SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS |
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Editorial: Am in a hurry writing you this note, Hope you get this on time, I Just wanted to seek your help on something very important, you are the onlyperson i could reach at this point, and i hope you come to my aid. Because something very terrible is happening to me now,i need a favor from you now,I had a trip here in UK on a mission. Unfortunately for me all my money got stolen on my way to the hotel where i lodged along with my bag were my passport was ,And since then i have been without any money i am even owing the hotel here. So i have limited access to emails for now, please i need you to lend me about $1200 so i can make arrangements and return back please,i have spoken to the embassyhere but they are not responding to the matter effectively, I will return the money back to you as soon as i get home, I am so confused right now.Iwill be waiting to hear from you.RegardsArt Evans800 S. Pacific Coast Hwy. On Wednesday, a criminal hacker invaded our Fabulous Fifties email site and sent a message to everyone, purportedly from me, saying that I was stranded in England without funds and asked that money be sent so I could come home. I think virtually all of you decided this was a scam. Quite a large number of you called me on my cell upon which I spent much of the day. Most of you who called offered to send money if I really was stuck in the U.K. Others of you emailed me on my personal site to tell me about what had happened. The best part was that I got to talk with friends, some of whom I had not heard from lately. To those of you who contacted me: THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I am heartened to know I have so many friends. When Casey Annis called me, I asked him to respond as if he intended to send money. He was given an address in England. I asked one of my English friends to notify the police there. Dennis Seminitis at R&T told me that he knows someone who had the same scam pulled on a hotmail email site. Al Moss said that he received a call from someone who said he was Al's grandson asking money be sent to Canada. Another friend told me that this short of scam was discussed on the TV news. So it's going around. BEWARE. Meanwhile, Yahoo found out about the scam and shut down our Fabulous Fifties email site. Yesterday and today, Ginny Dixon worked with the Yahoo people and got our site restored. Ginny has a great deal of patience and perseverance. Thanks from all of us. This email was actually written and sent by me. All the very best to you and I hope to see you soon. Art Evans Now I want you to see the differences. In the bogus email the scammer mentions only the person and the address, both copied from the website. The thief doesn't know any names nor does he have anything personal to say. In the real email from Art Evans, he mentions 4 people by name and 3 organizations. He is specific and he doesn't make grammatical errors. You can tell the true and original from the fake. But we all go by our hearts as well as our minds and when a fellow car guy is in trouble the normal response is to help. By responding we do more than simply lose money, we give the scammer our identity too. There's no telling what damage that will cause. Until our government gets serious and starts to protect us by going after these scammers and thieves and putting them in jail for a long time, we have only one recourse and that is to remain vigilant. Here is another scam that I received at around the same time. Notice the spelling and grammatical errors and ask yourself this; would a large and influential corporation allow such untidy and inept language to represent them? |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The legendary Slo Bo O'Brochta has passed away we are reaching out to the community that he influenced to let everyone know that the services will be held on November 7, 2009 in Dunedin, Florida. Please contact us at 954-914-9374 or by email at [email protected]. Nate and Sheri Goodwin (Bo's daughter) |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O'BROCHTA, Robert F. "Bo" age 70, of Dunedin, passed on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at his residence. Bo was born in Chicago & resided in Florida many years. Bo was a world renowned Professional Drag Bike Racer. He was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. He was a Navy veteran. Bo is survived by his 2 daughters, Sheri Goodwin and P.J. Havilland; 1 brother, Richard O'Brochta, & 6 grandchildren. A Celebration of Bo's life will be held on Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 3 pm, at Moss Feaster F.H. Moss Feaster Funeral Home Dunedin Chapel 1320 Main Street, Dunedin, Florida. Courtesy of the St Petersburg Times |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On September 30, 2009, Jerry Cornelison, Rep for the Roadrunners fell while trimming a tree and suffered a fractured back and internal injuries. He has undergone surgery to repair the internal damage and is starting to mend. Jerry is at Parkview Hospital in Riverside, CA, room 214. He can be reached on 951-688-2211 and after Wednesday October 21, he