in this issue: awards ban- quet, willow tt & race, up

Alfa Romeo Owners of Southern CaliforniaAlfa Romeo Owners of Southern CaliforniaAlfa Romeo Owners of Southern CaliforniaAlfa Romeo Owners of Southern CaliforniaAlfa Romeo Owners of Southern California

AAAAAlfacionada - Flfacionada - Flfacionada - Flfacionada - Flfacionada - Febrebrebrebrebruaruaruaruaruary 2011y 2011y 2011y 2011y 2011 Page 1Page 1Page 1Page 1

Newsletter of the

IIIIIn n n n n This IThis IThis IThis IThis Issuessuessuessuessue: A: A: A: A: Awarwarwarwarwards Bds Bds Bds Bds Ban-an-an-an-an-quet, quet, quet, quet, quet, WWWWWilloilloilloilloillow w w w w TTTTTT & RT & RT & RT & RT & Race, up-ace, up-ace, up-ace, up-ace, up-coming evcoming evcoming evcoming evcoming events, and morents, and morents, and morents, and morents, and more..e..e..e..e...

FFFFFebrebrebrebrebruaruaruaruaruary 2011y 2011y 2011y 2011y 2011


AAAAAlfacionada - Flfacionada - Flfacionada - Flfacionada - Flfacionada - Febrebrebrebrebruaruaruaruaruary 2011y 2011y 2011y 2011y 2011Page 2Page 2Page 2Page 2

AROSC Mailing Address:Alfa Romeo Owners of Southern California17041 Malta CircleHuntington Beach, CA 92649

Important Deadline & Info!Please send classified ads, articles, letters, and photographs to the Editor in time to arrive bythe monthly general meeting to permit publication in the next month’s issue.

General InformationAlfacionada is the monthly publication of the Alfa Romeo Owners of Southern California, aChapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club, Inc., a national non-profit organization of Alfaenthusiasts. Subscription to this newsletter is included as part of the annual AROSCmembership fee of $70; non-members of AROSC may subscribe for $22 per year.

Permission is hereby granted to other Alfa Owners Clubs to reproduce any originalmaterial herein, provided credit is given to the author and to the AROSC Alfacionada.

Classified AdvertisingClassified (non-commercial) ads are available as a free service to members and for a nominalcharge of $10.00 per insertion to non-members. Ad content must be Alfa-related or of specialinterest to the members.

Commercial Advertising Rates (modified for new page size)Full page $275 per year1/2 page $150 per year1/4 page $100 per yearBusiness card $100 per year

This Month’s Cover: Team Escargot Racing cut up at the Annualmeeting. Their team logo is also shown, a “racing” snail. Art Russell’sclan and Doug Bender and wife are the team members. Photo by TomSuter.

Meeting InformationGeneral Meetings are usually held the last Friday or Saturday of each monthat various locations. Check the Calendar information on the outside backcover for an overview of the year, and the Previews section on Page 4 fordetails of events planned for the near future.

Disclaimer (a.k.a. Lawyer Repellent)AROSC and the authors and editors of this newsletter assume no liability for the accuracyor legality of any technical information appearing herein. They are also not responsible forthe safety or practicality of modifications performed by individuals or companies anddescribed in these pages. You should always check with your mechanic before performingany work or modifying your car in any way.

AROSC Web Site:www.arosc.org

Membership InformationSee the inside back cover of Alfacionada.



AROSC BOARD of DIRECTORS – 2011

President: Mike Riehle & Chris Burke (310) 780-5427 (H) [email protected]

Vice President: Jim & Elyse Barrett (714) 964-9530 (H) [email protected]

Treasurer: Jay Mackro & Catherine Kusnick (949) 412-5830 (cell) [email protected]

Secretary: MJ & Sheila Kutkus (310) 542-3448 (H) [email protected]

[email protected]

Competition Director: Terry Watson (310) 372-5027 (H) [email protected]

Membership Chair: Norm & Evie Silverman (818) 427-2054 (cell) [email protected]

Programs Chair: Margi Brown-Orozco (818) 264-8964 (H) [email protected]

Technical Chair: Gene Brown (805) 527-8103 (H) [email protected]

Concours Chair: Fred Firschein (714) 773-1473 (H) [email protected]

