Previous Articles of Interest

** Rich Miller story
When you walk onto the Paddock, its Miller time…

Why do people spend vast amounts of money and time for a few seconds of pleasure? Most of us have asked this question; to ourselves. Unfortunately it is not often thought thru to some sort of explanation, other than the fact that it just feels good. There are people who travel hundreds of miles to ride a particular roller coaster, or others who spend thousands of dollars for a ten-minute ride in an ex-Soviet fighter plane. Why? For the adrenaline, for the sense of purpose, to live for a brief few moments in the fullness of time. Closer to our hearts are motorcars. Some like the top down & wind in the hair effect, some thrive for the hoods up at a car show, and others live for the racing competition. Amongst our brotherhood is an example of the latter, Rich Miller. Rich has autocrossed Bugeye Sprites for about 25 years in SCCA competition. Not just on the local mall parking lot on the weekend fix. We're talking all the way to the top, national run-off competition, year after year. Like all things, this too has a season. I caught up with Rich on the weekend of August 14th in Peru, Indiana at the 2005 Central Division Solo II Championship. Its just a few weeks away from the nationals in Kansas, I guess one could say it's the semi-finals. Win or lose, you can still go to the nationals, but it is events like this that shows a novice like me who the real diehards of this sport are. Sadly, the field of British cars is diminishing, but there were some fine examples vying for a trophy. Among these contenders were: a Lotus Europa, a Sunbeam Tiger, a MGB-GT, a MG Midget, and a flock of new MINIS. I attended the second day of the two-day event. The day before was miserably hot, followed by thunderstorms so severe that the event was stalled by lightning on the field! Rich's first day runs happened during that downpour, with standing water traps lying in wait for his new racing slicks. (Never let it be said that treads on tires don't work) Rich races in class D prepared. His competition included a dual driver 2004 Toyota MRS and a 1966 Midget, raced by a former national champion. The field held over 200 cars, from go-carts to Corvettes. They were broken up into four stages and Rich was running the last stage. I found him in the drizzle, filling up his portable air tank. We watched the first stage of cars run and you could tell that he wasn't watching the cars run through the course, he was watching what the course was doing to the cars. Loose rubber bits in the corners, wet sections, drying sections, standing water. All created their own obstacles between the pylons. During the third stage the rain ended and the wind dried the course. Times improved and spinouts all but disappeared. When it was time to stage his Bugeye, I walked back to his tow vehicle with him. He opened the back of his truck there was enough parts in there to build a second racecar! (Does that sound like Rich Miller or what?) Although he didn't warm his tires with thermal blankets, he did torque his lug nuts to spec and make sure his air pressure was down to a proper 32 psi before each run. Upon completing his first run he unstrapped his race harness, jumped out of the car and ripped his helmet off. His face was beet red and he had a smile from ear to ear. "Boy that makes you feel all pumped up, like you just ran a race!" You did just run a race Rich, but I know what you mean. He had the pure excitement of a teenager. His first run of the day proved to be his best, at 61.340 seconds. It was also the driest. The drizzle began again which kept the Toyota out. This had something to do with the fact that the air intake was so low to the ground the owner was afraid of sucking water into the engine! Rich's next two runs were attempts-at-speed to make racing slicks turn on a wet surface. He went for broke on his last run and spun out just past the slalom course. Although he didn't place first, he did manage six clean runs this weekend, which is the mark of a pro. We loaded up the car on the trailer and he made the comment "You spend a whole weekend and a couple of hundred dollars for about six minutes worth of fun." But seeing the friends he has made over this quarter century of sixty second thrill rides, I can tell that it is more than that. Maybe the only sensible answer as to why he does this is indeed the only answer: because it feels good.

Mark Caldwell

Last updated:03/07/07