July 2003 Newsletter

Montana 500 Newsletter

Jul-Aug 2003 Volume 3 Number 4

General News, Editorial and Sermon.

I think that things went fairly well for the 43rd running of the Montana 500. We blew up a few model T’s in the race. Then we went to Yellowstone and blew up a few more. I would like to thank the folks from Bozeman Ford for the great service that they provided to us. They bent over backwards over and over for us. I would also like to thank all the support people, timers, flaggers, trouble trailer people and the teardown inspection crew.

Janet and I have talked it over and the fall meeting will be held in October in Eureka, MT. I will get in touch with Mike Cuffe to nail down the date and location. I plan to have the directors meeting and the general meeting on the same day at the same location. The directors meeting will be held right before the general meeting and will be open to all members. That is, non-directors are welcome to monitor the director’s meeting.
If you don’t read anything else, please read this!

We are going to handle rule changes a little differently this year. If you have any changes that you’d like to see, please send or e-mail them to me and I will pass them on to the rules committee that I have formed. The rules committee will put these ideas into the form of a motion. These motions will be printed in the next newsletter. The final vote will then be made at the fall meeting. If you cannot personally attend the fall meeting, you can try to get someone who is attending to proxy your vote. Each person attending the fall meeting can proxy a vote for only one person and only on issues announced before the meeting.

Some of the reasons for handling the rule changes this way are:
1. We need to finalize changes sooner so people can begin working on their cars.
2. If the ideas are put into motion form before the meeting, it will save time at the meeting.
3. Sending out ballots, as we’ve done in the past, is in effect conducting business outside of a meeting which goes against our club charter. Having a vote outside of a meeting is too easy for the person counting the votes to manipulate.
All submitted ideas may not make it to the general meeting. They must first get past the rules committee, then past the board of directors.

2003 Montana 500
by Ed Detour

I had never observed an entire Montana 500 as a spectator, but here are my observations and assessment of the 2003 Montana 500 from start to finish.

Pre-race:
It turns out that 21 cars have entered the trophy class. Some of the cars I am familiar with, some are unknown quantities. A few of the pre-race favorites would have to be previous winners. These are Ron Miller, Rick Carnegie and Tom Carnegie. Other interesting possibilities are Joey Coniff in the “Red Rocket” and Nan Robison in “Tweety-bird”. These are cars that in the past had won with other drivers. Steve Coniff won with the “Red Rocket” in 1998 and Tom Carnegie won with “Tweety-bird” in 1977. I also have an eye on Doug Langel who has been runner-up but never won – he may be due. At the end of last year’s race, Tony Cerovski was running really well – this may be his year. I have heard rumors that Mark Hutchinson, Rob Flesner and Chuck Nauditt’s engines were worked on by Tom Carnegie. Will this be a help to them? Newcomers Mike Wendland and Dave Warhank are an unknown quantity to me, but they are from Rudyard and maybe Doug Langel has given them a few pointers. I won’t count them out. Other possibles are B.J. Miller, son of Ron Miller. B.J. came in third last year. There is also Gary Ebbert. He finished fourth last year just a few seconds behind B.J. Art Hedman and Ted Ballard have been coming for several years now. They are getting stronger each year. I don’t know Garrett Green. He is driving a touring car, so I don’t hold out much hope for his chances. Maybe I’ll be surprised? Jillian Caples is driving the same car that Anna Marx drove last year. It was o.k., but unless it is souped-up some from last year, I would consider it an also-ran. I don’t know about Red Cress either. Dave Huson is an experienced driver and has finished in the top three before. Anyone who can finish in the top three is only a couple of breakdowns from taking home all the marbles.
Leg one:
Most of the action seems to be up front. Doug Langel is really flying. Two new guys, Garrett Green and Red Cress are also really cooking. I was definitely wrong about Garrett Green’s touring car. That thing is a contender. Tony Cerovski, Tom Carnegie, Rick Carnegie, Mark Hutchinson, Ron Miller, Dave Huson and Ted Ballard round out the top ten cars at this point. Dave Warhank, Chuck Nauditt and Mike Wendland are having some problems.
Leg two:
Everybody turns in a good leg this time except for Dave Warhank who seems to be having carburetor troubles and Jillian Caples, who is having radiator problems. At the coffee stop Jillian and some helpers install a new radiator on her car.
Leg three:
Everyone turns in a good run except for Rob Flesner. Dave Warhank seems to be getting his troubles under control.
Leg four:
Disaster strikes Mike Robison. He is out with a broken crank. Mike was in 14th place, 14 minutes off the pace of the first place car when he blew up. Mike was driving the oldest car in the run, a ’14 of course. At the end of day one, the top five are Doug Langel, Tony Cerovski, Tom Carnegie, Red Cress and Garrett Green. Less than ten minutes separate the top five cars. Rick Carnegie loses a rod on this leg but nurses it in.
Leg five:
More troubles. Red Cress becomes the second car to break a crank. He is out. This is Red’s first year and he was doing very well, running a strong 4th place when he broke down. He was just three minutes off the pace of the first place car at the time. Rick Carnegie has decided to change his rod today. Breaking his seal will cost him an hour’s time penalty. Tony Cerovski has timer problems. Dave Huson takes a wrong turn. The top five cars this leg are Doug Langel, Tom Carnegie, Nan Robison, Ron Miller and Garrett Green, in that order.
Leg six:

