SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS
NEWSLETTER 66 - July 8, 2008
Editor: Richard Parks [email protected]
President's Corner: By Jim Miller (1-818-846-5139)

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President's Corner: By Jim Miller (1-818-846-5139)
  I spent the past weekend up in Ventura bench racing. Naturally it was about cars and Land Speed vehicles were included. Pictures are important to us historians and I saw a bunch at the bench. Now just think about all the shots you have and when you took them or where you got them. Pull one of your favorites out and look at it. Notice anything missing? In our brains we know who's in the shot, but what about someone who will look at it next week or in ten or twenty years when we're not around and asks 'who is it.' A perfect example is a photo I shot back in 1960 of a Corvair at Riverside Raceway. I know the car and when I shot it, but nobody else does. LSR racer Phil Dally is currently running a Vair and I've been sending him bits of info when I find it on his car of choice, so when I ran across the stuff in my piles it dawned on me that we're all guilty of the same thing. I sat down and scanned the pix and did a caption so the next viewer will know something about it. 

Are these cars and owners lost to time? So the next time you have nothing to do, pull out your old or new shots and make a note or two on the back so when fools like me find it in 20 years, we will have some kind of clue. (Editor's notes: Jim means to say that you should write your captions on the back of peel off labels and then stick the labels on the back of your photographs.)

