Shelby's Debut at Green Valley Raceway
by Dean V. Ricci (as told by Glenn Alford)

Take yourself back, if you will, to the month of February in the year 1965. Nothing special comes to mind right away. But, unknowing of your future passions in life, this particular weekend will be quite a memorable one.

The place? Green Valley Raceway located just north of Dallas, Texas. The event? The "Frost Bite" race weekend, a typical SCCA weekend race event. Those who were in attendance were taking part in a bit of history though, for this was the debut race for the GT350 R Model Shelby Mustang.

Carroll Shelby and a crew member (sitting on the fender) are amused by whatever Carroll is holding in his hand. In the foreground Ken Miles (wearing a hood) is talking with crew members from Shelby American photo by: Glenn Alford

Shelby's Pit Crew getting the G.T.350 ready for a race. The crewmember standing in the door working the throttle, was Ron Butler. He had bright red hair. (Note the Terlingua Racing team decal on the front fender) photo by: Glenn Alford

This indeed was the inaugural race for the GT350R. By the way, the GT350 with Ken Miles at the wheel WON!

Here are the events of the day as told by Mr. Glenn Alford who sent me these photographs.

I'll try to explain a little about the pictures. My memory is not that good. I had made notes on the back of the original photographs.

There is one picture of Shelby's Pit Crew getting the G.T.350R ready for a race. The Crew member standing in the door working the throttle was Ron Butler. He had bright red hair. One picture is of Carroll Shelby and one of the pit crew sitting on the right front finder of the G.T.350R. That's Ken Miles with his back to the camera with a hooded parka on, talking to some of the other Pit Crew. Our silver HiPo Mustang is in the background.

There are four photos with Ken Miles driving the GT350R during one of the races. There is one photo of our Silver 271 Hi-Po Mustang in the pits on one side of Shelby's pit area. It won the first race and came in second the second race.

This was after the Ford Rep. Told the driver. "It would be better for business if the local Mustang convertible won the second race." Either Dave Dooley or Ray Pickering drove it, after he badly bent his E Jag, my memory escapes me.

There are three photos of a silver AP Cobra #7 on the other side of Shelby's pit area that could be the first 427 Cobra that Ken Miles put together using an FIA car. (It is an FIA body but is an A-Production with odd ball headers.) I have never been able to find out for sure.

I was there as one of the pit crew for Jim Thompson's Lotus 7 America EP #77. Jim was a salesman for Dub Richardson Ford in Oklahoma City, OK when we met. I bought a new Mustang from Jim the day they came out and wound up helping build engines and prepared the Lotus for several races during 1964 and 65. He later moved to Jack Balker Ford in Ponca City, OK and was where he was working when we went to the race in Texas.

a Brand new Corvette Grand Sport

One picture is just before one of the races. We were Grid 1st and had trouble with the radiator cap vibrating loose. Jim came into the pits and I put it back on. He came in the second time and I wound about 8 or 10 rounds of Duct tape on the cap. This time it stayed on and we came in 4th. Not too bad for two pit stops in a short race.

Our brand new 271HP HiPo pitted next to Shelby

Dock's blue Porsche #44 grid 2nd won. One picture is the Lotus in the pits ready for a race. We were about 8 or 10 spaces down from Shelby's pits. The Lotus was painted 1965 Mustang Poppy Red. The Lotus 7's all ran in F Production during 1964 but were so fast that they got bumped up to E Production in 1965.

That's me changing the oil on the Lotus 33 years and 33 pounds ago in the black & white photo. The engine was a BMC, the same type as a Bugeye Sprite. .180 over bore, SU side Draft's, Speedwell bottom end, (Polished and balanced crank, rods etc), over sized valves, high lift long duration cam. Good Year Blue Streak tires with 5-Star recap. The engine was as illegal as all get out, but so was everyone else's.

Two pictures of a Blue and White #00 C-Modified Corvette Grand Sport. 327 C.I. with 4 Webbers on cross ram manifold. Tube frame, thin fiberglass body. Lots of vents all over the body, note the louvers in the hood and the differential radiator just behind the rear window.  I under stand that Ken Miles and the 427 Cobra put all of them on the trailer before the summer was over.

One picture of a Formula 'V'. Driven by Henry Ford out of Oklahoma City, OK. Note: the driving suit with out any sponsor logo's.  One picture of a Volkswagen, and the Dallas Mustang that we beat with our silver 271 HiPo in the first race. The black VW passed the Mustang twice in the Back Hair-Pin only to be re-passed on the front strait during the first race. All ran in the GT class.

A silver VW GT from Scoville's Volkswagen in Norman, Oklahoma.
My wife and I hope to go to the SAAC convention in Feb. 5,6,7 in Las Vegas if we can schedule everything to go. My brother and sister-in-law said they could be packed in 10 minutes.

My new Viper

The Viper is only bragging rights. I got to ring it out last month and it was a hoot. It's some how almost two civilized compared to the 427 Cobra that I got to drive in 65.

It was luck not planning that put me at the Green Valley Speedway back in Feb. 1965. I got to talk to both Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles about the GT350R and to crawl over and under the car.

I didn't know for 20+ years that I had been there for its first race. I only wish I had the Cannon 35mm that I use today. The pictures would have been much better.

Glenn

Shelby Spec sheets autographed by Carroll back in the day