What was your first on track car?
01-09-2024, 02:51 PM
#61
Rennlist Member
Wow! Dick Davenport was a legend. A big, burly man that was smooth as butter on the track. I knew of him because one of the Alfas he raced came into my shop for historic racing restoration and preparation, he was always an Alfa guy to me.
One year, he came to VIR in the Alfa David Levian built for him that his son, Rob, drives now. I was all over him all weekend off track, and learned about his adventures with Frank Carney and how much he did for Nissan after moving on from Alfas. What a marvelous story teller. Very tough, very hard competitor but a great guy to spend time with.
On track, I had at the time one of the quickest Alfa GTVs in historic racing, a veteran of the Daytona 24 in 1970 and he was in his Alfa. We went at it hammer and tongs, and raced side by side, lap after lap. I could have sworn we touched half a dozen times but there were no marks!
At the end of the race, he and I were beat but standing on the podium. I was first and he was second. We were far ahead of the rest of the field. He gave me one of the greatest complements I ever received from any other driver and while we talked on the phone after that weekend, we never got another chance to run together. I am SO glad to have known Dick. What a great competitor and a spectacular man.
One year, he came to VIR in the Alfa David Levian built for him that his son, Rob, drives now. I was all over him all weekend off track, and learned about his adventures with Frank Carney and how much he did for Nissan after moving on from Alfas. What a marvelous story teller. Very tough, very hard competitor but a great guy to spend time with.
On track, I had at the time one of the quickest Alfa GTVs in historic racing, a veteran of the Daytona 24 in 1970 and he was in his Alfa. We went at it hammer and tongs, and raced side by side, lap after lap. I could have sworn we touched half a dozen times but there were no marks!
At the end of the race, he and I were beat but standing on the podium. I was first and he was second. We were far ahead of the rest of the field. He gave me one of the greatest complements I ever received from any other driver and while we talked on the phone after that weekend, we never got another chance to run together. I am SO glad to have known Dick. What a great competitor and a spectacular man.
His little Alfa that Rob now drives in vintage races is gorgeous. In fact, Dick inspired my dad to have a GTV as a daily driver in the mid-'70s--a bold choice in Wichita, Kansas at the time. And Frank Carney--another legendary name from that scene. I'll bet you and my dad could be entertained for hours trading stories...
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ProCoach (01-09-2024)
01-09-2024, 06:34 PM
#62
Forgive me if I asked you this on rennlist at some point before, but did you race with or know Dick Davenport back in the '70s? He ran 510s and B210s for NJ's Datsun out of Wichita, KS. Won the SCCA C-sedan championship in '77, '78 and '79, and I believe won the Daytona 24hr in IMSA GTU in a 911 in '77. He was one of my dad's best friends, and his son Rob has restored the B210 and runs it in vintage events. Dick got my dad hooked on cars, who got me hooked on cars...
Paul Newman is mentioned in this thread and I'll backup what others have said about him wanting privacy. At the Sebring 12hr in '77, Paul was pitted next to us and he had security and sheriff deputies keeping fans away, but they would try and sneak through our pit to try and catch a glimpse or photo of their star. Got to be a real pain and during the race it got worse. At around 9pm we went into the overall lead and Paul, whose Porsche had dropped out by then, came over to our pit and stood watch until the flag. I'm told he kept telling our crew "you guys are going to win", becoming our unofficial cheerleader and thanks to his presence, we inherited his security protection and got our pit box back.
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01-09-2024, 06:52 PM
#63
Rennlist Member
I knew him to say hello to, but not personally. We did participate in the 1977 Daytona 24hr where Dick was part of a three driver 911S entry of Bob Hindson Racing, finishing 1st in GTU covering 624 laps. (For us, it was a very frustrating race, leading the eventual winner by three laps at 3am, then having a chain tensioner go flat, stopping us for 36 minutes while we changed out our engine. We came in 2nd (663 laps) in GTO-Gp4, 18 laps behind the Ecurie Escargo Team of Haywood-Graves-Helmick in an RSR). Dick was entered at the '77 Sebring 12hr race but they did not start. I left IMSA for USAC in '78 so I didn't see him again. Maybe I'll see his son Rob at a vintage race.
Paul Newman is mentioned in this thread and I'll backup what others have said about him wanting privacy. At the Sebring 12hr in '77, Paul was pitted next to us and he had security and sheriff deputies keeping fans away, but they would try and sneak through our pit to try and catch a glimpse or photo of their star. Got to be a real pain and during the race it got worse. At around 9pm we went into the overall lead and Paul, whose Porsche had dropped out by then, came over to our pit and stood watch until the flag. I'm told he kept telling our crew "you guys are going to win", becoming our unofficial cheerleader and thanks to his presence, we inherited his security protection and got our pit box back.
Paul Newman is mentioned in this thread and I'll backup what others have said about him wanting privacy. At the Sebring 12hr in '77, Paul was pitted next to us and he had security and sheriff deputies keeping fans away, but they would try and sneak through our pit to try and catch a glimpse or photo of their star. Got to be a real pain and during the race it got worse. At around 9pm we went into the overall lead and Paul, whose Porsche had dropped out by then, came over to our pit and stood watch until the flag. I'm told he kept telling our crew "you guys are going to win", becoming our unofficial cheerleader and thanks to his presence, we inherited his security protection and got our pit box back.