| Historian Ron Cummings
remembers Buford Lane:
"Buford Lane drove Corvettes
for Washburn Chevrolet, from Santa Barbara, before retiring.
At Willow Springs, I believe
in 1960, Dave MacDonald drove his first road race. On Sunday he started
in the back. He flew by everyone, including Bondurant, to dice with
Lane for the lead. Lane was driving the '58 or '59 # 614 car.
The two of them rubbed
fenders the whole race. On the last lap at turn one, a very dangerous spot
in those days, both cars spun off into the gullies and soft sand.
Why the cars did not flip over only God knows. MacDonald restarted
his motor first and went on to win. Both drivers where so far ahead
of Bondurant and some other hot Corvette drivers that I and my friends
where amazed. Even Bondurant still talks about that race.
Buford Lane got out of
his car, after the race, and I never heard of him again. Bob Bondurant
got the Washburn ride.
MacDonald's '57 Vette
had chrome steel wheels, a chrome roll bar, tuck and roll upholstery and
some fuzzy stuff all over the dashboard. We thought he was a real flake
to show up at a road race with a car like that. Ha!" |