The PV Story, Part IV - Odyssey House Online

Credit: Dan Brignoli
Watkins Glen NY 1975 and the end of an
era for me and my PV-544. After this
event the old car was put out to pasture
(literally). It sat in the open in a field in
upstate NY for the next twenty five years
until I was able to bring it down to West
Virginia where we now live.

Credit: Nick Polimeni
My wonderful old PV as it stood shortly after being
removed from the pasture.
The old PV underwent restoration as time
permitted and was eventually rrestored as it was
during that fantastic season of 1969.

PART FOUR

Upon returning from Sebring the PV was treated to a fresh head gasket, a rebuilt radiator and
a little cleaning up. My trusty old car was now ready for a full season of SCCA national racing.
I’d become aware that my skills improved in direct proportion to that of my competition and
therefore decided to concentrate on national competition for the 1969 season despite the fact
that my PV wasn’t remotely competitive at this level. In addition to the aforementioned aluminum
bodied Alfa Romeo’s, in 1969 Porsche 911’s were allowed (through a loophole in the rules) to
compete as sedans. I won only one race, the only regional level event I ran and that was the last
running of the “Reading Road Races” held at the Reading PA airport. I was sorry to see that
event fall from the schedule as it was one of the most enjoyable races I’ve ever run. It was a
true “round the houses” in that the course ran primarily around the access roads for the civil
defense barracks. After 1969 however, the insurance became impossible as a look at some of
the accompanying photo’s will attest. Fire hydrants, telephone poles and drainage ditches are
not recommended for race courses.

During the season I had the opportunity to attend the “Expert Drivers Seminar” at Lime Rock
Park held by the prestigious “Road Racing Drivers Club”. The event was open only to SCCA
national competition license holders. The instructors list read like a who’s who of American road
racing. Mr. Volvo himself, Art Riley was one of the instructors assigned to my group along with
Datsun ace Bob Sharp and Doc Vilardi. One of the highlights of that day was listening to a
discussion between Art Riley and Bob Sharp regarding the point at which an overtaken car
should give way to an ovetaking car in a corner. Sharp maintained that when the overtaking car
had acheived a point roughly even with the drivers seat of the car being overtaken the
overtaken driver should concede the corner. Riley however, maintained that as long as any
part of his car was still ahead of the other car he wasn’t about to concede anything.
The two were fierce rivals on the track yet maintained a
great respect for each other and in the end simply agreed to disagree.
I still have the certificate presented at completion of the seminar signed by chief
instructor Mark Donohue.

My PV dnf’d only two times all season. One of these was a snapped rear axle shaft at Virginia
International Raceway in Danville VA just as I was moving into third place for what would have
been my second third pace in two events. I was still trying desperately to get back on course
after tearing up a good deal of countryside (including a pretty good “yump” as the Swede’s
would say) when a corner worker appeared drawing his finger across his throat. Wild eyed, I
looked out the window at him and said, “did I lose a wheel?”    He must have thought I was nuts.
The other time was at the old Bryar Motorsport Park (now New Hampshire International
Raceway) in Loudon NH.   The line to the oil pressure gauge broke but not until after I’d
managed to run as high as second among three Porsche 911’s in the pouring rain.

Some weeks after the end of the season I received a letter from the SCCA national office. It
appeared to be an invitation of some sort involving the championship runoffs at Daytona
Speedway. I couldn’t figure if it was some type of advertisement or what it was about. I hadn’t
paid any attention to the point standings.   Running a PV-544 against Porsche’s and Alfa
Romeo’s why should I? Sitting in my old Mercury at a traffic light while on my way to see Sandy
and ask his opinion I happened to glance at the address label. In the corner it was marked
“4NE”. The dawn broke. My PV and I had finished 4th in the Northeast Division SCCA national
point standings. I had an invitation to the 1969 American Road Race of Champions at Daytona
Speedway. When I looked up the point standings I found that I had missed third place by one
point. I had finished no higher than third all season but the consistent 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th
place finishes had all paid points and they added up.

My good friend Bob Theall’s considerable skills and enthusiasm were again enlisted. Another
lube, oil change and brake adjustment and my indomitable PV was ready to challenge the high
banks of Daytona Speedway. We were off to Florida for the second time that year.

The “runoff’s” as they are known today, are quite an affair with the SCCA. The top three
national competitors from each division across the country compete in a single half hour race to
decide the national champion in each class. One way travel expenses and hotel
accommodations are provided by the club. Bob and I enjoyed a ground floor beach front suite
for the week long event.

