SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS
NEWSLETTER 79 - September 30, 2008
Editor: Richard Parks RnParks1@juno.com
President's Corner: By Jim Miller (1-818-846-5139)

Some Names To Look For In This Newsletter:
Mike Hollander, Dan Brickey, Bob Falcon, Robert Einar (Pete) Petersen, Robert Lindsay, Pat Geiger, Rob Brissette, Howard Eichenhofer, Bob Brissette, David Ash, Jerry Cornelison, John Welcher, Rocky Robinson, Bob & Jim Brissette,

Click On All Images For Larger View

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President's Corner: By Jim Miller (1-818-846-5139)
Jim Miller is on vacation and attending the Gold Coast Racing and Roadster Club's Gas-Up Party and Dry Lakes Hall of Fame. He will file a report on the proceedings in the next issue of the SLSRH Newsletter.

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Corrections Department: In the last issue of the newsletter, I wrote that Wally Parks, Pete Petersen and another man went to Salt Lake City, Utah to see if they could get a lease to race at Bonneville. Thanks to the excellent book by Landspeed Louise Ann Noeth, on the Bonneville Salt Flats, I can correct an error. It was Lee Ryan who went to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1948 as the third man in one of the most important business trips undertaken by the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA). Due to that trip, we now have the Bonneville Salt Flats to run time trials on. The three men each brought along skills that proved to be successful in winning the confidence of Ab Jenkins and the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce, which was the overseer of the salt flats at the time. Wally Parks had the contacts and foresight to see how important it would be to have the Bonneville Salt Flats as a venue site to race on. Petersen came because he had a new car and it drove very comfortably and the road in those days was unpleasant. Lee Ryan was a natural businessman and a skilled negotiator and Ryan deserves more credit than is given to him. Ryan's history is poorly known, but my father would sometimes make a comment and it was always positive. Ryan was older and had a sort of businesslike demeanor that gave confidence to those young men who were leading the SCTA in the late 1940's. My father said that he learned to write contracts and other documents by copying the style of Lee Ryan. Lee was also a very important force in the success of Petersen Publishing Company and Trend, Inc. If anyone knows more about Lee Ryan, please send in a biography on a man that had a huge impact on land speed racing, but is little known today. My sincere apologies for the error.

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Editorial: A member mentioned the benefits of having an organization that keeps track of the ownership of photographs. Another member said how he has alerted eBay, the on-line auction house, to warn him of land speed racing memorabilia that comes up for sell. Let's look at these two ideas. As a historical society we need to find ways to capture and keep our history of hot rodding and land speed racing alive and well. One of the biggest problems is photographs. Photographs often are uncaptioned and the ownership is in question. It really helps when on the back of the photo we find a peel-off sticker with information as to who is in the photograph, when and where it was taken and a bit of how and why wouldn't hurt. Another thing that would be of great benefit is to know who took the photograph and who owns it now. Who took the photo tells us a lot about the picture, especially if it was left uncaptioned. Who owns the photograph now tells us how to avoid misusing the photo and who we should go to in order to get permission to use the print or negative. Remember, there are property right issues here and some owners want to be paid for the use of their pictures. The reader said that he would like to have a main clearing house of photographs that would assign a serial number so that unauthorized and misappropriated photos could be discovered. The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians is a volunteer group and the clerical expenses to maintain such a huge record of all the photographs taken over the years in racing would be prohibitive. Still, it is a great idea and a centralized clearing house would make it fantastically convenient for historians to find the pictures that they need to complete their books and projects. Such a central clerical archive would also be valuable for artifacts and missing race cars as well. Perhaps one of the big museums will find the funding to start such a massive task.
The other suggestion is that if we had five or so members who traded on eBay or other auction houses put alerts out for land speed racing and hot rodding artifacts, that we could not only bid on the objects, but contact the sellers to ask additional questions. We could find out if they were family members or just collectors. If they were family members of former land speed racers, we could inquire to see if they were still alive and where they were, or at least let them know that the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians exist and that we welcome them into our group and to ask them to go to the website, www.landspeedracing.com, to read the issues of the newsletter. Jim Miller pointed out that some of the objects for sale on eBay turned out to be fakes and copies. He also pointed out that there already were a few land speeders who already search the internet, but as of yet, they haven't let us know who the sellers are and whether they are family members of racers. Jack Underwood notified me once of a sale of Eldon Snapp water colors. No one bid on them because they were scenes of cacti and there were no racing figures in them. Still, I purchased them because of the close association that Eldon and my father had. Snapp and Wally Parks founded the SCTA Racing News newsletter, which at the time was the Road Runners newsletter that transitioned into the news organ for the SCTA. The early artwork and cartoons were by Eldon Snapp and Wally Parks. They gave the mimeographed copies to Bozzie Willis, who took the stencilled carbons to a printer in San Diego and had copies made. Eldon and my father would drive down to Oceanside, California to a favorite little restaurant of theirs to give the carbons to Bozzie. After the programs and newsletters were finished, Bozzie would bring the newsletters and programs to the next Board meeting. I purchased those 3 watercolors and gave one to my father, who put it on his shelf in his front room. He was very close to Eldon Snapp. Our heritage and history can come home if we but look for it.
That suggestion leads to this idea; what about posting ads in this newsletter for memorabilia, photographs and other artifacts? Why go to eBay, where they require you to post 5% plus a fee. We are smaller, but all our members are land speeders. Also, having a one line ad section at the bottom of the newsletter would spice up the historical driven issues with real memorabilia. It would also allow us to see what is for sale and perhaps make contact with original dry lakes racers. We would have to find out if the website, www.landspeedracing.com would allow it, or whether the revenue flow should go to them, since they are buying the space for the newsletter on their website and their staff spends time editing and sending out the newsletter. One advantage of having an ad space is that those pesky spiders that exist inside the internet scan for nouns and create a Google index, even though we never asked the little bugs to do that. This is a major way that we can increase the readership of the newsletter, because people scan the internet and see a mention of something we wrote that interests them and they write in to ask to join. The more nouns we toss out, especially with ads, the more readers we attract and the more readers we get, the more information that people share with us. Remember, YOU, the readers are our reporters. If you don't send in what you find out in your researches, we won't have a newsletter. Write in with your suggestions.

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Editor's notes. The SLSRH Newsletters has the following order; 1) President's Corner, 2) Editorial, 3) Obituaries or notices of ill-health, 4) land speed racing news, past and present, 5) general news on hot rodding, and 6) news of the Motorsports Museum or other related coming events. I haven't instituted an index yet, because it it too time consuming to do so, but researchers should look for subject matter along those guidelines just mentioned.

