the scene was The Carolina Cup, '74 maybe (the first year it ran i think), a
carload of us drove down from charlottesville virginia for this
race....bikes, togs, fresh Cat IV licences in our sweaty hands.....for me, it was clear
that i would be the last of the pack so i stayed to the sidelines.....who walks
up to me but Wayne Stetina's father...he admired my "race" bike ( all campy
Paris Sport 1000 ) and asked if i was going to register....i explained my fear of
the field and my lack of experience...he encouraged me to ride the race as it
would be the last chance for lower Cats to push off in an Open field w/ the
likes of his son....he said it would be good experience to learn and say i did
it....he was a total gentleman and almost the father figure for that moment to
the whole proceedings....Wayne shoved off, rode w/ the field, looking every
bit the man among boys.....needless to say, 2 laps from the end he rode away w/
the race pushing hard to the end. very impressive, very fast....Wayne won a
nice frame, a Speedwell i think....stayed around w/ his dad and talked to
everyone, shared all sorts of info about how he set up his bike, tactics, what kind
of engine was in the motor home....you name it, they shared...the Stetina's
made that event, that day a memorable experience...without them.....ho hmmm.
>From my experience being around racers of many deciplines, the bitching most
often starts over legitimate issues....mostly about safety or lack there of...
anyway, you hear this and that, but that family showed us all the dedication it
takes to be at the top of the heap....god knows where they came from in that
motor home, but it looked well lived in....i was also expecting to see him
rideing the flashiest bike of us all.....it was nothing too special looking as i
recall, not all campy, nice wheels but i don't think the rims or tires matched,
no head badge..... how is it they say, "it's the singer, not the song". help
me out on this as i'm sure some of you others were there....do i remember
right??? charlie flaherty baltimore maryland usa