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K.I.C. Can-Am Reunion

The Kohler International Challenge was a good weekend for the 1965 McKee MK3/Lola and Casey Putsch. Putsch narrowly finished the car's restoration the morning he loaded it on the trailer to leave for Road America. Having only tested the car once, sans bodywork, at dusk, and on country roads, the car proved very reliable and drivable. Putsch started the weekend in group 5 and by Friday had the car qualified third in class behind the 1969 Lola T70 mk3b of Peter Kitchak and the 1966 Ford GT40 of Bill Murray. With the car showing well, Putsch elected to move the car up to the Unlimited Can-Am race in group 7. The McKee/Lola would be the oldest chassis in the field, be running treaded tires rather than slicks, and have a modest 475 hp when others had 700-1100hp, but it showed well. In qualifying it was running times with Lola T70 mk3b's. In the feature races, the car suffered braking problems that slowed the car by seconds a lap. While Putsch was unable to pick off the slower Lolas, he was able to finish the race well. The car placed third in the small-block/tube-frame class, behind two Mclarens, and in front of 6 others. Its finishing position was mid pack of all Can-Am Cars. You may wonder why one would elect to move to a class with such faster cars when a podium finish was possible. Simply put, the fun is in overcoming adversity and conquering a challenge.
1965 McKee Mk3 found!

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New Racer,
1966 Ford GT40

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VSCDA Mid-Ohio Vintage Races

What may be Casey Putsch's last race in the United States was a good one. He won Sunday's main race from pole position. The car qualified second gave him a great battle, but as the two went all-out into turn one, the other racer lost control and spun. Putsch did not look back and took home a clean and clear victory with the Elden chassis. Special thanks to the VSCDA for making the weekend a great race event.

Glenmoor Gathering

This year's Glenmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles was an exciting and rewarding time for Putsch and the Lotus. Casey Putsch is seen here with judges Larry Smith, Raymond Milo, and the legendary George Barris. The Lotus was honored with the "Award of Distinction" for its accurate restoration and historical significance. Everyone at the event got a thrill as Putsch and the Lotus took part on the driving tour and drove for 4 hours through the hilly back-roads of Amish country. This says a lot for the original engineering of the little Lotus 11 race car and its restoration quality, in that it could successfully and safely be driven on such roads with no trouble. Special thanks to David Schultz, Myron Vernis, and everyone involved in making the Glenmoor a delightful weekend enjoyed by all.

Watkins Glen Vintage Grand Prix

The weekend at Watkins Glen proved to be a successful outing with the Elden Formula Ford. Despite having too low of gearing and fighting violent wheel hop under the bumpy braking sections of the track, Putsch managed to push the car up to a 3rd place finish while setting the fastest race time in class. He took advantage of exploiting the competition's weakness in the rain and the low visibility of the fog. This was not only the first race for the Elden, but was also the first time Putsch ran this car in the rain. This is a good example of what the determined efforts of driver can do with a mediocre car.

Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance

Although Casey Putsch was not exhibiting a car at Meadow Brook this year, he was asked to take part in the weekend activities. Putsch helped by escorting the fashion models to and from the show cars in the Mode du Concours. This tradition started in Paris during the 1920's when the latest women's fashion would be displayed with the latest of automotive design. This photo was seen in the Detroit Free Press and shows Putsch escorting one of the models out of Malcolm Pray's 1939 Figoni et Falaschi bodied Delahaye.

VSCCA Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix

Taking the newly restored 1956 Lotus Eleven LeMans to the 2007 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix was an effort that was well earned by Casey Putsch. The Eleven's restoration was finished in the week and a half between Mid-Ohio and Pittsburgh. The car went from barely drivable and in bare metal, to a beautiful finished product. Unfortunatly when you finish a car at 12:56 am the morning before a race, that does not leave any time to shake it down. Due to some minor issues with coolant temperature and engine break-in, Putsch elected not to drive the car in the actual race on Sunday, with discretion being the better part of valor. Although the Lotus only ran in practice, it was much appreciated by all who saw it and was a welcomed addition to this year's event. Special thanks to crewman Kenny Brightman for his great effort during the race weekend.