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It is with great sadness that I send this. For those of you who haven't heard, Mike Hollander died just past midnight, today. As you know, Mike for years has been very active in our association and was the AARWBA National Vice President and was our Webmaster. He had been diagnosed with mesothelioma about a year ago and had put up quite a battle. A memorial service is scheduled for 1 pm this Friday, September 26, at, Hillside Memorial Park, 6001 W. Centinella Avenue, Los Angeles, 90045. It is right off the 405 just south of the Marina Freeway. Dusty Brandel, President AARWBA

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Editor's notes; The following message comes from Dave Chess. Michael Hollander sent out this notice prior to his death. It is sort of an obituary and part PR message. Michael was involved with the PR firm that represented many racing groups and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, in Pomona, California. While Michael was not specifically a land speed racer or fan, he was of great help to all of us at the museum and always had a kind word. I often went to him whenever I had a problem and he was always supportive. He was a long time supporter and regional director for AARWBA, the association for writers, broadcasters and photographers. The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter and the editor will post obituaries as they are received. If the person did not have a connection to land speed racing, but was a friend or close associate of those in LSR, we will print these notices. I do not include notices of NASCAR, NHRA, open wheel and Formula racers unless they were personally known by our LSR group. There is no hard and fast rule, but if we knew them or the deceased had ties to LSR, then I post the news. We try and keep to the roots of hot rodding and LSR, but in some cases we have to report on situations that are borderline to our interests. Our condolences to the family and friends of Mike. He will be missed.
"Forwarding a message I received from Mike Hollander when he found out he had cancer. We will miss him...Sad regards, Dave Chess"
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. - Michael F. Hollander, 61, the motorsports journalist who effectively invented online racing news reporting in 1979, has been diagnosed with a form of colon cancer external to the colon. Hollander is resting at home after a brief stay at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, California.
"I'm going to fight this with the help and support of my family and friends," said Hollander. "I'm amazed at the number of people who have called or written."
In 1979, Hollander worked with the then-fledgling CompuServe Information Service to provide motor sports news on a real-time basis worldwide. By Sept. 1, 1983, that service evolved into the Auto Racing SIG and later into The Motor Sports Forum. The service initially relied on volunteer reporters and phone calls to race tracks to get racing results, later creating a cadre of top professionals and talented amateurs. In 1995, Hollander brought the service to the web, where it continues today as http://www.motorsportsforum.com, The Motor Sports Forum. The service was discontinued on CompuServe not long after that service's purchase by AOL. In addition to The Motor Sports Forum, the newswire contributes to print and online news outlets throughout the world. He has authored two books, The Complete Datsun Guide, and The New Mazda Guide, both for the TAB Books division of McGraw-Hill. The Datsun book led him from a career path in aerospace to one in marketing and advertising. He worked as product information manager and later as product information director on the Nissan advertising account at William Esty Co. Inc., Advertising and at Chiat/Day Advertising. He is currently the manager of information resources for PCGCampbell, the 10th largest privately-held marketing communications company in the United States. Current accounts include the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, presented by the Auto Club of Southern California, Yokohama Tire Corporation, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and Tesla Motors, manufacturer of the high-performance electric sports car.
Hollander is the national vice-president of the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) and the secretary of the Motor Press Guild (MPG), respectively the largest organizations of motor sports and automotive journalists. He has been honored with numerous awards for his work, including special recognition in 1995 to the Car Craft magazine Drag Racing All Star Awards; the AARWBA Dusty Brandel President's Award in 2007; the International Automotive Media Association Awards; and the AARWBA writing, photography and broadcasting contest sponsored by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar Racing. He is the past chairman of the Datsun Owners Clubs Association (DOCA) and the former editor of its magazine, Datsunews. He is the editor at large for MotoRacing and also writes for Automotive Performance News. He is married to Dr. Sandra Horwitz, Optometrist. They have one daughter, Sharon, who is a student in the South Bay Academy. See http://www.motorsportsforum.com.

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Just received word that Dan Brickey, Trackside Fire and Safety, NHRA National Series "Went Through The Lights" yesterday (09/22) around noon EDT. I'll keep you informed as the details come in to me so you can pass things off to the SLSRH group. Incidentally, I sent you an attachment earlier containing this months AARWBA Newsletter where I was the Member Spotlight subject. The editor used the biog you drafted and he plugged Hot Rod Hot Line. The size is two pages containing two studio portrait shots. Bob Falcon
Bob: Glad they ran your biography. You've had an exciting life. When I first met you I thought what a quiet guy and had no idea that you did so many exciting things in racing. Guys just don't brag about themselves in racing, at least the old timers wouldn't. It took a lot of reunions until a few words here and a few compliments there added up to an interesting story. We intend to run the biographies in this newsletter, especially when the news and research becomes a little thin. Until then, interested land speed and car racers can go to www.hotrodhotline.com, Richard's Corner, then search for the Bob Falcon Story. To all you other car guys out there, write your stories and send them to me. If you think my father was a nag when he was secretary of the SCTA, wait until I get ahold of you. I will be plenty angry if you "cross the finish line" before you caption your photographs and write your life's story. I have never had so much fun as helping all of the writers to finish their bios. I often reread your stories because they are so informative of the age that you lived through and so inspirational.

