Header__ARTICLEShorter
line12
slsrh-logo1

SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS
NEWSLETTER 140 - December 3, 2009
Editor: Richard Parks [email protected]
President's Corner: By Jim Miller (1-818-846-5139)

Click On All Images For Larger View

Some Names To Look For In This Newsletter:
 President's Corner, Editorials, Just spoke with Joe Devine and he informed me that Phyllis had "Crossed The Finish Line" last evening approximately 6:00 PM EST, I'm trying to contact Bob McGrath regarding my father Jerald Winchel, The SoCal Chapter of The Society of Automotive Historians held a closed event at The Tom Malloy Private Race Car Collection on Saturday, Jack and Mary Ann Lawford have a special section in their e-line publication at www.hotrodhotline.com which is called "Stolen cars", Would you like me to pass on some comments in support of your stance on racing safety, Racing Clubs: Historians listed for each club, Just to let you know that I will draft a word document concerning my views of the status of safety in auto racing, I have a request from back East from a writer for any old articles or interviews from 1961-or-prior magazines about Phil Hill or Wolfgang von Trips, Here is the latest artwork for The 69th running of The Turkey Night Grand Prix, Hello, I�m a great Carrera Panamericana fan and build up some of those cars in 1:24 scale for slot racing, The International Drag Racing Hall of Fame based at Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing Ocala Florida has announced the induction to the Hall of Fame for the year 2010, This was forwarded to me by Richard Troy owner of the Worlds Fastest 36hp Ghia, Please follow the link to view the latest PDF version of our newsletter about the Aussie Invader project, Here are a couple more links that are discussing the Challenge for you to explore, Gone Racin'… Fuel & Guts The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing by Tom Madigan, Gone Racin'…San Diego Motorsports 100 Racing Years, by Johnny McDonald, Random Photos

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

President's Corner:  
   For years I've collected auto related magazines and one tends to forget what titles or odd-ball issues are picked up over time. At the last El Mirage meet Bruce Vaughn unloaded about 30 years worth of old Hot Rod's on me and it was fun looking through all the stuff you forgot from the '60's. When you get to looking and sorting you tend to pull out more old stuff trying to figure what you have and don't. So in my pulling I ran across this long forgotten title called US Auto-Sports. See JMC_935. It was first published in '64 and this one is Volume 1, Number 9. Don't know how long it continued but this January '65 issue is full of land speed stuff. Paging toward the first LSR story I was stopped by the headings "Foyt wins his 10th Champ Car race" and "Andretti captures first USAC Victory. The next page read "Parnelli wins Riverside Grand Prix". Yikes, I was there and can 45 years have gone by so fast?
   Upon reaching page 24 there was Art Arfons plastered all over the place after grabbing the World Land Speed Record at 434.02 mph on October 5. Seems his brother Walt's record of 413.2 set three days earlier was now toast. Art's record didn't last long though for eight days later the gent named Breedlove came along and ran 468.72 mph. So much for the Arfons boys. To add insult to injury Breedlove was back two days later and scooted across the salt at 526.28 mph. Was this stuff going to end? No way. Twelve days later Art was back ready to take names and boy did he. 

JMC_935_US-Autosports-1-65

How about a 536.71 mph World Record. This stuff was found on page 27. You have to go back to the late '30 to find such action and here between July and October '64 records jumped from 403.10 mph to 536.71 mph. This obscure magazine has details on the players and a bunch of great photos. The object lesson this week is dig out some of your old stuff and look through it. What you were interested in a few decades back has changed a little and one tends to forget what one saw on page 38 or 40 so many years ago. It's probably the info you're looking for today.

