Just glad to be here

[ClearHooter]

Never tried alligator........Or poodle...........That I know of.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by ClearHooter

We saw some great racing over the 20 + years we went. Jack Baumgardner's Mini Cooper was always great to watch.

Welcome CH....set a spell and tell us a few yarns....

edited : check your pm

Clear and Hooter?..care to explain some time

[ClearHooter]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

Welcome CH....set a spell and tell us a few yarns....

Clear and Hooter?..care to explain some time

With all the stuff I've been priviledged to do I suppose I have a few more "yarns" than some and not near as many as others. Your quote regarding Jack Baumgardner's Mini did make me wonder if anyone recalls any of his SCCA exploits?

He always was a hoot to watch at "The Rock." Consistantly held the class record and every once and a while left with the overall. One Sunday he was burning up the hill and came out of four. I don't know if he missed his mark or was just trying a new line. He didn't get set up on "fourive" quiet right and slid sideways into the bank. The impact bounced the Mini up in the air about a foot. While in the air he was clearly visible reaching down and grabbing another gear. When the car hit the ground he was off in a rooster tail of leaves flying from the front wheels. The only time he lost was the time he was in the air. One heck of a driver!

This brings me to the other side of the coin.
The "Outlaws" somewhere about this time got in a big shoot out somewhere around Charlotte NC. After that, they never returned to Chimney Rock Hillclimb. I've often wondered how many were involved in the gun battle.

Anyway, the first year they didn't show up there was an ole guy coming back down the mountain, parade counter-race, after the first run up the hill. He was waving and haming it up, being the big man. It was probably his first time up the hill because, I'd never seen him run...at least I'd never seen the modified Corvair until that year. All of a sudden WHAM! BLAM! CRUNCH! He'd left the road, over the small boulders that protected the inside apex of turn "Fourive." Cleaned out the bottom of the Corvair. Though it wasn't as funny as the streaker in the little red wagon. There were drunks rolling off the hill laughing Fortunately for him the "Outlaws'" bikes weren't there for the first time in 7 or 8 years. Had they been there it wouldn't have just been his pride and car that were injured.

Balloning is an adventure in its self even if it all goes right. And the rock'n roll stories don't work well in a "family format." And this is a racing board anyway.

"Clear Hooter" is or was a British horn and switch company. I saw it on a TR-6 lamp switch I was replacing for a guy one day. I made the comment to my partner that would be my next band's name. I used it for the group and I played under that name for about 5 years and 10 personnel changes. There's something about musicans that when they start making money playing music, they are compelled to quit! Ain't never figured that out. One of these days I may put another group back together, since I've never quit writing songs. Maybe it'll be under the same name. That usually comes to a vote. But I've kept the name as a user name. I'm sure more than one person has wondered. "What the????"

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by ClearHooter

the hill laughing Balloning is an adventure in its self even if it all goes right. And the rock'n roll stories don't work well in a "family format." And this is a racing board anyway.

"Clear Hooter" is or was a British horn and switch company. I saw it on a TR-6 lamp switch I was replacing for a guy one day. I made the comment to my partner that would be my next band's name. I used it for the group and I played under that name for about 5 years and 10 personnel changes. There's something about musicans that when they start making money playing music, they are compelled to quit! Ain't never figured that out. One of these days I may put another group back together, since I've never quit writing songs. Maybe it'll be under the same name. That usually comes to a vote. But I've kept the name as a user name. I'm sure more than one person has wondered. "What the????"

Hah...all very interesting ....the circuit/hill you are talking about sounds like its got a lot of character...look forward to hearing more of your gems

As for Rock and Roll stories, as a child of the 50s I am ready....bring em on!!

Clear? do you mind if I address you by your first name? great story about how you got your handle....I was sure you were going to end up by saying "well...after years of people shortening the bands name...we changed it to just plain old Hooters!!!"....but thats a differernt band ...obviously

PS check out AtlasF1 some time (another good Motor Racing website) and say hello to Buford.....methinks you have a great deal in common

[Exile]

After missing last year's Le Mans it's all go for this year - heading over tomorrow evening. Finding this forum will not do much for my productivity at work today!

[SALEEN S7R]

Welcome to ten-tenths Exile! ten-tenths is the biggest and the best GT and Sportscar racing forum around and one of the biggest motorsport forums in general. Enjoy!

[ClearHooter]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

Hah...all very interesting ....the circuit/hill you are talking about sounds like its got a lot of character...look forward to hearing more of your gems

As for Rock and Roll stories, as a child of the 50s I am ready....bring em on!!

