After participating in several fun days and driver schools at Meadowdale in the mid-'60s, Ross Fosbender raced the fourth real sports car race of his life at a Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs race on the Meadowdale long course. That was in late 1965. His stone stock Triumph TR3 presented no threat to the track records, but he was able to complete the hour long race and drive the TR3 home.
He raced Meadowdale again in 1967 in an Alfa Romeo. With more races under his belt, he had just been certified as a Racing Instructor and trained his first student on the 2.2 mile MIR short course. When Midwestern Council ran its last ever race at Meadowdale in June, 1968, he was busy getting married, and missed the event. He says he's been sorry ever since. (?)
40+ years later he is still racing in Midwestern Council and still teaching people to drive race cars. (Also still married.) After 33 years of wheel-to-wheel competition, he switched to the Midwestern Council Open Track Autocross (time trial) series. He was 2000 season X/Stock champion in a Toyota Supra twin turbo. In 2001, he was F/Prepared champ and in 2003, F/Modified champ in a Toyota Cressida!.
Active in race staffing, he has been a race chairman many times, as well as working in most specialties. He has had a national license in Flagging & Communications. Now he is a partner in and Chief Instructor for a commercial on-track event production company, Speed Merchants Ltd. He is currently Secretary of the Midwestern Council of SCC. He says his un-official title is "Resident Old Fart".
1957 Triumph TR3. My first road race car. I raced it at MIR in October, 1965.
1959 Alfa Romeo Super Spider 750F. My first Alfa. I raced it at MIR in July of 1967.
1957 Corvette. I never raced this car at MIR, but am sure it ran there many times. Originally prepared by Dick Doane of Doane Chevrolet in Dundee, IL, it had all the factory race options: FI 283CID 283HP, 4-speed, 4.56 posi, big brakes and fuel tank, delete option radio and heater. I bought it in 1969 for $1100 and sold it for about the same. Shoulda kept this one!
