The FOC Virginia City Hill Climb

Back in the day, I used to be very active in the Ferrari Owners Club in Los Angeles. I began attending meetings after acquiring my first Ferrari, a Berlinetta Lusso, and I remember making the acquaintance of Matthew Ettinger and the Ferrari Breadvan at the first meeting I attended one evening in Santa Monica. As I recall, Bob Bondurant and Franco Lini were guest speakers. At the time, Asa Clark still owned the 'van but it wouldn't be long before Matthew took over ownership and our adventures together with the Breadvan and the GTO would begin.

One of the functions organized by the FOC was the Virginia City Hill Climb where we would descend in numbers on this small historic town in Nevada to conduct races up a road that the town blocked off for the purpose and to socialize like there was no tomorrow (to put it in the best possible light).

A few days ago, a Google news alert brought my attention to a copy of an FOC newsletter posted on the Internet in PDF format (See: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55b17431e4b07de0642552ee/t/577f26038419c26fee6c76fc/1467950599532/1974-09_Ferrari.pdf). Interestingly, it featured an article by FOC member Mark Dees about the 1974 hill climb event in which I participated.

The article featured a photo of my GTO (notice the extra air vents in the nose replacing the driving lamps); it was then owned by Stuart Baumgard and driven in the hill climb by Claudio Zampolli. Claudio would later create the well-known Cizeta (Italian for CZ, his initials) supercar. I participated in a 454 Corvette with extremely loud side pipes. It was a very heavy car--some 1200 pounds heavier than a GTO--with most of its weight up front. I did only one run without any practice and managed a time of 4 minutes, 45 seconds with an average speed of 61.3 mph. Claudio managed the same distance in the GTO in 3 minutes, 57 seconds with an average speed of 74.0 mph. Fastest Time of the Day was set by George Dyer Jr in another GTO (#4219) clocking 3 minutes, 37 seconds and averaging 80.4 mph. It was a memorable event. I had previously taken part with the second of my Lussos and the event was always full of rewarding moments and memories.

Let's do it again!

Sports Car Digest

I have been asked by publisher Jamie Doyle to contribute articles to Sports Car Digest. I was pleased to receive his request and I am happy to say that my first contribution appears on their website at:

http://www.sportscardigest.com/ferrari-250-gto-impressions/

Cannes

The inaugural gathering of Elysée Wednesday in Cannes took an unexpected turn in that it lasted from 11am - 1: 30 am the next day. As Roy Martens pointed out, a record for both a Cannes meeting and EW as well! We began at the Caffe Roma across from the Casino and the Palais des Congrès where we enjoyed a very prolonged breakfast that lasted until about three in the afternoon during which people from all over the world dropped by to join us and to conduct business--talk about the mountain coming to Mohammad! We couldn't have done better had we taken a booth in the market. The most gratifying aspect of these encounters was that we were meeting with like-minded people, which made it seem more like a gathering of good friends than a series of business meetings that are signature to Cannes.

After three, we moved along to poolside at the Majestic--with stops at Gucci and LVMH for the ladies present--where we took up residence for the rest of the afternoon. There we were joined by some Cannes locals, film internationals and even a Ferrari buddy who lives in Nice. It was a splendid continuation of our morning.

When evening came, we strolled down to L'Annex on the beach across from the Carlton for dinner where we were joined by some more interesting people from Singapore and China.

It was nice that the Elysée Wednesday concept worked well in Cannes and, as a consequence, we met producers, distributors, branding specialists and investors all with a common interest. I couldn't have written a better script for a movie. My thanks go to Roy Martens and to all who participated.

Monaco

I've always been fascinated by Monaco. The opening scenes from John Frankenheimer's Grand Prix, the horrific images of Lorenzo Bandini's crash on ABC's Wide World of Sports, media images of Grace & Rainier and Teddy Bass' Monégasque registered Porsche in Sexy Beast--they all forged an indelible impression. I wanted to be there and experience it though I understood that I would be a visitor and not one of 'them'.

So it was with some degree of anticipation that I first arrived in the principality to shoot scenes for Point of Departure. I'd been filming in Paris and Cannes (during the Festival) and descended to Monaco in the days prior to the Grand Prix. I booked a room at the Hôtel de Paris just across from the casino. My room looked out at the sea and the harbor and had a direct view of the Prince's private entrance to the casino. From the balcony, one could look down into the cockpits of the Formula 1 cars as they turned into Casino Square.

The first day I spent shooting MOS shots of my leading lady--can you say girlfriend?--as she inhabited the lobby of the Hôtel de Paris, entered and exited the Casino and generally made herself part of the landscape of Monaco. She looked as though she belonged and, for that brief period, I felt as though I belonged, too.

Taking some time off from shooting, we spent almost an entire day at the thermal spa across from the hotel which you access--wearing your terrycloth robe and slippers--by way of a private tunnel leading from the hotel. That evening we walked down the hill towards the start/finish line and ended up in the pit area, as yet unoccupied. When we were about to look for a taxi to take us to dinner, a large truck arrived. It said Jaguar on the side of its trailer--Ford's Formula 1 brand at the time. That truck was followed by another and then another. Thoughts of dinner vanished and I can truthfully say that never have I been so excited by the sight of big rigs or articulated lorries, if you will. The circus was coming to town!

Later that evening, I was running an errand and my taxi received a hip-chuck from the Jaguar team truck (minus its trailer). I sat patiently while the drivers filled out a constat--my official involvement with the Grand Prix that year. It was all very amicable and I thought to myself how very different Monaco is from Los Angeles.

In spite of all my preparations, I was not fated to see the Grand Prix of Monaco that year. Business called me away to Paris and it all happened without me. Somehow, though, watching the trucks carrying their Formula 1 cargo arriving to a complete lack of fanfare--I think we were the only witnesses to the event--made up for missing the race. I was privileged to watch the behind-the-scenes workings of a very big show. I remember those trucks as vividly as I remember Clay Regazzoni winning the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. I guess that means I'm a fan.