Caption:
JMC_935 US Autosports.jpg - US Auto-Sports. It was first published in '64 and this one is Volume 1, Number 9. Don't know how long it continued but this January '65 issue is full of land speed stuff.  Jim Miller collection

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Editorial:   
The editorial for this week is procrastination. It's a nasty lesson that straight-line racers learn the hard way and it usually means that valuable Bonneville and other land speed meet time is wasted as we try and figure out what went wrong and why are so many parts being bent and destroyed. The same is true with how we treat our family, wife and children. You could say that it was a misuse of time and priorities. Well, I'm no different and here's where my lack of priorities and procrastination set me way back. I can also honestly say that I had been warned on many occasions and that right up to the day of the disaster others had repeatedly warned me as well. There's nothing like a few, "I told you so," to make the misstep sting just a little more. What did I do wrong? I had about 25 bios sitting in my inbox waiting to be finished. Some were almost done, but the writers had asked for a little more time to go and get that special last detail to make their stories complete. Or they hadn't found the perfect photographs to accompany the story. Or they had an emergency and couldn't get to it right away. Or, well you get the drift, there were always conflicting events in their lives that stopped them from finishing what they had started. My fault was that I let them get away with that. Oh, I sent them follow-up emails asking for the status on their bios, many in fact, but I did not push them. Most of these bios have been in my inbox waiting to be completed for six months or longer. They were special and the men and women who were writing them were the kind of people that we really need to hear from.
   My server, Juno, had done this to me before. They simply updated their operating system and used a new program, Juno 5.0 instead of the old program and changed it right as I was typing one evening. No warning and no instructions came from Juno, located in Boston, Massachusetts. They just changed the program and I couldn't get into my email or address book. I had to re-register and when I got into my email and address book, 600 important emails and about 700 email addresses were gone. My whole workload was gone. When it happened before I vowed to copy and paste important emails and put them in a folder or file or whatever the geeks call those .doc things. But I became lazy and didn't back up these emails, including 25 or so bios written by some very important people. Now they have to tell me who they are, because I don't remember. They have to go to their "saved drafts" or folders, files, inboxes or wherever else they save their sent messages and resend their bios to me. If they can't, then they have to rewrite their histories and start all over again. Blame rests with me, even though many of you dawdled, put off and made other jobs your priorities. I take the blame because no matter what you told me, I know that these bios are important and need to be written. They need to be written for your families if for nothing else. You need to do them. 
   What more can I say to you? We have 700 members and yet we have only 70 bios and most of them were written by Roger and me, sometimes as you were kicking and screaming. Well, as they say, no more mister nice guy. Those valuable bios are probably toast because I let you get away with not doing them. You have no excuses anymore. Do the bios or Jim Miller and I will be nagging you every time that we see you. Run, run as fast as you can when you see us, because the first thing out of our mouths will not be, "Glad to see you again," but "Where in the hell is that bio you promised us?" Do we have to tell you just how important that they are? Do we have to tell you just how important your history is to our sport? Do we have to grovel and kowtow to get you to write? Look, the whole process is easy. I send you out a guideline questionnaire and you answer it as quick as you can. Make it a mess. Do it fast. When I get your first draft I will put it into order, do a spell check and grammar check and return it to you with additional questions. You give me more information and send it back taking no more than 15 additional minutes. You let me do the writing, while you simply answer my questions. The finished bios should take you no longer than 2 hours to do if you follow the guideline. We want to get these done fast, with five or six photographs that you send to Roger Rohrdanz via computer, and then publish them. You can always add more later as you remember events and uncover new facts. These bios are simply starting points and we expect to add to them over the years. But you've got to get started NOW. I can't wait for my computer to do this to me again. You can't wait for your health to leave and make it an impossibility to finish this project. Jim and I are bringing the WHIP next time. Got it?
