Autographs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHLXnyY537c

I am not a collector of autographs.......my mom had MANY White Sox players on programs when she went to games in the late 1940's.......ehhh they got tossed at one point.

ouch.

Tanner Foust

Rhys Millen

Shawn Carlson

and a several others I met at a Formula Drift Competition at Summit Point in 2007. Great time and I'm hoping to go again this year.

eastsidemav wrote: Got a limited edition print signed by Richard Petty, but thinking of getting rid of it (his anti-women in motorsports schtick kinda ticked me off). Harry Gant signed a t-shirt of mine back when he was still racing. Not racing related, but my personal favorite autograph is from Gordon Jump. Ran into him at a Sears store, had no idea he was going to be there signing autographs. I loved WKRP when I was a kid. He was a real nice guy in person.

IIRC, Gordon was intended to be the replacement for Maytag appliances ads (the "bored repairman") after Jesse White died.

It didn't really work, since we remembered him so well from WKRP...and the fact that in the 1990s, "planned obscelence" had gotten to the point where no one knew what an appliance repairman actually was anymore..

Jesse White:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXJ0rAyE_mQ&feature=related

I looked for the old Gordon Jump Maytag ads, but couldn't find one. So here's the man trying to sell folks on "Shakey's Pizza" joints before he got the WKRP job...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Okb-VrLe4

My uncle ran a fairly successful Automotive traning company which he founded in the late 70s/early 80s (MoTech and Pact Autotech). As a kid, I recieved many autographs from people he met. These were mostly on 8x10" cards. Off of the top of my head, I remember:

Rusty Wallace, Bobby Rahal, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt (not a fan, but significant nonetheless), "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, and Sterling Marlin.

I also got a signed Mika Hakkinen hat from Speedgear on clearance awhile ago. Definitely one of my favorite pieces of automobilia.

This is a little embarassing, but...

I went to SnoDrift this year to help crew for a friend. Never been to a stage rally in my life. He was one of the featured drivers in the official guide, which was cool. One person was going around getting autographs from every featured driver, and - for thoroughness' sake, he was also getting crew autographs*.

So, somewhere, someone has MY autograph...

1990, Heartland Park Topeka, the day before Juan Fangio II led flag-to-flag for Toyota's first IMSA GTP win. We're out on a corner early, waiting for practice to start, and there's Dan Gurney, the team owner, sitting on a minibike. I went up and told him I just had to say I had met him. He couldn't have been more gracious. Without being corny or anything, his manner was sort of "Gee, this is flattering! Thank you so much for coming over!"

It never occurrred to me to get an autograph.

I went to an SCCA driver's school with Peter Eagan, WAY back in the day, and I got him to sign the entry list for that school last year at the LOG event (Lotus Owners Gathering) in Birmingham. He even asked me to sign something he had! Pretty cool guy.

Will wrote:

P71 wrote: I have Scott O'Grady's autograph (the fighter pilot who got shot down in the Gulf War and was rescued after being a POW). I got to meet him and listen to his stories when I was in the Civil Air Patrol.

Scott O' Grady was shot down over Kosovo, and never a POW...unless he was shot down twice and I missed it.

Oops. It's been about 20 years, I forgot the details. How did he get back out?

I also found "Tex" Hill's autograph in his book that I own. Sweet!

All members from the '87 Skyway Tour including Aggroman! Signed on the year of their 20th anniversary.

Oh, yea. Also including a very young Matthew Hoffman on his first pro tour.

^^^There's probably never been a more appropriate use for the word rad!

I also have Hoffman's autograph. But only because I found it on a shirt at the back of the rack at the bike shop I work at.

Currently in my office... The entire Audi Team that won the 24 Hours of LeMans in 2008 The original drivers of the Penske RS Spyder, and Roger Penske BMW M3 GTR Drivers: Boris Said, Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand

At Home... Corvette Racing: Ron Fellows, Jan Magnussen, Johnny O'Connell, Max Papis, Olivier Beretta, and Oliver Gavin Flying Lizard: Johannes van Overbeek, Jörg Bergmeister, and Marc Lieb Tony Kanaan New addition was the 24 Hours of LeMans winning Pug team.

Best story... at the 9th Petit LeMans, I am getting signatures from the Audi team and talking with McNish... that year Mazda sponsored the event, so the Mazda LMP1 car was shown in front of the R10. As McNish is signing, I make the statement... "The Mazda must be about to get lapped". McNish giggled. I think it caught him off guard. Good times.

2nd Best Story... was in the Corvette hospitality tent when the drivers came to do private autographs. After the session was over Max Papis came up to me and we had a 15 minute conversation about how he learned to drive and who taught him. I was wearing a "Senna" shirt. Apparently he used to go to Aryton's Grandmothers house after lessons and eat dinner.

3rd Best story... Walking through the paddock prior to the start of ALMS qualifying a guy in a race suit cuts right in front of me. My brain processes for 1/2 a second and then I say, "Tiff!" Caught off guard by being recognized in America Tiff Needell turns around and we talk for a few minutes. He is there on a TV assignment and disappointingly not driving. If you are not a fan of "old" Top Gear, or haven't watch 5th Gear (and really who could blame you) you make not know who Tiff is, but rest assured... massive car guy / racer.

4th best story... towards the end of the 2006 race my dad and I are walking through the paddock. He has to stop to use the porto-potty. While he is in there taking his sweet time Johnny O has just pitted and done a driver's change. He is now waiting in line behind my dad. While waiting we have a quick conversation about the race, Corvettes strategy and he basically tells me that the Astons are faster and that their only hope to win is for them to break or have an off.

