I got some REALLY sad news yesterday...

[454bug]

Hey guys,

I was shocked when I got an email from one of my Texas A&M Sports Car Club alumni's yesterday...

One of my best buddies in college was Tom Thrash. We've stayed in touch over the last 26 years since we graduated... Last Saturday, Tom was racing at Road America in Wisconsin. Tom had won the pole on Friday for the main event on Saturday afternoon in his "E-Production" class with his Mazda RX7. He was also racing in the "GT3" class that weekend (he had won the pole for that race as well). On Saturday morning, Tom entered the track for practice. He made a "warm-up" lap to heat up his tires... On the second lap he got up to speed. When he got to Turn 7 Tom went off course... he skipped over the short gravel pit, became airborne across the track at turn 8, flipped the car a number of times, and his car landed on it's driver's side with his 4 tires facing the tire wall where it came to rest. The car was flipped back down, Tom was slumped over and unconscious... breathing shallow... The Life Flight helicopter was summoned... while loading Tom in the helicopter CPR was performed but it was too late... Tom had passed away... He was removed from the Life Flight helicopter and loaded in an ambulance... Tom made his last lap around Road America in the ambulance... Tom's dad was at the track with him... they always raced together... His dad said that's the way Tom would have wanted it...

Tom was in the "Corps" at Texas A&M. While in school, Tom had a 1966 Nova with a 327... I had a 1965 convertible Corvette with a 327... I was a broke kid paying my way through college by doing Mechanic work at the local gas stations. I could only afford bias-ply tires on my Corvette and it would not perform well in our monthly autocrosses... Tom was nice enough to let me race with him with his Nova... Tom also had a Porsche 914 and sometimes he would race the Porsche and I would race Tom's Chevy II... He had some nice radials on the car and it handled pretty well... He was a VERY giving individual...

Tom graduated from A&M and worked as an engineer in the Houston area. He got into SCCA racing about 12 years ago. He raced in a class called "Spec 7", and most recently in "E-Production" in his RX7... That is where he has had the bulk of his success... He had won his Regional SCCA "EP" class for a number of years... Every year, each Regional Winner gets invited to race at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas in the National Championship "Runoff" races... He won the pole at the National Championship Runoff race in 2006 and 2008... In 2006, he was spun out by a competitor on the first lap. In 2007, he won the National Championship. In 2008, he was winning the race for the majority of the laps, left the track with just a few laps left, tore up his front spoiler (losing downforce), and came in second place...

He was a true gentleman and friend... a great racer... a great mentor to MANY other drivers and competitors... a class act in EVERY way... he will be sorely missed...

As with my all-time hero, Dale Earnhardt Sr., he was able to go out doing what he loved best... If I had an opportunity to choose how I was to leave this Earth I would definitely want to go out the same way...

GOD'S SPEED Tom!!!

Here's a couple pictures from the 2007 National Championships...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/06/506-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/06/521-1.jpg

Here's a couple pictures from April, 2008, when we held our 40th anniversary of Texas A&M's Sports Car Club... We rented Texas World Speedway for a Saturday and ran time trials on the 2.9 mile road course with 91 cars from past and present Club members... Tom's car posted the fastest laps of the day!!!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/06/DSC01018-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/06/DSC01045-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/06/DSC01047-1.jpg

[MrQuick]

man, sorry to hear about that. Seems he had a great life doing the things that he loved.

our thoughts to his friends and family.
vince

[BonzoHansen]

RIP Tom.

[Samckitt]

That is sad news, sorry to hear that. Was his death because of the wreck, or did he wreck because of a heart attack or other health issue?

[454bug]

man, sorry to hear about that. Seems he had a great life doing the things that he loved.

our thoughts to his friends and family.
vince

He was a GREAT competitor but he ALWAYS had a smile on his face and willing to help ANYONE with their car's setups, track notes, etc...

