Guestbook2

5 March 2003

Hi Judith

Many thanks for your letter concerning Andys website, I think it's a superb idea and very fitting. It would be wrong of me to say that I knew Andy really well in fact we met about three times but we did talk on the phone on a number of occasions.

I would like to tell you how Andy and I met. In 1994 I decided that I wanted to go to the Indy 500 in the USA and I duly booked a tour with Page & Moy to go. The main reason being that Nigel Mansell was racing in Indy car at the time and I was a huge fan. I arrived at Gatwick Airport for the flight to Cincinnati which was where I was staying. Once into the departure lounge I discovered that the flight was delayed so I decided to get some food from Burger King or some such fast food outlet. I was standing in line proudly wearing my Mansell jacket when Andy & Chris (cant remember Chris's second name but you may know him as he & Andy Marshalled together) came up to me. Chris asked if I was going to the Indy 500 to which I replied yes with Page & Moy, to be met by the response so are we. They asked if I was travelling alone & when I said yes they both welcomed me & said I could hang out with the both of them. Andy & Chris made that trip the most memorable I have ever had & I will never forget Andys enthusiasm for motorsport. We did stay in touch for a while and went on two more trips one to the Touring Car World Cup in 1994 & Le Mans in 1995. Memorable they were too I will never forget Chris & Andy.

I am sending you a snap taken at Le Mans in 95. I'm behind the camera so not in shot but the name's are: Left to Right: Chris, One of Andys friends (cant remember his name) Andy and a former work mate of mine called Sebastian Windsor who is French. Please feel free to use the photo on this site but please return it as this is the only one I have.

I hope building this site has helped you and your family Andy is greatly missed, but I will always celebrate his life.

Kind Regards John Cooper

A well earned rest at a
Le Mans camp site.

Chris Stoddart
? Is this you?
Andy Carpenter
Sebastian Windsor

6 April 2003

Dear Jude,

I didn't know Andy but as a new-ish marshal I can't begin to tell you how much I am encouraged by what I've read about him. I had only been marshalling a year when I heard of the accident but immediately felt, like many others, that I had lost a good friend. Your site is an excellent tribute to a good man.
Bless you.

Gary Birch

25 April 2003

On my first run up the "Hill" at the Festival of Speed in 2000 with the 1959 Old Yeller II during the Opening Ceremonies, I noted the high professional standards of the Marshals at the event. That weekend had tragic consequences that took the life of Andy and it affected us all. On Sunday I used electrical tape and made a makeshift black arm band for my driving suit. At the pre staging compound and the start area, I made a point to shake hands with every marshal in sight. After the last run on Sunday... at the top of the hill I asked to be the last car to go back down the hill. I drove the car slowly by each marshals station and saluted them and pointed to my arm band and my heart... it was touching as they saluted back... a moment of tribute to Andy.

Ernie Nagamatsu - Old Yeller II

06 May 2003

Hoping to meet you... Update:

How are you? We received a packet from Lord Charles March and the Old Yeller II 1959 Buick Special is invited to the 2003 Goodwood Revival Meeting Races- Sussex Trophy Race in September (9/4-5-6-7/ 03). Whew... there were a lot of people that are on our extended crew that already made hotel reservations and booked flights. The team is really happy as we are trying to get the car to handle better and find a motor that will last and be durable. We will have some neat white team ("Hollywood Motors"/ Max & Ina Balchowsky/ Old Yeller Race Cars) shirts to go with white pants in the paddocks as required. We are hoping for new OYII pins to give out as well as other hand out stuff.

Stay in touch...

Ernie & Elaine Nagamatsu

19 May 2003

Dear Judy
Just a note to say how impressed I am with the web site, it is excellent and a very fine tribute to Andrew. I have been meaning to look at it since I received your letter and finally I have and I'm glad I did.

Kindest regards
Julie King

03 July 2003

Hi Judith,

I have sat quite close to you at college over the last few weeks and have hardly spoken at all. Now that I have seen your web site and I know that you have that same sadness deep inside that I have I feel that I know you more. It was October 2000 that I suffered the loss of my Mother and it affected me deeply and still does. I also found comfort in creating a tribute by way of a web site. I have looked at every page of your tribute to Andy and feel so sorry for you. You have shown the world how much you love and miss your brother. He would be very proud of you. I have a brother and I know that I would be devastated if I lost him. Stay strong and know that there are many of us out there who feel that same pain and who find it hard to understand why these terrible things have to happen.

Chris

06 July 2003

Hi Jude,

Just to let you know that my wife & I will be at Goodwood this coming weekend, I will make a point of paying my respects at Andy's Memorial.
Kind Regards

John Cooper

07 July 2003

Hi Jude,

I feel most honoured and delighted to have a page on Andy's website.

Le Mans was a very good time, with a mixture of emotions. Before the racing started, I laid a wreath where I thought his ashes were buried (apparently it was some 15 feet away from that spot, but that was only shown to me later in the week after Chris Stoddart had arrived), and with some of his colleagues from Brands Hatch, we toasted to his memory. I attach a couple of the pictures from that moment.

The reaction of Bernard Nirrengarten, Andy's post chief, was wonderful in that he allowed me access to the post, etc, which normal spectators aren't allowed to do. Even allowing Jackie and I to drive the race circuit early on the Saturday morning so that I could film our drive. It has to be said that prior to the accident Le Mans was both a passion and a goal to get to marshal at, but I honestly thought the accident had killed off any chance of achieving this. I now have completed the first half, of just being there, and it has helped to strengthen my resolve to marshal that post in the future.

This weekend is this year's running of the Festival of Speed, and I will be there over all three days. My first job will be to leave a white rose on the stone at the finish line, a tradition I started last year and intend to carry out for the rest of my life.

