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The ultimate automotive
performance test - a showcase for speed, and a demanding exhibition of endurance and
stamina." |
March,
2000 |
| 2000 Texas TriathlonVery early in our competitive development, we learn, among
other things, that talk is cheap, that a crafty tortoise can out run a speedier
hare, and that winning isnt everything, its the only thing. It is
around these simple principles that the Texas Triathlon was originally conceived.
Like its Ironman cousin, the Texas version was |
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| Terry Tilton's quick
starts left many in his wake |
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| At
the end of a day of racing, even snakes need a rest |
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created to be the
ultimate test of athleticism - a showcase of speed and a demanding exhibition of endurance
and stamina, and all the while taxing ones mental agility to perform, even stay
alive. The concept seemed simple enough - throw the hype out the window, reduce the cars
to a common denominator (streetability), and let the best cars win. In this way, one could
determine which of the snakes, Roadsters or Dodge Vipers were faster, better,
stronger. Faster on the streets, quicker off the line, smoother on the track, and more
durable in the |
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| Mark w/ Motorsports Ranch
owner Jack Farr G.Gordon
Levy fine tunes |
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Factory
Five Racing Owners), and a scattering of other animals thrown into the fray. All were
ready to do battle during the last weekend in March, on some of the toughest turf the lone
star state lays claim to.
There was no place for the
speed-squeamish in this event, the choice was to either "come out and play", or
huddle under the bleachers and hide. Here, even the practice sessions took
prisoners, and left people with nowhere to go. |
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| The practice runs were held at the Texas Motorsports Ranch in order to give the
warriors a chance to test their skills on a gleaming new track. The Ranch (which
would be the sight of the road course) was developed by Jack Farr (an entrepreneur, race
enthusiast and FFROG himself (FFR 1587)) as a racing country club. A place, however, where
even money couldnt guarantee a victory, let alone survival. This was a drivers
course - put your horsepower back in your pocket, fellas, cause it wont help
save you here. |
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Tim
Varley proudly displays the broken parts trophy Ralph listens to the voice |
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| Wayne Presley sums up the
Factory Five motto This
race took no prisoners |
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At the end of the
day, the track took its toll on several racers, including two cars piloted by the
much hyped Gordon Levy (Mike Foss FFR 1137 - blown head gasket, Tim Varleys
FFR 1312 - broken cam). Already two down, from a starting field of five. The FFROG Team
had its work cut out for it. Still alive were Ralph Button (FFR 1061), Wayne Presley
(FFR 1431) and Terry Tilton (FFR 1228). But many FFROGs were in attendance to cheer them
on, including Bill Randoll, Dave Borden and his dad, Richard |
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| Oben, David Trimble, Ed Francis, Jeff Maynard, and celebrating their second
wedding anniversary at the event, Dan and Karen Wyatt. Ralph Button had established
himself as the crowd favorite early on in the event planning stages. With 30,000 miles
already logged on his 97 FFR Roadster, he had planned to drive down to Texas from his
home in Maine - a 3000 mile trip, in order to race the car, then drive back (this may have
just been an ordinary trip to the corner store for Ralph). Quickly earning the moniker of
the Energizer Bunny, there was no |
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| Rolling into tech
inspection |
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| Mark takes his turn
behind the camera while Terry suits up for another run |
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stopping Ralph. As dusk
arrived at the Motorsports Ranch on Friday, Ralph was the last one on the track, still
churning out lap after lap after lap, honing his skills for the races to come. Ralph is a highly sought after software engineer, who spends most of his time
traveling around the world solving his clients software ailments. Whenever possible,
he stuffs his work gear in the ample FFR Roadster trunk space, and hits the |
| highway. Wayne Presley made
the trip down from southern California, hitching a ride with the Levy Motorsports
traveling roadshow. Waynes Grape Ape Roadster is a sight to behold indeed. This
Purple People Eater really stands out in a crowd, and the "now you see it, now you
dont" stereo keeps him rockin at the same time. Wayne is a wildman whose
persona is perfectly matched to his wild ride, and who has more names for his beloved
alter-ego than one could possibly keep track of. Terry Tilton |
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| Terry Tilton's pet snake |
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the long road between events |
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decided to
represent the host state for this race, making sure that everyone knew that this big
state produced big guys with a lot of heart and a lot of speed too. A soft spoken, big
drink of water type of guy, Terry (a former Cowboy linebacker) was having the time of his
life at the event. His father in law came along just to make sure that Terry didnt
stray too far from the flock. Saturday morning came early,
after a night full of racing dreams, and the caravan loaded up |
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| for the long haul down to the Texas Motorplex. The most intriguing
nature of this event was the focus on street-ability. Trailer queens were barred from
entry this weekend - if you couldnt drive in, race, and drive to the next event, you
were just not invited. Along the way, Waynes Supercar
fell victim to the gremlins of the road, and limped off with a coolant leak. This setback
would, ultimately, keep Wayne from the possibility of an overall |
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| Tim reviews his track
times with the FFROG pit crew. |
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| Another quart & I
think I could make a detour to California |
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Triathlon
championship. At the Motorplex, the Drag Races went
on without a hitch. Unfortunately, the underdog 427s were left in the wake of the GTS
class Vipers and C5 Corvettes. Both Ralph and Terry did manage to beat most of the
rest of the Roadster field, establishing an early lead in that category.
