[AshSimmonds]

And not to trivialise it - but doesn't the wreckage look fairly limited compared to the speed reports etc?

[AshSimmonds]

Obit for someone who was involved - sort of off-topic as only died a few years ago but included in the interests of coverage.

We will always remember Carlo
14/09/2005 1:56:27 PM
Born in Resana, Italy in 1932, Carlo Duregon came to Australia at the age of 18 years.

He was adventurous and always knew he would go somewhere.

His first choice was to go to America but the age to go there was 21, so he decided Australia would do. His family are forever grateful to him for that decision - otherwise Janice, Ann-Marie, Angela and Luisa and their husbands Ron, Michael and Mark and grandchildren Alexander, Charles, Katie, Eliza and baby Carl would never have known this wonderful person in their lives, so they feel they were truly blessed.

Carlo came from a big family of 10 - eight boys and two girls.

After Carlo came to Australia he was joined by his brothers Bruno, Lorenzo and Gianni and sister Elena.

So the family ended up with five in Italy and five in Australia.

Even after 55 years in Australia, Carlo still loved to go home to Italy (which he did a lot of times) and all his family there have great love for him.

Carlo first spent two years in Sydney doing various jobs. He also picked grapes and worked for the Railways. He then decided to join a film crew that was going across the middle of Australia making a film, but as things go this all went wrong and he came down through the centre and ended up in Port Augusta.

It was here that he met his lifelong partner Janice and they shared a wonderful 47 years together.

He also met at this time a man named Bruno Neumann, who called Carlo "Jimmy" and Carlo called Bruno "Max" and the two became very good friends for life.

Together they started contract work building houses for the Railways as far west and as far north as you could go.

These were very hard and harsh jobs, all pick and shovel work and no airconditioning in those days. Carlo could tell hundreds of stories about those days. When they hadn't eaten for a couple of weeks it was bad luck for any sheep or emus to get too close.

It is a wonder Carlo ever survived, as he was a real speed demon in his young days. Two of the great races he took part in were the Ampol Around Australia Rally and also the Cannonball Run.

Ask Lorry Manno about his trip to Adelaide. Carlo went to Adelaide in about 1¾ hours on the old Adelaide Road. No speed cameras in those days. So you can see why his family were so shocked when he became ill. They always thought he would die on the road.

Carlo was a most successful and wise businessman, both in the building industry doing big contracts and houses and also having car dealerships.

He was a highly respected man in the community of Port Augusta, and was a member of different clubs including Lions, Knights of the Southern Cross and Italian Club where he will be very missed (he cooked the best barbecue).

He was a workaholic and didn't like when it was a public holiday, he had to stay home!

Carlo went through his illness with such braveness and strength, he is to be admired and honoured - not once in nearly two years did he complain or ask "why me?"

Unlike Janice and family who asked a hundred times why this good man had to have this given to him. Carlo's answer to this was always "everyone gets to have a turn at this and this is my turn." Carlo's strong faith also helped him to cope through his illness.

Carlo had a very full and exciting life and still had much more planned to do but it was not to be.

Carlo's friends and family thank God for the life of this wonderful man.

Janice and all of Carlo's family sincerely thank everyone who attended his funeral to farewell him and asked them to think of him as being home with his God; his dear mother and father and family; and good friends that have gone before him.

Janice and all his family will miss him and love him forever but will see him in everything they do for "To the world he was but one, but to us he was our whole world." Rest peacefully dear Carlo.

Passions lead to success

Carlo Duregon always had a passion for fast cars and carpentry, leading him into two successful business ventures - car sales and building.

From a young age, Carlo learned carpentry skills helping his father with the family's cabinet making and joining business in Italy, which paved the way for Carlo's career and interest in building.

At the age of 19, after reading an advertisement in the paper seeking men to work in Australia, Carlo applied for a position.

After more than two years in Australia, Carlo decided to join an expedition travelling across the Simpson Desert, which brought him closer to Port Augusta.

Carlo began working in Leigh Creek doing maintenance and carpentry work for ETSA, and four weeks later was employed by Bruno Neumann, building cottages for the railways in the Leigh Creek district.

Bruno then offered him a partnership position and they worked together for five years, building railway cottages between Port Augusta and Alice Springs.