AROC Liaison: Will Owen (626) 345-9659 (H) [email protected]

AROSC Committees

Newsletter Editor: Phyllis Gaylard (714) 377-6377 [email protected]

Web Master: Bruce Colby [email protected]

Electronic Notices: Jay Negrin (310) 399-0538 (H) [email protected]



2011 AR2011 AR2011 AR2011 AR2011 AROSC POSC POSC POSC POSC Prrrrrevieevieevieevieeviews --ws --ws --ws --ws --AAAAAn On On On On Outline of Coming Eutline of Coming Eutline of Coming Eutline of Coming Eutline of Coming Evvvvventsentsentsentsents

DON’T MISS:Feb 19 -- General Meeting at

Autobooks-AerobooksFeb 26-27 -- Desert Classic Concours

Weekend at La Quinta

February 19 – General Meeting @ Autobooks, Lunch nearby.See info on page 19.

February 26 – Desert Classic Weekend, Lunch @ Schwartz’s inJoshua Tree, Dinner @ McHattie’s in La Quinta

February 27 – Desert Classic Concours & Club Concours #1, LaQuinta

See Info on pages 20-22

March 26 – General Meeting & Chili Cook-Off

Get your recipes out and stock up on ingredients for our second annualchili cookoff in a park. More info on page 18.

April 9-10 – Spring Driving Tour

A tour of the low-desert byways in search of wildflowers, petroglyphsand photo ops. More info on page 17.

April 16-17 – Driving School, Streets of Willow

April 30 – General Meeting & Tour of Petersen Museum

May 14-15 – Buttonwillow Time Trial & Race (new Date!)



NOTE: Board meetings are currently flexible as to date and location.If you are interested in attending, call Mike Riehle.

The wine tour has been rescheduled to July 15-17 to add this competitionevent to our calendar.

May 21– Cars & Coffee & General Meeting/ garage tour @ DonMurray’s/ brunch @ Cline’s

June 5 – Huntington Beach Concours & Club Concours #2

June 25 – General Meeting at Shin Yoshikawa’s, Frazier Park

July 2 – Alfapalooza, Gladstone’s Long Beach

July 15-17– Wine Tour -- Rescheduled due to conflict

July 31 – General Meeting and Summer Party at Phyllis’,Huntington Beach

August 6 – Braille Rallye and lunch

August 18-21 – Monterey Historics Weekend

August 27 – General Meeting TBD

September 24 – General Meeting, Agua Dulce Winery & Big MouthPizza

October 1-2 – Time Trial & Race, Willow Springs

October 29 – General Meeting & Tour of Nethercutt Museum

November 6 – Concours #3 at Best of France & Italy Car Show,Woodley Park

November 19 – General Meeting, Elections, and White TurkeyAuction, Dirk’s



VVVVVieieieieiew frw frw frw frw from the om the om the om the om the TTTTTop --op --op --op --op --

The Annual Meeting was a greatsuccess. Many thanks to MJ &Sheila for pulling it together andextra kudos to Sheila for doing afantastic job with the raffle. It’sno wonder I made a Freudian slipand introduced them as our socialdirectors. They may haveassumed the role of Secretary, butthey have not dropped the SocialDirector ball.

Alan Ward was our guest speaker.He talked about the early days ofthe Alfa Club, his racingadventures and how Ward &Deanne Racing came to be. Itseems that many dealers sold Alfasback then, but very few had aqualified Alfa mechanic, so themain interest in the Club wasfiguring out how to fix the cars. Idon’t go back that far, but even inthe 70s, I can’t tell you how manypeople assumed my Sprint was aVW kit car and looked in the trunkto check the oil. Remember whenservice stations were full service?

Norm presented the Charlie Award(in honor & memory of CharlieThieriot) to Bruce Colby ouroutgoing Competition Director.Have to say it was absolutelyperfect, not only is Bruce verydeserving of the honor, but henever saw it coming. It seemsNorm had misled (lied to) Bruce

about who was getting the awardand the people in the knowmanaged to keep it from Bruce.