Clear? do you mind if I address you by your first name? great story about how you got your handle....I was sure you were going to end up by saying "well...after years of people shortening the bands name...we changed it to just plain old Hooters!!!"....but thats a differernt band ...obviously

PS check out AtlasF1 some time (another good Motor Racing website) and say hello to Buford.....methinks you have a great deal in common

Chimney Rock's two mile access road, one week end a year, was turned into paved, patched, winding, narrow, two laned (barely), cow path. I can't honestly recall how many turns but they only counted the hairpins and left out the insignificant right anglers like "fourive." Maybe the guy in the Vette didn't count the right angle turns either and that's why he never made it to the top At the top of the "hill" the end of the course is crowned with what everyone who has ever seen it would agree is the largest, natural phallic symbol in the world. Actually what it took to be competitive at "The Rock" (Not to be confused with NASCAR's Rockingham, that's a whole other beef.) was a well ballanced ride and large brass nads. One guy I used to get a lot of salvage parts from; took a roll in his Europa off of turn eleven. He survived the fall but lost his taste for the mountain. Still raced but never went back to Chimney Rock. That incident spawned a saying "Chimney Rock scares me....And I'm Fearless." 15 years after the wreck he still had pieces of fiber glass he was kicking around his shop as a legoobrious (sp?) reminder of his near brush with mortality.

Mortality brings to mind a balloon story. At best all balloon rides are an adventure. I mean, when you leave the ground you don't know exactly where your going to end up. On a warm July 3rd about 10 years ago I left a school yard below my house. We had about a 6 to 8 knot breeze, constant up to around 4000'. Temps were too high to ascend further. About 40 mins into the flight we came across a game cock coop that I was unaware was there. I hit "Fire 2" which is a low intensity flame used in that situation so you don't give the chickens heart attacks. The problem with "Fire 2" is it uses a lot of propane. When we got over the coop I looked down and saw we now needed to land. One of the amazing things I've found about balloons is they have an amazing knack of flying down tree lines. 300 acres on either side and they fly down the tree line. Such was the case that day. We flew on for about another 5 miles with NO place to set down. We topped a hill as I was now flying straight and level for over 5 miles and all I could see was clear-cut bramble for the next 2 to 3 miles. I'd already opened all three valves which is not recommended because in an emergency that's just two more to have to turn off. But in this emergency it gave me some much needed pressure. My hand began to tremble a little and I turned to my partner who was flying with me and said "I think we're out of the ballooning business." I looked at our passenger and consoled him that we not going to get hurt when we land....But when we put down its going to tear this envelope all to pieces. I saw a patch of Kudzu about 1/2 mile to the right but the balloon of course had other ideas. Just then I looked down and about 100 yds ahead was a narrow dirt road and we were going to cross it. Bill Norwood was my first instructor. He had a propensity for landing in peoples drive ways; even if there was a 300 acre field beside it. I now knew why. I said "Boys this is where we're going to land!" They looked at me like I'd lost my mind. I quickly shut all but one tank down, topped out on a tree to stop, gave it one last burn to get over the top of the pine tree. I looked up and out of the corner of my eye could see my partner pulling a burning pine branch out of the basket. I climbed the vent rope to release the parachute valve at the top of the envelope. I had time to say "Bend your knees we're gonig to hit hard." One, two, thr.... PLOP! It wasn't really that hard....I'd never known such jubulation. I looked up and watched the envelope fall off a pine tree onto the narrow road. I yelled to the top of my lungs "BILL NORWOOD WHERE ARE YOU NOW!!!!!! It was then I heard a wherr of mud grips getting ready to crest the top of the hill I'd just so skillfully landed on. Oh God! I just made THE best landing I'd ever made and I'm getting ready to get run over on a blind hill by an idiot out mudding in his for wheel drive truck! Was there NO justice??? Yes there was. He was a fixed wing pilot. He stopped before running over us, got out and said,
"Your chase crews on the way. I saw you guys riding down the river and figured you were just goofing off. But then I realized it was getting dark and figured you needed some help. That's when I saw your chase crew." About that time they pulled up as well.
"Do you know what the name of this road is?" he inquired.
"Buddy I didn't even know there was a road." I replied
He smiled and said. "It's called 'Little Hope Rd.'" And that's the way its in my log book.

As far as "The Hooters" name, we had ours before they came on the scene. My original stuff would be considered in the same vein as theirs. I also wrote a tune titled "Heat of the Night" about a year before Brian Adams. Fortunately you can't copy-write song titles.