When work with the railways became quiet, the business partnership dissolved, leading Carlo to Port Augusta where he began contract jobs around the region.

Carlo worked very hard and there are many landmarks around the region which showcase his building talents.

He built Whyalla's Alexander Motor Inn, Port Pirie's Commonwealth Bank building and Port Lincoln's telephone exchange building.

Carlo also worked in Woomera, building the airport and 200 workers' huts, which later became the Woomera Detention Centre.

He also won a contract to build more than 1000 Housing Trust homes in South Australia's regional cities and always enjoyed the travel associated with this work.

Eventually this work began to slow down, and Carlo decided that if he wanted to stay busy, he would have to engage himself in other activities - he chose the car business.

In 1971, Carlo decided to venture into a Chrysler car dealership, buying Eric Mortlock's business located on Tassie Street, and C. D. Motors was created.

Carlo found selling cars very challenging, and could say with pride that, as a cadet, he sold his first car to Mrs Baluch.

C. D. Motors then moved to its current location on Caroona Road and Carlo also bought the crash repair shop across the road although it was sold four years later.

As well as the car business, Carlo continued building and his work had become so well known that he didn't need to advertise.

Carlo doubted that his car business would have survived if he didn't have the two businesses to support one another.

But survive it did, and Carlo expanded the car business, with C. D. Nissan built on Eyre Highway.

Carlo always liked fast cars and in 1970 he took part in the Ampol 21,000km car race, with 100 other competitors.

He raced a brand new Holden Monaro GTS and went three days with no sleep during the race, finishing in around about 16th place.

Then, in 1994, Carlo competed in the four-day Cannonball Run from Darwin to Alice Springs and back.

Carlo tried to retire once, but found he got too bored.

"I would sit down to watch TV and fall asleep," he once said.

"You lie down asleep and the TV watches you," he then joked.

Carlo made the decision to come out of retirement and go back to C. D. Motors and eventually back to building.

And although Carlo worked from dawn to dusk, he still found time to be a member of the Port Augusta Italian Club and Lions Club.

Carlo and his wife Jan raised their three daughters in Port Augusta and enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren in later years.

"Willing worker" leaves mark

Carlo Duregon's close friend Tony Kroes described him at a "willing worker who was always generous with his time."

Tony is the president of the Knights of the Southern Cross - a group of which Carlo was a member for 36 years.

Tony said that Carlo was always generous with his time and machinery for any project that the Knights were undertaking.

Carlo played a major role in converting the Commonwealth Railways laundry into a parish hall, donating his expertise, workers and materials free of charge during this time.

"Carlo was always the first one to put his hand in his pocket for any appeal," said Tony, who listed examples including the recent Boxing Day tsunami and Eyre Peninsula bushfire appeals, and the Knights' ongoing palliative care project.

Tony described Carlo as a valuable member of the Knights, who attended meetings regularly and was a member of the executive at the time of his death.

"He will be sorely missed by our club," said Tony.

Lions Club of Port Augusta president, Fay Phillis, echoed Tony's sentiments, saying that Carlo would be remembered for his "friendship, generosity and very dry wit."

Carlo was a member of Lions for 30 years after being introduced to the club in May 1975 by his close friend, the late Tony Annessi.

"He's always been a valued member of the club and has been, not only to us but also to other people, quite a generous person," said Fay.

While a member of Lions, Carlo attended club conventions interstate and overseas, and Fay said that he would be very sorely missed by the club.

http://portaugusta.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/we-will-always-remember-carlo/415656.aspx?storypage=0

[AshSimmonds]

Another competitor:

G' day- my first time- please be gentle. I'm totallly new to the salt, but did run my 1984 (C4) Corvette in the 1994 Cannonball Run. Finished 3rd outright and 1st n/a. The donk was a home built 355 ci chev, which had 366hp at the wheels which I estimate to be about 425 hp @ the flywheel. This was good for a solid 170 mph on tarmac. I am now building a 434 ci smallblock which should make 600 hp( streetable -on PULP) I had thought the extra 150 hp would get me to 200 mph on the salt in the vette. Now that I have a look around the DLRA site I realise I have a lot to learn about that white dyno. Anyway, I have sent off my $100 cheque- I'll build the 434 and hope to be at the salt next year to see what she'll do!
Vetteracer
PS They reckon the Romans used to say "If you can't race it or take it to bed, it's not worth while having!"

