Tales of my Youth

[Gearhead999s]

A blog from somebody that I knew when I was 16 years old growing up in Ottawa .This involves the goings on of a race team that I hung out with and did joe jobs around the shop and occasionly went to the track with.It helped make me the way I am today with my love of fast things

March 707 Can-am

I got a ride, at speed, in a Can Am car! I had traveled from Ottawa to Mid-Ohio in Dewar’s motor home with a guy they called the ‘Rat’. His real name escapes me. We towed the March 707 Can Am car behind us. Dewar drove his Corvette down a day later in time for Friday practice. I was helping out with the car as well as shooting images. He had a few problems in practice and wanted to see if the changes were effective. Of this I did not know or I might not have gotten in the car. He got permission to take the 707 out for several laps to check it out and told them he was going to take a photographer out with him. Things were mighty loose in those days. I sat next to Dewar in the very tight cockpit…unbelted! I had my camera with a wide angled lens on and went for three totally hair-raising laps shooting images of Dewar beside me, me beside him, the two of us and the view out the front of the car. Strangely, when I put the camera down to enjoy the ride I realized just how serious the situation was. I put the camera back up into the air and began to shoot again…the camera by this time was actually out of film! I had rolled the film back into the canister. It took my mind off the excitement. I did not need support after I got out of the car, but I knew my knees were weak from all the adrenalin.

I rode home with Dewar now driving the motor home with the 707 in tow. For some reason we headed towards Detroit. On the freeway running through Toledo Dewar told me to take over the wheel. He didn’t stop! He just put the thing in cruise-control and stood up! I jumped into the driver’s seat and took over. Dewar walked to the back of the motor home and looked out the window. Right behind us was ‘the Rat’ in the Corvette. Dewar started to fiddle with some wire he had strung out the side window. I heard him start to laugh and looked in the rearview mirror. I could see him half out the window. I looked in the left-side-mirror and saw him yanking on the wire. It was attached to the septic system! Everything that went in that toilet over the weekend went out on the road right in front of the Corvette! I guess ‘the Rat’ tried to slow the car down, but spun it instead. He spun it right down the center of the highway! He never touched a thing and took off after us when he got it straightened out. Dewar just laughed harder as he looked out the back window. I don’t recall much of the outcome other than ‘the Rat’ was some pissed off. He was being cool with the roof down, so I guess he got quite dose from the motor home’s septic tank. Looking back, I am surprised it did not cause some problems with the handling of the trailer with the 707 aboard. There are many crazy stories of the guys and girls that are in racing
but that one almost takes the cake.


Complete story here.

http://thegarageblog.com/garage/shut...ie/#more-11673

[Jaypod]

Good story, will have to check out the link