DeTomaso Mailing List: January 99, Message #179

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01/06/99                  PCNC Las Vegas Speed Trials         #6.1

Intro:
  Get ready for the Las Vegas Speed Trials at the annual POCA 
Las Vegas Fun Rally.   Race Day is Friday 4/23, Saturday is the 
Concours and Banquet.

Visit the track at http://www.bragg-smith.com

Visit Asa Jay's website for photos from last year!  
http://www.concentric.net/~Asajay/raceday.htm

Look for pages of info in the next POCA newsletter (Jan '99), with 
detailed tech requirements, event schedule, and more !

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I've been asked about the event last year, and who was there, who won,
and such.  It really makes a good story.  I believe Ed Kornegay wrote
up the following, I got this from him:
(Part 1)
                       PCNC Las Vegas Speed Trials 1998

Once again the largest and most prestigious Pantera race in the world was 
held in conjunction with the Pantera Convention in Las Vegas.  This race 
is truly the Daytona 500 of the Pantera hobby.   1998 saw the largest 
field of Panteras to ever take the green flag.  It was also the largest 
starting grid ever including two non-Panteras.  Even better, this was the 
largest group of Panteras to ever finish the race, the previous record 
being 4.  This is a testament to how much better these cars are being 
prepared for performance events.

 This years Las Vegas Speed Trials had a lot of firsts;  It was the first 
time to allow passengers on the track,  It was the first time at a new 
race track (Spring Mountain Park), First time spectators weren't charged 
to attend the event.  It was also the first track event organized by the 
Pantera Club of Northern California (PCNC).

The event was held at the newly opened Spring Mountain Motorsports Park.  
This track was specifically created as the home to the Bragg-Smith Advanced
Driving School.  We were the first club event ever held at their facility.  
This not only created a learning curve for PCNC, but for the track owners 
as well.  The track owners, Rupert and Anne were very gracious hosts.  They 
were always available throughout the entire event.

The event was held on the 1.5 mile upper road course.  The complete course 
is 2.2 miles in length, but due to track surface problems the full course 
was unavailable.  However, it wasn't missed that much.  The upper course was

so technical that it kept the participants challenged all day just trying to
unravel it's mysteries. 

Once again the highlight of the Las Vegas Speed Trails was the afternoon
Exhibition Race.  This year the European style qualifying was dropped in 
favor of a modified American style.  Three cars were sent onto the course 
with 20 seconds separation.  They would receive one warm-up lap and two
times 
laps.  The best of the two timed laps would count as your qualifying time.  
A spin during qualifying would send you to the back of the grid for the
race.

For the first time the race group was divided into different race classes.  
All classes would race at the same time, but for trophy purposes, you only 
were competing against others in your class.  The five race classes were as
follows:

Pantera Unlimited:  Panteras running race slicks 
Pantera Modified:   Panteras running DOT competition tires
Pantera Street:     Panteras not using competition tires 
                    (no roll protection required)
Competition:        For cars not titled for street use
Sports Car:         Non-Pantera Sports Cars titled for street use

As a base line qualifying time, the owner of the facility and school 
(Rupert) went out and did one lap in his stock 1996 school Corvette.  His 
time was 1:18.

The competitors in Pantera Unlimited were Alan Foster, Bud Green and 
Charlie Puckett.  

Alan was the fastest qualifier in this class with a 1:18.  It was Alan's 
turn to race the Hohnhorst/Foster Group 4 car.  This is an actual 1972 
Factory Group 4, not a conversion.   It's easily recognizable by its 
psychedelic paint scheme, rumored to have been painted by Andy Warhol.  
I think it's painted like that just to cause the other drivers to
hallucinate
and drive off the track.  This car was campaigned in Europe and then 
brought to the States in 1979.  Alan and Bill purchased the car in 1995.  
It produces about 475hp and has the same suspension set-up as purchased; 
in fact, it is probably the most authentic and original Group 4 race car 
in existence.  This car raced the Speed Trials in 1996 finishing 3rd 
over-all and second in class.  Bill was the pilot in that race.

Bud Green qualified 2nd in class with a 1:22.  Bud has done a wonderful 
job on turning this car into a beautiful track car.  Everything on it says 
quality.  This is one of the nicest Pantera track cars that I've seen.  It's

a 1971 that was been stripped on all items that don't make the car go
faster.  
It's topped off with a "race me" yellow paint job.

Charlie Puckett was the third competitor in Unlimited but failed to register

a qualification time when he tried to carry too much speed of the back
straight 
and couldn't make the turn.  He was sent to the back of the field for the
race.  
Charlie has participated in all three Speed Trials.  In 1995 he blew a motor

and in 1996 he was taken out of the race by a spinning Gary Hall.  Charlie 
started with a 1974 Pantera and removed the extra weight.  His red car is 
easily identifiable by it's custom front end.  He was also the only Pantera 
in the race running a 302 and making less than 300hp.  He also uses stock
brakes!  
Charlie is an excellent driver.  He's the fastest Pantera in PCNC and still
holds 
the 3rd fastest record for a Pantera in the Silver State Challenge with an 
average speed of 154MPH.

(Story continues...)
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Tech Issues:
More to follow.

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Cut-Off Dates:
The last day to register for the Las Vegas Fun Rally is 3/22.
This mean 15 weeks to go.  You should make reservations, you can always
cancel getting your money back !  

The last day to register for the Track Event and get a FREE limited 
edition event T-shirt and the "Early-Bird" discount of $165 is 3/1.

Don't wait !  Act NOW !  Be in Pantera Heaven, Las Vegas April 22nd -> 25th.

Contact Info:
To register for the Las Vegas Fun Rally package, contact Gary Roys (home) at

(248) 879-0835 6955 Vernmoor, Troy, MI 48098, or e-mail at GRR456@aol.com.

Link to information and photos from the previous POCA Rally: 
http://www.panteraclub.com/conventi.htm

To register for the PCNC Las Vegas Track Event, contact Ed Kornegay, 
ed_kornegay@hp.com or myself, Chuck Melton, charles.p.melton@lmco.com, 
(408) 739-4174.

Event Sponsor:
The PCNC Track Event is sponsored by:
  Qvale Automotive Group  (415) 776-7700.

Sustaining Sponsors are:
  Pantera Parts Connection (800) 338-6627, on the web at
www.panteraparts.com
  Pantera Performance of Colorado (303) 660-9897
		
Associate Sponsors are:
  Pantera East (727) 381-1151, e-mail at PanteraEast@hotmail.com 
  Pantera International Motorsports (714) 744-1398, www.pim.net and
    www.panteracars.com
  Panteras by Wilkinson (562) 804-4321, on the web at www.DETOMASOUSA.com

Please contact these vendors for all your Pantera needs.  They are 
supporting us, we should support them too !

Links: 	POCA  http://www.panteraclub.com/