can be reached at home on 951-686-2166. I know that he would like to hear from his SCTA friends. Thanks, Pat Riley |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Car and motorcycle shows, carnival, midway and amusement rides, vendors and food. November 1, 2009, Castaic Regional Sports Complex, 31230 North Castaic Road, Castaic, California 91384. November 15, 2009, Crescenta Valley Park, 3901 Dunsmore Avenue, La Crescenta, California 91214. See www.MoldyShows.com for more details, or you can call me at, 800-880-6567 or, 661-944-2299. Moldy |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I was wondering if you could help me? On this page www.hotrodhotline.com/feature/guestcolumnists/richardscorner/09harrell/, there is a picture of Rich Harrell's Cuda at the lower portion. Now is in my hands......I would like to get a hold of him, do you have any info on his whereabouts? Thank you for your help, Garen Ballard. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A friend of mine sent me this shot and I thought you might like to pass it along. Michael Brennan |
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Captions c/o Spencer Simon |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I knew you were one busy man. I will either try to scan them or contact Jim Miller. Thanks for the return communication. The thing is that there are ups and downs to my project. Part of the history has to do in some ways that connects to your dad (Wally Parks), Tom Medley, Pete Petersen, Jack Houttes, Eric Rickman and Ken Fuhrman. Fuhrman printed the Rod Dust article for Jack Houttes dragstrip which Pete and Jack went in different ways earlier. Fuhrman, I think, got in trouble with Medley and your dad had to do the knock off, I think through Hot Rod publishing. The wild atmosphere in my mind tells me that connecting the info would not be mixing well together due to the 60 plus years situation. What would you do? Would you just say, "The heck with what anyone says." The reason why I say this is that you are Wally's son and I don't want to create a new wild atmosphere. I think what you do is awesome. Deep down inside me I get the feeling that this old bridge is still on fire, and I am trying to find a way not to reignite it. Spencer Simon |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here is the final copy of my interview with Jack Costella. You will find this very interesting for sure. I have also attached the pictures that he sent along for the article. It was surely a good interview and he is a very cool guy. Thanks for publishing it. I will be sending another addition to this, a narrative by Rick Yacoucci from El Mirage that I am cleaning up for publication. Scott Andrews |
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Jack digresses into another area on CG or center of gravity: Everybody is all worried about center of gravity. Hell, you can put an elephant in the middle of a car and have a 50/50 c/g cut him in half and put one end on the front and one end on the back and you would still have a 50-50 center of gravity. There are many ways to look at things. said if you were to touch a glider and leave a fingerprint, you would be run off with a club! And that's what I learned from her. She taught me that surface is (very) important. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gone Racin'… Inboard Racing, A Wild Ride, by Bob Foley. Book review by Richard Parks, photographic consultant Roger Rohrdanz Bob Foley is a long time boat racer and avid historian of the sport of motorized boat racing. He writes informative and interesting stories for websites on the history and heritage of boat racing. His latest work is called Inboard Racing, A Wild Ride. Foley researched the material and was assisted with the publishing, editing, layout and printing by AuthorHouse Publishing, in Bloomington, Indiana. Inboard Racing, A Wild Ride is a soft cover book with a glossy cover and is printed on high-quality, non-glossy mat bond paper. The cover shows two color photographs on a high-gloss heavy bond paper. The book is 287 pages in length and there are 103 black and white photographs in addition to the two color pictures on the cover. There were two short notices/letters and 41 charts showing racing outcomes and other data. The ISBN is 1-4259-0354-1 (sc) and the Library of Congress number is 2005910524. You can order the book through Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, AuthorHouse.com and from the author. Inboard Racing, A Wild Ride has an introduction, 16 chapters, 8 appendices covering a large amount of information and a glossary, but no index. Foley kept extensive notes on his boats and racing career, much of which appears in the appendices. The text is full and detailed and gives a very good description of what it was like to go boat racing in the heyday of the sport. Foley raced during a period of time that will probably never be replicated again. His personal knowledge, combined with the research that he does, gives him a special ability to tell the story of inboard racing at its very heart. Chapter One gives a brief overview of drivers, owners and designers of Unlimited Hydroplane racing in the middle of the 20th