any contest of speed, but was to be a day of instruction and learning about the proper techniques of driving a road course. Passing was allowed, but only on the straights and only after the car being passed had acknowledged you and pointed you around. During the drivers meeting, we were paired up with our instructors for the day and were told when we would be running. After the general drivers meeting, groups B & C got some further classroom instruction on approach to the turns and some definitions of terminology. Afterwards, we began to prep our cars for the track and emptied the boots, adjusted tire pressures and checked all fluids.
Michael was the first to hit the track and seemed to be doing pretty well in
his rather fast group. However, his brakes started to overheat and he pulled
off the track a little while before his group run was over. As his brake fluid
was nearly boiling and hadn’t been changed in a while, Michael bought a can of
high temp brake fluid from a racing vendor there at the track and we flushed out
his system. Shortly thereafter, it was mine and Angie’s turn to hit the track.
We warmed up with two slow laps around the track just getting a feel for the
corners and learning the basics. Once our tires and brakes were up to
temperature, we picked up the pace a bit and our instructors started pointing
out which lines we should be taking, and our braking/acceleration points. My
instructor, George, was very helpful and provided a ton of excellent feedback
for me. As my session wore on, I was able to pick up the pace a bit more each
lap until I had gotten into a nice steady rhythm and was moving around the
course at a good clip. At the end of our 20 min session, I was shown the
checkered flag and George instructed me to do a cool down lap. I put the car
into 5th gear and just coasted around the track letting my brakes and tires cool down
before pulling into the pits. Between sessions, we grabbed lunch which was provided by the
school.
After lunch, Michael headed back out to see how his brakes would do. He ran for a little while, but was shortly back in with his right front brake billowing smoke again. Deciding there wasn’t much more he could do for it, he parked it for a while to let it cool down. Meanwhile, it was our turn again, so Angie and I headed back out for our round 2. This time, I was concentrating on just stepping up the pace slowly and hitting my marks. I was really having fun and managed to catch and pass a Porsche 911 Cabrio as well as a BMW M3. Feeling pretty pleased with myself, I was really enjoying things and the TR8 was working extremely well. About ½ way through the session however, I remarked to George that I was smelling antifreeze. He confirmed that he smelled it too and that someone had apparently gotten hot and was beginning to boil over. About 2 turns later, I noticed my temperature gauge was climbing and then I noticed drops of green water beginning to appear on my windshield. “Ought Oh”….I though…”I’m the one that’s got trouble”. We quickly pulled off into the pits and a quick check under the hood led to the obvious top radiator hose that was a bit too close to the air pump pulley. The hose had a small grove cut in the bottom side of it from the pulley and was dumping the contents of the radiator all over my engine bay. Oh well…nothing to be done there but simply wait till it cools down and try and fix it.
Angie
was still out making laps in her TR8 coupe and seemed to be enjoying herself.
Meanwhile, Michael and I decided to head into town to see if we could locate
some parts to fix my car with. Knowing
it was be an extreme long shot, I first tried the parts counter at the local
Advance Auto for a hose, but they didn’t even have a listing for it. They
allowed us to look around through their stock of hoses and we found one that was
a slightly larger diameter than the stock TR8 hose which we bought and returned
to the track. The object wasn’t to replace the faulty hose as it was odd
shaped and very long, but instead to just patch it so that it would get me home.
First, we wrapped over the cut with duct tape and sealed it up as best we could. Then, for
added strength, I cut a section from the hose we had just bought and wrapped it
over the outside of the cut. We then duct taped that down as tight was we could
get it. Finally, I wrapped a few cable ties around the hose and pulled it back
off the pulley a bit so that it wasn’t rubbing.
Meanwhile, Michael went out to do a few more laps around the track before we left. Upon Michaels return, we headed for home with our fingers crossed that my bodged repair would hold and get us back before dark. We ran a little slower on the return trip and I kept the car under 2500 RPM for fear of bursting the taped up hose open. The return trip was just under100 miles, but the taped up hose got us home without incident. Michael stayed with us most of the way back and made sure we were going to be ok before we split up.
All in all, the day was an extreme amount of fun and enjoyment. If you’ve ever been one to enjoy “spirited” drives, I would highly recommend taking this driving school as it’s a safe and enjoyable environment to push your skills without hurting yourself or someone else. We’ll probably be doing this again sometime next year so look for an announcement sometime in the near future.
Report from Drive In Movie Night -
October 25th 2003
by Jeremy Whitehead
The day began with an early lunch at the Old Town Country Restaurant in Cumming. Many thanks go to Mike Hurst who did a little legwork and made the arrangements for us to have a reserved room there. The food was excellent and we had a good start off to our day of fun. From there, Bob Kassow took over and provided us with an EXCELLENT route to the Swan Drive-In in Blue Ridge, GA. Although most certainly not the most direct route, it was most enjoyable and was taken at a leisurely pace that allowed us a near perfect tour of fall foliage. We wound our way up and finally arrived in Blue Ridge about 5:00pm which allowed us to check into our rooms and pick up some supplies for the movie. At 6:00pm, we all converged on the Swan and made our claim on the front row. The theater’s owner had opened a little early and allowed us to get some of the best possible spots through prior arrangement. It was at the theater that we met up with a few friends who hadn’t joined us for the drive. Jim & Jessie Altman met us at the theater in their TR8 but didn’t stay for the movies. Chris and Poolie Gore as well as Ashford & Catherine Little joined us at the theater as well. We had planned for a picnic basket dinner and enjoyed a dinner under the stars before the movies began. The first feature was Scary Movie 3, a comedy that is a spoof on several well known horror films of the past couple of years. After the first movie, several of our number headed back for home calling it an early night. The majority however stayed on for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a remake of the 1974 original. Once the movies were over, those who remained headed for their hotels and HOPEFULLY got a good nights rest. We awoke the next morning to a rainy and drizzly day. We had originally planned to do a bit of touring, but that kind of fizzled out due to the damp weather. As it turned out, most of us just headed for home and decided to wrap it up for the day.