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Dan Brickey 58, of Indianapolis, Indiana and a longtime NHRA director of emergency medical services, passed away at 12:27 pm Monday, September 22, 2008, at Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, after a lengthy illness. He was born January 8, 1950, in Norton Virginia, to the late Raymond and Mary Elizabeth Thompson Brickey. He graduated from Twin Lakes High School in Monticello, and Cayuga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1968, he married Paulette Hunt. They later divorced. During Brickey's 17 year tenure with NHRA, he was charged with ensuring the safety of competitors and fans who attended NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events. While working closely with the NHRA Safety Safari on driver rescue, Brickey coordinated all aspects of facility safety, as well as all ambulance, fire, and other outside emergency services agencies for each event. "Dan was both a friend and a dedicated professional who helped advance the emergency services program with the Safety Safari and did an outstanding job during his time at NHRA," said Graham Light, NHRA senior vice president-racing operations. "He will be missed. On behalf of the entire NHRA community, our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends." Brickey joined NHRA full-time in 1991. Prior to that, he worked as a member of the safety team at the Indianapolis 500 for ten years and spent 13 years in occupational medicine at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. In 1979, Brickey became the part-time medical director at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.
A Navy corpsman during the Vietnam War, he trained as a physician's assistant from 1972 to 1974 at the Cleveland Clinic and earned his degree. He went to work in his homestate of Indiana for five years in a family practice, performing most of the duties of a full medical doctor.
Brickey was a charter member of the International Council of Motorsports Science and a committee member in the National Fire Prevention Association. In the 1990's, he was responsible for training NHRA's division safety teams to help them fashion their local operations in the manner of the famed NHRA Safety Safari. He was also a member of Liars Corner Club and American Legion in Indianapolis, was a board member of New Beginnings in Indianapolis. His hobbies included racing. Surviving are two daughters, Traci Bratton (husband: Jamie) of Dayton and Kelli Goldsmith of Lafayette; two brothers, Eugene Brickey of West Lafayette and Dr. David Brickey M.D. (wife: Linda) of Waco, Texas; two sisters, Janice Drake (husband: Dean) and Rhonda McCarver (husband: Dan), both of Monticello; and three grandchildren, Courtnee Bratton, Jakob Bratton and Matthew Goldsmith. He was preceded in death by a son, J.D. Brickey on May 17, 1998. Visitation 4-8 pm Friday with services 10 am Saturday at Soller-Baker Lafayette Chapel, 400 Twychenham Blvd, the Reverend Herb Buffenbarger officiating. Interment at Riverview Cemetery, Monticello. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donation to Dan Brickey Sr Educational Scholarship Fund (for his grandchildren's education) c/o Old National Bank, Lafayette Pavilions Financial Center, 140 South Creasy Lane, Lafayette, IN 47905. www.soller-baker.com