Our Editor, Phyllis Gaylard,warned us that Alan Ward was justgetting back from a cruise and hewould likely back out as guestspeaker. What she didn’t knowwas that we had recruited Alan topresent her with a LifetimeAchievement award. Phyllis drovea Formula 4 car in SCCA backwhen the local Alfisti were stillfocused on keeping their carsrunning and, according to Alan, shewas very competitive. She wasthere when the AROSC held itsfirst slalom/auto-x events. Latershe acquired and raced an AlfaGTZ. She invented the Time TrialIntro group for those unsure aboutcompeting and served a time asCompetition Director, both locallyand for the National AROC. Andshe was there helping hold theClub together in the 80s and 90s.There is so much to remember; Ishould have grilled Alan afterwardand taken notes. Today she is ourEditor which is a largely thanklessjob and a fair bit of work. Ourmany thanks.

After the meeting I just had to talkto Alan Ward some more. Foundout that BRE Datsun’s suspensionexpert, Trevor Harris, had briefly



been cut loose (1970?) and didsome suspension analysis for Alanin the interim. Alan credits Trevorwith the suggestion to turn thefront sway bar around. Thatshifted the center of gravity back atiny bit, but the real reason was toattach the sway bar to a stifferpoint in the chassis. Alan said itmade a significant differencewhich they could measure on askidpad. I got the impression thatthe skidpad was Trevor’s idea too,but maybe not.

Our next General Meeting isFebruary 19th at ‘Autobooks –Aerobooks’ in Burbank at 3524 W.Magnolia Blvd (page xx). Comeearly to score a parking spot in theparking lot in back and participatein the informal car show. (Streetparking isn’t particularlychallenging for those whoseinternal clocks are set to Italiantime.) FREE pastries and coffeewill be provided. Get yourselfthere and check out the shelves forpotential additions to your library. Irecommend Paul Haney’s book onThe Racing & High PerformanceTire. And the Bible, Race CarVehicle Dynamics by Milliken andMilliken. They have Alfa bookstoo. I once scored a used 1011600 Parts Manual.

The following weekend is theDesert Classic Concours in LaQuinta (page xx). We have been

doing this event for 2 or 3 yearsnow and it has blossomed into agreat weekend. Pack a light lunchand visit Charlie and BonnieSchwartz’ desert retreat followedby a drive through Joshua Tree.Or, drive directly to the hotel andjoin the group at the dinner partyhosted by Doug & JoyceMcHattie. Sunday’s festivitiesbegin early with parking on thegreen at the La Quinta Resort.This will be the Club’s first pointsconcours of the year. For thosewho concours semiseriously, get upearly, scrub off the bugs, and put afew last minute touches on yourpride and joy. Our new ConcoursChair, Fred Firschein, will be onthe green hustling up somevolunteers for the judging. Sorry,but volunteers do not get to scoretheir own cars.

Also, the February 19-20 VARArace at Chuckwalla is part of theDesert Concours d’EleganceDesert Speedweek. Anyonerunning this event should contactDoug and Joyce who have offeredtheir hospitality.

Remember, if the women don’tfind you handsome, they should atleast find you handy. And don’tforget the duct tape, a handyman’ssecret weapon.

Mike & Chris



TTTTTech Column:ech Column:ech Column:ech Column:ech Column: BBBBBy the Ny the Ny the Ny the Ny the Numbersumbersumbersumbersumbers

So you just found a box of old Alfa parts and you have no idea what they areand on what model or series of Alfa they belong. The only identification is astrange number on each part. Something like 105.64.12.051.02. No that is not nextweek’s winning lotto number but the Alfa part number for the item. For instancethis part appears to be some kind of hydraulic master cylinder, but is it for anAlfetta coupe or a Tipo 33/3 race care? You could put out an inquiry on theAlfaBB or the Alfa Digest and hope for a response or you could finish readingthis article.The planners at Alfa Romeo came up with a very logical and systematicnumbering system for all of their parts. It consists of either 5 or 6 parts. Forinstance on our part above the part number breaks down as follows:

105 64 12 051 02. . . .

Part Group

Model in Series Specif ic part in group

Series number Version of part

Series Number101 Giulietta / Giulia102 2000, 1958-62105 Giulia106 2600, 1962-67115 2000, 1972 on116 Alfetta119 GTV6161 Milano164 164/168

Model in Series00 All models in the series01, 02, 03, etc. Specific model in

seriesFound on firewall plate.