Steve Tarrant

5 March 2003 Hi Judith Many thanks for your letter concerning Andys website, I think it's a superb idea and very fitting. It would be wrong of me to say that I knew Andy really well in fact we met about three times but we did talk on the phone on a number of occasions. I would like to tell you how Andy and I met. In 1994 I decided that I wanted to go to the Indy 500 in the USA and I duly booked a tour with Page & Moy to go. The main reason being that Nigel Mansell was racing in Indy car at the time and I was a huge fan. I arrived at Gatwick Airport for the flight to Cincinnati which was where I was staying. Once into the departure lounge I discovered that the flight was delayed so I decided to get some food from Burger King or some such fast food outlet. I was standing in line proudly wearing my Mansell jacket when Andy & Chris (cant remember Chris's second name but you may know him as he & Andy Marshalled together) came up to me. Chris asked if I was going to the Indy 500 to which I replied yes with Page & Moy, to be met by the response so are we. They asked if I was travelling alone & when I said yes they both welcomed me & said I could hang out with the both of them. Andy & Chris made that trip the most memorable I have ever had & I will never forget Andys enthusiasm for motorsport. We did stay in touch for a while and went on two more trips one to the Touring Car World Cup in 1994 & Le Mans in 1995. Memorable they were too I will never forget Chris & Andy. I am sending you a snap taken at Le Mans in 95. I'm behind the camera so not in shot but the name's are: Left to Right: Chris, One of Andys friends (cant remember his name) Andy and a former work mate of mine called Sebastian Windsor who is French. Please feel free to use the photo on this site but please return it as this is the only one I have. I hope building this site has helped you and your family Andy is greatly missed, but I will always celebrate his life. Kind Regards John Cooper A well earned rest at a Le Mans camp site. Chris Stoddart ? Is this you? Andy Carpenter Sebastian Windsor
6 April 2003 Dear Jude, I didn't know Andy but as a new-ish marshal I can't begin to tell you how much I am encouraged by what I've read about him. I had only been marshalling a year when I heard of the accident but immediately felt, like many others, that I had lost a good friend. Your site is an excellent tribute to a good man. Bless you. Gary Birch
25 April 2003 On my first run up the "Hill" at the Festival of Speed in 2000 with the 1959 Old Yeller II during the Opening Ceremonies, I noted the high professional standards of the Marshals at the event. That weekend had tragic consequences that took the life of Andy and it affected us all. On Sunday I used electrical tape and made a makeshift black arm band for my driving suit. At the pre staging compound and the start area, I made a point to shake hands with every marshal in sight. After the last run on Sunday... at the top of the hill I asked to be the last car to go back down the hill. I drove the car slowly by each marshals station and saluted them and pointed to my arm band and my heart... it was touching as they saluted back... a moment of tribute to Andy. Ernie Nagamatsu - Old Yeller II
06 May 2003 Hoping to meet you... Update: How are you? We received a packet from Lord Charles March and the Old Yeller II 1959 Buick Special is invited to the 2003 Goodwood Revival Meeting Races- Sussex Trophy Race in September (9/4-5-6-7/ 03). Whew... there were a lot of people that are on our extended crew that already made hotel reservations and booked flights. The team is really happy as we are trying to get the car to handle better and find a motor that will last and be durable. We will have some neat white team ("Hollywood Motors"/ Max & Ina Balchowsky/ Old Yeller Race Cars) shirts to go with white pants in the paddocks as required. We are hoping for new OYII pins to give out as well as other hand out stuff. Stay in touch... Ernie & Elaine Nagamatsu
19 May 2003 Dear Judy Just a note to say how impressed I am with the web site, it is excellent and a very fine tribute to Andrew. I have been meaning to look at it since I received your letter and finally I have and I'm glad I did. Kindest regards Julie King
03 July 2003 Hi Judith, I have sat quite close to you at college over the last few weeks and have hardly spoken at all. Now that I have seen your web site and I know that you have that same sadness deep inside that I have I feel that I know you more. It was October 2000 that I suffered the loss of my Mother and it affected me deeply and still does. I also found comfort in creating a tribute by way of a web site. I have looked at every page of your tribute to Andy and feel so sorry for you. You have shown the world how much you love and miss your brother. He would be very proud of you. I have a brother and I know that I would be devastated if I lost him. Stay strong and know that there are many of us out there who feel that same pain and who find it hard to understand why these terrible things have to happen. Chris
06 July 2003 Hi Jude, Just to let you know that my wife & I will be at Goodwood this coming weekend, I will make a point of paying my respects at Andy's Memorial. Kind Regards John Cooper
07 July 2003 Hi Jude, I feel most honoured and delighted to have a page on Andy's website. Le Mans was a very good time, with a mixture of emotions. Before the racing started, I laid a wreath where I thought his ashes were buried (apparently it was some 15 feet away from that spot, but that was only shown to me later in the week after Chris Stoddart had arrived), and with some of his colleagues from Brands Hatch, we toasted to his memory. I attach a couple of the pictures from that moment. The reaction of Bernard Nirrengarten, Andy's post chief, was wonderful in that he allowed me access to the post, etc, which normal spectators aren't allowed to do. Even allowing Jackie and I to drive the race circuit early on the Saturday morning so that I could film our drive. It has to be said that prior to the accident Le Mans was both a passion and a goal to get to marshal at, but I honestly thought the accident had killed off any chance of achieving this. I now have completed the first half, of just being there, and it has helped to strengthen my resolve to marshal that post in the future. This weekend is this year's running of the Festival of Speed, and I will be there over all three days. My first job will be to leave a white rose on the stone at the finish line, a tradition I started last year and intend to carry out for the rest of my life. Steve Tarrant