Z is for Zenith – Del Monte Trophy Race Group

𝐙 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐙𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐡, the Alpha and Omega, the last and greatest in this entertaining series of 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝔸 𝕥𝕠 ℤ… ℙ𝕖𝕓𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝔹𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙 ℝ𝕠𝕒𝕕 ℝ𝕒𝕔𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝟟𝟝𝕥𝕙

𝐙 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐙𝐨𝐨𝐦. I reached out to you on social media and to others for inspiration for something to do with Z. Rob Manson’s wife Katie immediately said “Zoom”. Well she actually said “ZZZZoooooooooom”. Of course. Obvious. It’s what all us in the Del Monte group do on track and in our resting moments. I came up with some other topics beginning with Z. Knowing that the long evenings are drawing in and you will be keen to contemplate the infinite of motorsport, I will share some of them with you…

𝐙 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐲 “𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐚” 𝐀𝐫𝐤𝐮𝐬-𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐯 (1909 – 1996) was a Russian and American engineer widely known as the “Father of the Corvette”. Though the original styling and concept belonged to Harley Earl, Arkus-Duntov was the brilliant engineer and racing driver who transformed the slow, six-cylinder 1953 sports car into a world-class American performance icon. After joining Chevrolet, he lobbied for and helped integrate the powerful small-block V8 engine, saving the car from near-cancellation. He developed the 1957 Rochester mechanical fuel-injection system for the 283 cubic-inch V8, creating a dominant track and street machine. He pushed the Corvette into major endurance races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and championed legendary projects like the 1963 mid-year Sting Ray redesign and the lightweight Grand Sport. Before his time at GM, he built fame designing the famous Ardun overhead-valve conversion kits for Ford flathead V8 engines. Is he cool in that photo with a cigarette, or what? More at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zora_Arkus-Duntov

𝐙 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐙-𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞, a high-performance tire built to handle safe driving speeds in excess of 149 mph (240 km/h). As cars became faster, tire makers introduced W (up to 168 mph) and Y (up to 186 mph) ratings. Today, a “Z” often still appears inside the size code (such as ZR in 225/45 ZR17) to show it is a high-speed core construction, while a specific letter like W or Y is usually listed next to the load index to give the exact limit. Handling and Compound: Z-rated and ZR tires use softer rubber compounds and stiffer sidewalls. This design gives you better grip, sharper cornering, and shorter stopping distances, though they tend to wear out faster than standard all-season tires.

Robert Arbuthnot, Alfa Romeo 8C35,
Brooklands 1939

𝐙 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 “𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐞”, an idiom for a mental state of peak focus and high performance where tasks feel effortless and distractions disappear. Have you been there? Are you sure?

𝐙 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐙𝐞𝐮𝐬, the king of the gods in ancient Greece, god of the weather (mist over Laguna Seca as we peer our way to the assembly area) and god of law (two Brits got docked 40 seconds for overtaking under a yellow flag).

𝐙 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐙𝐢𝐠𝐳𝐚𝐠
A zigzag dash through the Del Monte pines,
Where hazard and hazard-defying designs
Met the cool ocean breeze on a gravel-strewn track,
With zero real safety to hold a man back.
In November of fifty, the engines awoke,
A blitz through the forest as cylinders spoke.

Young Phil Hill, full of zeal, took the primary crown,
With a Jaguar XK120 flying down.
He breezed through the blind spots, the dust, and the fog,
His modified roadster outrunning the bog.
They blazed past the spectators, inches away,
As the dazzling chrome captured light from the bay.

Then fifty-one came with a shift in the road,
A sizeable stretch where the power-trains glowed.
They zigzagged left onto Alvarado’s tight bend,
A frenzied new corner for drivers to trend.
Bill Pollack blitzed forward, an Allard J2,
A prize-winning beast as the exhaust notes blew.

The zenith of sportsmanship, raw and untamed,
Where crazed, daring drivers were fiercely acclaimed.
Though the asphalt was tight and the cypress trees loomed,
The buzz of those early years brilliantly bloomed.

𝐙 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐙𝐙𝐙𝐳𝐳𝐳𝐳. a comfy zizz in an armchair which is what you will do having read all of this. Unless you need to read another chapter of Mark Brinker’s mammoth book Heroes of the Forest https://heroesoftheforestbook.com