   On another topic, several of our members asked if it was alright to send in their writings, memories and photographs. Duh! I thought I had made it very clear to all of you that the purpose for the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians was to share our knowledge with the world. Jim and I are exhausting our knowledge of the subject and starting to repeat ourselves. This isn't good. It means that we are trying too hard to make this informative and entertaining and when we run out of material, our audience will leave. You have got to pick up the ball and run with it. You have to write your bios and tell your stories and let us know what you did and what you observed. Without our members adding their knowledge, we can never tell the complete story of straight-line racing and hot rodding. Here's another pet peeve, "But I'm a nobody, why would you want my story." Well, I've never met a nobody before. I've met a lot of somebodies and a few maybebodies. I've even met some probablybodies and some wowbodies in my time. I can even say that I've met some tremendousbodies, but to tell you the truth it seems an impossibility to meet a nobody. A nobody is somebody who doesn't exist and since we're talking to each other, that makes you a somebody. I also find it hard to believe that you haven't done some interesting things or that you haven't witnessed some remarkable events.
   They say that my father was a specialsomebody, but I thought about that for a while and came to the conclusion that he was just a regular somebody who kept at it for a long, long time. If you are really dedicated to something and you work and work at it, you too can be a specialsomebody just like he was. In your area of expertise and in your family, friends and racers, you too are special. You just don't want to admit it or think about it, but you are. Of course we all know a few people who have anointed themselves as extraordinarysomebodies and this might have turned you off. So what if people brag, that shouldn't silence you from telling what you know. My style of writing is to reduce the adjectives and increase the verbs, just as Shav Glick used to do in his articles in the sports section of the Los Angeles Times. He and Jim Murray had conflicting writing styles. Murray could take a common hobo and with his Irish poet's heart, turn the guy into a hero. Shav never mentioned the man, just the deeds that the man accomplished in his life. "Just the facts, Ma'am," was how Glick would write. If you are embarrassed, talk to me, because I can turn off the hyperbole and redirect your life in such a way that only the events are noticed. If you want the accolades, why that can be arranged too. But to refuse to tell your story borders on the selfish. Like I said before, I am running out of material and an editor without material is a ridiculous sight to see. I will always work with you and never publish anything you write that makes you look silly. My goal is to make it tight and accurate. I'll work with you, I promise.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just spoke with Joe Devine and he informed me that Phyllis had "Crossed The Finish Line" last evening approximately 6:00 PM EST. She had returned to the hospital and was close to being released when the end came. She has been in, and out, of the hospital with an intestinal infection since early August. Really bad news for all of us. Joe is going to try to restart The Alternate. Bob Falcon
Bob: This is tragic news. Coming on the heels of the loss of Walt James, this has been a bad, bad year. Unless people know who Phyllis Devine is and what she meant to us, they cannot grasp the loss of this wonderful lady. I am really shattered. For three decades or more she has provided an outlet for racers to leave their memoirs and history. Long before I even envisioned such a thing for the Car Racers, Boat Racers and Society of Land Speed Racing Historians newsletters, Phyllis was publishing. Her publication had a small circulation and the size wasn't very large, but she was laying the groundwork for the rest of us. I copied many of her procedures for the SLSRH newsletter. She was a kind and caring lady and she printed The Alternate for the love of it, because she certainly couldn't have made any money off the magazine that she produced. In fact, if you were a member you could advertise in The Alternate for free. How she raised the money to keep the magazine going was beyond me, but she did. I called and spoke to her on several occasions and she never failed to help me in my researches and quests. She encouraged me to write for her magazine and I appreciated her warmth and sincerity whenever we talked.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm trying to contact Bob McGrath, regarding my father Jerald Winchel. My father was a long time friend of Mr McGrath. My dad built the overdrive transmission for him back in the 1960's. It's an important project, if you can direct me it would be appreciated. I've exhausted the internet searches. Sincerely, Vicki (Winchel) Houser, [email protected], and www.VickiHouseR.com.
Vicki: I'll post your request in our newsletter with your email address and website as contact point. For the best results, write to me and tell me as much as you know about McGrath and your father and their racing experience. Often memories are triggered because of such additional history and information. Our publication is a historical racing one and I'm sure that one of our members will remember some valuable information that you are seeking.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The SoCal Chapter of The Society of Automotive Historians held a closed event at The Tom Malloy Private Race Car Collection on Saturday. Would you like a few words and some pix for the issue? After all, our SoCal membership has their roots in hot rods, for the most part. Or I can do some words for next weeks issue. Spoke with Joe Devine, husband of Phyllis (Publisher of The Alternate) and he reports she should be discharged from the hospital again at the end of this week. She has been in, and out, of the hospital since early August with an intestinal infection. Bob Falcon