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Editorial: There have been times when I've been involved in a Hall of Fame or an Honors Program. They have various names and they mean about the same thing, but there are subtle differences and they can do a lot of good, or a lot of harm. I'm funding and providing an Honors Program right now and I used to do the same thing for the Boat Racers Reunion for three years. I've advised other programs and I get requests from people on how to go about creating such a program or publicizing potential candidates for such programs. My father has been the recipient of such programs and my family has been to these events to receive the honors. Not only do some people deserve such notoriety and honors, but in fact ALL people need to be made to feel important. Volunteers in organizations need to be honored all the time and we need to tell them how much they mean to us. We have Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day and a host of other events where we honor those in our lives. However, to some people, it is a game, a contest and they strive to be recognized and awarded an honor, plaque, trophy or prize. It validates their lives and makes them feel like they have accomplished something with their lives. Unfortunately, much of the time it spirals down into petty politics. If we have to go after public acclaim, then it defeats the purpose of that honor. Awards and honors should come to us out of the blue, so to speak, for a lifetime of merit and dedication to a cause. I would say to you that we don't honor those around us enough, not that we honor too many. If your group would like to create an award, plaque, trophy, parchment or other kind of award, here are some guidelines to follow.
Cost; You can spend as much or as little as your group wishes to spend to honor those within and outside of your group. A certificate of Merit on fine paper can cost as little as a dollar, or if gilded, more than that. Plaques start at around $15 and a nice plaque might run $25 and up. I buy them for around $22 and that covers the engraving. The plaques are on pressed wood and the engraving is on a plastic plate that looks like metal. Double the price and you can get real oak or walnut and a metal/brass engraved plate. Trophies run about the same. Etched glass and crystal start at $60 and go up based on size. An important point to remember is that once you choose, you should keep the same design and type of award, otherwise people will start to complain that you showed favoritism to later groups. An expensive plaque should be no more desireable than a cheaper one. It is the importance of the group giving out the award that is what is important, not the expense of the award itself. A very expensive award is not always better and many hotrodders and racers feel odd showing off ornate plaques. Keep it simple and standardized and let the honoree be the important thing to remember, not the award itself. Sponsors will often show up to buy a plaque for their favorite honoree and present it, but the award should always come from your group or association. The way that I handle this is to say, "The Boat Racers Reunion honors Johnny Go Fast in the Drag Racers Funny Car class, presented by Sam McFan."
Hall of Fame; I personally hate the term Hall of Fame. The term implies that you have rigid standards and that some people are better than others and this is sort of snobbish. Yes, you have to have some standards or you would be honoring people who know that they aren't all that important, while overlooking others who far excelled those who were chosen. If you do decide on a Hall of Fame, then you have to follow certain rules or risk looking really stupid. One rule of a Hall of Fame is that the SELECTORS have to have big-time substance and be above reproach. Let's say that you want to have a Hall of Fame for Drag Racers, who should be on your list of selectors? You've chosen a Hall of Fame as your name, so you can't opt for unknowns. You have to have names like Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Tom McEwen, John Force, Warren Johnson and others in that category. If you choose your buddies and neighbors, then your Hall of Fame is going to look really cheesy, no matter how nice your banquet and award looks and costs. You also have to set tough standards, because Hall of Fames start out with the KINGS and QUEENS of the sports and work their way down to lesser knowns. Boy are you going to have fights, squabbles and contests of will over who should be selected and who does get selected. If your group is prestigious and well-known, that helps people to see your Hall of Fame as serious. You need to decide on how many will be honored, when and where. Will you still honor these people if they tell you to go take a flying jump or think you are small potatoes? Do they have to show up at your event to be honored? If that is the case, you shouldn't be having a Hall of Fame program, you should be having an Honorary Awards Program.
Honors Program; An Honors Program or Honorary Awards Program sounds nicer, is usually easier to run and doesn't have the snobbish sound that a Hall of Fame program implies. In such a program you are setting up your criteria which doesn't have to be based on who's the best. You can honor any group, sub-group or individual that you want to. These groups are great for regional organizations and for specific racing associations. But to work you still have to have stated standards and define your program well. For Example, there is a Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame, but it also honors Bonneville as well, yet it stresses Southern California Dry Lakes Land Speed racing and not necessarily Lake Gairdner in Australia, Daytona Beach or the European land speed sites. Also, since it is a Hall of Fame, that name implies that the Best of the Best will be inducted first, and some of the inductees are unknown. You avoid that with a Honorary Awards Program and you can have categories, such as owners, volunteers, sponsors, drivers, manufacturers, historians, photographers, mechanics, etc. You do all that a Hall of Fame does, but you avoid the bickering, name calling and anger if you set your rules correctly and know exactly what you want to achieve. I organized the Boat Racers Reunion Honorary Awards Program like this; first we required that future honorees be nominated by a third party and a list of their credentials or biography be submitted, second we had the membership vote for the top 3 or 4 in each category, and thirdly, we had the Board of Directors choose from among the highest vote getters. However you set up such a system of selection, you need to think it through clearly, then make the process well known to all. Never have hidden ballots and votes that aren't made public, otherwise the whole process is thought to be a sham and that you've just picked your buddies.
Type of honor; There is nothing wrong with a picnic and a paper/vellum parchment 'Certificate of Merit.' Plaques are handy to be set on desks or easily hung on walls and racers love to adorn their garages with things. You can create your own plaques or have them ready made. Brass plates are easy to buy in bulk and engravers will etch them cheaply. Trophies are nice, but plaques are better. If you get too fancy the cost goes up and then you won't want to continue this program later on. Some people like banquet halls where a nice sit down dinner can run from $30 to $60 and then up. Many hot rodding groups like informal picnics or to present awards at a car show, before, during or after the event is over. Get imaginative and make your award different and special. Make your own awards. Small car parts on a maple or oak board, with an etched brass plate can be wildly popular.
Number of honorees; Many clubs and groups start off honoring their members and honor just one or two each year, then find that they are having fun and expand the program to include outsiders. Other groups plan out carefully who they want to honor and go back in time to consider all the potential list of candidates. Sometimes it is impossible to know all those that came before and who helped to create the sport that you love. You should at least try to get an idea of how many potential honorees you may be dealing with and that helps to tell you how many you need to honor each year in order to get all of the people who are worthy, honored by your program. Some potential honorees are still living and are in good health, while others may be old and in bad health. Many have passed away and will have to be honored posthumously. I chose to honor the living with a plaque and those who have passed away with just a mention in the publication and at the banquet/picnic. Sometimes you won't be able to find any living relatives of a deceased honoree to give a plaque to, or they really don't care for the sport or the honor. You should try and put an emphasis on honorees who aren't in good health. You want to honor them before it is too late to show your respect for them. Always include a few posthumous honorees in your list. If you have too many honorees, your speakers program gets too long and if you have too few, you will never honor everyone you want to honor. I've found that between 10 and 15 honorees works best for me. The most that I ever honored was 37. Always make it a fun event and avoid any terms that smack of "We're better than you." Enjoy your event.

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Hi folks, This is just a reminder that the August land speed event, the Bonneville National Speed Trials, was rescheduled later in August and racing activities will also start one day later this year. While this is not a 36hp Challenge event, I know many of you are planning on attending and just want to make sure you are aware of the changes. Speedweek tech inspections will begin Sunday, August 17th (no racing on this day). Racing will begin as soon as possible on Monday, the 18th and continue through the 24th. Please go to www.saltflats.com for up to date information and times. See you on the salt. Burly Burlile

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In case you are interested, here is the information! Many friends informed us that they missed the CBS program featuring the murder case of Mickey and Trudy, Murder in the Fast Lane, presented by '48 Hours Mystery.' Some wanted to be notified if the program was going to be re-run. Well, it is!  Saturday night, July 5, at 10 pm PST.  Channel 2 in the Los Angeles area. Check TV listings for station and time in your area. Just to confuse you, on that evening, there is another '48 Hours' airing the hour prior to Murder in the Fast Lane. This is not a new program, but a re-run of the CBS produced one hour segment that was aired several months ago. It will still include some inaccuracies that we have pointed out to CBS, however they feel it would be too costly to go back now and correct the errors. We believe these inaccuracies are not so great that it would off-set the value of having the age-enhanced-sketches of the shooters shown to the television audience. We would still like to have the hands-on killers of Mickey and Trudy join Mike Goodwin in his "two life sentences, without the possibility of parole" prison stay. Everyone we have spoken with has expressed the same feelings. We are grateful to have another opportunity for the sketches to be displayed to the huge national audience of '48 Hours.'  With continued appreciation for your years of concern and support, Gary and Collene Campbell