Part Group01 Engine Block and Head 31 Radiator02 Crankshaft 40 Controls03 Valve Gear 42 Hand Break Controls04 Fuel System 44 Foot Controls05 Electrics, Engine 45 Brake Hardware06 Lubrication 50 Chassis Members, Front07 Cooling System 51 Chassis Members, Center08 Air Filter 52 Chassis Members, Rear



Specific Part in Group identifies the specific part within the group and bares norelation to the same specific part number within another group. For instance105.64.52.050.00 is a battery tray within the Chassis Members, Rear groupwhereas 105.64.44.050.04 is a throttle lever assembly within the Foot Controlsgroup.

The Version of Part number denotes the revision of the part. All parts start outas 00, the first revision is 01, the second revision is 02, etc.

There is sometimes a slash followed by another 2 digit number at the end of thepart number. This indicates a variant of the main part. For instance each differentcolor of carpeting has a different slash number but all have the same partnumber.

So, from the above information we can see that our mystery part is for a 105series Montreal (model code 64), is part of the Clutch group and is revision 2 ofthe part.

This list is by no means a complete breakdown of all Alfa part numbers as youcan see there are lots of missing numbers in the Part Group table. TheInternational Auto Parts catalog and Centerline Alfa web site have lists thatidentify the specific models within a series. And of course the model number isjust the first model that part was used upon. Any given part could also be usedon other Alfa models even in a different series. But you should now be able todetermine if the part is for the engine, transmission or body.

By the way if you do happen to come across a 105.64.12.051.02 clutch mastercylinder let me know, I’ve been looking for one.

12 Clutch 53 Chassis Members, Top and Side13 Transmission 54 Body Panels15 Drive Line 55 Doors17 Rear Axle 56 Body Hardware21 Front Suspension and Hubs 57 Heating and Ventilation22 Front Brakes 58 Seats23 Steering Box 59 Trim, Plated24 Steering Linkage 61 Glass and Interior Trim25 Rear Suspension 62 Carpets and Mats26 Rear Brakes 63 Instrument Panel28 Wheels 64 Instruments30 Exhaust 65 Electrics, Body



Annual AAnnual AAnnual AAnnual AAnnual Awarwarwarwarwards Bds Bds Bds Bds Banquet & Manquet & Manquet & Manquet & Manquet & Meetingeetingeetingeetingeeting

Annual Competition Awards

At the end of each year AROSC honors competitors by awardingtrophies for the year’s performance. Trophy awards are given forindividual competition classes, whether Alfa or non-Alfa, plus there is anOverall Points Award available to those who compete in multipledisciplines. The Overall Points Award only considers competition in Alfaclasses.

Our Competition Code provides for competition events in the disciplinesof Concours, Rally, Auto Cross, Time Trials and Racing but o be eligiblefor a Class award, competitors must be AROSC members and mustparticipate in more then one event in their class. In 2010 the competitioncalendar included 1 Concours, 4 Time Trials (TT) and 5 Races, so thisyear Annual Awards are presented only for Time Trials and Raceclasses.

Class Awards for Race & TT points are given based on finishingposition in each class. Nine points are given for a 1st place finish in class,6 for a 2nd, 4 for a a 3rd, 3 for a 4th, 2 for a 5th and 1 for a 6th. Thecompetitior who gets the most points, wins the class. The number oftrophies awarded in a class is 1 for 2 to 3 entrants, 2 for 4 to 8 entrantsand 3 for 9 or more entrants. If there is only a single entrant, no trophyis awarded.

Time Trial Class AwardsAlfa Classes Name CarC 1st Art Russell Red GTVD 1st Andy Steben Red GTV

Non-Alfa Classes Name CarO 1st Bruce Colby Silver BMW 325iP 1st MJ Kutkus Yellow MB SLKP 2nd Peter Russell Silver 240 ZQ 1st Fred Firschein White Miata

Photos by Tom Suter, Mike McKibbin, and Sheila Kutkus.



