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By PAUL SOKOLOSKI; Times Leader Sports Writer
Friday, June 17, 1994 Page: 3A QUICK WORDS: `SPIRIT’ OFFICIALLY
ENTERED IN RACE; SPEEDOMETER REPAIR MADE
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — The “Spirit of Northeast PA” passed the Great
American Race’s technical inspection Thursday and was officially entered for
the start of Sunday’s cross-country event.
But the 1940 Chevrolet couldn’t quite pass the initial test driver Ken
Wallace and navigator Mickey Cohen gave the car for about two hours around the
Huntington Beach, Calif., area later that afternoon.
The Wyoming Valley team found fault with the car’s speedometer — one of
the most important functions on a vehicle entered in the Great Race.
“Speedometer’s jumping around too much,” said Wallace, who suggested he
needed his support crew to complete the repair.
But grabbing a toolbox from the trunk of the car, Cohen plopped two floor
mats under the car and got dirty himself.
“We’re going to have to fix this thing ourselves on the road anyway,” Cohen
said.
About an hour later, his bright blue shirt covered with sweat, Cohen
announced the problem was solved.
“I came here to be cool, comfortable and relaxed,” Cohen groaned. “And I’m
sweating.”
Not that the setback was ever a major problem.
After all, both driver and navigator pronounced the car, overall,
mechanically sound for the controlled time/distance/speed road rally for
antique cars built prior to 1942.
“Oh, the car runs nice,” Cohen said.
“My car runs great, fantastic,” Wallace said. “And I can do whatever he
(Cohen) tells me. If he knows what he’s doing, I’ll win the race.”
A car’s speedometer is crucial to competitive Great Racing, because the
event’s object is to match a predetermined “perfect” time.
“The needle isn’t strong, isn’t sturdy,” Wallace said. “When you’re
supposed to be going 30 miles an hour, it’s hard to hold it at 30.”
Wallace and Cohen are confident about their chances for Sunday, when the
race starts in Huntington Beach and heads for Wilkes-Barre’s Kirby Park finish
line July 2.
Wallace and Cohen left Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport early
Thursday morning to prepare for it, and after a smooth flight, met their
support team in Huntington Beach just after 1 p.m. Pacific Time.
The support crew, made up of Dave Daris, Joe Anusiewicz, Eric Lippi and
Frank Wallace, had a trip that featured more of a challenge.
Those four began a drive from Wilkes-Barre on Monday, and after being
slowed by some windy western weather, arrived in Huntington Beach Thursday —
about 12 hours later than expected.
“We were battling 35-, 40-mph winds all the way across Oklahoma, Texas, New
Mexico, all the way in,” said Daris, who will be the “Spirit” backup driver to
Wallace.
Daris also took time to test-drive the Chevy, and tracked down a couple of
reflectors the car needed for its rear bumper.
“We took it down to the technical inspection, it passed,” Daris said. “And
it ran fine.”
TIMES LEADER/CLARK VAN ORDEN
Debbie Mills of Forty Fort checks the plane tickets of Ken Wallace, center,
driver of the `Spirit of Northeast PA,’ and Mickey Cohen, the car’s navigator,
on Thursday at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.