Mercury Black Max

Rose Cup race: After a 16 year layoff, Brian Richards was due

Brian Richards had given up racing for 16 years.

He couldn’t afford it.

The Weaver Trans Am Camaro he rode to a pair of Rose Cup victories in 1993 and 1994 sat in storage near Portland International Airport, gathering dust.

“When we pulled it out,’’ said the 53-year-old Richards, “everything had to be re-done.’’

The driver had to brush up on a few things, too.
Richards got back in the Rose Cup hunt last year, although he couldn’t catch Milwaukie’s Matt Crandall.

Crandall wasn’t around at the finish Sunday during the 53rd Rose Cup race because his differential went out after one lap and the guy with probably the fastest car – adventure junkie Nick Fluge – kept taking off-track sightseeing tours of the Portland International Raceway road course.

“Kept losing 20 or 30 seconds,’’ said Fluge.

“Hard to win when you do that.’’

In the end, it was Richards’ race, even though a lightning-fast custom-built Porsche driven by Loren Beggs nearly stole the show.

“Where did that Porsche come from? Holy smokes!’’ said Richards.

Beggs was second in a nimble Porsche that out-braked everybody and Aloha’s Cindy Lux was third after race stewards docked the beleaguered Fluge – who crashed his car and bent the frame on Friday - for passing under yellow. Instead of third, he was 13th on the final result sheet.

Richards led 28 of 30 laps in the 45-minute race, but he had some heart-stopping moments.

He missed a gear with two laps to go and from that point on his engine began making strange noises.

“The car was not happy,’’ said the Burnaby, British Columbia driver who once campaigned on the Trans Am and American Le Mans Series circuits.

Beggs was very happy.

This was his chance.

“I could (hear) the (Richards) car misfiring in front of me and I tried to pass him on braking in turn seven,’’ said Beggs, “but I just couldn’t get enough of a run.’’

Beggs’ car was constructed from scratch in his 911 Design Shop specifically with the Rose Cup race in mind.

It wasn’t the prettiest car on the grid – it had a big number 203 on the side with the three crossed out – but it could fly.

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Rose Cup race: After a 16 year layoff, Brian Richards was due

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