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I’ve been unable to find information as to the real origins of Hot Rod magazine so here are my best recollections of a personal relationship that began 60 years ago. Until now, I’ve had no occasion to record these events so I’ll welcome any corrections or additions from your father’s (Wally Parks) files, or from other sources, as to precise dates or other details.
R.E.Petersen and Hot Rod Magazine
Robert Einar (Pete) Petersen and Robert Lindsay began Hot Rod magazine in a double garage on the east side of Fairfax Avenue just south of Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood in late 1947. The first issue was dated January, 1948 and the cover price was twenty-five cents. I don’t recall Bob Lindsay’s being a direct participant in hot-rodding but Pete and I were fellow members of the Throttlers, so I was thoroughly familiar with his project from its outset. Earlier, there had been a little four-sheet publication called “Throttle” (I forget who put it out) but Pete was sure that our sport needed a more comprehensive, professional-looking publication. In an effort to improve the public impression of hot-rodding and to present it as a constructive enterprise, some of us in the Southern California Timing Association had organized “The First Annual Hot Rod Exposition,” a display of cars and equipment at the Los Angeles Armory building near Exposition Park. Pete and Bob were the leaders in organizing that event and I vividly recall Pete standing on the sidewalk outside the Armory with an armload of Volume1, Number 1, hawking them to people about to enter. That was Hot Rod magazine’s official debut!
Almost immediately, Hot Rod outgrew the garage on Fairfax and the operation was moved to the second floor of a storefront building on the south side of Melrose Avenue, a block or so west of La Brea. At that time, the operation still consisted of just Pete and Bob but they may have had one or two part-time helpers. Pete was outside, hustling ads and other business; Bob was in the office, writing, doing layouts, manning the phone and caring for other inside work. HRM was not an instant success. The subscriptions that trickled in came mostly from SCTA members and local individuals who already had some connection with the sport. There were no big-bucks advertisers and small equipment manufacturers, who had the most to gain, were hard-pressed to lay out dollars for promotion that guaranteed no immediate return. The partners were putting in fourteen-hour days but, after the third issue, their prospects looked anything but rosy. The printer hadn’t been paid and there was no money for even minimal office expenses.
One night after a Throttlers meeting, Pete and I met for coffee and he asked if I might be interested in buying out either his or Bob’s interest. I was sympathetic but, with a young family, I was working hard to make ends meet and was in no position to help. At that time, the late forties, the money involved - a few hundred dollars (!) - might as well have been a zillion! I don’t know whether or not Pete discussed a buyout with others but, after one or two conversations, we never talked about it again. We didn’t realize it then but Hot Rod was simply going through the phase that many startups endure - losing money at the outset before getting to a break-even and, if luck held out, eventually becoming profitable. Somehow, with grit and determination, Petersen and Lindsay held on and, within the next few weeks, their situation began to improve. Progress was slow but steady. Circulation began to pick up; and, as it did, new advertisers were encouraged to come in. A big step forward was the move to a one-story office building on the west side of La Cienega Avenue, south of Beverly Boulevard.
From this location, Motor Trend was launched in September of 1949 and Griffith Borgeson came on board as its editor. Pete was still editing Hot Rod; this was well before the Wally Parks era. Griff and I had become acquainted some time earlier and, quite naturally, I began writing for Motor Trend. During its first couple of years, I contributed around thirty articles, some with my byline but many more without. Griff Borgeson was a godsend to Pete. He was a gifted writer, full of energy and enthusiasm. His drive and talent helped establish Motor Trend as the foremost publication for the general car enthusiast. Griff introduced road tests of new cars as a prominent feature of the magazine. He and I usually partnered on these projects and, while tests were common in British publications such as Motor and The Autocar, Motor Trend may have been the first to publish such tests for its American readership.
I believe it was during the latter days of the La Cienega period that Pete and Bob Lindsay ended their partnership and Petersen became sole owner of Trend Publications, as it became known. I can’t recall the circumstances of the parting except that Lindsay went on to start a business of leasing television sets to go into hospital and hotel rooms. TV sets were not standard feature of those rooms in the early fifties! Hot Rod and Motor Trend eventually outgrew the La Cienega location and still larger space was needed. The next move was to the second floor of a building on the north side of Hollywood Boulevard, east of Gower Avenue. By then the operation had become departmentalized and the new location provided space for a much enlarged staff and for expansion into other enthusiast fields. There was Cycle magazine for motorcyclists, Guns & Ammo and Auto Classics. The latter was a large-page, slick-paper monthly aimed at an upscale readership. It lasted for only four or five issues and I can’t recall who edited it but I did a couple of Road Tests for it assisted by Fred Bodley, the local Rolls and Bentley specialist. Wally Parks came on board as editor of Hot Rod and Walt Woron took on the guidance of Motor Trend. Others from that period with whom I had frequent contact were Lee Ryan, Bill Quinn, Eric Rikman, Al Isaacs and Bob Gottlieb.
Lee Ryan was, in a way, Pete’s consigliere - an older man with a background in publicity and public relations, a kind of father figure on whom Pete seemed to rely for counsel. Bill Quinn wrote articles for Hot Rod, but soon left Trend Publications to found Rod & Custom magazine. R & C was the first of the small-format publications; its pages were only 5 x 8 inches. Rod & Custom was eventually absorbed into the Trend Publications family. Eric Rikman was Trend’s staff photographer, an expert professional, with a life-long devotion to automotive subjects. Bob Gottlieb was Pete’s Attorney who guided the legal aspects of Trend’s expansion into other fields. (Bob later married Sue-Ann, a cousin of mine and Trend employee after her divorce from Alex Xydias.). Al Isaacs was Trend’s Art Director.
By this time I had become an Account Executive with W.H. Hunt & Associates advertising agency. I had been Sales manager with Runyon, a manufacturer of sports car accessories, and a partner with Roy Richter in the Richter & Darwin MG dealership. Based on this background and my connection with the Southern California Timing Association, Waldo Hunt wanted me to manage advertising and public relations for the firm’s automotive clients. Hunt & Associates handled by far the largest volume of advertising in the specialized market that Trend Publications served. At one time, we controlled eighteen full-page color ads in Motor Trend. Each month I would meet with Al Isaacs and his Production Manager to “dummy” the upcoming issue. This meant deciding where in the magazine to place each client’s ad - back cover, inside front cover, page opposite lead article, etc. This was an unprecedented relationship of advertiser and media, an advantage no other agency enjoyed .
Leaving Hunt & Associates for a management position with Lockheed Aircraft, ended my direct involvement with motor sports and the connection with Pete and Trend Publications gradually tapered off. New activities beget new associations and, though old friends are never forgotten, the close contacts inevitably fade. Trend Publications went on from one major success to another. Robert E. Petersen was a real-life American success story in the Horatio Alger tradition. Starting from scratch, he had single-handedly created the world’s largest special-interest publishing empire and eventually made Fortune magazine’s list of the four hundred wealthiest men in America. His passing in March of 2008 came much too soon. He was a public benefactor who deserved many more years in which to enjoy the fruits of his remarkable labors.
G. Thatcher Darwin, September, 2008
Thatcher: What I know comes from listening to my mother, Mary Parks, my father and my step-mother, Barbara Parks. My mother told me that Bob Petersen came to the house on several occasions and on one of those visits told her that he would like to know if they could buy a one-third interest in the magazine for $10,000. My father was away at the time and in those days no one was greater in stature than anyone else. They were all just kids, really, and hot rodding and land speed racing was down at the bottom of the automotive world. Petersen rose very rapidly though, to amount to something very important by the 1950's. Bob Lindsay put up the seed money, a loan or gift from his parents. Some people said that Petersen had an inheritance from an aunt, but when I did his story it was obvious that his family had nothing. The idea for Hot Rod Magazine is complicated. Lindsay wasn't known as a hot rodder and no one that I know ever mentioned that he belonged to any club, but he was talented and he was close friends with Pete, as we sometimes called him. Petersen was quiet and not particularly charismatic, but he was committed and persevering and he also lived for causes. He was self-taught mostly, but his mind was inquisitive and sharp and he had a sense of where the trends were going. He could also focus on the future and eventually Trend was too small for both Lindsay and Petersen.
There is no indication that Pete and Bob Lindsay feuded, but Pete was known ardently as "The Boss" and he asserted his control. To Lindsay, the magazine empire lost its allure and he drifted off to other fields. Pete, even though he was "The Boss," had a staff of people who only nominally listened to him. He was a prudent and sagacious person, not known to indulge in extremes. His staff on the other hand was often his alter ego, opposite in every respect. Where Petersen was cautious, careful and thoughtful, reckless abandon could be often a characterization of his staff. The office parties began as soon as the day ended and Petersen left for home. They were wild, crazy and excessive. My mother, who heard of these parties from friends who had attended, hated these nightly events and often said that these "hot rodders were going Hollywood." The secretaries were often chosen from modeling agencies and the young writers, photographers and editors were known as risk takers. They were also racers and car guys. For them it was a great place to work and Petersen gave his staff just enough structure during the day and allowed enough freedom afterwards to make this the highlight of many of these media people's lives. After Petersen sold the publishing company, the round of musical chairs in the company began and many of the former staff fondly recalled the "good old days," that ended when Petersen stepped down. One of Robert Petersen's great accomplishments was choosing to associate with people who could help him the most. That's why he came to my father just after World War II was over.
At that time, Wally Parks was the most influential person in American land speed racing, even though he would deny that. He was important not because of any great skills in racing or because he had family connections or wealth. He was important for one basic reason; he could get people to work together and they trusted him. Dad was also charismatic. I know this from observing him, but at a family reunion two decades ago, I brought a survey on personality characteristics and had family members "take the test." Wally Parks graded extremely high on a quotient that psychologists call "charisma." Typically, every human being is born with a set of traits that as we grow older defines who we are. We can be loyal, assertive, creative and happy go lucky, or even a bit of several traits, but we tend towards only a few select traits. Dad had a test score that indicated that he was balanced in all of the traits, and his brother Kenny showed an almost impossible red/yellow score which indicated "highly charismatic." In other words, people liked the two Parks brothers, trusted and believed in them. Dad became president of the Southern California Timing Association in 1946 as it re-established itself as a California Corporation after the war.