Bob and the Readers of the SLSRH: Please change my email address to [email protected]. I rarely have the time to check my other email address that you are using. That will explain why it took me so long to get back to you. Please feel free to write a report of any size and length concerning Tom Malloy, the Society of Automotive Historians, Phyllis Devine and The Alternate magazine. Our readers would be interested in these subjects. Malloy has been trying to establish a drag strip to help get young racers off the street and onto a safe and sanctioned course. I used to belong to the SoCal Chapter of The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH). It is a fine organization dedicated to saving the history and heritage of the automobile. They have divisions within the SAH for various types of cars, including drag racing, dry lakes, oval racing and much more. I used many of the systems and procedures of the SAH in creating the SLSRH group. The SAH is active in promoting the history of the automobile and they do a lot of good in the community. They have monthly meetings and visit many museums and private collections around Southern California. The SAH has maybe a thousand or more members in chapters all around the world. The dues are very low and the duties are minimal or none at all, so if anyone loves the car culture and wishes to join this great group, go to their website at http://www.autohistory.org/ for more information. Phyllis Devine is the editor and publisher of a delightful little magazine called The Alternate. The publication isn't quite a magazine, nor is it really a newsletter and it can't be called a newspaper. What it really is can be called "A Gem." About 7 inches by 8 inches in size, with about 16 to 24 pages, some black and white photographs, this "newsmagpaper" is simply filled with historical articles on all subjects related to auto racing. Many of the subscribers, including Bob Falcon and myself have published our articles and stories in The Alternate. Phyllis has around a 1000 subscribers and they are the best of the best in the racing world. For those who might want a subscription, contact Bob or myself and we will try and get an email address for you. It's worth the money. Finally, the SLSRH newsletter wants everything and anything that our members can provide to us. If it's historical or of importance to hot rodding, land speed and straight-line racing and early drag racing, then we want to publish what you have. Yes, I would like an article on Tom Malloy, who deserves more recognition for what he has accomplished. As to size, well you can't exceed One Million words. Anything under that number will be published.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack and Mary Ann Lawford have a special section in their e-line publication at www.hotrodhotline.com, which is called "Feature/Stolen cars." You can see it at http://www.hotrodhotline.com/feature/stolen/. Should you ever have the misfortune of having your special ride stolen, contact the police, then your local friends and be sure to include Hotrodhotline too.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Would you like me to pass on some comments in support of your stance on racing safety, from the view of my 30 to 40 years as a racing safety official in oval track rule making?  Bob Falcon
   Bob: I have probably responded to your email, but since my server implemented a new programming system and all my old emails are lost, I thought that I would re-answer your question. The SLSRH Newsletter is YOUR newsletter, I'm just the editor and custodian of it until such time as more capable hands take over. The purpose of the newsletter and the Society is to pool our knowledge of the past and publish it, leaving something to the youth of the future to try and figure out what we did and why we did it. Your experience and knowledge is beyond value and thus the answer is a simple YES. Start writing, but do not limit it just to one topic. What you can tell us is valuable to our goal of saving our history. Don't worry about specific to one topic. Write on a topic, send it in, then choose another topic and send that in. It's important for the readers to understand that Jim Miller and I can't carry the bulk of the writing much longer. We have exhausted most of what we know and now we are simply repeating ourselves. If new material on our past history is to come forth, it will have to be from our membership. If we don't start getting more content, the newsletter will lack freshness and new content and will gradually wither away from disinterest. So I need you and all the other members of the Society to write in often and tell us all that you know.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Racing Clubs: Historians listed for each club
Eliminators........................................................none
Gear Grinders...................................................Glen Barrett
Gold Coast Roadster and Racing Club..............none
Gophers...........................................................Michael Brennan
Hi Desert Racers..............................................none
Idlers...............................................................Michael Brennan
Lakers.............................................................none
LSR................................................................Mike Cook Jr
Milers.............................................................none
Road Runners.................................................Jerry Cornelison
Rod Riders......................................................none
San Diego Roadster Club................................none
Sidewinders....................................................Ron Main
Super Fours....................................................Roy Creel
Throttlers........................................................Michael Brennan