century. Men such as Bill Muncey, Stan Sayres, Ted Jones, Anchor Jensen, Lou Fageol, Les Staudacher, Danny Foster, Joe Taggart and many more fan favorites battled for those coveted Gold cups. The names of those boats conjure up the dreams of our youth. There were Slo-Mo-Shun, Tempo, Gale, Miss Thriftway, Miss U.S., Miss Pepsi, My Sweetie Dora, Breathless, Hawaii-Kai, Maverick, Shanty and other nostalgic names from the past. Foley grew up in this era and marveled at the excitement of this dangerous and enthralling sport. He and his father built their first boat while Bob was in high school in 1955, an outboard runabout. In Chapter Two, Foley tells us that he graduated from college in 1962 and went to work for General Dynamics Corporation in San Diego and this allowed him to continue to be near the sport of motorized boat racing that he loved so much. After watching the sport up close for five years, Foley decided that he needed to build his own boat and join the pursuit of speed. Chapter Three discusses how Mickey Remund gives Foley the sound advice of buying a good used boat instead of building his own. He took Mickey's advice and bought John Lyle's Full House Mouse, a 48 cubic inch hydroplane, powered by a Crosley engine. Chapter Three is written with a special love, because on July 4, 1967 Foley enters his first race in order to qualify for his APBA license as a certified boat racer. He takes the reader on the qualifying laps with the pathos of a first time novice and the understanding of a veteran reliving those pulse beating Foley is a quick learner and pays attention to the men who have come before him in racing. These men would become his lifetime friends and on the shore they would do anything they could to help him learn and perfect his skills. On the racecourse they would try every trick in the book to beat him and this only served to teach Foley the finer arts of racing. His first victory in his class came just two months later on Labor Day, 1967 at Marine Stadium in Long Beach. Foley has a wealth of stories to tell about those exciting races. He also takes the reader on a mechanical tour of the boat, engine and the dynamics of racing. Chapter Four finds Foley a hardened veteran, just months into his boat racing career, finishing 3rd at the Parker Fall Regatta and winning the 1968 Southern California Speedboat Club (SCSC) Kickoff Regatta at Marine Stadium. Full House Mouse follows that up with a victory in the 1st Annual Arizona Invitational Powerboat Regatta six days later. The prize money totaled $75 and a case of STP additives. A week later Foley blows up the engine at Parker and is "on the beach." The author shows photographs of the Crosley engine stripped down and patiently explains how he adapted the engine to give him superior performance. Chapter Five is detailed, long and thorough. He shows the reader that knowing the mechanics of the engine and the aerodynamics of the boat are just as important as driving skills in winning races. In Chapter Six, Foley breaks in his new engine and takes 2nd place at the San Diego Mayor's Trophy Regatta in October, 1970. At the next race his luck turns sour as a broken strut allowed the shaft to whip and the propeller to chew a hole in the bottom of the boat. He beached his damaged boat and was fortunate not to have sunk on the course during the race itself. A driver in the water, unseen by the officials can be a harrowing experience. At the start of the 1970's, the 48 cubic inch class is struggling to find boats to race in their category. It is common to see only two or three such boats at a regatta. Full House Mouse, Chuck Dale's Good Grief Too and Kenny Harman's Tinker Toy are fierce competitors with Dale taking many of the early races, while Foley starts to dominate later. Chapter Seven discusses the changeover from the 48 cubic inch to 850-cc class of racing and the stimulus that had for several new owners to build boats for this category. The change wasn't beneficial to everyone, for the Crosley engine would be giving up 67 cc (almost 10%) to the new engines. For a while, Foley stepped up to the 145 class and took excellent notes from those races to use in this book. 1972 was a difficult year for Foley, but the results changed once he got to Marine Stadium where he always seemed to do so well. He took all three heats and the trophy, six years to the day he first got his license. In Chapter Eight Foley tells us about the exciting 1973 season and Full House Mouse is doing well, considering her age. The Mouse had been built in 1954 for Sonny Meyer and had gone through five owners. While testing his boat on Mission Bay in San Diego, the engine blew and the Mouse swerved violently, throwing Foley into the water. The Western Divisional attracted the best drivers and boats in their classes. There was Julian Pettengill, Paul Grichar, Gordon Jennings, Newt Withers, Leo Bonner, Wendell Page and Cap Selleck. Chapter Nine describes the other boats that Foley drove in the year after his accident. He tells how difficult it is to adapt to new boats, engines and classes. Foley and Chuck Dale find a good deal on used Bearcat outboard motors in Chapter Ten. Jack Schafer offers Foley the Hang In There De Silva