Virginia International Raceway - August 3-4, 1957
THE WASHINGTON DAILY NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 1957 - By NASH FRAZER
Dick Thompson, Frank Baptista, and Charlie Wallace - leading contenders for national sports car driving titles - head a group of more than 30 D. C. area drivers at Milton, N.C. this weekend.
The two-day program opens the new 3.2 mile Virginia International Raceway just completed on a 1200-acre plantation not far from Danville, Va. It's a spectators' paradise with nearly all of the twisting, uphill and downhill track visible from the infield heights which accommodate 25,000 onlookers.
Thompson, leading the country with 4800 points as a result of four firsts and a second in national competition, will drive Manhattan Auto's Jaguar XKSS and new Porsche GT Carrera. Dick also is to handle Dick Doane's Corvette F. I. in which he won so handily at Marlboro.
Baptista, with 4000 points and undefeated in Class G-Modified ranks, will tool his fleet Lotus Monza.
Wallace, in addition to driving Jack Pry's Porsche RS in which he has amassed 2800 points, pairs with Walt Hansgen on Briggs Cunningham's D-Jaguar team. Charlie finished fourth in one of Briggs' Jags at Elkhart Lake and was second to Sherwood Johnston at Nassau last December in Jack Rutherford's D-Jag.
United Auto is sending a six-man team with Harold Hurtley, "rookie of the year," heading a Triumph TR3 quartet which includes Stover Babcock, Dick Wilhelm and George Bull; Roger Wing in his Corvace and Rick Kelly in a Morgan and Fairthorpe Electron.
Charlie Kolb, busiest of all drivers, leads the Continental Motors team which includes Baptista, Art Tweedale in a Porsche 1600 and Don Melvin in a Morgan. Kolb will drive his new Elva Mark II if it arrives in time, a Triumph Monza, Fairthorpe Electron and Morgan.
Bark Henry and Fred Windridge, representing Rosenthal Chevrolet, will be banging away in Corvettes.
On Manhattan's team, in addition to Thompson, are Steve Spitler in the Carrera, Jim Robinson. in the Jaguar 140MCR and Nick Ryder in his Cooper.
With Wallace on the Pry Crew is Dick Nash, breezing double winner at Marlboro in his Porsche 1600. Dick thinks he found a good groove in his practice at Milton last week.
Others set for the weekend are Charlie Sarle, AC-Jaguar; Fred Fuller, AC-Bristol; Temp Briggs and Ken Hanes, Alfa Supers, and Duncan Black, 4.5 Ferrari.
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