Atlantic Series Championships Suspend Operations

Ted Hamilton · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:40 pm Post subject:

Dan -- thanks for the update. Sorry to hear of his passing. I lived literally across the street and talked with him occasionally. Nice guys there... I miss the 'Burgh occasionally, esp. being 40 min. from BeaveRun...

-----

Anyone's thoughts on what series will become the dominant feeder now?
_________________
Owner, www.hamiltonhelmets.com // UAS Racer #76 // Karting for karting's sake...keep it fun!

Rick Crist · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:51 pm Post subject:

Steve O'Hara · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:32 pm Post subject:

Ted,

Mark didn't own the cars he drove, they were owned and prepared by P1 Racing out of San Clemente, Ca. I ran with P1 in the last weekend of 1990 and the entire 1991 season. I ended up in the car Mark drove all through the 1990 season on that final weekend only because we switched cars after the motor blew in Mark's car during the first practice. The motor also failed in Mark's car the previous race and the team were not able to make a definative diagnosis of a suspected electrical problem so they put Mark in the car I ran in the first practice to be sure he had a reliable car for the final two races as he was the points leader but had not clinched the title.
I now own the car that was supposed to be the car Mark and I drove in 1990 but the paper trail got tweaked somewhere along the way and my own research after I bought it proved that it was not the 1990 P1 car, it was in fact the P1 team car Mark drove to several wins in 1989. Mark came up short of the west coast championship that year.... the title was won by Hiro Matsushita.
There was no physical difference between the 89 and 90 cars other than the ID plate with the date code.
I have no idea who has the two cars that P1 ran in 1990 but I do know who owns the car I ran all of the 1991 season.
Here is a pic of the 1989 car as I race it now in vintage racing.... just won yesterday at California Speedway in the VARA event.
Steve O'Hara

link went bad so I pulled it Sad

Dan Schlosser · Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 12:10 am Post subject:

Neat Rick, thanks for finding that! I actually remember that article - back from the days when the local guy could actually dream of racing in the Indy 500. It was a family dream and he had a lot of friends that helped support him.

In fact there is a name on the cowling of the car in that picture - Art Koch - that you and maybe Mike Burrell and a few others have met. Art was another guy from that Pittsburgh group that I went to the 500 with for years. Art and his wife Kathy are fixtures on pit lane still for the whole month of May (him - deep voice, sunglasses, dark complexion & her - blonde, big smile one of the sweetest people in the paddock). They used to take their girls out of school from when they were in elementary school and move to Indy for the month - made me jealous. Very Happy

They can usually be found somewhere close to the tower entrance on the wall greeting old friends and taking in everything. Throwbacks to the railbirds of days past. Lots of good stories - he has even sung the National Anthem before the Hulman 100 among other things and just loves the month of May. Look them up this year and say hello - you'll be glad you did.

Funny how it all comes back to Indy so often.......