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just to let you know that I will draft a word document concerning my views of the status of safety in auto racing. My views are founded on a couple of precepts, first and foremost my service as the secretary of the United States Auto Club for over thirty years and second, of the number of times I have been involved in on track accidents while honing my skills as an oval track race car driver. I can see where there is reluctance on the part of some dry lakes racers to abide by safety regulations due to the low number of on course incidents and to the great amount of lapsed time between the meets. What you learn quickly in oval track racing, especially when you are close to other competitors during the pressure of a race is the fact that if your car is not running on the last lap, you have no chance of winning. Once realized, you begin to analyze each incident that happens to you while racing and plan steps you can take if it happens again into your brain. With the mental "Re-Runs", which are always in slow motion you can focus closely on what you observed and see what you could have done to change the damage inflicted on the car. There is a lot more connected to driving a race car than "Standing On The Gas"!
   My scribbling will be more from the psychology of a "Regulator" to craft workable rules than dictating suppositions by someone who has not "been there." Your editing hand will be appreciated. Incidentally, Phyllis Devine had to go back into the hospital for a brief stay but her husband Joe expected she would be released this past weekend. I plan to call him again later today. She has been in and out of the hospital since early August and has failed to publish all the issues of The Alternate since that time. One of the bad things about being "An Army Of One"!  Bob Falcon
   Bob: I'm sorry to hear about Phyllis and my thoughts and prayers will be with her. She is a dedicated and wonderful lady and she does so much for the history of the sport of auto racing. Here we published your biography and thought that we knew who you were and now you tell us another interesting fact about yourself. While we are not specifically an oval group of racers, we cannot separate ourselves from round-de-round racing. Too many straight line racers got their start in oval track racing or went from the dry lakes into competitive championship racing. So what you have to tell us about what you know, especially in USAC is of vital importance to our history. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a request from back East from a writer for any old articles or interviews from 1961-or-prior magazines about Phil Hill or Wolfgang von Trips. They can be in any language. Xerox copies would be fine. Wallace Wyss at [email protected]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the latest artwork for The 69th running of The Turkey Night Grand Prix. The event T-Shirt Manufacturer has asked me to let you know that the Event Shirt seen below as well as a special "75 Years of Turkey Night Shirt" collectable shirt are available on the website www.TurkeyNightInfo.com to look at or purchase. There are other collectibles available there, as well as a story about JC Jr's recollections of the history of Turkey Night from when he was a kid. If you won't be able to attend the famous event, but want to wear an Agajanian Promotions Turkey Night shirt, this is your chance.
Please send this e-mail to all your friends and relatives who may want to go to the web sight and look around. There will also be a chance to buy the official souvenir program produced by Harold Osmer, famed racing historian & author. This is the first time such a web sight has been offered to the public. In the past, if you didn't buy a shirt at the event, you would simply be unable to own one. Please send this e-mail to everyone you know, who might enjoy racing or wearing a racy shirt. This also makes a great Christmas Present for someone who always wanted to attend the oldest USAC Midget Event in the country but couldn't. It's a collector item. This is the best Turkey Night Shirt art that has ever been produced. JC Agajanian Jr