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Enclosed is an attacment of "my LSR Life" I hope it meets your needs. JD Tone JD: We will add your bio to the list, which also contains Dave Brant, George Callaway, Andy Granatelli and Tom Bryant among many others. They first go to www.hotrodhotline.com as per our exclusive agreement with our sponsors and from there they go to www.landspeedracing.com.

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Check out this Bonneville project. http://www.motorsportsinnovations.com/bonneville.htm. John Burk's Bonneville Land Speed Project. John Burk is building a Bonneville streamliner. "We are hoping to go about 350 MPH and take the A/GS record home to Hainesport, New Jersey. The record currently is 332 MPH. The car is front wheel drive with the engine well ahead of the front axle resulting in about 90% of the weight on the front wheels. The drive train is a gasoline burning 497 CI Big Block chevy with fuel injection and a 45 degree tilt to decrease the width of the body. It uses a Doug Nash 5 speed clutchless trans, Casale V-drive, Strange 12 bolt dropout housing in a Chevy Pickup 4 wheel drive front axle." John Burk (resent by Burly Burlile)

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Published: Sunday, June 29, 2008. By Scott Pesznecker, The Herald. 
The crew of the North American Eagle, a driving machine converted from a 1960s-era fighter jet, is aiming to break the all-time land-speed record of 763 mph. Their racer recently clocked 400 mph during tests in Southern California. "That was a pretty big deal," said Cameron Shadle of Everett, a Boeing worker who is on the North American Eagle's crew. "With all this testing, we're trying to work up to the higher speeds and do it safely without hurting anybody. The faster we can get the car going and not have any problems, that's a huge milestone." Last week, the North American Eagle -- a former F-104 Starfighter that is kept at a small airport in Spanaway -- was at the El Mirage Dry Lake in California's Mojave Desert for three days of tests. Although plenty of complications arose, the test results will help the crew attain its goal of setting the land-speed record -- an attempt that, at this point, will likely happen next year. "The progress of the technology only has a certain speed," said driver Ed Shadle of Spanaway, Cameron Shadle's father. "We can only go as fast as technology allows us to go." The first two days of testing, Tuesday and Wednesday, didn't go as planned. On Tuesday, the land-speed racer nearly lost control. The surface of the lake bed was rough and uneven after being chewed up by other off-road vehicles. "It was so wild, my feet flew off of the rudder pedals," Ed Shadle said. "I was bouncing around in the cockpit like a madman. I was to the point of thinking, 'If I don't get this thing under control, I'm going to crash.'" The next day was better. Crew members plotted a new five-mile course that was in better condition than the previous route, but high temperatures caused several of the racer's electrical systems to fail. Still, Shadle was able to briefly ignite his afterburner and reach 250 mph. Then came Thursday's tests. Temperatures cooled to 96 degrees, and the course was nice and smooth. Shadle fired up the afterburner for a full 5 seconds, shooting the North American Eagle across the dry lake bed at speeds up to 400 mph -- its fastest speed yet. "It went straight as an arrow and fast as a rocket ship," Ed Shadle said. "It was a very good run." The only downside to the final test run was that the high-speed parachute failed to deploy. Fortunately, the North American Eagle's magnetic braking system provided enough resistance to bring the vehicle to a halt. "We finally got some good computer data that is usable data to tell us what the car is doing," Cameron Shadle said. A few dignitaries came out to El Mirage to watch the tests. Retired test pilot Bob Gilliland, the first person to fly the SR-71 Blackbird -- a giant black spy plane that looks like something straight out of a Batman film -- came to watch some runs. The daughter of famous test pilot Scott Crossfield, who flew the North American Eagle when it used to be a fighter jet, also stopped by, Ed Shadle said. This fall, the crew plans on heading out to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada for more high-speed tests. Eventually, the crew also plans to travel to Canada to pick up a new jet engine for the racer. Crew members are more confident than ever in their ability to break the land-speed record. "It's got enough horsepower. That's not a problem at all," Ed Shadle said. "It will do its job."

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The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) share a long and storied history. Now the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, is honoring SEMA's legacy with a new, permanent interactive SEMA Hall of Fame display. The exhibit opens Wednesday, July 2 during the Museum's monthly Prolong® Cruise Night celebration which will be themed "SEMA Night" for the evening.