hull that Schafer had crashed. Foley was back in the race again. The author was now the Inboard Race Secretary for the Pacific Power Boat Club and his family was growing. He tells us about the tragic death of Gordon Jennings on Utah Lake in 1974, an event that struck a deep chord in all of boat racing. By the end of the '70's, Foley and the Full House Mouse had reached the end of their career. The boat was over twenty-five years old and the 850 class was struggling for contestants. Foley retired from racing but kept his love for the sport. In chapter Eleven, Foley tells us some interesting stories that he observed in boat racing and in his interviews, especially the battles between the Mr Bud and the Avenger. Chapter 12 describes the smaller hydroplane classes and their rules. Chapter Thirteen details the rules and regulations for the intermediate hydroplane classes and chapter Fourteen discusses the larger and more powerful hydroplane classes. In chapter Fifteen, Foley describes the racing runabouts and Crackerbox boats. Chapter Sixteen reverts back to the Unlimited hydroplanes and some of the stories he has recorded. The last part of the book is a series of appendices, footnotes and log book records that will be of interest to mechanics and drivers. There is also a glossary of terms that the reader will find interesting. Foley has written articles on the history of boat racing and has published two books. The author has a natural writing style and a warm feeling for the men and women he knew in boat racing. His stories are enchanting and bring back the glory days of a little documented sport. Gone Racin' is at [email protected]. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gone Racin'…"The Birth Of Hot Rodding: The Story Of The Dry Lakes Era," by Robert Genat and Don Cox. Book review by Richard Parks, photographic consultant Roger Rohrdanz The first Chapter deals with the Dry Lakes history and I was surprised at the new information presented here which was new to me. I couldn't believe how clear and stunning the Kodachrome colors were. It is usual to see only black and white photos from this period, and yet here, at the beginnings of this sport, were all these magnificent full-page color prints. Genat doesn't skip over the early history. In a clear and precise style, devoid of hyperbole, he tells the compelling story of the Dry Lakes racer. Chapter two explains how difficult it was to get to the Dry Lakes, the structure of the organizations that set up the races and the actual racing and time trials that went on at these meets. Chapter three describes the hot rod clubs and speed shops where we would have found the hot rodders during the time when they weren't racing. The speed shops and clubs provided a place for the serious racer to pick up tips and learn new ways to enhance the performance of their cars. The clubs provided structure and created a sense of identity. Chapter four describes some of the roadsters that raced. The author explains the passion, which prevailed at that time for the sporty looking roadster, and the fervent belief that it was the fastest style of racecar. SCTA banned coupes from racing at its meets. To race anything but a roadster was sacrilegious. Other timing associations would organize to allow coupes to run at the Dry Lakes, but the sleek looking roadsters were the pride and joy of the SCTA. Chapter five ends this book with the story of how Dry Lakes racing finally matured into a multifaceted sport that grew to accept the coupes, modifieds, Belly Tanks and streamliners as part of the racing scene. As Genat weaves the story and Don Cox provides the images, this book is equal to, or better than, any book on Dry Lakes racing that I have seen before. There is real substance and historical merit to this book. If you only have a few minutes, then just enjoy the wonderful photos. If you have time, then this book is one of those treasures that you will find impossible to put down. There are quite a few books, many that are out of print, that deal with the Dry Lakes period of hot rodding, but this is the book that you should build your library around. Gone Racin' is at [email protected]. |
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Friends of the Challenge and fellow land speed racers, check out the news below from Jeremy Freedman in Texas. His car is a "street legal" 97 VW Golf GTi running a 3.0 VR6, turbocharged. This is his second visit to the Texas Mile located in Goliad, Texas. Although 36hp VW's have yet to make a pass at Goliad, Jeremy's efforts are going a long way to making VW's welcome, be they water or air cooled. Be sure to watch his video of the 205 mile per hour pass. Also, Bruce Cook will be attempting to break the Blackline/Birks DSS record of 103 miles per hour this weekend in Maxton, North Carolina and also gain entry into the "1" Club. Good luck to Bruce, Cody and Whitey. This will be his last race in the 51 split as a new 36hp bug is coming together that should be even faster. Again, congratulations to Jeremy and may the "Speed" be with you Bruce! Burly and the 36hp Challenge family |
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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