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Editor’s note: Mike Oestreich forwarded this article about racing.
By Chris Quintana | The New Mexican
Organizers of the Santa Fe Concorso chose Las Campanas and the Santa Fe Air Center as the new venues in which to gather and show off high-end collectible vehicles owned by auto enthusiasts from across the nation. Dennis Little, president of the nonprofit sponsoring the charity event, now in its third year, said that the Santa Fe Concorso outgrew its previous venue at La Mesita equestrian ranch in Nambé Valley and that Las Campanas provides more grassy space. “Dirt and dust don’t agree with these paints jobs,” he said. A public event Sunday at Las Campanas will feature more than 100 vehicles — cars, motorcycles and bicycles included. Guests can also expect a silent auction for items such as a look inside Jay Leno’s private car collection or professional driving lessons at Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. Racing legends Sir Stirling Moss, Denise McCluggage and Al Unser Sr. will attend and sign autographs.
ten flies the helicopter around. Santa Fe, getting a bird’s-eye view of how the city changes over the years. He’s also given tours, provided aplatform for aerial photography and carried movie crews up in his helicopter. Jeff Brock of Brock’s Speed Studio in Abiquiú brought his modified 1952 Buick. The car is a four-time record setter in the gas competition coupe and sedan category at the Bonneville land speed competition at the Utah Salt Flats, where people bring custom-made vehicles to see how fast they can go. Brock said his car’s latest record came when he reached an average top speed of 162.4 miles per hour. “It’s better than any drug,” he said. “And it’s almost as good as sex to tear across the earth like that.” He built the car’s exterior and extras such as an air scoop shaped like a missile. The car’s body is a slate gray, and it truly looks like it deserves to be called a “lead sled.” Brock got attention when he revved the engine, shattering the chatter of all in attendance. Brock, who will be at Sunday’s event as well, said he built the car in 2009 over the course of three months at a cost of about $10,000, and has raced it in any speed competition he could find.
The weekend gathering kicked off Friday night at the Santa Fe Air Center at the Santa Fe Municipal Airport. Guests at the $125-a-ticket VIP event got a look at sparkling Rolls Royces, Mercedes, Maseratis, BMWs and other luxury vehicles in addition to vintage aircraft, a first for the Concorso, Little said. One of the attendees was local business owner Joaquin Brandie of Gryphon Helicopters. He brought his 22-year-old Bell 47 G1 helicopter, a machine he claimed could land in any weather on any terrain. Brandie, who said he knew he wanted to fly when he was 11, said local pilot Richard Brown once rescued him from the Santa Fe National Forest in a similar helicopter. He said he of-
day as well.
Friday’s gathering also included a team of technicians who deconstructed and then reconstructed a Model T Ford in about 10 minutes. The group will be at Las Campanas on Sun-
Organizers say proceeds from the Concorso benefit various charities for children in Santa Fe.
D o you have any recollections of field
trips, social events, classroom experiences or other experiences during your UC days that you would like to share with your alumni colleagues? Send them to Warren Huff, email: WARREN.HUFF@UC.EDU or Dept. of Geology, UC, Cincinnati, OH 45221 and we’ll include them in next years’ issue.
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