There are a TON of sites on the internet discussing TOM... I googled his name yesterday and couldn't believe how many people he touched in one way or another... I guess traveling all over the country with this tight-nit SCCA "family" can make those guys REALLY close to one another...

There's no PRIZE money or fame in SCCA... it's just a group of individuals that do what they do for the LOVE of it... a LOT of money and time is dedicated to their cars and traveling to the events all over the country... that's a BIG committment by the racers and especially their families... I guess that's why they get so close to each other since they are in such a small faternity... pretty cool stuff...

Here are a couple of the links...

http://www.drivingsports.com/site/2009/06/tragedy-at-road-america-scca-champion-thomas-thrash-killed/

http://forum.specmiata.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/topic/2/4407.html

http://forums.sowdivscca.org/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2941

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090620/MOTORSPORTS/906209995

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou090621_mp_thomas-thrash-dies.10c14ec6.html

http://www.speedtv.com/forums/viewthread/457786/

Here's the Road America track:

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=43.796984~-88.00029&style=h&lvl=17&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

[ProdigyCustoms]

So sorry man. Like others said, looks like he lived till the end.

[dropit69]

very sorry to hear of the loss..prayers go out to you and his family..

[454bug]

That is sad news, sorry to hear that. Was his death because of the wreck, or did he wreck because of a heart attack or other health issue?

Hey Scot,

They did an autopsy and the results haven't been released yet but the word from the corner workers and track officials is that it looked like Tom had slumped forward in the car while going through Turn 7... when he left the course it practically jumped over the narrow gravel pit, came back across the track and became airborne and started flipping... the eyewitnesses stated that it sounded like the car was at full throttle the WHOLE time the car was passing through the gravel pit and through the air...

assumptions are that either the throttle had stuck wide-open or Tom had lost consciousness and left his foot on the trottle...

I know Tom was in pretty good shape... better than most 48-year olds... but I have seen VERY healthy guys die of a heart attack at our local Health Club playing Handball and another on the Treadmill... Heart Attacks are a tricky thing... hereditary problems and the like...

One of the course officials stated that this kind of accident should NOT be serious enough to cause a death... he was adament that a catastrophic health issue had to be the cause... I guess time will tell...

[NOT A TA]

Sorry to hear about your friend. Sounds like he was one of the really good people i this world.

[SatisTraction]

sorry to hear this :(

RIP

[Larry Callahan]

Wow, sad news. Sorry to hear.

Rest in peace Tom.

[stealth71]

Thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

My Dad is an Aggie.

[JEFFTATE]

He was an admirable person.
Sorry to hear about the loss.
RIP Tom.
We'll see you at the racetrack in the sky ......

[Bow Tie 67]

Gods speed Tom, I will keep you and your family in my prayers.

[Chevrolaine]

Bummer :( RIP

[Paul_J]

I just read this in the local news yesterday. Sorry to hear about this.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/19821054/detail.html

[buickfunnycar.com]

RIP Tom...if you gotta go,it sounds like this is where he would have wanted to be.

[andrewb70]

RIP Tom....:/

Andrew

[Jim Nilsen]

I hope you will be blessed with something simple of his to remind you of all of the times you had. You sound like you will miss him forever. I have a few special things that my best friend gave in his time here and they always remind me of the times we had then.

My prayers are with you today.

[Damn True]

Sorry to hear of your loss.

[Ralph LoGrasso]

Very sorry to hear of the loss of your friend.

Rest In Peace, Tom.

[Bad Bird]

It looks like he truly lived more in the day than many people live their whole lives.

I'm sorry for your loss.

[Q ship]

Ray, I'm sorry for your loss. Thank you though for taking the time to write such a nice tribute to your friend. I read the news a couple days ago, but reading your post made me realize what a fine man Tom was. You were both lucky to have each other as friends, it seems.

Godspeed Tom.

[454bug]

Thanks to EVERYONE for your thoughts and prayers for the family...

We have a number of the old Texas A&M Sports Car members that will be going to the wake and funeral in their old Musclecars...

