FourFather Eddie Hill 25th Annual Run'N'Gun event results Kit Car Magazine Feb 2013


FourFather

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 24, 2007
460
Wichita Falls, Texas 76306
Kit Car Builder magazine, Feb 2013, pages 52 through 54, covers the 25th annual Run'N'Gun event, held this time at Hallett Motor Raceway just west of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I entered this event with my 2012 Ariel Atom 3 demonstrator/company car, and was blessed with winning four first place trophies. The trophies were for Time Trials, Road course, Autocross, and a larger one that says Overall Champion.

The Autocross was held on the third and last day of the event and was huge fun for me. I had never even seen an Autocross before, let alone driven one, but the Atom's acceleration, braking, and handling, (not to mention being able to see the cones better) more than made up for my lack of experience, and we had Fast Time of the Day.

My Atom 3 is stock except for the track wheels and tires (and I take the fenders off when I run the track tires), and an unmuffled pipe in place of the stock muffler. There were some very expensive cars there, and all the other cars had V-eights, some with over 500hp.

The Atom required nothing more than adding some pump gas. I do check tire pressures and lug nuts, but no air needed adding, and lug nuts did not move.

To go to a prestigious national event like this and have "the fastest thing on the track" (their words, not mine), and be able to relax and drink Dr. Pepper between sessions instead of having to work on my car, was really satisfying to me, especially so after all the work required on on my previous top fuel gee-generators. I was afraid I'd be terminally bored when my top fuel days were over, but the Ariel Atoms have saved my life.

I would love to take my Heritage GT out and play with it, but it has become so valuable that I can't get comfortable with the idea of taking the chance that I might hurt it, should I do something inappropriate. I don't worry about the Atom at all, and don't mind pushing it until my instinct of self-preservation takes over.

Anyway, huge fun, and one of the very few regrets in my life so far is that I should have discovered road racing sooner.

Thanks for looking.

Cheers,

Eddie :biggrin
 

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Fracman

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jan 4, 2011
284
Houston, TX
Congrats! Looks like it was a blast dominating without sweating over pit work.
 

FourFather

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 24, 2007
460
Wichita Falls, Texas 76306
Congrats! Looks like it was a blast dominating without sweating over pit work.

Thank you. And yes, it is great to relax between sessions, instead of thrashing.

Eddie
 

Specracer

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Nov 28, 2005
7,081
MA
Yes, the racing I have done same thing, gas and tires was all you added for the weekend. Great way to go. Congrats on the event win!
 

RALPHIE

GT Owner
Mar 1, 2007
7,278
:thumbsup :thumbsup
 

FourFather

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 24, 2007
460
Wichita Falls, Texas 76306
Thanks, guys.

Eddie
 

THamonGT

GT
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Congratulations Eddie, great story. You need to make one of our GT Rallys and bring your atom ariel as we have members who own them and bring them along. A great car and I love to watch them run. Life after retirement is GREAT when other interest are found and explored. Once a Great Racer always a Talented



















Congratulations Eddie and thanks for the great story. You need to bring your Aerial Atom to a GT Rally as some members do. I love to watch them run. Life after retirement is Fun when you expand your talents and explore new adventures. Once a great racer always a talented racer. Be careful in that Open Rocket. Tomy
 

Fast Freddy

GPS'D 225 MPH
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 5, 2005
2,684
Avondale, Arizona
Congratulations on the Win Eddie :driving: you are way to old to be having that much fun :dead: the smile on your face says it all....
 

roketman

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Oct 24, 2005
7,994
ma.
Racing in itself is a blast.Winning is wonderful!
Congrats to you!
 

HiloDave

GT Obsessed
Mark II Lifetime
Dec 7, 2005
928
Hilo, Hawaii
Congrats, Eddie.
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,361
Washington State
Darn it! 'Wish there'd been video of at least some of that!

VERY well done, sir! :thumbsup:thumbsup
 

beckertb

GT Owner
Nov 29, 2006
509
Beaumont, TX
Congrats Eddie. I thought the atoms were bullet proof too til i broke the left rear hub last weekend. Still has been quite reliable thus far. Way to represent!
 

GTJack

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 1, 2006
1,728
Saddlebrooke, MO
Whoo Hoo! The smile on your face tells it all!! Keep on having fast fun Eddie!
 

GTED

GT Owner
Apr 4, 2006
783
Eddie, a huge congrats on the wins in the Atom3! I hear you about the FGT (a Heritage, as well!) and getting a car that's a bit less costly for track duties. That's why I bought the Exige 3-ish years ago.., man that sense of "freedom" on track was quite refreshing, then, a bit more than a year ago, I moved to an Atom3 300 and my grins keep on getting wider.....

Cheers,

GTED
 

donnymac

Defered Ajudication
Mark IV Lifetime
Sep 26, 2008
729
West Texas
Bases loaded home run! Good job!
Get Hanger to buy a GT.
 

FourFather

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 24, 2007
460
Wichita Falls, Texas 76306
Thanks for all the kind comments, guys. :thumbsup

You know, this may sound strange, but it seems like every trophy win is just as much fun as the last one, or even the first one. The first one was in 1949 on a Cushman motorscooter that I had hopped up. When we were racing top fuel professionally and Pennzoil had a PR person working with us, he pointed out in the 1990's that we had won motorsports trophies in six consecutive decades. Well, now in the 2010's, the Good Lord has blessed us with trophies in eight consecutive decades, which makes me sound absolutely ancient, and I do look the part, but I swear I do not feel like an old person! I think that if you really enjoy every day, and look forward to what you are going to do that day, that age somehow depends more on attitude and outlook than when you were born-- any of y'all feel that way?:confused

Eddie:biggrin
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,361
Washington State
...age somehow depends more on attitude and outlook than when you were born-- any of y'all feel that way?:confused

Eddie:biggrin

Yep. That's why I'm the equivalent of 112-years-old!
 

Fast Freddy

GPS'D 225 MPH
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 5, 2005
2,684
Avondale, Arizona
Thanks for all the kind comments, guys. :thumbsup

You know, this may sound strange, but it seems like every trophy win is just as much fun as the last one, or even the first one. The first one was in 1949 on a Cushman motorscooter that I had hopped up. When we were racing top fuel professionally and Pennzoil had a PR person working with us, he pointed out in the 1990's that we had won motorsports trophies in six consecutive decades. Well, now in the 2010's, the Good Lord has blessed us with trophies in eight consecutive decades, which makes me sound absolutely ancient, and I do look the part, but I swear I do not feel like an old person! I think that if you really enjoy every day, and look forward to what you are going to do that day, that age somehow depends more on attitude and outlook than when you were born-- any of y'all feel that way?:confused

Eddie:biggrin

Eddie - i have to confess to you that i too feel that age is just a number and that attitude is more important than age. i told this 25 year old girl the other day that has a crush on me that i am 46 years old :eek:ld: you know what she said to me? she said "i don't care".... :agree:
 
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