Mike Wendland has some problems on this leg. It seems to me that the fastest car is Tony Cerovski. Doug Langel is still in first place and Tony has a lot of time to make up because of his timer trouble on the previous leg. I think he may have the speed to do it. Tom Carnegie appears to have the third fastest car at this point. All the cars are running 11/16″ restrictor plates between the carburetor and the manifold, but the only car running cast iron pistons is Tom Carnegie.

Leg seven:
Rob Flesner, Mark Hutchinson, Dave Huson and Ted Ballard all have troubles on the road. Rob and Ted get going again, but Mark and Dave throw in the towel. Mark was in tenth place and twenty-five minutes off the pace. Dave was in 14th place and a little over an hour off the pace.
Leg eight:
Tony Cerovski is really moving. He picks up over three minutes on Doug Langel. There is a saying that model T’s run really good right before they blow up. Can Tony hang together long enough and drive fast enough to catch Doug? We’ll see tomorrow. Less than five minutes separate the top three cars. The top five are: Doug Langel, Tom Carnegie, Tony Cerovski, Ron Miller and Garrett Green. Gary Ebbert has a rod that’s “talkin'” to him, so he decides to pack it in. Gary was in tenth place at the time, about 40 minutes out of first place.
Leg nine:
All the remaining cars do fine this leg. Joey Coniff does especially fine and turns in the best time for the leg. Rick Carnegie is back in the race and turns in the third best time for the leg. Although Rick broke his seal to replace his rod, he is still running with his restrictor plate. It looks like it is a race for second place. Doug Langel is in first place and will not be caught unless something bad happens to him. Tom Carnegie, in second place has 55 seconds on Tony Cerovski, who is in third. Tony gained over a minute on Tom on this leg. If he can do it again, Tom will get third and Tony will get second. I notice Tom draining oil out of his car. T drivers do this because excess oil causes drag in the motor. It is a dangerous operation as too little oil can allow the rods to go out. Will this little trick give Tom enough speed to hold Tony off? Will Tom lose a rod? We’ll find out on the last leg.
Leg ten: (last leg)
Some strange things happen on this leg. Joey Coniff again turns in the fastest time. Ron Miller turns in the next best time and Rick Carnegie is again third, tied with Doug Langel. Tom Carnegie is next. Tony falls out of the top five for this leg, in fact, he is beaten by Mike Wendland for the first time. Tony was seventh, Nan Robison, B.J. Miller and Jillian Caples rounding out the top ten for this leg. All the remaining cars do o.k. After the tear down, the top three cars are declared legal. The final results are as follows:
Trophy Class