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello, I�m a great Carrera Panamericana fan and build up some of those cars in 1:24 scale for slot racing. For an example, please have a look here:
http://fdp.holsterglen.de/bauberichte/ferrari375plus/f375plus.html
At the moment I�m just building the "Caballo de Hierro" hot rod from Akton Miller and I found an interesting report in an English motorsport newspaper about the rebuilding of the Caballo. Bruce Glascock was the rebuilder of that fascinating car. Do you have any information about Bruce Glascock or an email address because I need some information about length and width of the car. Best regards, Ronald Eidecker, Duisburg/Germany, Email: [email protected], http://www.sachtleben.de
Ronald: I will post your email to our newsletter at www.landspeedracing.com and perhaps our readers will be able to help you. The restored El Caballo was in the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum for years.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, based at Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, Ocala, Florida has announced the induction to the Hall of Fame for the year 2010. The list of eight inductees is as follows:
   John Buttera (Chassis & Body builder), Jack Engle (Cam Pioneer), Leroy Goldstein (Driver - F/C - T/F), Dickie Harrell (Mr Chevrolet), Jim Read (Australian Champion), Bill Simpson (Pioneer - Safety equipment), Bob Stange (Pioneer - Drive line parts), and Bobby Warren (Sportsman Champion).
The popular ceremony will take place at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center on March 11, 2010 during the NHRA Gator Nationals. A cocktail reception starts at 6:00 PM with dinner served at 7:00PM. Be certain to reserve your table early. Corporate Table sponsorship includes seating for ten, listing in the program, and a copy of the annual DVD, at a cost of $1000. Additional seating is available at $100 each for each ticket. Call Peggy Hunnewell at 352-245-8661 or 877-271-3278 or fax 352-245-6895 for more information. The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing is located at 13700 SW 16th Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34473.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was forwarded to me by Richard Troy, owner of the Worlds Fastest 36hp Ghia. Fun to watch. Burly Burlile
------------
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8374491.stm. Richard Troy, Founder & current President, The Karmann Ghia Club of North America. Also see http://KarmannGhia.org/Richard/.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear friends, crew, supporters and land speed record enthusiasts. Please follow the link to view the latest PDF version of our newsletter about the Aussie Invader project. See www.aussieinvader.com/newsletters/aussieinvader_dec09.pdf. Visit our website www.aussieinvader.com, it has a lot more information about the project and feel free to forward this newsletter to others who might be interested in reading it. Best wishes, Rosco McGlashan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