PPS I tried to post this last night, but can't find it on the site PPPS- that should be "extra 175 hp"

http://dlra.org.au/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9429

[AshSimmonds]

Maserati Barchetta Stradale

http://www.qv500.com/maseratibarchettap1.php

http://www.qv500.com/maseratibarchettap2.php

By the early nineties, Maserati's uninspriring Biturbo-based line-up was in desperate need of something new and exciting. A stillborn prototype known as the Chubasco had been displayed towards the end of 1990, but due to its complex specification, never made production. Instead, Maserati came up with a highly specialised racing car known as the Barchetta that incorporated state of the art components with little regard to cost. The plan was for 25 Corsa variants to be followed by a series of road-going Stradale's, however, a mere 15 were eventually built in total.
     

They were assembled at the De Tomaso plant (also in Modena), Alessandro De Tomaso having taken ownership of Maserati back in 1975. Designed for a one-make championship known as the Grantrofeo Monomarca that ran for just two seasons in 1992 and '93, Maserati wanted to appeal to amateur ‘gentleman' drivers much like Ferrari's 348 Challenge Trophy and the Porsche Supercup. The Barchetta Corsa used a steel tube backbone chassis as seen on the 1990 Chubasco prototype announced a year earlier. Alessandro De Tomaso was a famous supporter of the spine chassis and had used it for his Vallelunga and Mangusta models back in the 1960's. For this latest application, there was a longitudinal beam made from a mixture of light alloy and composite materials, magnesium having been used for the front and rear bulkheads. At the front, the spine was coupled to a light alloy subframe from which the suspension could hang. The engine meanwhile was rigidly mounted to the central beam via another light alloy subframe to which the rear suspension was also attached. Rocker arms were used with pushrods at the front and pullrods at the back, the wide-angle double wishbone suspension featuring inboard coil over shocks. The ride height was adjustable whilst braking came courtesy of non-servo assisted dual circuit brakes with an adjustable balance bar, ventilated discs and four piston calipers. Lightweight 18-inch Marchesini wheels were 8 and 10.5 inches wide at the front / back.
 
   A hot version of the second generation Ghibli's twin turbocharged 90º V6 was installed, this mid-longitudinally mounted engine featuring four overhead camshafts and four valve cylinder heads. Displacement was a diminutive 1996cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 82 x 63mm respectively. Equipped with electronic fuel injection, two water-cooled IHI turbochargers and a compression ratio of 7.6:1, output was 315bhp at 7200rpm with 275lb ft of torque at 4250rpm. A ZF six-speed gearbox used straight cut gears and offered a multitude of alternative ratios.
     
This mouth-watering combination was then clothed with a gorgeous Barchetta body fabricated from an aluminium honeycomb, fibreglass and carbon composite. Consisting of three main panels (plus the flimsy doors), the front and rear mouldings were completely detachable. For racing, a huge adjustable rear spoiler and roll-over hoop were fitted. Inside, the cockpit was kitted out exactly like you would expect, no luxury trim, sound insulation or carpet. Recaro seats with distinctive tartan tops and centres were installed, each being trimmed in fire-proof cloth and equipped with Sabelt harnesses. A suede-rimmed three-spoke Momo steering wheel fronted a lightweight instrument binnacle that did without a speedometer. Weighing in at just 775kg, the Barchetta Corsa was an explosive performer and probably the fastest one-make racer of its time. A top speed approaching 190mph was originally quoted but something around the low 170's was probably more accurate, 0-60 requiring just 4.4 seconds. The Barchetta was launched on December 14th 1991 and for the forthcoming season, a six round championship known as the Grantrofeo Monomarca Barchetta Maserati was organised. All six events were held on Italian soil and despite fairly small grids, these little cars provided entertaining and reliable racing. In 1993, a ten-race championship was run with eight rounds in Italy and two in Holland. 15 Barchetta's were sold, mostly to Maserati dealers who enlisted guest drivers although some also went to privateers. A Stradale version was completed in 1992 (and is covered separately in Part 2) but with disappointing sales figures for the Corsa, Maserati decided not to organise a championship for 1994.