Race Class AwardsAlfa Cup Name CarABZ 1st Doug Bender Blue GTVCDEF 1st Jim Caver Silver GTVCDEF 2nd Art Russell Red GTV

Non-Alfa Race Name CarL 1st Bob Poulin Black BMW M3M 2nd Mike Mckibbin Silver MustangN 1st Don Wagoner White MustangO 1st Bruce Colby Silver BMW 325iO 2nd Terry Watson Whte RX7P 1st Chris Mayring Red Miata

The Overall Points Award this year goes to the only person eligible forthe award. It also goes to someone who has won this award 4 out of thelast 6 years and when he didn’t win, he placed 2nd. The winner is NormSilverman, who teams with his lovely wife Evie at the Concours.

Congratulations to all the 2010 winners!

Written by Bruce Colby, 2010 Competition Director

The entering crowd at registration -- time to pay for the meal.



A private dining room with a great view of Redondo Harbor.

Dave and Erika Herting made the treck from Fallbook -- it was good tosee them after a lenghty absence.



Tina Van Curen and Chuck Forward, our hosts for the February meetingat their Autobooks-Aerobooks store -- come to the meeting and say hello.

A crowd of 72 people attended the luncheon this year!

The buffet was great as usual with nice variety.



Alan Ward spoke on the early days of AROSC, with a photo board.

Alan with long-time friend and racing cohort, Phyllis with her award.



Bruce Colby with his Charley Cup collage.

Terry Watson presentsNorm Silverman witha special T-shirtcommemorating theirearlier altercation as towho goes first on thetrack -- Norm: “don’tpass”!



Alfa Romeo plans to build a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe thatwould become the brand’s halo car.Fiat’s struggling sporty brand aims tocomplete a concept car for theinnovative lightweight coupe for aplanned Geneva auto show debut nextmonth. The concept is set to be builtas the 4C GTA and go on sale forabout $55,000 (40,000 euros).

Alfa is set to begin production of the4C GTA by the end of 2012 in one ofFiat’s factories in Italy. The automakerplans to build 20,000 to 25,000 units ofthe coupe over the following fiveyears, two people familiar to the mattertold Automotive News Europe. TheFiat sources said that the 4C GTAcould be sold in the United States butno decision has been made yet.

A Fiat spokesman confirmed that Alfais working on a concept car but saidits unveiling at the Geneva show isstill uncertain because of “delays inthe concept model construction.” The4C GTA was designed by Alfa’sstyling center in Turin and is said tobe a rakish, compact and extremely lowtwo-seat coupe.

Crucial launchThe 4C GTA will go on sale at a crucialtime for Alfa in the final quarter of2012 when the company also plans tointroduce the Giulia mid-sized sedan toreplace the slow-selling 159 and thebrand’s first ever SUV, a sister modelto the Jeep Compass/Patriotreplacement.

The 4C GTA should attract customersto Alfa showrooms to discover—andhopefully buy—the Giulia and theSUV, two key models in Fiat S.p.A.CEO Sergio Marchionne’s plan to liftAlfa sales to 500,000 units by 2014.

Thanks to an innovative constructionmethod, which combines carbon fiberand aluminum, the 4C GTA will belightweight. Alfa is targeting a 1,784-pound (850 kg) curb weight for the car.The 4C GTA would have an impressivepower-to-weight ratio below 3.5kg/hpdespite being powered by the 1.8-liter,four-cylinder gasoline direct-injectionengine offered in the Giulietta with thehorsepower boosted to more than 250hp from 235 hp. As a comparison, therear-engine, rear-drive PorscheCayman coupe offers a 3.98kg/hpweight-to-power ratio even for the Sperformance model, where 320 hp hasto move 1,275kg.

Alfa Romeo teamed up with Italy’sDallara Automobili, which is one of theworld’s largest producers of racecarsto create the 4C GTA. Dallaradeveloped a carbon fiber cockpit forthe 4C GTA, which features front andrear aluminum sub-frames to house theengine, as well as carry the pushrodsuspensions and to absorbdeformation in crash tests.

Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110202/CARNEWS/110209977#ixzz1DIxToCdb

Alfa RAlfa RAlfa RAlfa RAlfa Romeo Pomeo Pomeo Pomeo Pomeo Plans ‘lans ‘lans ‘lans ‘lans ‘AfforAfforAfforAfforAffordabledabledabledabledable’ H’ H’ H’ H’ Halo Caralo Caralo Caralo Caralo Car



The annual Spring Driving Tour moves to early spring this year andwe’re heading south to the Anza Borrego Desert in search ofwildflowers, ancient art by the ancients, and more great times with goodfriends.

