Looking for Pizzo bros old fastback racer

[Eric Madson]

Yep...same weekend!

[deano]

Yes, I remember that one very clearly. That intake manifold wizzing by my head after it clucked against the retaining wall..... The sounds of breaking rental car glass for Randy Bowen.... Gee, I wonder if National Healthcare would cover flying Cossey parts? Ya think? You would never have thought that taking VW drag photos would be a full contact sport.

[kaferdave]

While we are on that particular location and subject, there's something else I want to come clean about, and after that I promise I'll let this thread get back to the Pizzo Brothers Fastback.
This all must have been 1997, because I had just started working for VW Trends. And this time out was my very first solo act, that is, no one around to make sure I was doing stuff right, getting the right shots and right info, etc etc.
Well, I wasn't really too comfortable with all this just yet, but I had to return with the cool shots and etc from Wittman... I had shot some feature cars before, so I wasn't worried about shooting the Velvet Hammer Karmann Ghia from Colorado, I knew I had that handled.
BUT I was concerned about my drag racing photos...Here's my dirty little secret-
Now, we all know Deano is "The MAN" when it comes to VW Drag Racing photos, and I knew who he was, so, unbeknownst to him, I shadowed that guy, pretty much all day. I stayed right behind him, and if he raised his camera to take a photograph, well, then, so did I. I asked him later if he knew he had a shadow, and Deano said he didn't, so I guess I did okay. But if any of you go back, you'll see that the Wittman coverage, in both Hot VWs and VW Trends, have, pretty much, the same photos of drag racing in them. I was worried that someone might catch on after looking at the 2 magazines, but I never heard anything about it...
Deano, I think I'll leave the "Walter Tate info exchange, late at night at the Bamboo House" story for next time...

[JCquick]

Oh thats funny Dave,, Ok now lets hear the Walter Tate story I know i have one that involves Tricky Ricky Smith I'll just say this ole Walter can move when needed

[kaferdave]

I'll post it sometime later, on it's own thread... this one needs to get back to the Pizzo Brothers Fastback...

[stealth67vw]

http://eugene.craigslist.org/pts/2642920792.html

[Decker]

Wow...I haven't thought of that day in a while!

It was MY rental car that the intake elbow went throught the backglass of. Nice new Taurus from Hertz actually. I lived in Dearborn, MI at the time and flew to the races to help Randy out.

I remember it plain as day...it seemed like it took 15 minutes for that part to go up and over our heads. At about 12 o'clock straight up I thought, hmm, our pit is sorta, right over there, BOOM!!

The funny thing was all kinds of fans looking inside the rental and of course that was also our tow vehicle so we had some tools in the back seat.

I really didn't know Cossey, and still don't, but remember one well known racer telling me "If you want any money for that window, you better go start grabbing parts out of his trailer NOW"

Of course Cossey gave me his card and said call him Monday...no response that I can remember.

The best part of the story is this was not, by far, my first rental car for a drag race. I had the damage waiver. We had shop-vac'd it out, roll into Hertz..."Any problems sir?" me "No ma'am, but your going to want to put a new back window in this thing" her "Why is that" me "Umm look ma'am...its missing" her "OHH MY GOSH"

Randy an I always say we should have wrote a book on the travels from CO to all of those races...whew!!

Greg