Lotus 11 Restoration     Finished!


Have a look at the "Lotus Restoration" page to watch a 1956 Series 1 Lotus 11 Le Mans being restored!



SVRA Mid-Ohio Vintage Grand Prix

The 2007 Vintage grand Prix at Mid-Ohio was shaping up to be a very successful racing weekend. This event was the first race weekend for the Elden Formula Ford. In practice, the car proved to be very solid and well built. However, the handling and dynamic balance of the car was far off the mark. Putsch brought the car into the pits and made some quick setup changes that began to sort the car out. After practice, more setup changes were made. During the first qualifying session, Putsch narrowly missed a multi-car melee by driving the car into the grass. After a quick look-over in the pits, he went back out and qualified third. A few more changes brought the car up to second place in the next qualifying session. Unfortunately the Elden's engine developed a miss during the warm up lap of the first race that could not be solved, ending the weekend. The car was very promising on its first outing and will be racing again soon.

LAST YEAR'S NEWS

A new car has been added to the effort, a 1994 6-spd Corvette. This car has the potential of land-speed attempts, road-racing, autocrossing, and drag racing, all-the-while being able to take your date to dinner. You can't turn your nose up at Chevrolet on this one, as the car is a measure of versatility and looks good to boot. The Bonneville Salt Flats is a mountain that every true racer must climb in their life. The site holds great historical importance in the racing community and thankfully is still the site of modern land-speed competitions. It's a wonderful thing to push the envelope on land, sea, or air and going seriously fast is a whole new ballgame. You are likely to see this black Corvette there in 2007.

The Glenmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles on Sept 16th could not have been nicer. The quality of the cars and people is world-class and was in an intimate setting that made the day absolutely serene. The Devin was displayed in the Pre-1965 Foreign Sports category along side such cars as a 1930 Bugatti 50 S, a 1932 Lancia and a 1951 Jaguar XK120 fhc. The Devin was given one of three class awards, an Award of Distinction along with a 1930 MG M-type roadster! Such a great honor. Best of Class went to a 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750. Be sure to put the Glenmoor Gathering on your calendar and don't miss out on reserving one of their picnic lunch baskets, the food was wonderful.

The Mid-Ohio Vintage Grand Prix proved to be a wonderfull time. We saw rain on Friday morning qualifying, which made the track very slick. Since Mid-Ohio has been repaved, it no longer has the concrete patches in the turns. This made wet driving different from the past, as there are no real reference points for chosing a rain line and the driver must really work some magic to find any extra grip. Fortunatly for the spectators, the weather-man was wrong and the rest of the weekend was dry. The racing action was very close and intense for most and the Devin was no exception. Some hard fought and tight dicing with an Alfa Romeo during the qualifying and feature races. Fortunatly, few cars had any racing incidents. When all was said and done the Devin came home with a first place finish in class.

The Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance could not have gone better! Unfortunately, the trip to Detroit met the Devin with heavy rains, soaking the car's interior. Casey was able to dry the car in the hotel parking lot, but the rains came and soaked the car again before it could be garaged. After that, it was smooth sailing ahead. The driving tour on Friday was a delight. Special thanks to the people who run Meadowbrook and the local police departments for making the tour possible. It was a sight to behold, as everything from a Horch Pebble Beach "best of show" winner, to a 1930's Tatra Limosine from Czechoslovakia, and the little Devin racer hit the streets of Detroit. The RM auction on Saturday housed some of the world's best cars and the exhibitor "black tie" gala at the Meadowbrook manor house was top notch. The event was a true delight as they had all the new Bentleys, as well as a Bugatti Veyron, a number of new Lamborghinis, and some spectacular 30's Mercedes for our viewing pleasure. It was an early morning on Saturday for the show as the sound of the Devin's race exhaust blasted through traffic. A high point of the weekend was when all the show cars where driving onto the grounds before the concours opened for spectators! The Devin looked absolutely gorgeous and was well liked by all who saw it. Meadowbrook is an event that should not be missed, as it brings the worlds best cars and automotive art to a magnificent venue that instills good feelings and an aire of automotive magic.