The whims of the weather will dictate how much natural beauty we canenjoy, but our destination location is decided: Palm Canyon Resort inBorrego Springs!

The old-west style hotel is situated on the doorstep of beautiful AnzaBorrego Desert State Park, and has a pool, hot tub, restaurant andcocktail lounge. We have 15 rooms set aside at a great rate of $110 perstandard king / double occupancy, or two-queen for anyone wishing toshare at just $20 per additional person per room. You must say you arewith the Alfa Club and book by March 9 to lock in this rate!! All roomshave mini-fridges and hair dryers; there are upgrades available for anybig spenders who would like a balcony or a special view; and the hotel ispet-friendly, but has a minimum number of rooms dedicated to those withfurry family members, so reserve now.

As always, your tourmasters have adventure at the top of the itinerary,and getting there will be more than half the fun. As always, the juriedpicnic contest will be the lunch break entertainment; themes and judgingcategories will be announced soon. Incentive for the early-birds:whomever can tell us what Anza Borrego means will get a prize at lunch.

So consult your calendars, book yourroom, and RSVP to Elyse & Jim Barrettat [email protected] or714.964.9530.

SSSSSpring Dpring Dpring Dpring Dpring Driving riving riving riving riving TTTTTour -- our -- our -- our -- our -- SSSSSavavavavave the De the De the De the De the Date: Aate: Aate: Aate: Aate: April 9-10pril 9-10pril 9-10pril 9-10pril 9-10



MMMMMarararararch Mch Mch Mch Mch Meeting: Chili Cookoffeeting: Chili Cookoffeeting: Chili Cookoffeeting: Chili Cookoffeeting: Chili CookoffSSSSSaturaturaturaturaturdaydaydaydayday, M, M, M, M, Marararararch 26ch 26ch 26ch 26ch 26



VIVA ITALIA! ALFA ROMEOS RETURN TO AUTOBOOKS

Come and browse the auto enthusiast’s best bookstore! Our Februarymeeting will be held at the Autobooks store in Burbank. Guess what thespecialty of the house is? There may be some special treats, and we cangreet Tina Van Curen and maybe Jay Leno!

Pre-meeting browse & meeting: Arrive at Autobooks-AerobooksBurbank early Saturday morning. Traffic will be light. The closer to 8:00people can get there, the better the parking situation. We should all planto arrive no later than 10:00 AM to have time to brouse and bench racebefore the 11:00 AM meeting.

Note New location:From the south, take the 405 north to the 101. Go east on the 101(marked as south on signs). Where the 134 splits off, stay to the left andtake the 134 to Buena Vista Avenue. Go North 1.3 miles to Magnoliaand turn left 4 blocks to Autobooks at Catalina. From the South-east.take the I-5 to the 134, and proceed as above. Parking, (hopefully) in therear. Coffee and doughnuts are part of the picture.

Also, join us for lunch at:Monte Carlo Deli & Pinocchio’s Restaurant. This is walking distancefrom the store, opens at 11am, and serves beer & wine. Check their website: www.montecarlodeli.com/

For more info, Email your Programs Chair at:[email protected] to receive up-to-date inof as it becomesavailable.

Autobooks-Aerobooks2900 W. Magnolia Blvd.Burbank, CA 91505(818) 845-0707www.autobooks-aerobooks.com

FFFFFebrebrebrebrebruaruaruaruaruary My My My My Meeting: Aeeting: Aeeting: Aeeting: Aeeting: AutobooksutobooksutobooksutobooksutobooksSaturday, February 19



Desert Classic at La Quinta:Desert Classic at La Quinta:Desert Classic at La Quinta:Desert Classic at La Quinta:Desert Classic at La Quinta:JJJJJoin Uoin Uoin Uoin Uoin Us - s - s - s - s - TherTherTherTherThereeeee’’’’’s Ss Ss Ss Ss Still till till till till TTTTTimeimeimeimeime

There is still room at the inn and entries are still being accepted for ourfirst Club Concours at the Desert Classic in La Quinta, February 26-27.We have a great wekend of driving, socializing and showing off set up,and you will enjoy every minute.