By the end of 1992, Maserati were actively promoting a road-going Stradale version of the Barchetta. However, after the prototype was destroyed (chassis LAC), only two further examples were completed by the factory, both of which featured subtly different detailing. Little was changed in the Barchetta's transition to a road car, the official brochure revealing the same twin turbocharged two-litre V6, albeit with the redline reduced from 7200 to 6250rpm. Consequently, output was rated at 306bhp as opposed to 315bhp. Other alterations included new ‘Frog-Eye Headlights', extra spot lamps, indicators and enlarged door mirrors whilst the rollover bar and adjustable rear wing were ditched. Officially, weight was increased from 775 to 905kg. After the aforementioned prototype was destroyed (chassis LAC), a Corsa (chassis LLH) was fitted by the factory with a ‘Frog-Eye' Stradale front end. This otherwise race-spec car (rollover bar, rear wing etc.) was subsequently lent to the Australian Maserati concessionaire for use in the 1994 Northern Territory Cannonball Run.

Comprising a return trip from Darwin to Ayers Rock, chassis LLH won outright and handed the Barchetta its only multi-marque period race win. The other factory built Stradale was chassis LAE, a road car from new. Equipped with many unique details, among them 'Covered Headlights', special door mirrors and wheels, this car languished at the factory for many years before going into the collection of Modena-based industrialist, Umberto Panini. Several other Corsa's have since been modified to make them street legal, some of which adopt the bare minimum changes required by law whilst others opt for LAE-style front bodywork with covered headlights (as seen on chassis LAD depicted in the final three photographs). That wasn't quite the end of the story though as the Barchetta lived on in the form of the De Tomaso Guara for another ten years…

[AshSimmonds]

Another re-hash from the same guy:

It was 1994, and as I think I said in an old thread, I got caught up in the race as I was driving on the Stuart Highway north of Alice Springs, being passed by competitors, at the time the F40 crashed south of Alice. When I arrived, the car had been taken away but the looping skidmarks were evident and the scar in the roadside dirt was surrounded by discarded medical wrappers and shards of carbon fibre, plus a cigarette packet and soft drinks from the marshal's table. The report I read stated that the F40's odometer was 8km out and so the checkpoint arrived unexpectedly. The driver braked hard coming out of a right hand curve, the back stepped out as he got onto the dirt, he over-corrected and went into a slide the other way, hitting the 2 marshals and colliding with their 4WD parked behind the table. The driver (a Japanese dentist) and his co-driver were not wearing their helmets, and as the impact was side-on apparently struck heads or at least both suffered fatal head injuries. The photo of the accident shows the F40 sliding, the 2 marshals on their feet and starting to run, a Porsche 930 coming round the curve in the background and an unsuspecting "civilian" Commodore in front of the F40, plus the cloud of dust from the start of the lose. There had been misgivings about having rich competitors with more money than experience, and I still have all the articles I picked up, from Darwin heading south, including official press releases and the less supportive local press. The then transport minister had had mowed the entire NT section of the Stuart Highway, from Darwin down to the Uluru turnoff, which caused more than a few grumbles even before the race.

http://forums.biante.com.au/showpost.php?p=176499&postcount=41

[Cannonballrun.info]

And not to trivialise it - but doesn't the wreckage look fairly limited compared to the speed reports etc?

That was mentioned at the time actually... people put it down to a lot of speed being washed off as it slid in.

[Cannonballrun.info]

Anyhoo - I'm not actually sure which direction they were travelling when the incident happened, do you have more info?

Definately heading towards the rock....

[scud]

Definately heading towards the rock....

and i always thought they were travelling towards alice springs flat out as it is straight road, coming over the hill and spotting the check point late, turning in while braking and losing control.
for those of us who have been there, we know the right hand bend before the point of the crash, and i guess taken too quickly will catch you out.

without reading what ash has posted or checking on goggle i thought they were going to miss the checkpoint and tried to pull the car up

[mhh]

...for those of us who have been there...

Been there and wouldn't mind going back one day. 

[AshSimmonds]

Google news archives

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Lb0RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kOwDAAAAIBAJ&dq=cannonball&pg=7003%2C4197734