Perhaps my earliest memories are of watching my dad race stock cars at Speed Bowl Park in Sterling ILL. In the very early sixties I think it must have been illegal not to smoke, and I remember seeing all the little glowing cigaretts lit up around the grandstands at night like fire flies as the cars raced under the lights. My dad clipped a wood pole one time which launched him into the air. His car did several rolls in the air and cleanly flew over the 12 foot high fence and out of the park like a home run. My parents divorced when I was about three, then I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and with no other children around. My grandfather got my Uncles old go-kart out of moth balls to keep me occupied. By the time I entered kindergarten I was convinced I was 48 years old and destined to be a racing driver. This made school quite a shock. I kept thinking "who are these noisy, sticky, irrational little people and why am I being detained with them?" After several dareing escapes from school I was allowed to drop out of kindergarten. I grew up not really feeling very comfortable with most other kids and their interests. Home life was stressful as well with a mentally ill stepfather. (Since he had adopted me, my last name changed to Lavelle, till I changed it back in my twenties) The one place I always felt I belonged was in the world of racing and sports cars, especially British ones. My Uncle always had a cool British sports car, starting with an MG-TD and then a series of sexy Jaguars. He also provided an ample supply of Sports Car Graphic and Road & Track magazines that were my escape road as a youth. I fell hopelessly in love with British automobiles and set about owning as many of them as possible. Fortunately this was in the 1970's when there was still a relatively ample supply of cheap ratty 50'S & 60's sports cars. At 13 with the help of my grandparents I purchased my first British sports car for $150 . It would be the first of many. It was a 1958 Triumph TR-3A basket case. With my grandfather's help I set about a British sports car restoring & trading frenzy that would occupy most of my younger years.
My firm plan growing up was to spend my life racing at least as an amateur and hopefully professionally. I got off to a great start racing an Austin Healy Sprite at eighteen years old. Also I considered a career as a motorsports journalist and figured the two interests would help feed each other. For a pictorial run down of my racing and sports car experiences go to the "My cars" page. The racing and British sports cars really weren't just hobbies, they were my identity and lifestyle and I never thought I would be without them.Well, life doesn't always turn out the way you planned and for two decades I was out of sports cars and racing. During those years it was simply too painful to even be around sports cars or racing, so I actively avoided them until I could be involved again. A few years ago, it struck me how totally off track my life was. At 43 I really hit the wall with regret in what could be called a "Mid Life Crisis"over missing out on my planned lifestyle and I became depressed. Anti-depressents and a MAJOR mid life "reorganisation" slowly started helping. The plan for recovering as much of the desired lifestyle as possible then developed. First I got a 2003 MINI Cooper for some fun daily driving therapy. Then I bought a basket case 1959 Triumph TR3A to restore for classic motoring. Next, I bought a retired Sprite race car and spent two years and a lot of money restoring it to race in Vintage/Historic races. The constraints of racing a nearly fifty year old car became too frustrating though, so I sold it. Two more years, a ton of effort and a shameful amount of money wasted. I finally discovered the perfect answer to serious racing on a limited budget was a Spec Racer Ford
When I started racing again, it was like waking up from a bad dream. The cars, web site, racing videos etc. are all good therapy and help keep my mind off the "what might have been". Now I just try to concentrate on getting as close to the life I wanted as possible. I won the MCSCC SRF class championship and Sports Car Club of Rockfords "Driver of the Year" award in 2007 which was a great boost. To quote Tom Petty, "I'm running down a dream that never would come to me."
Here's Jeannine at BFR in Oct. 2007 and less "glammed up" than above.
On January 29th 2005 my wife Jeannine and I attended the Madison Sports Car Club's 50th anniversary event "An evening with Sir Stirling Moss" I can only say that my precariously high expectations were far exceeded when we actually met Sir Stirling and his lovely wife Lady Susie Moss. he is a true gentleman and a genuinely nice guy. To top it off, his stunning wife Susie is delightfully charming and kind. After getting our print signed by Sir Stirling, we spotted the beautiful Lady Moss and went over to chat. She instantly put us at ease commenting that she wanted to get Sir Stirling a Nehru jacket like mine. She even offered to show Jeannine where to shop for them if we ever made it to London! I told her that in my universe seeing Sir Stirling was infinitely bigger than whole room full of presidents or movie stars. She actually choked up for a moment as she said that she thinks Stirling is so wonderful that it is really gratifying to meet others who appreciate him so much.
After the presentation Jeannine and I were sitting at the table when Lady Moss came up and eagerly asked if our expectations were met by the talk. She said she had been looking over to see our reactions. You could have knocked me over with a feather! I was indeed fully impressed by Sir Stirling. At that moment Sir Stirling himself walked up (he's only about my height by the way, maybe about 5'5") and had a seat at our table. With no one else near he then was kind enough to chat with us about his experience driving Sprites (which I was vintage racing that year)! This racing legend of biblical proportions is as unpretentious and gracious as anyone you could hope to meet. Sir Stirling and Lady Susie, Thanks for everything!
Tess is a brilliant rider with an amazing raport with animals. Below she is pictured jumping. Her horse "Roz" sadly had to be put down due to arthritus. Tess is still riding and jumping though and has three cats at home. She would like a career helping animals.
Camille is now grown and had her own daughter, Isabella. Camille is a great daughter and now a great mom and finished an online program to be a medical office assistant. She is pictured with Rey, and their daughter "Bella". Camille and Rey are expecting their second child in summer of 2008.
