A less
intimate view of the Kammback: at the exit of Turn Two, riding the crest
of the adrenalin wave and looking by this time past the left-edge notch of Turn
Three at the Turn Four apex. That spot on the track was a place where the right
side wheels were relatively unloaded. Even the lightweight cars customarily hung
a wheel out over the edge, dragging some dirt onto the asphalt at every pass.
Eventually there was a good-sized ditch along the inside of the turn.
Not much dirt lifted out of it then, but it required another decision: was the
straighter, theoretically faster line worth the upset of that inside wheel dropping
into the depression and bouncing back out?
I don't know, but it seemed to me I could feel forward momentum, the most precious
of all commodities for a Vega, draining away in the down-and-up-and-down
motions engendered by dropping the corner of the car in the hole, so my custom
and practice was to leave just half the tire width hanging over. *
I'm
not sure if this picture is from the same weekend as the nice shot at the top
of the page. This one is obviously made on a cheap camera and I can't distinguish
enough to say. I have photos showing three distinct number designs on the Kammback
at Riverside.
That grandstand up there is the same backdrop seen in the
P.L. Newman photo on another page.
*The
#43 Petty photo showing an elevated right front tire is another fine effort among
Mike Smith's Riverside International Raceway and other racing photos that can
be seen at this Web site: Turbo's Racing Photos
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