The next year he became the secretary and the first General Manager of the SCTA, rather than run for president again. He did that because the position of General Manager was a powerful position and it paid. As a child I heard them say $30 a month, which was a great sum in those days, but when I looked at the minutes of the SCTA for the late 1940's, the actual figure was $300 a month, a figure that soon was raised to $400 (though he had to pay the phone and office expenses out of his salary). To put that into perspective, I didn't earn that much until the early 1970's. This allowed my father to leave General Motors and spend all of his time making the SCTA a more professional organization, one that had liaisons with racing groups all over the nation. He kept the list of members and called them frequently. He was very busy and would sometimes be gone for weeks at a time and when he was home he would be called away constantly. Petersen was laid off from his job as a PR and media man for the movie studios after World War II, because the returning servicemen who worked at the studios prior to being inducted had seniority. His job was often described as a "Gofer" or actually Go For person. There is no disrespect in the title. The studios still have men and women who do these kinds of jobs. They send out press releases and do what they have to do to quell scandals and reduce bad publicity. Bob got to know a lot of the movie actors and actresses and at his funeral, many showed up to pay their respects, including Ruta Lee and Debbie Reynolds.
A few of the men who were laid off from MGM or the other studios, formed Hollywood Associates and looked for clients. There were Lee Ryan, Bob Barsky, Robert Petersen and others and one of the first accounts they got was to represent the SCTA and Pete was mainly responsible as he was a member of the Throttlers club, located out of Hollywood, the most influential of the pre-war SCTA clubs. Petersen was extremely talented, but he didn't invent the first Hot Rodding magazine and it was the men around him that propelled him to success. Does that diminish his achievements? Not in the least, for success is often about WHO we associate ourselves with, not by what we actually do. Hot Rod magazine was reformatted from the ideas of Jack Peters, a member of the Throttlers car club who went on to become a leader in the Western Timing Association. Peters created the club newsletter for the Throttlers and then found news outside of the club, which he added to the paper. He then gave or sold the club newsletter to other clubs and in the late 1930's and throughout 1940, his newsletter filled a need for hot rodders and land speed racers who wanted to keep up on events within their sport. In January 1941, he published the first issue of Throttle magazine, that had evolved into a general car racing magazine with a distinctive red stripe across the top and bottom with a white middle. The writing, editing and content were exceptional, though the photographs would range from good to poor. If he had any help with the magazine, it isn't listed on the letterhead. It was every bit as good as any other car racing publication that I've ever seen and at the time, only the Europeans had anything better. Nothing like it was seen in America, at least in the California market.
Peters produced 12 issues of Throttle, 11 monthly issues and one special issue for the results of the Indianapolis 500 race. He reported on all kinds of racing, from sprints and midgets to the dry lakes. Land speed racing accounted for about half of the content, but that is misleading, because racers did it all back then. Guys that ran at Indy, also raced the lakes, on the streets and at local oval tracks and road racing. Jack opened his December, 1941 issue stating that Throttle had unparalleled success in readership, ads and contents and that the 16 or so page magazine would almost certainly grow in size and scope. He distributed the last issue of Throttle on December 5, 1941 and two days later we were at war. In early 1942, he was in the military, I believed that he enlisted and he came back and spoke to the SCTA in late 1942 or '43 and then nothing is ever heard from him again. No one knows what happened to him and no family members have come forward to let us know his fate, but Throttle ceased to exist. Did Robert Petersen know of Throttle when he put together Hot Rod magazine in 1948 to be a promotional magazine to support the Hot Rod Exposition at the Armory in Los Angeles, in his capacity as the PR spokesmen for the SCTA? There is no proof and Pete never told me or anyone else, but I believe he copied the format of Hot Rod from that of Throttle. The two early magazines look exactly the same.
Perhaps Thatcher Darwin is correct, but Hot Rod magazine was created as a promotional PR program for the SCTA. My father told me that he ghost wrote much of the material for the early issues, but refused to join the staff. Why? Because it would have been foolhardy. He was already working unheard of hours and was never home. He would also have put his job with the SCTA in jeopardy if he had gone with this fledgling magazine, which no one expected to be a success. Even Petersen felt that Hot Rod was simply a way to promote the SCTA and Hollywood Associates. Dad also said that there was one man in Hollywood Associates who he couldn't stand to be around, and asked me not to say who it was, but it wasn't Petersen. Wally Parks and Pete Petersen butted heads on a lot of issues, but they respected each other. The last words Pete ever said to me was, "Your father is a great man and you should be very proud of him." The way he said it and the tone of his voice told me that it wasn't said nonchalantly. Buried in their many conflicts was an abiding respect, if begrudging, from these two men. In the beginning, Pete needed my father more than my father needed Pete. Dad had at his fingertips the names, phone numbers and addresses of the most influential men in American racing and they were constantly calling him for advice and help. He lived to be 94 and was still doing favors for people, helping them with their requests, pulling contacts out of his drawer full of favors he had done for people over the years. When you couldn't get in the door to see someone or arrange something, Dad would make a call and call in a favor, and the job would get done.
Petersen was younger than my father and he looked up to Parks, as a younger brother would to an older brother. Most of the pre-war land speed racers went on to other forms of racing, while Dad, Ak Miller, Bozzie Willis and others stayed with the dry lakes racers. The post-war guys were some ten years younger than Dad and they idolized him. Many, many times they would call him from some police precinct and he would rouse himself and go down and get them out of jail. The young men couldn't call their fathers and they couldn't post bail, for in those days "$5 or 5 days in jail," was an ominous sentence. Forget the $5, they would opt to take the five days in jail, at least that came with meals. My uncle Bob (Robert Mant) was one of those young men who ran afoul of the law, though in the 1930's and '40's it was much more benign than it is today. He told me stories, colored by time, that exemplified what it was like to be on the outside of the law with few friends in times of need. Finally, Dad agreed to be officially listed in Hot Rod magazine as the Technical Director, for Hot Rod did not fail immediately and he could see that it was a positive force in promoting and protecting hot rodding and in fighting illegal street racing. About a year or so after the first issue came out, Dad agreed to become the first full time professional editor of Hot Rod magazine and brought all of his influence, contacts and lists over to the company. He used Hot Rod as the official forum of the SCTA, eclipsing the SCTA Racing News as the heartbeat of the association. The SCTA Racing News had evolved from the Road Runners club newsletter, surpassing the Throttlers club newsletter and becoming the official voice of the SCTA. Bozzie Willis and Eldon Snapp had helped my Dad create and publish the SCTA Racing News.
Petersen and Lindsay left Hot Rod magazine in my father's hands and concentrated on adding more titles. Lindsay soon left, selling his half of the business or simply walking away. I don't know what happened to Lindsay or his family and Bob was never given the credit for making Hot Rod magazine the success that it became. Would Petersen have created his empire without Lindsay and Wally Parks, not to mention Lee Blaisdell, Erich Rickman and a host of other talented men and women? The answer is yes, for he would have found other talented men and women eventually and the times were right for car racing magazines. Pete Petersen would have become a success at whatever he would have done, it just so happened that he ran into some of the most talented people in racing and he was smart enough to keep after them until he got them to come on board. They didn't all stay and these people moved on, but they left behind a treasure that Petersen kept on growing. Before we leave this subject, we should mention Lee Blaisdell. Lee was the official photographer for the SCTA in the 1940's and the first photographer for Hot Rod magazine. Much of the success and the volume of work can be attributed to Blaisdell. Everyone at Hot Rod; Petersen, Lindsay, Blaisdell, Parks, Don Francisco, Erich Rickman and others, took photos and wrote copy. It was a hand to mouth publication in the beginning, but it became a very professional magazine when Dad took over. My father's experience as an editor came from what he did with the SCTA Racing News. He was a self-taught writer and photographer, who did so-so in High School English classes. Like Petersen, he was assertive, a quick learner and interested in everything around him. He was also a perfectionist and kept a controlling hand on everything. He was never happy with what he had done and was always seeking to improve on whatever he tried to do.
Wally Parks formed the NHRA in 1951. This was one of the first things that he did by himself and not as a consensus decision. His management style was to seek a consensus from a group and he was uniquely qualified to do this. He was patient to a fault and could work with anyone. He never said a bad word about anyone, until late in his life, when he dropped a few hints here and there. Otherwise you would never have known how he felt about others, for he was supremely polite and positive in his tone and words about everyone that he knew. But his reason for living was to promote and protect hot rodding. More than land speed racing or drag racing, his passion was hot rodding and it didn't matter whether you ran around in circles, "tail chasers," or "sunset chasers," he loved them all. He hated illegal street racing with a passion, although he was one of the worst of the street racers in his day. He used Hot Rod magazine as a bully pulpit and he railed and ranted about making the sport more respectable and safer. He was also the leader in the SCTA, probably one of the biggest and most influential racing group in the country at the time. Even though the SCTA was regional, it set the tone for racing throughout the nation. The SCTA was at the forefront of progress and innovation, but it rigidly stayed true to its local and amateur roots and resisted growing into the types of organizations that threatened its goals and purposes. The SCTA could be maddenly immovable. Today its members call it the Senior Citizens Timing Association and worse. They love being rigid and unchanging. They see no advantage in trying to be like all the other "Big Fish." Dad wanted something more, an SCTA that was national and safety programs that would leave the regional Southern California area and expand.
The origins of the NHRA aren't important here, only to say that when Dad created the NHRA he created a group that would eventually force him to move away from the SCTA and Pete Petersen. The aims and goals stayed the same for a decade, then the needs of the SCTA, NHRA, Petersen Publishing Company, Petersen and my father caused them to separate, somewhat amicably and sometimes with a feeling of sad loss. Looking back, it is obvious that nothing could have been done to prevent this. Growth and evolution are inevitable. Change is the term that some politicians use. Sadly, men like Lindsay are left behind and are forgotten. Others, like Gordon Browning, Thatcher Darwin, Lee Blaisdell, Erich Richman, Jack Peters, Bozzie Willis, Eldon Snapp and others are often overlooked. This newsletter is an attempt to report on the past and understand how our heritage was formed. It is up to all of you to look and research the past and bring it back out into the open.