Luck was with us again as early on we were told that one of the competitors ahead of us would
be a no show. The road course for this event left the big oval at the end of the pits after the S/F
line and reentered at the top of the back straight so that only one of the high banks was used.
My first trip around that banking was a daunting experience. Bob and I had walked the course
theday before and were surprised at how steep 33 degrees really was. As I roared down the
backstraight on my first practice lap my concern was that my old PV wouldn’t have enough
speed to
stay up on the bank and might tumble off into the infield. I chose the second lane up and went
into the banking at maybe 105-10 mph. To my surprise there was no sensation of turning at
all. The PV balanced perfectly, it was as if the world had tilted under me. The infield came up
on my left and the road ahead came toward me from the top left hand corner of the windshield. I
discovered why stock car drivers tend to sit very low in their cars. I had to tilt my head onto my
right shoulder to see ahead. I shortly got another lesson in super speedway driving when one of
the A/S Camaro’s caught me on the banking. My view to the rear was even worse than looking
forward and I didn’t see him coming. He blew by at maybe 160 mph or better. There was an
explosion of sound on my right and as though punched by a giant boxing glove, my PV as blown
to the bottom lane, sucked up to the third lane and set back where I was. I never moved the
steering wheel. Driving a small car on a high speed course could be treacherous in ways one
wouldn’t expect. With nothing to do but hold the wheel from the top of the back straight through
the banking and tri-oval to the first turn, I let my concentration slip. I was looking at the
spectators in the stand when I noticed several objects flash by on my left. I had over shot all the
shut off markers for the first turn. Standing on the brakes the left side wheels locked up as I
desperately searched for the best place to deposit the car with the least trauma. As I slid down
into the turn something in the way the car felt told me, “try it”. When it felt right I dropped into
second gear, released the brakes and put the throttle down. That amazing old PV heeled over
and slid through the turn all out of shape but still on its feet.

After a couple of practice sessions it became apparent that the 4:56 axle wouldn’t do. The
whole car was ringing like a bell with the engine turning over 7200 rpm in fourth round the
banking and past start / finish. We talked to Bob Speakman who had built one of, if
not the best racing PV’s ever. He told us that he had been watching from the outside
grandstandand that my PV sounded like a formula B car coming through the tri-oval. “You’re not
going toget any more out of that engine”, he told us. In fact I had taken to tucking my left foot
up underthe seat through the speedway part of the course. My thinking was that, should
anything let go Imight lose only one foot that way. We located a salvage yard in Jacksonville Fla.
that had a 4:11axle from a 122S and made a dash up there to pick it up. It didn’t seem to
improve the speedbut it did bring the revs down to 6800.

In the race I was able to hold my own at the rear of the pack through the infield road course
but once we hit the oval I got left. An event like this has an effect on the psyche. This is the big
one and the competitive juices and adrenaline are overflowing. As we came through the tri-oval
to the first turn I was a 8 or 10 car lengths behind a Lotus Cortina. I remembered the practice
incident where I nearly wrecked. I thought, “if it worked by accident it can work on purpose”. I
drove flat out past all the shut off markers and dove into the turn. I slid past the Cortina in a
cloud of blue tire smoke. Handled properly my PV rounded the turn in much better shape this
time. When I looked in the mirror the Cortina was in the grass, though I hadn’t touched him.
One of our younger crew members upon seeing the smoke from his vantage point in the pits
exclaimed, “oh no, he blew the engine”! Bob Theall smiled and said, “no, he’s just trying hard”.
My PV and I finished tenth and last of the running once again.

The racing career of my PV had come to a close. The trusty old beast saw service on the
track a few times in the ‘70’s but it was never again raced seriously. In the years that I raced the
car I probably spent less than $3000 on it. Yet that PV-544 afforded me adventures,
experiences and life lessons that were priceless. It really wasn’t competitive and I wasn’t a
winner but for me there were things more important than a shelf full of silver cups (although the
old PV did win a fair number of those). I’ve always had the “run what ya brung and give it hell”
attitude toward motorsports. My satisfaction derived from doing a better job that expected for
the equipment I had. My PV was ideal for this. Whenever I asked a little (or a lot) more from it,
the old green car came through for me. The PV-544 Volvo will always be my top choice when it
comes to enthusiast cars.

For the 1970 season I purchased half interest in a 122S for U2 Trans-Am racing, but that’s
another story for an another time.

Credit: Lydia Polimeni
The hollow yet restored and painted
shell of the old PV sits on display at the
Carlisle PA fairgrounds during
the May of 2007.

Credit: Alex Polimeni
The cosmetically restored PV-544 proudly on
display at the DC Auto Show in late January
of 2008. Here it patiently awaits an engine
and running gear.