That will be a really nice touch to an otherwise very somber event...

We know Tom will be smiling down on us... :)

[454bug]

I hope you will be blessed with something simple of his to remind you of all of the times you had. You sound like you will miss him forever. I have a few special things that my best friend gave in his time here and they always remind me of the times we had then.

My prayers are with you today.

Hey Jim,

I don't really have anything that Tom left me but a LOT of good memories... that's enough for me!!

Good friends may have left this Earth but their memory NEVER leaves... every once and a while when I go on vacation or at an event when I can "wash" my mind of the everyday hustle and bustle of life, the good times I have had with a short list of really good friends come back to me... I am a softy for moments like that... It always amazes me that I can go a number of years since I have seen or talked to a good friend and I meet up with them and it's just like we talked yesterday... the memories come flooding back... we start reminiscing... we start cracking up to think we EVEN survived some of the stunts we pulled... :hammer:

On a side note Jim, I'm SURE glad you're doing well... I have said some prayers for you recently!

[454bug]

Ray, I'm sorry for your loss. Thank you though for taking the time to write such a nice tribute to your friend. I read the news a couple days ago, but reading your post made me realize what a fine man Tom was. You were both lucky to have each other as friends, it seems.

Godspeed Tom.

Hey Brian,

This tribute just took a few minutes of my time and felt good to write them down... Tom spent his lifetime doing what he loved and he spent most of his time helping others along the way...

You couldn't ask for more out of a guy!! :1st:

[Gearhead Dude]

Ray,
Thanks for sharing your loss with us. Tom sounds like he was a terrific friend indeed. Memories last forever, while all else will fade away. Sounds as if I just missed ya'll at A&M. Thanks again.
Stephen '89

[454bug]

Ray,
Thanks for sharing your loss with us. Tom sounds like he was a terrific friend indeed. Memories last forever, while all else will fade away. Sounds as if I just missed ya'll at A&M. Thanks again.
Stephen '89

Hey Stephen,

Yes, Tom and I both graduated in May, 1983. I'm sure the Sports Car Club hadn't completely recovered from us group of guys by the time you got to campus!!!

Our era at A&M have some stories that have lasted the test of time... and Tom was right in the middle of them... he was our Club President for 2 years in a row...

During our short few years at A&M (1980-1983) we had the most UNBELIEVABLE collection of musclecars (for a club) anywhere!! We were a bunch of "muscleheads" with the good fortune to be at an age when Musclecars were a dime-a-dozen... If you took one musclecar enthusiast from a bunch of small towns and brought them all together at a school with 45,000 students it was like the "stars aligning"... At ONE time our club had 5 mid-year Corvettes (1963-1967), 4 Shelby Mustangs ('65 GT350, '67 GT500, '68 GT350, '68 GT500KR), two '70 W30 442's (one hardtop and one convertible), two '64 GTO's, a 440 GTX, a Hemi Cuda, a Hemi Charger, a Hemi Challenger, a '70-1/2 LT1 Z-28, 8-9 '67-'69 Camaros/Firebirds, 4-5 '64-'67 Novas, a '69 428 Super Cobra Jet Mustang (Drag Pack car), two '70 Boss 302 Mustangs, a '69 Boss 429 Mustang, a '73 Boss 351 Mustang, a '65 Sunbeam Tiger, 4-5 '70-'73 Camaros/Firebirds, a '69 Cyclone Spoiler, and a myriad of other year Mustangs, Fairlanes, Comets, Lemans', Tempests, GTO's, Chevelles, Corvettes, Chargers, Challengers, Barracudas, Belvederes, and Novas. We only had a handful of foreign cars in the club... By the time we graduated the foreign cars (front-wheel drive "rice burners") started to take over the club... it was a sad day...

During our time at A&M we were a VERY active club... we always had some kind of activity going on. Tom was always leading the charge and organizing the events...