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I learned to drive in Bob Brissette's '29 A back in 1948. They used to let me drive it on the dirt strip up in Saugus years before the official Saugus Drag Strip was born. I also remember going up to Muroc and El Mirage long before the days of freeways. In those days, girls were looked down upon in the car racing business. LOOK AT US NOW! Of course, all of this happened before you were born. Now you see why I am so close to the Brissette Family. Bob and I go back 60 years. What kind of boats were you involved with? What time does the Newsletter usually come up? Pat Geiger
Pat: Can you give me more history on the '29-A and Bob Brissette? Also more about Saugus and your memories of Muroc and El Mirage. I also remember the drive up to El Mirage in the late 1940's, when I was a child. Be sure to write down all that you remember and caption your photographs. History can be lost so easily if it isn't saved. I never raced boats and only remember seeing one boat race at Marine Stadium in the late 1940's. In 2000 I co-founded the Boat Racers Reunion with Don Edwards. I was the promoter of the reunion and principal backer and sponsor of the reunion from 2000 to 2005. Four of the five reunions that I organized were held at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California. The reunion in 2001 was held at Irvine Lake just 11 days after the terrorist's attack on 9/11. That attack made it impossible to hold a reunion in 2002. Starting in 2003, I changed the format and found a sponsor in the Southern California Marine Association (SCMA) and held the Boat Racers Reunion in conjunction with their Boat Show at the Los Angeles County Fairplex, right behind the Motorsports Museum. The reunion was created to honor all boat racers from the beginning of the sport in the 1890's to the present, in all forms of boat racing. In 2006, the local members of the reunion committee voted to change the format to Southern California boat racers who participated in the SCSC and NDBA and asked me to step down. They now hold the local Boat Racers Reunion at Lake Irvine, every other year or so. The Motorsports Museum is dedicated to all motorsports, not just drag racing and they welcomed boat racers to their facility. The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter is sent in once a week to www.landspeedracing.com to post on their website. The owners are Jack and Mary Ann Lawford, who graciously give us free space on their site. If there is more than 15 email screens worth of information in the Newsletter, then I might send in two issues in one week. The newsletter is also sent to Tina Van Curren at Autobooks/Aerobooks, who has a website that promotes auto racing. Autobooks is one of the largest retailers of books, tapes and other racing literature in the country. They are a major source for fans and historians who wish to find information and create their own libraries.

