Yikes!! You scared the Hell out of us!

The day after the the trip to Monterey, Rick woke up not feeling good with a bad headache. As the week progressed it didn't get better, and on Friday his wife Claudia took him to the Emergency Room, where it was determined that he might have a brain aneurysm. Anyone who has looked into this condition knows that it's very serious with not many favorable outcomes. After tests at UCSF, it was most fortunately concluded that a blood vessel had broken and had healed itself, and that had caused the bleeding. Not that this cause for celebration, but the danger seems to have passed.


It's unfortunate, but our bid to run in the California Melee will not happen this year. At this point, Rick is feeling much better and will now be slowly making his way back into work, and with approximately 45 days until it's time to leave and meet the convoy, there's some major decisions to be made about the race. Does Rick carry on with "business as usual", and drive the Carrera with his son James? Does his other son Matthew take over driving duties, and Rick becomes the crew chief? With the entry fee paid, will the race organizers give a refund or roll it over onto next year? Does Frank, in the other car, take over Ricks spot? There are many scenario combinations possible, and we'll soon see which one emerges. At this point, we're just very happy to have choices.

There's also good news in that Gerie Bledsoe's engine has arrived and is ready to be installed,... almost. There is a few miscellaneous parts needed, like a transmission, to complete the job. This should be appearing any day, so a couple break-in laps around the track are still possible. The BMW still needs attention, with doors to be hung, a hood to be fitted, and road testing to be thought about. All in all, things are as they should be.

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California Melee... did I say Mille?

Our leaving to meet the Coyote Convoy in Laredo, Texas is now about sixty days out and the 2002 is ready to start road testing. The wiring has been finished and the engine has been started for the first time. The initial start of a 4 cylinder does not have the same impact as that of a V8, but is satisfying in knowing that it runs, so far so good.

Still no word on whether the other 2002 will be going to the Carrera, and the engine builder, Joe, has not surfaced yet with a motor for the Durango Deuce. That gives the shop time to finish Rick's car, adding the seat belts, seats, doors and hood.
Some track days are in order to get Rick back in shape to advance his high speed driving habits, but also the car needs a workout too. We've decided to try and get into The California Melee, which is not The California Mille. The Melee is a 750 mile, 3 day romp through some of Northern California's most beautiful back roads, on the cheap, as they say. It's a fun event and would be a great way to shake out any bugs the car might have.

Check out http://www.californiamelee.com/ for more information.

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We also made a trip south this last weekend to see the Monterey Historic races. Porsche was the featured car at this years event, and there were a couple that had some La Carrera Panamericana history. The 550 Spyder was not originally a hardtop, but was being refurbished as one by Jerry Steinfeld. We were surprised not to see any 2002's racing at all. Afterwards we stopped at Tarpy's Roadhouse for a La Carrera gathering, mostly to

grab a copy of Gary Faules DVD on the 2007 race. It's a great story on the history of the race and of the building of his Mustang, and what it takes to make it to the finish line. Personally, I thought it could have had a few more shots of a red Chevelle, but that's just me. Wonderful job to all who worked on it, it's a beauty Gary! Now we'll wait and see if we get into the Melee for some road testing and keep checking things off our lists.

Please Read: www.lcp2007.blogspot.com