That afternoon, after a two hour commute to the |
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| Mineral Wells Airpark, the AutoCross event would give the Roadster team a chance to
show the benefits of a well balanced vehicle. Step aside kids, 427s rule the
autocross school !!! With the Grape Ape back on track, and sporting a fresh load of
coolant, Wayne provided the field with a clinic in auto-crossing. Establishing a first run
time of 31.843 seconds, Wayne provided a gauntlet to which no one else could even come
close. His second run was less inspired, leaving him with the second best average
autocross |
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Terry
gets some pointers from the former "King of the Hill". Mark inspects
Wayne's Purple power house. |
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| "Race you to
Augusta !" |
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time overall. Terry
fared well too, achieving the ninth best averaged time, beating out most of the Viper and
Vette field. Sunday brought
the racers back to the Motorsports Ranch, for the culmination of the racing weekend. Since
Wayne had not run the Drag Races, he was, effectively, not qualified for the overall
title, even with the strong showing in the Auto-Cross. Terry, on the other hand, had
placed in the overall top ten in the Autocross, and in the top twenty at the Drag |
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Strip, and was in the
hunt for the Roadster points lead. A strong showing on the road course could have
catapulted him to a high ranking. Although he ran one of the best heats on the asphalt,
his average times were good enough only to place him tenth overall, beaten only by one
-Roadster, Wayne Presleys Purple Reign.
The final points tally gave Terry a sixth place
finish overall, and Ralph (surely the only one to run a Marathon after the Triathlon, with
a long road trip back to Maine), finished a very respectable 15th, beating many
higher priced Vipers in the process.
After Waynes initial coolant problems, he and Barney, the
Purple Hotrod Dinosaur, were rockin' !!! He came back to gain more points in two events,
than many had attained in all three events combined. The points he could have attained in
the drag race contest surely would have launched him into a top ten overall finish.
The Texas Triathlon 2000, an event which grew from a
friendly challenge into a full scale horsepower war, certainly won the award as the most
diverse and creative event of the new racing season. Triathlon 2001, however, may shape up
to be the event in which -Roadsters regain their rightful position atop the ranks of
the racing elite.
Just wait until next year, when the Coupe comes calling all out to
play again !
Check out the triathlon's final
points standing. |
| FFROG
attending members included: |
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| For a wild ride with
Wayne Presley enter this picture |
| Special
Note* |
| The team at Factory
Five Racing would like to thank all of the owners and customers who attended the event. |
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Mark Smith (FFR Owner) |
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# 11 Monster 460 FFR
Big Block |
| Mark Weber (FFR Owner) |
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FFR Mad publicist |
| Jack Farr (Texas Motorsport Ranch Owner) |
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FFR 1587 |
| Gordon Levy |
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#11 Piloted
Mike Foss's and Tim Varley's cars |
| Mike Foss |
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FFR 1137 |
| Tim Varley |
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FFR 1312 |
| Ralph Button |
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FFR 1061 |
| Wayne
Presley |
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FFR 1431 |
| Terry Tilton |
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FFR 1228 |
| Bill
Randoll |
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| Dave
Borden and his Dad |
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| Richard
Oben |
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| David
Trimble |
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| Ed
Francis |
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| Jeff
Maynard |
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| Dan
and Karen Wyatt |
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Celebrating
their second wedding anniversary |
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