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Do you ever use pictures like this in the Newsletter? Just checkin'. Speaking of the old days, my apartment building sits on land that is approximately fifty yards from Alex Xydias's original So Cal Speed Shop on Olive here in Burbank. I will work on Bob to get some pictures to me as all my old pictures were lost en route to Bob's Son, Rob, in Utah. I told Bob that this will be a good joint venture for us when he isn't working on 960. Did your Dad and Barbara live on Monterey Road in Glendale? I know he passed away at St. Joe's because I was there that day.  Pat Geiger

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As to David Ash, he was a pen pal I had as a young child. His name was brought to me by my aunt who worked in the EPA, she had an envelope that had the name David Ash, marketing publicity and public relations. She thought it was neat and shared it with me. I thought it was neat enough to write this "company" to see how they got their name. As most children, it never occurred to me that there were others with my name. Mr. Ash replied in the neatest way someone could. Here was this man who in my mind was this big corporate executive, and he had taken the time to respond to this young impressionable boy. And he sent me a copy of the automobile almanac. So, he and I corresponded for years. I remember letting him know I was going into the USMC, after High School. I unfortunately lost contact with him shortly thereafter and it wasn't until this year as I was headed to Bonneville that I thought to try and contact him. It was then that I found out he had passed away in 2002. To say that was a great disappointment is an understatement, and at 43 years old now I wish I would have stayed in closer contact. I have tried to contact the family as I wanted to let them know what an impact he had on me in my younger years, but I haven't had any luck with that. I will keep trying though.
So there ya have it, the story of my connection to David Ash. I am sure it is more than you wanted to know, but it means a lot to me. In the years that I corresponded with Mr. Ash, there were plenty of neat conversations. Hopefully one of these days I can let the family know.
Thank you for the information about Art, and the road racers and the newsletter. I will get a hold of him. I would love to see a copy of the Land speed Racing Historians Newsletter if that is possible to see the weekly column on Mr. Ash, I think that would be very neat. And I think it is very fitting for him. If you are ever up in the Seattle area, look me up I would love to give you a tour of the Microsoft Campus if you have any desire to see it. David Ash
David: What a great story. Everyone I have interviewed in the past have told me the same thing, that there was a special person in their lives who influenced them in a way that changed their lives. Sometimes we have more than one mentor. The land speed racing fraternity and hot rodders in general help each other out to such an extent that it is sometimes hard to point to one person who had the most impact on our lives. I wrote an article called Helping Hands, and you can see it on www.hotrodhotline.com, Richard's Corner. The gist of the story is that my brother and I stopped to help Ron and Norm Benham on an isolated road in northern Nevada and years later Norm saw my brother and I stranded on Highway 101 and stopped to help. The world gets smaller and smaller with the more friends that one has. I hope you write your bio and if you can, tell us more about the first David Ash and what he did in racing. Be sure to caption your photographs too. For details on what was said about David Ash and other land speed history, check www.landspeedracing.com. All the issues are located there.

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The name Marvin Lee sounds familiar but I can't place it. My recollections of Lee Ryan are pretty clear; I doubt they are the same person. I have no knowledge of the Bonneville connection you mention. It would have been more a Hot Rod project than a subject for Motor Trend.
Thanks for your mention of Bob Barsky - his is a name I should have included in my memoir - also Hollywood Associates as an entity. I knew that Pete and Lee Ryan and Barsky had come from MGM but I had forgotten the name "Hollywood Associates." As you could gather from what I wrote, my early relation to Trend Publications was entirely with Griff Borgeson on the Motor Trend side. I don't recall ever writing for Hot Rod. That's why there was only a passing mention of Wally in what I sent you. Later, when I was with Hunt & Associates, we did place a lot of advertising in Hot Rod but that didn't involve your father. Regards, Thatcher
Thatcher: It was Lee Ryan who went to Salt Lake City with my father and Pete Petersen in 1948. Thankfully I can go back to my library and check out those things. Landspeed Louise Ann Noeth cleared that up for me in her wonderful book on Bonneville.

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Editor's notes: The following emails are from Jerry Cornelison, the historian for the Road Runners club.
   I just spent a very interesting 2+ hours talking with John Welcher at his home in Colton. I found out that the reason we could not contact him via phone is we had an incorrect number. Since I had an address, I drove to Colton and knocked on his door. John was very excited that we had found him. He overwhelmed me with stories, memories and pictures. I took notes but did not do a real good job. I know now why you both have mentioned taking a recorder! I did leave John a copy of the SLSRH Bio Guidelines. He says he has a bio already done which includes some of his hot rodding and lakes racing days. He has led a most interesting life. Most if not all lakes racing was pre-war. He was a Charter Member of the Road Runners and in the club until he went in the Navy in December 1941. He was in 17 major sea battles in WWII aboard the heavy cruiser, USS Minneapolis. They even survived having the front of their ship blown off by a torpedo in a Japanese Sub attack. After the war he became a oil field engineer and spent a lot of time in South America. He got involved in Kart Racing with his son in the 1960's. He is a high office holder in the Masons. He volunteers at the VA Hospital in Loma Linda. He plays harmonica (and ??) and started a small band to entertain at convalescent hospitals, senior citizens centers and homes and hospitals. That small band has now grown to 11 members. Like I said, a very interesting fellow. His memory of his days lakes racing, hot rodding and motorcycling is pretty vivid. He has lots of pictures! I saw one album and he was searching for another. He also said that his nephew John, Orville's (Snuffy's) son has an album or albums with many more pictures. (Uncle) John is contacting him (Nephew) to see about getting the pictures. In what I saw were personal pictures that included Ernie McAfees streamliner, Ralph Schenck's streamliner, and much more. Ernie McAfee and the Welchers were neighbors and good friends. John said he has a picture of Wally, Vic Edelbrock, Randy Shinn and Snuffy standing by the Welcher Bros modified at the lakes. One of the pictures I showed John from the Jack Ratledge collection I have really peaked John's interest. It was a modified with #2 on the side that I had listed as "unknown." John said, "That's our car and that's Wally's sedan behind it. Wally towed us to the lake." All the pictures in John's album that I saw were pre war. Jim - I told John about the project you do with copying picture collections for AHRF and then sending back originals with CD copy. He is VERY interested in that as soon as he has them (his and Snuffy's) all together. He might be one you want to consider filming for the Pioneers also. He had all kinds of info and knowledge about how they hot rodded the cars back then, knew and was friends with many of the other Pioneers and early Lakes Racers and has some real good stories about some of the "fun" stuff they did off the lakes. I have invited John to attend our Road Runners meetings. He only lives around 10 miles away. I have added him to our regular Road Runners notification list so I can stay in touch and keep him notified our activities. Richard, John is looking forward, very much, to talking with you since John and Snuffy were good friends of your Dad. Something very interesting has come out of my recent visit with John Welcher. I began looking through my Lakes books and made a connection I had failed to see before. It involves a car identified as having been owned and raced by Orville "Snuffy" Welchel in the 1930's (Genat's books pgs 128 & 130) and later bought by Art and Jack Chrisman and converted into the #25 Dragster. Also in the Genat books, pg 14 in both, are pictures of Doug Caruthers #6 C&C Special which we know is the car that the Chrisman's bought. Upon examination of the pictures, I'm sure both pictured in the Genat books are the same cars. I am exchanging e-mail with John Welcher regarding the car. He told me during our visit they sold one of their cars to Jack Harvey. Jack Harvey is documented in the purchasing lineage of the #6 / #25 car in the late 1930's. There is other evidence to suggest the car is tied to the Welcher's (Welchel). I've got Jim Miller in this loop too because he has lot's of information about this car, a whole notebook I think! If it turns out that the car is in fact the Welcher car then we will have some interesting connections - The Chrisman #25 car is in your Dad's museum, Doug Caruther's son Roy is currently building a replica of the car as the #6 C&C Special when Doug ran it at the lakes and plans to bring it to El Mirage when complete AND John Welcher. Wouldn't it be something to get John, Roy, Art Chrisman, the #25 car and the #6 replica together for a reunion! Like I said, still investigating. I will definitely keep you posted. Jerry Cornelison
   NEXT
   I plan to meet with John next week and take the Genat books with me so we can compare pictures in the book with pictures in John's album and of his memory of the car he and Snuffy sold to Jack Harvey. John did not come right back with a "yes we owned the car" so more detective work needs to be done. I showed the Genat book to Jim on Friday evening at the SCTA meeting. Jim had not seen the book I have. Jim has done extensive investigation on the Caruthers/Chrisman car and has no information showing the Welchers (Welchels) in the ownership lineage.
Either the caption on the picture in Genat's book is incorrect or we have some new knowledge we (Jim and I) did not have before regarding the
car. I have not talked to Art about this. I have never personally met Art and don't have contact information for him. Depending on what I find out during with my meeting with John Welcher this week will let me know if we do or don't have a story here.  Jerry Cornelison
   NEXT
   I have a Google Web Alert set up to notify me when new info about the SCTA Road Runners shows up in Google. Received this alert yesterday. (Open link below) It is a set of 3 Gus Maanum drawings and apparently the original photos used as models for the drawings for sale on E-Bay. Accompanying information says these were part of an estate sale from a Charter Member of the Road Runners. Says one of the Club Members founded the NRHA (Wally of course) but mentions no other names. I have no idea what Charter Member of the Road Runners owned these drawings and pictures. 
   "Google Web Alert for: SCTA Road Runners 1947 1st HOT ROD SCTA Sanctioned Flathead RACERS TROPHY
   - eBay ... The Family Patriarch was one of the Charter Members of the Roadster Club ~Road Runners SCTA
   Southern California Timing Association~ who raced their Hot Rods."   Jerry Cornelison
   NEXT
   To Jim Miller: I went back and looked at the e-bay page again. I downloaded the pictures so I could blow them up and get a better look at the cars. As you point out, the pictures are not the same cars as the drawings! I don't have an E-bay account but my wife does. I'm going to have her ask the seller what estate the drawings and photos came from and also suggest that he take a closer look and notice the differences between drawing and photos. When you get an "up close and personal" look at the pictures, the differences, even to an untrained eye (or semi-trained eye as in my case) should be able to see the differences. BTW - I'm meeting John Welcher tomorrow afternoon. I'm taking several of my Lakes Racing books with pictures of the Caruthers/Chrisman car with me so we can compare to pictures in John's album. I'm also taking my Edelbrock book with picture of Wally, Vic and another Road Runner repairing the clubhouse roof to see if this is the same clubhouse John remembers. Will keep you posted.  Jerry Cornelison
   NEXT
   Just returned home from a 4 hour meeting with John Welcher. Jim Miller and I visited John at his home today. Among other things, we
confirmed that John and Orville "Snuffy" Welcher did in fact own the Caruthers/Chrisman car in the late 1930's. They sold it to fellow Road
Runner Jack Harvey. We were able to confirm with pictures, including John Welcher's photos and first hand descriptions of the car. Way
 cool!   Jerry Cornelison

