| My interest in auto sports began in St. Louis, where as an 8-year-old I went with my parents to the midget car races. A move to southern California brought new opportunities to watch and eventually to participate. While at the Army Language Center in Monterrey, I worked on the pit crew for a friend racing his Jag XK 120 at Pebble Beach. Finally behind the wheel myself, of a Healey four-banger, I joined the Austin Healey Owners Club of Los Angeles and won the club's annual rally championship while studying at UCLA. A degree in political science set me up for a job with the CIA, and a harrowing first tour in Vietnam brought the reward of a second tour in Spain. Over the next several years, often with family in tow, I reveled in the thrill of FI, from Sweden to South Africa, not to mention Monaco six times, and Hungary to Mexico. Living in Mexico City in 1978, I was instrumental in bringing major league motor racing back to Mexico, after a several-year hiatus, in the form of a Trans-Am event.
In 1979, we settled in San Diego, where I founded Renaissance Group Inc, destined to include many aspects of motor racing: campaigning a Porsche 935 in shorter distance events, from Laguna Seca to Watkins Glen, and in the 24-hour races of Daytona and Le Mans; serving as the US consultant for the Australian group attempting to bring Indy Car racing to Surfers Paradise; providing consultant services to aspiring racers; and forming a group to construct San Diego International Raceway, which was approved by the County of San Diego, but unfortunately never built. Retired now, the time has come for me to share some of my experiences, and I thank RaceFansTV for just the right venue.
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