View Single Post
  #485  
Old 05-24-2022, 09:48 AM
Tom Vaught's Avatar
Tom Vaught Tom Vaught is offline
Boost Engineer
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: The United States of America
Posts: 31,294
Default

1) First off, I agree that the Ford GTs in the 1966-1969 period were great engines for their time frame. A really solid 425/475 HP that would run for 48 hours on the dyno and 24 hours at Le Mans. The guy who hired me into Ford Engineering: Homer Perry ran the actual race program for those 4 years and the NASCAR/Indy programs after that.

Go into Mr Shelby's last 4 videos and watch them on the web. The first two Shelby videos talk about Shelby as a racer, and as a "western" Team Manager. The third Video SPECIFICALLY mentions my boss (Mr Homer Perry), who Shelby reported to during the Le Mans racing effort. The Holman Moody team also reported to Mr Perry.

He mentions Mr Perry was "apolitical" which means he did not take sides on politics.
Not like others in the 60s and even today in the 2020s. He just did the job.

The time frame you speak of after Holley aftermarket went south is all true. The time frame during the Le Mans days were the initial Holley Carb "Race Days", first with the small blocks, then with the 427 engines and finally with the 427 dual quad engines.

Richard Harroun, did the carbs.

Richard's dad, (Ray Harroun), won a total of 8 races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the second-most of any driver in the 100-year history of the track (the only driver with more victories at IMS is Johnny Aitken, with 15 wins in 1909–1916).

So I know the history, you know the later history of Holley, when the Holley Family Children sold off the business and things went down hill in the south.

I am not disagreeing with you, I am adding information.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/m...dies/86885322/

Mr Perry's obit

He was a friend of Caroll Shelby, A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti.

He was a driving force behind Ford Motor Company’s triumphant victories in 1966 and 1967 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France when the Ford GT40s swept the sports car racing world.

But to his granddaughter Giavanna Palazzolo, he was simply “my grandpa — my hero.”

Former Ford Racing program manager Homer L. Perry died June 21 at 96 years of age in Novi, leaving behind a loving family and a proud racing legacy.

My Boss

Tom Vaught


Last edited by Tom Vaught; 05-24-2022 at 09:56 AM.