 Eight years ago today, I saw this photo of Michael Argetsinger in a Formula Ford I didn't recognize during a celebration of his life, held in downtown Chicago. I was intrigued, so I took a photo of it when it came around again in the slideshow, as seen here.
Four years ago today, Paul Jay and I loaded up the remains of the Elden and another car into a semi in Connecticut. Seven days ago, it finally made the finish line at one of his favorite tracks. Cheers Mike.  We lost Tom yesterday.
One of the funniest, intelligent, self-deprecating people I have ever met, who always made you feel like you needed an extra laugh and smile before you parted ways. The last time we saw each other was last week at KMPR when he stopped by to see PJ, and I, for once, made him laugh. I'll never forget that sound.  Michael Argetsinger's former 1973 Elden PH10B and the Tankersley/Piz/Wittcoff/Watt/Raggio/Kincaid 1977 All American Racers Eagle DGF.
Two Formula Fords that couldn't be further apart in design and concept, yet they both do what they do tremendously. The legendary Eagle has given us two Monoposto Cup Club Ford titles and the 2019 Rolex Award of Excellence at Monterey. The Elden was a passion project: finding a FF that our late friend Michael raced, tracking it down, and making it a racer again. It didn't matter the brand, we just wanted one of his cars. It turned out to be an Elden, and making it what it has become has been an immense undertaking, yet we know it is going to be a flier, just like the Eagle. Both are an honor to have at KMPR, and both are an absolute joy to exhibit competitively  50 years ago this weekend, Michael Argetsinger took his American Express Racing Team Elden to a 6th-place finish at the Ulm/Laupheim Flugplatz ADAC event, an event won by fellow Elden pilot Tibor Meray.
50 years on, at a circuit deep in the Kettle Moraine region, his Elden picked up two in-class podium finishes, and we're beyond humbled. Got hit on the pre-grid by a driver not paying attention: red mist ignited.
Started 36th. Sad phooey to 1st and 2nd gears. Went 8... seconds faster. Finished 21st overall. 11th in Formula Fords. 3rd in Vintage Formula Ford. Tears were shed. Cheers Michael.  We finished 10th overall and 2nd in the Vintage Formula Ford class in today's Elkhart Lake Cup race for Group 4, 10 and 11 entries.
The #121 Elden PH10B finished just over a second behind VF winner Murray Burkett in his Chinook, but the Elden pulled fast lap for the class. All done simply using 3rd and 4th gears due to an issue that will be remedied soon. Two podiums to cap off what has been a tumultuous year is a huge boost heading into 2024. Also: The Elden is a fecking hoot. Don't let the short wheelbase fool you. Special thanks to Werth Racing, Turn Right Racing, The Hampshire family, Paul Pfanner, Larry Haynes, Tim Woelk and everyone else who has helped us on this journey. And cheers Michael, this was all for you.  A first lap accident saw to it that we didn't get a clean lap in the heat race today. Finished 32nd overall and 9th in VFF. We're still battling some issues that are greatly hindering our progress on the stopwatch, but we learned a good deal about how you can pitch an Elden into a turn in a higher gear and maintain momentum. [Insert evil Grinch smile here]
So tomorrow, it might be more of the same in terms of result on paper, but the data we've getting behind the wheel is immense. We'll get this thing sorted before long. The fact we completed the race today was a win, considering the season we've had. And no, it isn't an Eagle. It's an Elden, and if the act of throwing it into a corner sideways doesn't make you feel alive, you might want to look into it. [@tdporter95 Photo]  It hasn't been our weekend thus far. Qualified tenth in VFF and 36th overall.
But things are looking up. We found an issue that had been plaguing us since we first turned a wheel with this strange little car. Heat race is at 4 p.m. As Paul would say, 'We have them right where we want them!' |
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[email protected] Hubertus, Wisconsin 'Where History and Integrity Meet' |