Using a touch-screen system, visitors can single out any one of the 125-plus SEMA Hall of Famers and learn about his or her background and the contributions each one made to motorsports and/or the support industry. SEMA Hall of Famers are typically the producers of performance products of all types, along with principals of other industry segments, from superstars of racing to publishing magnates to the leaders who made it all happen. Bios from luminaries such as NHRA Founder Wally Parks to the likes of Ed Winfield (think cams); Zora Arkus-Duntov (think Chevy performance); Vic Edelbrock (manifolds); George Hurst (shifters); and Linda Vaughn (Hurst Golden Shifter model) are all available in the SEMA Hall of Fame exhibit. The center piece of the display features one of John Force's 2007 Ford Mustang Funny Car bodies that has seen its share of competition. Visitors to the Museum can sit in the interactive car and take it for simulated ride through the history of SEMA. "Fans get a chance to test their reaction time using the NHRA 'Christmas tree' starting system while actually seated in a Force-team Funny Car," said Tony Thacker, executive director of the Park Museum. "It's a lot of fun and learning experience. And that's the point of the overall SEMA Hall of Fame exhibit - to educate the public about the creative individuals who created and sustain the hot rod and performance industry. Thanks to SEMA, the public will see firsthand the type of people who were responsible for bringing motorsports and hot rodding to where they are today." Thacker also acknowledged the companies and individuals who contributed to the exhibit: Caliber Collision, Coast Media, Expectalot Visual Images, G&J Aircraft and Competition, Ikon Powder Coating, John Force Racing, NHRA, Pauly's Custom Fabrication, Portatree Timing Systems, Pro Audio, Taylor Motorsports, Ultimate Design, Dana Bisbee, Wayne Phillips and Brad Uhl. SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association founded in 1963, represents the $38.1 billion specialty automotive industry. The association consists of 7094 member companies that manufacture, sell, distribute and market products that enhance a vehicle's safety, appearance, performance, comfort, convenience and technology. For more information, contact SEMA at 1575 S. Valley Vista Dr., Diamond Bar, Calif. 91765; 909/396-0289, or visit http://www.sema.org and http://www.enjoythedrive.com. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is celebrating its 10th anniversary and named for the founder of the National Hot Rod Association, the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California houses the very roots of hot rodding. Scores of famous vehicles spanning American motorsports history are on display, including winning cars representing 50 years of drag racing, dry lakes and salt-flat racers, oval track challengers and exhibits describing their colorful backgrounds. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., PST. Current NHRA members are admitted free and Auto Club members enjoy a $2 discount. Admission for non-members is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 60 and older, $5 for juniors six through 15, and free for children under the age of five. The Museum is also available for special group tours. The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is located at Fairplex Gate 1, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. in Pomona. For further information on special exhibits, museum events or directions, call 909/622-2133 or visit http://museum.nhra.com. Bill Groak

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Links to other land speed and hotrodding websites:
www.landspeedproductions.biz, http://www.landracing.com, www.speedrecordclub.com,
http://www.ahrf.com/video.php, www.hotrodhotline.com,
www.landspeedracing.com, www.Autobooks-Aerobooks.com

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Members:

Jonathan Amo, Brett Arena, Henry Astor, Gale Banks, Glen Barrett, Mike Bastian, Lee Blaisdell, Jim Bremner, Warren Bullis, Burly Burlile, George Callaway, Gary Carmichael, John Backus, John Chambard, Jerry Cornelison, G. Thatcher Darwin, Jack Dolan, Ugo Fadini, Bob Falcon, Rich Fox, Glenn Freudenberger, Don Garlits, Bruce Geisler, Stan Goldstein, Andy Granatelli, Walt James, Wendy Jeffries, Ken Kelley, Mike Kelly, Bret Kepner, Kay Kimes, Jim Lattin, Mary Ann and Jack Lawford, Fred Lobello, Eric Loe, Dick Martin, Ron Martinez, Tom McIntyre, Don McMeekin, Bob McMillian, Tom Medley, Jim Miller, Don Montgomery, Bob Morton, Mark Morton, Paula Murphy, Landspeed Louise Ann Noeth, Frank Oddo, David Parks, Richard Parks, Wally Parks (in memoriam), Eric Rickman, Willard Ritchie, Roger Rohrdanz, Evelyn Roth, Ed Safarik, Frank Salzberg, Dave Seely, Charles Shaffer, Mike Stanton, David Steele, Doug Stokes, Bob Storck, Zach Suhr, Maggie Summers, Gary Svoboda, Pat Swanson, Al Teague, JD Tone, Jim Travis, Randy Travis, Jack Underwood and Tina Van Curen, Richard Venza.

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