Page 21 - Sample pages "Forty Six: The Birth of Porsche Motorsport"

CHAPTER 7
JOHN VON NEUMANN
176 FORTY SIX The Birth of Porsche Motorsport
Pockets stuffed with cans of Miller, we found a spot to view the entire race circuit all the way to the Pacific sea cliffs. After motorcycles and stock MGs ran, and before Johnny’s race, we cheered Jack McAfee’s second place finish in a production car battle driving the Edgar XK 120. Next up, in the Torrey Pines Trophy for under-
1,500cc entries, McAfee again sat in a Siata, his car this time, not ours. On the same start grid, von Neumann and Barlow waited way back for the flag and fury. By the end of lap 1, Johnny’s 356 SL had passed 19 cars to reach second place behind Al Coppel’s speedy MG special, with Barlow coming on strong. Four laps later, Johnny
caught Coppel and held his topless Porsche’s lead for the rest of the race – or, for us, about two cans each of Miller. We jumped and shouted as the red Porsche came around the final lap almost a full minute ahead of Barlow. History! Johnny’s victory that we witnessed at Torrey Pines was the first for a Porsche on the American west coast.
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© DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS © DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS TON WATSON FINE B