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From: Doug Peterson <seattle-doug@worldnet.att.net>

For those who aren't in the US, I live in the Northwest corner, just outside of Seattle, Washington. I'm 44 and have been interested in auto racing since the early 60's. I can remember going out to a local 1/4 mile track to watch the stock car boys run. Now that track has been turned into a huge parking lot for Semi Trucks.

In the mid 60's, my Dad and I would go out to a local road racing track (Seattle Int'l Raceway) to watch the TransAm series (Camaros, Mustangs and Firebirds) and what became the CanAm series (Chapparels, Cheetahs, Scarabs and McLarens). Those races had drivers like Jerry Titus, Jim Hall, Hap Sharp, Mark Donohue and others. I remember seeing Mark Donohue win one of the TransAm races in the Sunoco Camaro.

I even got to see the "1st Annual Dan Gurney 200" (it was also the last) with the Indy and Formula 5000 cars (I'm looking at my general admission ticket in a scrap book as I type). In that race we saw Dan Gurney, AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti (yes, he did spin off course twice). Also went to some drag races out at the same track.

The closest I ever came to racing was with a "go-kart" that my dad and a neighbor put together from a Kushman three wheeled scooter when I was 4 years old. It had a 6hp engine, a two speed tranny with reverse, 4 wheel drum brakes and two seats. I learned to drive a clutch with that thing and drove it in our front yard until I was 14. I even drove it along side the street until the nice policeman pulled me over <BG>. Other than that, I have enjoyed watching racing all these years.

I also have a large interest in aviation, since after cars and computers, that's next in line. My Dad was an airline pilot, so I grew up with airplanes and have always loved them. (I can still tell you what type of plane is up in the sky at 5000 feet!) I got my private pilots licence at 16 and flew single engine Cessna's for 7 years, but after marriage and a child, I ran out of money. My company sells a lot of metal to Boeing and I've been fortunate enough to be able to go to the rollouts of the 777 and the next generation 737. For me, that's a dream come ture to be able to see the new planes close up.

About 12 years ago, I replaced the real planes with radio control for about 6 years and I had a ball, but then I found out about computers (and GEnie) and things haven't been the same since. (Just ask my wife, the computer widow...)

Doug in Seattle (seattle-doug@worldnet.att.net)

Doug Peterson

>Screen Name

seattledoug@earthlink.net

>Nationality & Location

USA - Seattle Washington, Home of Boeing airplanes (upper left hand corner
of the US for the non residents)

>Competitior or Former Competitor

<sigh>, no.

>Worker - Motor Club and type of work at meetings

again, no.

>Or just Motor sprot fanatic - or MOTOR SPORT even!

That's me! Started out going to local stock car races with my dad before
I was 6 and I've been hooked ever since. I attend only one race a year and
that's the CART (new name for IndyCars) race in Portland, Oregon, 200 miles
south of here.


Doug in Seattle (seattledoug@earthlink.net)
http://home.earthlink.net/~seattledoug/index.html