September - November 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June -  August 2009

June - August 2009

June - August 2009

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are a couple more links that are discussing the Challenge for you to explore: http://www.sportscars.tv/Newfiles/36hp.html, and http://oldspeedvw.blogspot.com/2009/09/latest-updat-on-36hp-challenge.html. Burly Burlile

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gone Racin'… Fuel & Guts, The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing, by Tom Madigan. Book review by Richard Parks, photographic consultant Roger Rohrdanz

Tom Madigan has taken on a most Herculean task in writing about the beginnings of top fuel drag racing and the men and women who created this exciting sport. Madigan writes with feeling and yet his style is non-confrontational. He tries to stick to the facts and his interviews with legendary racers and track promoters provide the heart of this book. Fuel & Guts, The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing, is hard to put down. I found myself scanning the pages, looking at the photos and captions, reading some of the interviews, then putting the book down. It wasn't long before I picked up Fuel & Guts, The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing, and began scanning it again. The writing style is easy and casual, as if the reader was listening in on the conversation that Madigan is having with our racing heroes. Fuel & Guts, The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing, is more than a nice coffee table book. The author did his research and the book stands on its merits as a first class history of top fuel drag racing. Madigan comes as close as anyone can get to writing the definitive story of this class. He writes in a style that brings out the positives in the sport of drag racing, though the author doesn't shy away from disputes. Madigan is a mediator, a writer with tact, and his book is easy to read. It is in his interviews with the early drag racers that the fire in their souls comes to the forefront. The author handles interviews with a deft skill and brings the men and women of drag racing alive as they relate their stories.
Fuel & Guts, The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing, is published by Motorbooks, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, in St Paul, Minnesota. Motorbooks is one of the largest publishers of automotive related subjects in the world. They produce and sell in volume and they are picky about what they publish and distribute. They choose quality works and publish and print only quality books. Fuel & Guts, The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing, is a hardbound book measuring a robust 9 � inches in width by 12 � inches in height. The pages are high quality, heavy bond, waxed paper, which brings out the quality of the photographs in stunning detail. This book is a historical work of art, a compelling story and a coffee table book, all in one. The dust cover jacket is worth taking extra care of, since it greatly enhances the appearance of the book. The design of the dust cover jacket is exceptional and very professionally done. I've explained before how important the protective sleeve or jacket is to a book. Keep it in good repair and don't lose it, because a well-done dust cover invites the reader to pick up a book and read it. Any collector of fine books will tell you how much a book is devalued when it has lost its jacket. The author included a two-page index and I spent some time in testing the accuracy and found that Madigan did a good job of indexing the text and captions. He didn't index the posters, ads or supplements. An index is time consuming but it is another sign of a well-researched book
There are 66 color photographs with another 172 black and white photographs in the book. There is an additional 8 posters, magazine covers, ads and displays to highlight events in the text. The quality of the photographs are superb and remember, they used the finest quality paper throughout. While this isn't a particularly large number of visual enhancements, the photographs and visual displays are placed throughout the book to add strength and emphasis to the textual writing. The author chooses to use quality photographs rather than an abundance of photographic displays in order to tell the story and he does an admirable job. The black and white photographs are every bit as beautiful as the color ones and much more nostalgic for the reader. Fuel & Guts, The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing, is a top of the line book in its layout as well as its construction. The pages are woven into a cloth binding along the spine of the book, giving a higher quality and endurance to the book. Cheaper books have the pages glued to the spine and the glue may become brittle and allow the pages to work loose and fall out. This book, like the entire Motorbooks label, will stand the test of time. For all of this quality, size and detail to research, the price of the book is a very reasonable $50 ($62 Canadian), when one considers that paperback books are selling in the $29 to $35 price range. All major bookstores carry the Motorbooks line, or they can order the book for you. Give the bookstore the name of the book and author, or use the ISBN number 13:978-0-7603-2697-8.
Now to the books content. There are 18 chapters, a foreword by Dave McClelland, a section on acknowledgments and the index. Listening to or reading anything that McClelland says is worth half the book's cost right there. His golden voice sets the standards for announcers in any sporting event and drag racing is thankful that he chose to honor us with his wit and charm. Next, look at the page on sources, references and acknowledgments. This will quickly tell the reader if the author knows his topics or if it's the chili beans talking from the food served at the concession stands. Madigan not only lists the men and women he interviewed, but he has known them since he started writing about motorsports racing nearly five decades ago. This doesn't mean that he is perfect. For example, he mentions Bob Petersen hitching a ride to the dry lakes in the 1940's with a "teenaged Wally Parks." By this time my father was in his 30's and a central figure in hot rodding, dry lakes and land speed racing. On almost every point other than this, Madigan gets the story to the reader on an accurate and interesting level. He knows who Bob Lindsay, Lee Blaisdell and Marvin Lee were and their importance to the rise of drag racing. The early days of drag racing are thorough and precise. The story on the first organized drag race at Goleta even brought out events that I had never heard. Madigan tells the story of C. J. and Peggy Hart and their efforts to get street racers off the roads and onto a safe and sanctioned drag strip. That led to the first 'professionally' organized drag strip in the nation that we know of.
The following chapters detail the men and women of top fuel drag racing and some of the other classes in the sport. The author mentions Joaquin Arnett and the Bean Bandits, the Pedregon family, Bob Muravez and his alter ego, Floyd J. Lippincott Jr, Roland Leong, Don Prudhomme, Eric Rickman, Tom McEwen, Paul Pfaff, Ed Pink, Don Garlits, Ed Iskenderian and many more. To us they are more than just names of famous people. They are family and close friends and Madigan brings out that feeling. Some of the top fuel racers, mechanics, owners and those associated with top fuel drag racing went on to great success and fortune. Some, like Don Prudhomme are still at the top of the field, winning races and championships as owners after their racing days came to an end. Others were forgotten, except by their fans that saw them race and never forgot the experience. Many are still alive and come to the reunions, races and events. The value of Madigan's Fuel & Guts, The Birth of Top Fuel Drag Racing, is in the history and background that it can give to the newcomer to drag racing and the feeling of nostalgia for those who grew up with top fuel drag racing. It won't tell you everything that happened at the birth of a new sport, but it is one of the best books on the subject and one that should be in every true drag racing fan's library. Gone Racin' is at [email protected]. Motorbooks is at 1-800-826-6600 or www.motorbooks.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gone Racin'…San Diego Motorsports 100 Racing Years, by Johnny McDonald. Book review by Richard Parks, photographs by Roger Rohrdanz

