European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 23, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                On the fast track three americans thrive on British racing circuits by Meridith Winder . Bureau John Lee Christian Barone and David Bell Are driven men better yet make that driving men. These three americans in England have a common love a motor racing a and on almost any weekend they can be found behind the wheel of a High powered vehicle. Yet each is pursuing his passion in a different style. Lee is More interested in formula 3 racing which is closely related to grand prix and indy Type racing. Barone has erred in on modified Stock car racing on Oval tracks. And Boll seeks the thrill of drag racing a bruising Speed Over a Short  a Lormer air Force aircraft armament systems specialist prefers the formula circuit because the tracks Mali cat route racing. Quot you have left turns right turns and up and Down Hills every Lack is unique a he says. Leo lives in Bicester near Oxford with his wife tech sgt. Lami Lee. She is stationed at Raf upper Heyford. For me it s a real Chall Cnoc to drive on each different Type of course Quot said the 30-year-old native of Knoxville Tenn. In the old Days they used to Block out a Section of the Road and race laps around the Public Road but they usually Don t do that anymore. The actual blocking out of a Public Road is  in some ways this Type of racing is a amps Meridith Winder Christian Barone wiil attach the steering wheel after he squeezes inside. Mostly a Rich persons sport. Many of the Drivers on the formula 3 circuit Are titled britishers. Those who Don t have the Money must raise up to $500,000 Iron sponsorship or private sources. Lee though is an exception. He operates on a relative shoestring. He bought his own car and finances most of his racing from his military savings and some of Tami s earnings. His wife a 12-year air Force Veteran also serves As his pit Crew which helps Cut Down costs. Quot i m not real mechanical with the car Quot she said. Quot but my most important Job is during racing. I help with the car preparations fueling tire changes dropping him into the car and feeding  she also records his Lap times and holds up the pit Board that shows his Lap Lime and position in the race John Lee s car gets primed just before the Start of the thru Lon race. For i its John la Tami said she never though much about racing until she met John in Germany and he told her of his goals. Quot to got married and i wanted to be a part of that Quot she said. Quot he made it pretty Clear about what his career was. It was no Surprise to  John who drives a Vintage rail running a 1991 specification rt35 Chassis is still learning about running a race team while improving his driving skills. Quot this year i m really not spending that much Money Quot he said. Quot i did t get an engine rebuild which saved Money. I also have a Deal with some of the other teams to use heir used tires. You pay in the fact that your car is  but to said his Cost cutting measures Haven t Hurt his results he believes in being conservative and consistent when driving and his results show that despite his limited budget in 1991 he regularly finished in the top six in his category and had a string of 11 finishes before his suspension broke Quot driving requires a lot of skill Lee said Quot but that skill has nothing to do with the outcome of a race. The cars have to be set up perfectly in order Lor a Driver to  he recognizes his shortcomings in that area Quot other Drivers employ three mechanics to work on it full time and an Engineer to figure out the adjustments and not to mention All the engine people Quot he said but Lee enjoys what he a doing. Quot i look at it this Way Quot he said. Quot i m up at Bat. I m out there taking my swing. Balls Are whizzing by me but i m going to connect on one Quot Barone also is taking his turn at Bat and finding a Good measure of Success he races on Oval tracks driving other people s cars. I got in touch with a Rac no promoter i  staff sgt David Belt drives his 1973 Plymouth duster straight from the Street to the track with just a change of tires. Knew Here who wanted me to race Stock cars Quot said the 24-year-old native of Goshen . Quot they used to Fly an american Over Here every year but asked f i wanted to do  Barone who has been around racing most of his life jumped at the Chance to get Back into competitive Stock car racing he had tried his hand at formula racing the Type Lee does and had moderate Success but was searching for something else. Quot with formula racing it s predominant a wealthy people Quot Barone said. Quot it s very much family