From:Darby Otto
Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2006
“Hi
I just wanted to update you on how the points chase worked out this year. I and the 5-time champ battled all year back and forth for first and in the end I am the victor!
The last race I Had to win to take the championship and that meant taking out the first place guy also 5-time champ in the 1/4 finals,
and to do that I made sure I raced him to put destiny into my own hands!
After that round I had to go 2 more rounds to win it all... and that’s exactly what I did winning the championship by a mere 3 points over the champ!!
I did not achive my other goal of 12's as the weather wasn’t very nice the last race, but I am very optimistic that I will achieve them in the spring.
But I did win a championship and win a NHRA wally earlier this year also! A very good year for me and the Grand Ville!”
Darby
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From The Track 
From:Darby Otto
Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 “This spring it ran its quickest time yet of 13.16 at 102! Updates are as follows: The car is running consistently low 13'40's in the 91+ heat this year, compared to high 13'80's last year. I have just recently added a 3.42 rearend from a 71 Buick riviera GS. It had a 3.23 Rearend before that; that means this 4780 pd car will run into the 12's this fall! I also put a stock 69 cast iron Intake back on and opened up the ports a little to help it flow. I am in second place in my street eliminator class with 3 races out of the way 6 more to go. I took out the 5-time champ in the first race with a .009 light and running closer to my dial then him. I have included a pic of the most recent upgrade which includes a set of weld 15x5 rims on 215x75x15 radials up front. I will keep you posted of any faster times this fall and also of my points chase this year!” 
January 6, 2006
“I bought this car back in 2000. I am the second owner of it. The previous owner had driven it up and down the coast from Florida to Maryland. I found it in the local paper here, and went and looked at it. It was sitting in a dry floor 1 story barn, covered in dust and pigeon poo... We tried to start it but wouldn’t start; after some inspection filed points and filled carb with gas and she came to life... It now has the original 455.040 rebuilt with a 223 231 cam on a 108 LSA, with a q-jet carb ,stock 69 4 barrel intake,3.23 rearend from a 73 buick Riviera gs with a tight 10" 3200 stall continental convertor. Best time to date in not so good weather is 13.24@ 101.20 mph!... and it still gets 15 mpg... all at a weight of 4850 pds!!... Only Grandville around with a shaker!!” 1974 Grandville 2 door hardtop owned by DarbyOtto@msn.com in Wisconsin. See See 1974 B-body Photo Gallery April 8, 2006 “First test& tune at the track this year... new best time... of 13.16 at 102mph!! More to come as my first race is the 30th.” Darby  See Rich's Bonneville on the beach at our Cool 1961 B-body Classics Gallery
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005
Subject: 1961 Catalina Nostalgia S/S I bought this car from the original owner with 80K miles. It was a 3 On-The-Tree 389/348 Tri-Power car. I quickly tired of driving a non-synchro 3 speed and went to a 1970 M-22 Muncie. I had a 1962 421 SD motor sitting in a corner and decided to have some real fun! I stroked the 421 to 466", Crane .615 Solid Roller Cam and Kit, Edelbrock dual quads with aluminum intake and heads, J&E 10:1 pistons, Crower Rods. I run a stock Pontiac 4:30 Safe-T-Track with Hotchkiss Adjustable trailing links. Headers are custom made by Nunzi of Brooklyn and the clutch and flywheel are competition McCleod. I REFUSE to put a roll bar in this beautiful car so I run limited events since NHRA isn't crazy about any car running quicker than 11.99 sans roll bar ... although they do cut these nostalgia cars some slack since they are real crowd pleasers. If I can get the big Indian to hook ( no easy task on 9" tires!!! ) it will go 10.80's at 126 MPH. Usually I don't "run it out the back door" to keep track officials happy. I had an interesting experience at a recent car show at Moroso Motorsports Park in West Palm Beach Fl. One of the event staff came over to me and asked if I would like to "match race" a red 1962 409. He explained it was really for a photo shoot to promote an upcoming Nostalgia Race. We agreed to come out of the hole just enough for a good picture then lift. As I was about to stage I could hear the announcer playing to the crowd and asking them to cheer for their favorite. As the Chevy did his burnout all the Chevy guys cheered and gave me a big thumbs down! I could see all the Pontiac guys pumping their fists begging me to waste the Chevy! I looked over at the 409 and he gave me a thumbs down!! I knew then, this race wouldn't end for 1320 Ft.!!! They used a flagman for the nostalgia look and I was a little rusty but my concentration was good as I planted the throttle ( I run a 2 step MSD with a 5K low chip ) and hoped the track would hold a hard launch since I had no time to practice. Third amber, pop the clutch and feel the tires grip and front end rise. As I power shift second only to see the 409 right beside me!! Watch the tach 6600 hit third then fourth at 6600 and thru the lights at 6300 ... look left ... no Chevy ... WE WIN!!! When I returned to the starting line you would have thought I won a national event!! It was great day for Pontiac fans and really gave me a thrill you just don't get from sitting around all day at a car show!! Rich Caprio Fort Lauderdale, Fl |