Setting yourself up for a great weekend is as easy as One - Two -Three.

1) Register for the Alfa Marque Corral at the La Quinta Resort and Spaonline at www.desertconcours.com.

2) Enter the AROSC Concours by contacting 2011 Concours Chair, FredFirschein at [email protected].

3) Book your room at the Best Western Palm Desert by calling (760) 3404441. Our special (breakfast included) $109 rate reservationdeadline has been extended to February 9. You must tell themyou’re with the Alfa Romeo Club.

Or — if you are participating in the Club Social and Driving portions onSaturday, it’s also a three-step process.

1) Join us for lunch in Joshua Tree at the Schwartz’ lovely desertgetaway. Please RSVP by calling Charlie (818) 381-1283 or Bonnie(818) 522-5785.

2) Be part of the drive through Joshua Tree NP by caravanning with usafter lunch. Camaraderie and companionship are recommendedfor the JT transit.

3) If you’re going directly to La Quinta and want to join us later fordinner at the McHattie’s let Joyce and Doug know by calling (760)771-4138.

For other details and driving instructions, contact Jim and Elyse Barrett [email protected] and/or (714) 964-9530.



The Alfa Corral at last year’s Desert Classic.

An Alfa Spider cruising through Joshua Tree National Monument.



By Mike McKibbin

For me, this was a true “burning thecandle at both ends” type ofweekend. I was in San Diego onbusiness for a couple of days, finallygetting away Friday evening about7:00, then drove home, ate dinner,packed the motor home, grabbedabout 4 hours of sleep, grabbedAndrea and the dogs, and we wereoff before the sun was up.

It was virtually perfect racingweather, with temperatures in thehigh 60’s to mid 70’s, mostly clear,with some scattered clouds from timeto time. A new regime is in control,with Dennis Fibrow and Bruce Colbyhaving stepped down from theirpositions of power, and TerryWatson assuming the role ofCompetition Director, ably assistedby Mike Easterman and Paul Ellis inthe tower. Jody Fibrow continues torun timing and scoring, probablybecause no one does it better.

The time trial groups were relativelywell-behaved; the race group gaveour new administration a bit of arough welcome. Terry Watson &Paul Ellis handled the incidentsefficiently and admirably and exceptfor some dented fenders, theweekend went very well.

We had about 50 entrants in thevarious classes, and there wasplenty of room on the track for more.This being the first event of the year,

and thus the first time for mostpeople to shake down their carssince last year, there were someproblems. As Don Wagner drove hisMustang to the grid for the firstsession on Saturday morning, theengine just flat out died before hecould even make the turn onto thegrid. A day and a half and multipletrips to Auto Zone later, the problemwas finally identified as a defectivedistributor (of course, it was the lastpossible possibility tried), and Donmade the grid for the very first timefor Sunday afternoon’s qualifyingrace. In looking at his face, youwould have thought we won thelottery.

Andrea actually made it onto thetrack for her first session, and herMR-2 promptly died with a seizedengine as she brought it back in afterthe checkered flag. Dennis Fibrow,who was going to be driving theToyota in race group, never got to sitbehind the wheel (the only time hehad touched the car was getting itout of the trailer), although BruceColby was kind enough to share hisBMW with Dennis, and Dennis gotin a couple of time trial sessions.

In the meantime;, since our MustangCobra (being driven by brotherMitch this weekend) was onlyentered in the race group, weswitched Andrea into that Mustang,where she spent the duration. Shewas a bit apprehensive, as she had

WWWWWilloilloilloilloillow Sw Sw Sw Sw Springs Jprings Jprings Jprings Jprings Januaranuaranuaranuaranuary 22-23y 22-23y 22-23y 22-23y 22-23



never driven a car with that kind ofpower on a big track, but she cameback after the first session wide eyed,exclaiming “Wow”, and the word isshe is now conspiring how to extractthat car from her dad. Her reactionwas somewhat like Paul Blankenship’sdriving the “LeMons” Mustang atButtonwillow not too long ago. Hetold me the car was a complete junker,but when you put your foot on thegas, “Holy Cow”. That’s kind of why Ilike them.