Our year of activities included:

- Aggiecross - 2 per year - Time trials around Texas World Speedway's 2.9 mile road course (we actually shortened it down to about 2 miles for our events).
- Rallys - 3-4 per year - Timed, scripted events that were 60-80 miles long ending in a party...
- Autocrosses - Monthly - Parking Lot events around the cones.
- Car Shows - 2-3 per year - On or off campus. We also showed four club cars at a time monthly at the campus main hang-out area.
- Drag Racing - Monthly - We would have our club meetings monthly on Wednesday nights, have a cruise night afterward, and then have our monthly Street Race Drag Races out in "Bum-F***-Egypt" to the wee hours of the morning... (don't hate on us too much... it sounds terrible to do this in today's world but it was perfectly NORMAL back then...)
- Track Drag Racing - 2 per year - We would travel to Temple Academy Drag Strip twice per year for some LEGAL Drag Strip racing.
- The INFAMOUS "Lime" Runs - 3-4 per year - 40-60 miles long - DEFINITELY the MOST dangerous events we EVER put on... But you know how a bunch of 20-year-olds think they are bullet-proof and impervious to harm... This activity always ended in a party as well...

As you can see we had the opportunity to make a LOT of good memories... If we weren't participating in one of these events, we were in class, studying, or working... there wasn't much time for ANYTHING else... not even sleep... Tom had the added pressure of being in the Corps of Cadets which was an even tougher commitment and responsibility...

GOOD TIMES... GOOD MEMORIES...

[trapin]

Very sorry to hear.

[Motown 454]

Ray sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. I'll keep him and his family in my prayers.

[dadto2jays]

IT IS A REMINDER THAT LIFE IS VERY SHORT AND WE SHOULD LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST POSSIBLE!!!!

My condolences to you and Tom's family....God rest his soul...

[454bug]

Very sorry to hear.


Ray sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. I'll keep him and his family in my prayers.


IT IS A REMINDER THAT LIFE IS VERY SHORT AND WE SHOULD LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST POSSIBLE!!!!

My condolences to you and Tom's family....God rest his soul...

Hey guys,

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers for the family... The funeral was both tough to be at and awesome at the same time...

The ENTIRE family was in FULL support of what Tom kept near and dear to his heart... first, his family, and second, his love of racing... In one area of the Funeral Home they had a room FULL of Tom's awards, trophies (he holds the track record for his class at 5 tracks), pictures, and a slide show of Tom from childhood to his most recent accomplishments with his family and racing... They had a video playing in a loop of Tom's 2007 National Championship race in Topeka, Kansas. Tom was dressed in his Racing Suit. There were many people there from our old Texas A&M Sports Car Club as well as many more of his fellow competitors in the SCCA world. These racers came from all over the country to see him off...

Tom had won 5 of the 6 races in "E-Production" this year... He was on to another Championship... His fellow competitors told us how much they enjoyed competing against him... making themselves better because of him helping them and challenging them...

He's gone but not forgotten...

[Damn True]

I've read elsewhere that there was a failure of some sort with his FIA rated seat or it's attachment mechanism, not sure which and I haven't heard if this was contributory in his death or not.

Do you have any information regarding the seat/attachment?

[454bug]

I've read elsewhere that there was a failure of some sort with his FIA rated seat or it's attachment mechanism, not sure which and I haven't heard if this was contributory in his death or not.

Do you have any information regarding the seat/attachment?

I hadn't heard anything about that... The results of the autopsy were not made public by this weekend... and it wasn't the right place to ask family members about it... One of our other friends that was at the track running in the GT1 class said that Tom didn't look good that Saturday morning... He described him as looking like he had the flu... pale and clammy when he shook his hand... every indication we have heard was that Tom had lost consiousness, slumped forward, and didn't make any corrections after leaving the track... and that's NOT like Tom... he always had control of his car...

Tom didn't receive any major injuries or head trauma during the accident... we are assuming a heart attack, stroke, etc...

[Yelcamino]

Sounds like Tom was one of the good guys. RIP Tom.