Name	Car No.	Total	Average speed	Notes:
Doug Langel	6	9:45:54	50.18
Tom Carnegie	19	9:49:15	49.89
Tony Cerovski	1	9:50:41	49.77
Ron Miller	13	10:05:45	48.53
Nan Robison	21	10:08:27	48.32	Top lady
Garrett Green	17	10:10:39	48.15
Joey Coniff	8	10:10:50	48.13
Arthur Hedman	9	10:16:56	47.66
B. J. Miller	2	10:23:18	47.17
Ted Ballard	18	10:46:19	45.49
Michael Wendland	11	11:00:29	44.51
Jillian Caples	10	11:04:28	44.25
Gary Ebbert	12	11:36:44	42.20	Lost rod – DNF
Robert Flesner	15	11:44:05	41.76
Rick Carnegie	16	11:47:29	41.56
Dave Warhank	20	11:48:19	41.51
Chuck Nauditt	14	11:52:56	41.24
Brian Cress	5	12:45:26	38.41	Broke crank- DNF
David Huson	3	12:55:03	37.93	Lost rod – DNF
Mark Hutchinson	4	12:57:35	37.81	Lost mag – DNF
Mike Robison	7	15:26:17	31.74	Broke crank- DNF

The following was contributed by Gene Kicha

Greetings to all Montana 500 Friends,
I must say that all the Montana 500 preparation activity in Spokane ignited my curiosity so a friend and I joined the organization and came to the Bozeman run to see what it is all about. We had a ball doing the Lowland tour and meeting new friends. Of special note concerning the run was the wonderful support and participation that Bozeman Ford Owner Dave Wallin gave the Montana 500. Thank you Dave for generously providing the use of the Ford agency for meetings, breakfasts for the entire group, use of the agency for safety inspections and after-run tear-downs, and the Barbeque Picnic. Thank you, also, Mrs. Wallin and the employees who did so much work. It was wonderful to have so much TV coverage of the event. Thank you for the support of Bozeman Ford employee Roger Beverage. Often-times, Roger was driving his own 1914 T-touring car pointing the way and being helpful in a hundred ways. Thank you Lynn Rogers for your expert help with in-house details. It was, also, special to have Dave and his wife drive the 1914 T-Touring car on the last leg of the 500.

Touring Class

Name	Car No.	Total	Average Speed
Gene Kicha	31	9:14:19	53.04
Dennis Dakan	29	10:29:52	46.68
William Brandon	24	11:28:24	42.71
Daniel Logan	30	11:41:44	41.90
Jim Ianson	27	DNF*
Jerri & Ed Holz	23	DNF*
Dave Robison	26	DNF*
Mike Cuffe	22	DNF*
David Wallin	25	DNF*
Roger Beverage	28	DNF*

*DNF = did not finish all legs.

Pete the Firehorse
By Tom Carnegie

Fire Chief Ward drives a 1914 Ford roadster. It belongs to the town of Baton Noir, Idaho. It is now six years old, but he continues to use it and update it because it is right hand drive and he likes it. This morning he is talking to Joseph Vant about installing an electric starter on this vehicle. Joseph manages the Laydon Garage. Most of the local folk just call it the Model T Garage. In walks Jesse and Hayes Olson, who are two of Joseph’s mechanics. “Howdy” says Chief Ward. “How are the Olson twins today?” though he knows full well that Hayes is several years older than Jesse. “Those three years of labor were really tough on my mother.” jokes Hayes. Soon the Olsons are giving their opinions about the best way to convert the firehouse T to electric start. “It won’t be that easy to covert, because the hogshead is backwards from normal model T’s”, says Jesse. As Joseph thumbs through some trade magazines he pipes up, “Gray and Davis makes a system that looks pretty good, but by the time it is all said and done you’re looking at over $100.00.” “Whoa. That’s a good chunk of loot. I don’t think the city council will approve that kind of expense.” Said Chief Ward. A voice comes from across the room. “I know! sell Pete.” This proposal is from Butch Dunsel, the youngest member of the Laydon team. “Hmmmm,” says Chief Ward, “I’m sure half the people in town would like to buy old Pete, but he is not for sale and never will be.” Everyone in the room knows he is speaking the truth.

