PA Hillclimb

1960 - 1977....who are your favs?

Hi Ron, and old folks..
I hate to be the first one to log in about T2. I was lucky, fortunate, reckless enough to win the PHA T2 championship in 68, and 69, in a ferocious 1965 MG1100 sedan. All 55 horse power.
The class was VERY healthy back then. We had SAABs. Minis, VWs, FIATS, NSUs, Cortinas, BMWs, Sunbeams, and eventually Volvos. Probably some more cars that I forgot about.
The class only had a few cars that were actually classified as T2 cars, but a herd of T1 cars with modifications, that moved up to T2. Henry Mearig [Fiat 850 cpe] and I were never more than a tenth of a second apart for most of the season The most flagrant cheaters were the T1 Mini 850 cars who installed MG1100 engines. MINIs NEVER were built with an 1100 cc engine. Everything else from 850 to 1275, but NEVER with an 1100.

The Beetles were allowed 1600cc, as were the Volvos. The MG1100 weighed 1952 lbs with an 1100cc engine.
Where the car excelled was on the handling hills like Duryea.
In 68, and 69, if memory serves me, I lowered the class record by almost 15 seconds total for the 2 years. I held the class record at Most of the hills, But Not Giants. Bob Peters FLEW there in his C, or D sedan Sunbeam Imp Road race car. I think that maybe Giants was the only hill I didn't win at least once.

In 69 I clinched the title with 2 hills to go, by flipping end over end at the finish line at Rose Valley, and luckily hitting the timing cord with my left front headlight to stop the timers, and WIN. The car was totalled. Luckily I could throw away the last 2 hills of the year, I had enough points by then for the championship..

After that year, Guy Bierman in his 544 Volvo and Pete Leiss in his VW 1600 and cars like them pretty much ruled the class. It was probably the most diverse class in PHA at the time, because of all the different makes competing. Great fun with a NEAT little car,
I'm sure there are lots of folks who can add to this little piece of T2 history. I'm not blowing my own horn, BUT that was a very competitive class back then, and to win the class championship was a great honor. I can't be the only survivor of that great Touring class, So come on folks, Let's hear from you.
Tom Hartman

That is some good, first hand stuff right there folks!

Ok...at the #5 spot....Mr. Palmer Smeltz Volvo driver and Touring II champ for 1964. 7 class wins

Hi Ron,
I remember Palmer Smeltz, but I didn't think the Volvos were in T2 that far back.
I knew they were in T3, and T4. I didn't remember them in T2 til about 69. Guys' was a B-16,
PV444, with a 3speed, I think. It could be that his car got shuffled around for a few years,
I first ran in 65. I remember that at the PHA annual meetings more time was spent on the touring classes than any other classes, because these were not SCCA sedan classes. The production classes were taken from SCCA specs, although there were 3 E-Production classes at one time. LOTS of politics. The touring classes were for MOSTLY stock cars. there were also Cars that moved up one or two classes because of modifications. I don't remember Palmer in T2, BUT his car might have been shuffled about because of politics.
Tom Hartman

According to records/data...Palmer indeed ran his Volvo in Touring 2 1963-1964. Was in T3 with a Volvo 1966-1967 and was later in FP2 with a Volvo in 1968.

click on image to make bigger.

At the #4 spot....the one, the only...Tom Hartman!

2 way tie at the number 3 spot....first up: Ron Fieni...VW driver and 1973 TII champ

Tied with Ron....Joe Christ! He was TII champ for 65 & 66. Ford Cortina driver. Crappy pix...

Ron

I think that is an Anglia

Larry Long

I agree with Larry, definitely and Anglia.

The only guy I have with more wins than Tom H. is Buddy Scolastico, long time starter at Duryea and Pagoda.
Don

It is...Joe also drove an Anglia in T2....I can't even see the pixs anymore, can you guys?

No, the pix are no longer attached.
Don

It looks like all the threads lost their pixs....

#2 Buddy Scolastico

#1 Joe Somics

Great to see you posting again Ron! I've missed them.

Hope to see you at Weatherly.

Larry Long