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This year www.Hotrodhotline.com has gotten more reports of stolen hot rods than in all of our years in business combined...we got one just today...so while it may not have seemed important in the past, security for your car is really important now. Mary Ann Lawford

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To whom it may concern, not sure if you heard yet, but Rocky Robinson broke the land speed record on a 2 wheel motorcycle this morning at Bonneville. He went 358mph in the ACK ATTACK machine. This is great news & thought you & your staff would like to post this on your website. Thank-you, Ruth Robinson (Rocky's Former Wife)
Dear Ruth: Congratulations on Rocky's accomplishment. It is indeed a great feat and almost an unbelievable one. Thank you for the news and feel free to write in to me at any time with results, news or future goals. The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians is interested in all land speed and hot rodding news and history. Also we post biographies and photos, so if you or Rocky or any of his crew would like to write your bios and post them here, we will be glad to help you. I have an outline that you can use and will send it to you on request. Check out www.landspeedracing.com and www.hotrodhotline.com, Richard's corner for more details, or write to me at Rnparks1@juno.com.

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Bob & Jim Brissette (Bob's younger brother). When I started running at the lakes, Bob and Jim were already veterans. Jim was a teenager with a De Soto powered '40 Ford coupe and Bob had a Fuel '29 Roadster and a Belly Tank. Jim was still in High School and Bob was single, putting most of his resources into going fast. Bob drove the roadster and Howard Eichenofer drove the tank. The Eichenhofer and Brissette tank was the fastest open wheel car for a number of years and the roadster was the fastest highboy also. Bob would go to Bonneville with five Chrysler Windsor short blocks and was generally out of motors before the meet was complete. He was always looking for "just one good run."
Jim also drove the roadster and had a crankcase fire at El Mirage that landed him in the hospital in Apple Valley for quite awhile with 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his arms. I don't believe that he drove after that, but has become a well known 1/4 mile top fuel tuner, working for most of the big name teams at one time or another. Bob married and disappeared from the racing scene for many years. He is back, however, with just as much zeal as ever. Other drivers for Bob's tank were Burke Le Sage, Bob Summers and Bob Funk who crashed the tank at the lakes resulting in his death. The car was not rebuilt. The roadster was also driven by Paul Dearth who had a one way pass at almost 230 MPH in the early sixties, the fastest for any roadster until Al Teague came on the scene with the Sadd/Bentley & Teague car. Bob also was well known in the 1/4 mile circuit running the roadster and in later years a duel-engine Chevy powered dragster. Instead of sending you doubles, if you go to www.brissetteracing.org you will find the page that Rob Brissette did giving you some history of his Dad. Pat Geiger
Pat and Rob: Thank you for the history and I will check out the website.

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If you ever have any spare time - go to: www.Unlimiteds.net and look at some of the pictures. My Son, Craig Barney, designed this site and he takes all of the pictures. He volunteered 8 years ago and he still loves it. He goes to all the Power Boat Races at his own expense and never asks for a dime. He lives in New Mexico and comes home to Burbank to every other month see Mom. Regards, Pat Geiger
Pat: I'll use this in the newsletter. It was a great site and I only wish I knew about it when I was the promoter and founder for the Boat Racers Reunion from 2000 to 2005.

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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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