Chief Ward is the only paid member of the Baton Noir fire department. The rest of the members, including Stripe, the dog and Pete the horse, are volunteers. Stripe is a Dalmatian, and Pete is a fine big Percheron. There is also Molly the horse, but she is pretty much worthless without Pete by her side. Some of the townspeople want to put the horses out to pasture. “Why, you could buy a hook and ladder truck for the cost of Pete alone” one of the locals has been heard to say. It is true too. In fact the city council has plans to buy a new Ahrens-Fox pumper when Pete is out of the picture. But for now, whenever the fire bell goes off, Pete comes a-running and stands in front of his apparatus. Once Molly is there and they are hitched up, he gallops off to the fire taking Molly along for the ride. Pete never has to be guided, he knows right where the fire is. At the scene of the fire he stands calmly while men shout, machines roar and even as hot embers from the fire land on his back.
Children are particularly fond of Pete. They bring him fresh grass and hand feed him crabapples. Pete is very gentle and seems to love kids too. At the end of the year the teachers at the elementary school hold a poetry contest. The winner of the contest gets the privilege of riding on Pete’s back as he is led through the annual Independence Day parade. It is a huge honor, and every student tries his best to win. Mostly the winners have written poems with words like “eventide” and “ineffable” and other words nobody uses. This year is different. The judges are the folks from the Model T Garage. They are looking for humor.

The runner up is a poem that has this recurring tag line: “quoth the Ragman, Baton Noir”. The winner is Art Rickerton who has submitted a series of limericks about the Model T Ford. Here are some samples:

It has thirty by three’s in the frunt.
The upholstery is not elegunt.
Has a nine gallon tank,
It starts with a crank.
And it cranks with a groan and a grunt.
I decided to be a detective.
To find out which coil was defective.
I tore it apart.
It finally did start,
When I uttered the proper invective.
I cranked and she started to crawl,
And pinned me right up to the wall.
I pulled the choke wire.
Made the motor expire.
I’m half inch thick now and seven feet tall.
The 4^th of July 1920, dawns hot and will get even hotter. The parade starts at 10:00 a.m. By 10:30, Art is on the back of Pete proudly waving to all his family and friends. Pete is so big that Art’s legs stick almost straight out. At 10:39 something happens that no one expected. The fire bell sounds, and when Pete hears the bell, he is off. Men struggle to control him but there is no dissuading this horse. All Art can do is hang on till Pete gets to the station. At the station the volunteers unload a slightly shaken Art. They hitch up Pete and Molly, and off to the fire they rattle. It turns out that Harvey Shoehorn’s shed is blazing nicely. The crew gets there just in time to watch the last remnants fall in on themselves. “Well, we’ve never lost a well or a foundation.” says Chief Ward. They return to the station.
It is Chief Ward’s job to take care of the horses. As he curries Pete’s fine brown coat, the Chief’s mind begins to wander back to his Model T and the conversation he had had with Joseph Vant a few weeks ago. Besides a self-starter he thinks that four-wheel brakes are a great idea. One of the magazines that Joseph and he had been looking through when they were talking about self-starters had an ad for four-wheel hydraulic brakes. He had decided to ask the city council to install them on his car, but Joseph was at the city council meeting and persuaded them that mechanical brakes were better. Joseph’s argument went something like this. “I have been involved with Model T’s and things mechanical for nearly 15 years now. Hydraulic brakes are a bad idea and will never be practical. I can tell you exactly why. It would seem the perfect system, as all four brakes would get equal pressure, but the problem is that if any one wheel should lose pressure, all the wheels would lose pressure and you would have absolutely no brakes. With a mechanical system, this is not the case. It is easy to see the inherent unsafeness of hydraulic brakes.” Chief Ward’s mind now drifts from the city council meeting back to Pete, whom he continues to curry. “What a fine horse you are.” He whispers into Pete’s ear. About this time Chief Ward and Pete are startled from their musings by another fire alarm.
This time it is a small grass fire on the edge of town, not far from the station. Across the field bump Pete and Molly and the apparatus. The department quickly gets a handle on the blaze. It appears that some kids playing with fireworks started the fire. It isn’t until the firemen get back to the station that Chief Ward notices Pete holding up his left hind leg. The vet is called and the worst fears are confirmed. Somehow Pete has broken his leg. “I’m sorry Chief, we’ll have to put him down.” Just then the third alarm of the day sounds. In spite of his broken leg, dutiful old Pete hobbles his way back in front of the apparatus. “Oh no, Pete old boy,” whispers Chief Ward into his ear. “Your fire fighting days are over.”
The town of Baton Noir now has a new pumper, but no one is particularly happy about it.

(end of story)