backed and family oriented the parents would give their sons Mono to race Quot Barone a weapons loader assigned to the 81 St aircraft generation so at Raf Ben Waters has found racing in England similar to the states. The cars Are modified with open wheels wings on top and a Hie rican v-8 engines. Driving styles in England Are different Arone discovered. Quot they bump a Little bit Ere Ihan american racing and they Are a quote More aggressive. That s something i id to get used  Baroness British baptism was Quot a a a a arable he entered his first race with Dea about How the car handled the Quot ack surface or what the other racers a a Aid do. I started off in last place and ended up in fifth place out of 15 cars a the air Force sergeant said. Quot they just threw me in the car. I did no to even know what the steering Felt like. All i knew of the car was what i Felt when coming out of the pit  since then Barone has gotten heavily involved in racing in England he s driven the Standard Stock cars in which the steering wheel is in the Middle of the Chassis and also tried Salon car racing in that style the steering wheel is on the right Side and the cars travel in the opposite direction from Standard Stock car racing. He decided not to buy his own car and instead signed on with a promotion company to keep Busy. He also used his air Force career As a Way of gaining John Lee is pursuing a Rich Many a sport on a shoestring budget s4s Meridith Winder Bell works on his Carburettor. Experience. Quot i could t move in the air Force stateside to a place where i could get More racing experience Quot Barone said. Quot so i was checking out where i could go overseas. The Best racing is either in great Britain Germany or  by picking England Barone got a Chance to see Europe and build a racing portfolio. Soon it will be time to return to the states he has orders for Langley fab in Virginia. Til have the hard Core experience that i really wanted to gain by coming Here Quot he said. Quot ill also have Good marketing knowledge and know How to promote  while Barone and Lee have Cut their Teeth on British racing using european cars another Driver decided to import some american muscle. Air Force staff sgt. David Bell prefers the straight and narrow Quot path and has opted for drag racing using his 1973 Plymouth duster Quot you should see come of the looks i gel from people when i m just driving it Down the Street Quot said the 28-year-old native of Mamou Beach Mich. Quot instead of towing to the track like most people my car is perfectly Street Legal. I drive it to the races and then put on the racing Slicks before  Bell works in the 48th equipment Maint so armaments shop at Raf Lakenheath his duster is powered by a 440 cubic Inch engine and has had Quarter Nile results of 118 Mph and 11 5 seconds. He does t need a team to keep his car in top mechanical shape. He does it himself Quot my dad is a master Mechanic and he taught me a lot about engines Quot Bell said Quot i do All my own work Over at the Auto Hobby shop on base. That saves a lot of time and  the 10-year an Force Veteran finds racing in England highly competitive and similar to the states i Here Aren t quite As Many tracks though. He normally makes a two hour drive just to gel to the track Quot but it s Worth it Quot Bell said Quot there s not a lot of Money involved you Only get 60 pounds $100 Lor a win and 40 pounds $65 for runner up. Bui the thrill of the race and Competition is All that  that sentiment is shared by the other two americans. Quot there s Money in racing but not enough to say Hal s Why i do it Quot Barone said. Quot but the Competition is Lun. It brings out the Best i would  also the inherent danger is an attraction he said. Quot in be scared myself once in a while on the track Quot Barone said Quot but the danger i feel brings out the excellence in people Quot Lee recalled his Brush with fire. Quot i was driving along and my fuel line came off Quot he said. Quot i drove along for about 10 or 15 seconds and the flames were so thick i could t even see the  Lee said the cars Are equipped with fire extinguishers that Spray the Driver and the engine. But every Driver when the car catches on fire like that totally forgets Quot he said. A the first thought is to get out of the car. Leo got out of his car and the lire Crews hosed Down him and the car he said he was More embarrassed Ihan Hurt. Despite the risks the three say they would t have it any other Way Quot there a nothing like the feel of that Power the acceleration and Speed As you re flying Down the track Quot said Bell Page 14 the stars and stripes monday n c a a a i be 2 3 1992 the stars and stripes Page 15