Our Mustang GT “Hybrid”, Big Dog,also sat in the pits pretty much all ofSaturday morning, after going onlytwo or three laps in the first session (Iwas driving the car in race group; Robhad it for open time trial). All at thesame time, fried spark plug wire,broken water pump seal, and a batterywhich died so quickly we thought ithad a stoke. Like Don, we werepatronizing Auto Zone.

The club format for these events hasundergone an evolution over the lastcouple of years, and all of the groupsare divided pretty much by ability, soas to make all the participants ascomfortable as possible. The drivereducation (DE) group has yet to takeoff, although we did have someparticipants. The advantage, of courseis that most modern street cars can bedriven in this group with nocompetition preparation. Therequirement essentially is that theymust be closed; though ordinarypassenger restraints are acceptable.It’s a great program, either for peoplewho are interested in getting a feel fordriving at speed on a racetrack, with

perhaps a view to moving up to timetrial, or for someone who simply wantsto see what their car will do withouthaving to look into the mirror for thehighway patrol. Instruction isprovided by some of the moreexperienced drivers in the club, underthe direction of Tony Presto, and onea DE participant has the hang of it,they’re on their own.

The so-called “Point By” group iswhat used to be the traditional timetrial group, while “Open” has a moreracy feel to it, with passing permittedanywhere.

Noteworthy was Doug Bender, whohad a reputation for years as beingcompletely jinxed by his inability toget his car running. His car not onlyran from start to finish it was alsofairly quick. He actually passed meand Big Dog during the first race ofthe weekend.

Some mention needs to be made withrespect to those whose cars seem torun like clocks at every single event.M.J. Kutkus is one. He and Sheiladrive the car to the track, park thetrailer, put up the canopy, then he runsall day long for two days, packseverything back up, and drives the carhome. Maybe there’s something to besaid for a Mercedes.

Results are online on the club’swebsite, in keeping with the electronicage. Unfortunately, by the timeSunday rolled around, participants inthe time trial classes had thinnedsomewhat. Hopefully, we’ll see moreparticipants and more people



participating in the formal timed runsin the future. In the meantime,congratulations to Anthony Rimicci,who set a new class record in his Alfa.

Most of my perspective is inconnection with race group, since thatwas my focus for the weekend. Oncewe got Big Dog running, it ran like afreight train. Between sessions, wechecked and occasionally changedburned out spark plug wires, but thecar ran like a clock in every session,beginning with the first qualifyingrace on Saturday afternoon.

The new race group format is great. Itconsists of an initial practice on eachmorning, followed by a qualifying raceand a final race each afternoon.Saturday races are non-points events,but do give us all a sense of purposeas opposed to repetitive practicesessions.

Quickest on every day was GlenBjorkman in his Formula Mazda(nicknamed the “Indy Car”). DuringSunday’s qualifying race, he started at

the rear with a camera to get shots ofall the competitors as he leisurelythreaded his way through the pack.He didn’t film me, since I wentagricultural racing on the exit of turn 2on the first lap, and rejoined about ahalf mile back. Apologies to PhilGuiral for not giving him quite theroom he needed in passing himthrough 3 and up around thehorseshoe.

Sunday’s race was ultra competitivealthough that was all behind me. Ifound myself in second place behindGlen by the time I exited turn 2 on thesecond lap and except for Gil Riosgetting close for a couple of lapsbefore his adventure in turn 9, BigDog pretty much loped all the way toa second place finish.

Next up is the School on the Weekendof April 15. Hopefully, we’ll havesome of our race drivers there,because no matter how good you are,you always learn something from theSchool It would be nice to have a realbig turnout.

Doug Bender ran all day bothdays!!

MJ’s Mercedes always runs like aGerman train.



Glenn Bjorkman’s FormulaMazda “Indy car”.

Anthony Rimicci’s laprecord-setting GTV.

We always have a nice assortment of cars running our track events.

Cars head out for the start of a race.



Gil Rios generates some serious porky dust (not pixie dust) exiting turn 9.

Saturday’s race: lap 1 throughn turn 4.



Carl Fung leads Mike & Mitch our of turn 9 in Sunday’s race.

Manuel Minassian’s Giulia passes Andrea McKibbin in Dad’s Cobra.

Mitch is out early -- oops!



Mom McKibbin on a chopper!

The Tower Crew: Mitch McKibbin, Paul Ellis, and Paul Blankenship



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