No sooner had we gotten in line then it was time to go. The flag waved and they roared off in a cloud of exhaust and tire smoke. The staccato thunder of the Flathead's open exhausts drowned out the rattle of the sixes and four-bangers around it. The crowd that had gathered to see and hear the little roadster broke out in spontaneous applause. With 10 laps of practice under their belt, the pilot and copilot pulled into the pits and, simultaneously, each breathed a sigh of relief-Max, because he was pooped from turning the steering, and Mark, from shear excitement of a first-time experience. They dis-mounted and disrobed. Covered in sweat-soaked fire-suit undergarments, each related the experience as Alex and I took it all in.
As we attempted to put it in the trailer, several photographers and a handful of spectators arrived out of nowhere and started taking pictures and asking questions. We spent the better part of an hour accommodating those interested parties before getting to load up and go look around. The little hot rod was getting more than its share of interest-many just stood around and gawked, and they cheered when we fired it up to drive it in the trailer and put it away.
Come race time the next day, Max chose to start at the rear so as to not get in anyone's way resulting from the difficult steering. As he gained confidence and got some heat in the tires, he promptly showed off the horsepower that the 286-inch flat spot was producing. He passed six cars during the 10 laps and stayed on the lead lap-quite an accomplishment for a straight-line racin' roadster. Later that same day, I got the opportunity to drive with Mark in the police-escorted parade to Quail Lodge where Class 3A was honored by being placed on the lawn among some of the greatest race cars in history. As we drove in, the people lined the road and cheered like the Italians at the Mille Miglia, and it was a sight to be seen
All in all, it was quite a milestone event for Mark and the Khougaz '32. Never before had a basic street-driven straight-line hot rod been invited to participate in this prestigious event. Not only did it look like it belonged among the other race cars, but it performed and sounded right at home as well.