Sorry... thread jack.

BradLTL wrote: 3rd Best story... Walking through the paddock prior to the start of ALMS qualifying a guy in a race suit cuts right in front of me. My brain processes for 1/2 a second and then I say, "Tiff!" Caught off guard by being recognized in America Tiff Needell turns around and we talk for a few minutes. He is there on a TV assignment and disappointingly not driving. If you are not a fan of "old" Top Gear, or haven't watch 5th Gear (and really who could blame you) you make not know who Tiff is, but rest assured... massive car guy / racer.

My son and I ran into him at Mid Ohio. He was with a film crew doing a story on the Dryson Racing Aston Martin. I didn't get an autograph, just said hello and that I watched his show when I could.

As I mentioned earlier, I live just a few miles from Michigan Intl. Speedway. For the last several years I have worked for the Hospitality Dept as a volunteer on NASCAR race weekends. My job is to take race sponsors and various suite guests on pit road and garage tours prior to the start of the race.

Last year, I took a group of Aflac guests on a pit road tour and took them to Carl Edwards pit area since Aflac sponsored his car. One of the women asked if I would autograph her nice 8 x 10 color photo that had already been signed by Carl and his crew chief. I tried to tell her that I wasn't associated with the race team, but she insisted saying " Please, but you're the Aflac tour guide" I realized that she was being totally serious, so of course I agreed.

I felt kind of silly, as she handed me her photo and sharpie, but could tell it meant a lot to her as she was very excited. Her husband even took a photo of us as I was signing it for her. It was a fun story to share with the other tour guides later that morning.

Many years ago, I worked for a syndicated comedy morning radio show. We used to sign autographs at all of our remotes, and had to do an autograph line after our charity softball games. I've probably signed hundreds of autographs, it never ceased to be awkward or embarrassing, especially since I was signing my on-air name not my real name.

Bonus points if anyone can come up with my on-air persona.

I volunteered for the Denver GP for the experiences. The most memorable was helping with a promo event the week of the race, and the Cadillac World Challenge team had a car and Andy Pilgrim there. Andy and his crew were very friendly, and clearly enjoyed every aspect of their jobs, even if it meant a gimmicky appearance to sell tickets. When the topic of the then-recently canceled Cadillac LMP program came up, Andy's crew chief had a few choice words about the GM management responsible for canceling it.

Consistently, the teams that were the most fan-friendly were Newman-Haas on the ChampCar side and the RealTime World Challenge team. By far the worst were Forsythe and Michael Andretti/Team Motorola.

One year, I met a Japanese couple who had flown in from Tokyo with a portfolio filled with photos of every ChampCar driver they had taken in Denver the year before, and they managed to get every one of them signed. I admired their dedication to make the trip two years in a row, considering I couldn't get my friends to drive 30 miles to show up even when offering them free tickets.

Hmmm...I have a 8x10 team photo card signed by most of the Postal Cycling team (except Lance) the year Dave Z was on..... Got a couple books signed by Jimmy Buffett.....got a CD signed to me & the wife from all the guys in Los Lonely Boys about 10 years back when they played a buddy's graduation party...

really not much on autographs

I don't have any autographs. If I had known in the 50'S and 60's what I know now I would probably have a large collection. My father and I used to crew for a friend of his who raced with SCCA. We went to all the races on the east coast even tracks like Cumberland and Malboro that don't exist any more. HD Theatre keeps advertising the show about the first "airbox" corvette. I don't remember the car but am fairly certain that I was at its first race in Cumberland.

P71 wrote:

Will wrote:

P71 wrote: I have Scott O'Grady's autograph (the fighter pilot who got shot down in the Gulf War and was rescued after being a POW). I got to meet him and listen to his stories when I was in the Civil Air Patrol.

Scott O' Grady was shot down over Kosovo, and never a POW...unless he was shot down twice and I missed it.

Oops. It's been about 20 years, I forgot the details. How did he get back out?

He evaded capture and was able to call in a rescue helo. Can't remember any other details.

I've got some old albums that were signed by the artists (old time bluegrass stars) and I've got a baseball with Babe Ruth's sig... my great (or greatgreat) uncle supposedly pitched for the Yankees in the '20's ( I've not been able to proof it so far) and according to my Dad the ball had all the '27 Yankees sigs on it ... the only one still there is the Babe's

I had all the Hooters girls autograph my hat at a race last year.

The Tecate girls are also into signing stuff if you ask nicely.

The complete Hawthorn and Essendon football teams from the 1983 Grand Final...yep 36 signatures

23 V8 Supercar drivers signed my "No Fear" T shirt at the 1996 Bathurst 1000.

Black Jack Brabham, Peter Brock and many more signed my program at a Sandown Park historic meet in honor of Sir Jack, he drove his old Brabham bt19 on track, and I got to ride in a Bugatti EB110 that day.

I've always thought that Brabam had the best looking formula cars ever.

I'm not a big fan of autographs, but I have books signed by Satch Carlson and Peter Egan.

BradLTL wrote: Many years ago, I worked for a syndicated comedy morning radio show. We used to sign autographs at all of our remotes, and had to do an autograph line after our charity softball games. I've probably signed hundreds of autographs, it never ceased to be awkward or embarrassing, especially since I was signing my on-air name not my real name. Bonus points if anyone can come up with my on-air persona.

Less Than Truck Load Brad? (LTL is a shipping/freight term)

pete240z wrote: Less Than Truck Load Brad? (LTL is a shipping/freight term)

You are on the right track. LTL is a throwback to my radio days, but isn't a freight term. Facebook is the key.