Johnny McDonald has been covering the national racing scene for more than four decades. He is a past President of AARWBA, or The American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association, and sportswriter for the San Diego Union newspaper. Thorough and precise, McDonald ranks up there with Shav Glick and other sportswriters in the ability to bring a story to the public with feeling and accuracy. A special passion for McDonald is the unique history and heritage of motorsports racing in the San Diego area, where he resides. San Diego, California is about as far as one can go, and still remain in the United States. It takes a lot of effort to get to, and yet it has a rich history in motorsports racing. Balboa Stadium played host to oval track racing of the highest quality. Paradise Mesa was one of the first dragstrips in the nation. Torrey Pines was a storied road course racing site. The Unlimited Hydroplanes still race furiously at Mission Bay. Many of those racetracks are gone, paved over to make room for homes and shopping centers. A few are still in operation, or changed slightly from their original purposes. McDonald uses his archives and that of the San Diego Automotive Museum, plus his vivid memory to write about this fascinating era in his city's past.
San Diego Motorsports; 100 Racing Years, is a soft-covered book, 8 � by 11 inches in size, with 144 pages, and sells for $24.95. There are two color paintings on the front and back of the book by racing artist Bob McCoy. The front cover drawing shows track roadster racers Rosie Roussel and Dick Vineyard trying to avoid a spin out in an oval track race. The rear cover drawing by McCoy shows midget racers in a tight formation, entering a curve and splattering the clay-like mud on those behind them. McCoy, a former auto racer, is a racing artist of the first order, and these two drawings alone are worth the price of the book. Action, passion and an eye for color and movement are imbued in McCoy's work. He loves to put subtle and humorous topics into his paintings, daring the observer to find them. There is an adequate Table of Contents, a Preface, but no Forward to laud the book. McDonald does not use celebrities to hype the book, but launches immediately into the subject matter. Alas, like so many other racing and pictorial books, there is no index, and the reader must concentrate on each chapter in order to find those topics he is interested in.
There are no color photos, but there are 469 black and white photos, which are varied and informative. Some of them are old, others are grainy but they tell a unique story of the racing history of San Diego. There were 3 drawings other than McCoy's, 6 maps, and 28 posters and programs. Much of the book is taken up by photos and the captions are adequate. There isn't a great deal of text to go along with the photos, because this book is intended to capture the look of the times. There is just enough text to tell the story and to bring the reader along to the next stage. It is a mesmerizing book, as McDonald does not let the reader dwell on any one issue. McDonald wrote this book to allow the reader to get an overview of the rich racing history of the San Diego area. You won't find long and lengthy discussions, but you will achieve a quick and useful knowledge of why San Diego was such an important racing site. San Diego Motorsports; 100 Racing Years, is the first book on the subject of local racing in San Diego that a racing fan should have in his or her library. The book is divided into 15 chapters and a review, averaging about 9 pages per section.
Chapters one through three cover the pre-WWII period, with a very interesting section on Barney Oldfield, the icon of those barnstorming racers who toured the country to give electrifying shows to a public just learning about the automobile. Chapter four discusses the hot rod and midget racing phenomena just after the war. Chapter five describes how the early 1950's were the beginning of the road course and drag racing golden ages. Chapter six and seven portray the late 1950's and early '60's, a time of rapid growth in racing and the beginning of racing at Cajon and Ramona. Chapters eight through ten discusses the new Unlimited Hydroplane racing, off-road racing and the Carlsbad dragstrip. Chapter eleven discusses truck and superbike racing. Chapter twelve is about Grand Prix racing. Chapters thirteen through fifteen bring us from the 1990's to the present, with the closing of old tracks and the opening of new ones.
McDonald showcases popular racers like Parnelli Jones, Carroll Shelby, Rodger Ward, Danny Oakes, Don Garlits, Ivan Stewart, Billy Vukovich, Bill Muncey, Jeremy McGrath, Barney Oldfield, and Joaquin Arnett and the Bean Bandits. But he does not stint on those whose exploits did not garner national attention. The author takes us on a ride, a quick one, to those old and storied racetracks at Balboa Stadium, Torrey Pines, Ramona and Carlsbad dragstrips, Del Mar's sports car and Grand Prix courses, Lindo Lake, Point Loma, Cajon and Mission Bay. It's possible to read through this book in a day or two, but it is difficult to not go back and reread it for what you have missed. The race car and boat drivers, who thrilled spectators throughout the country over the years, also came to San Diego, to thrill the crowds at these historic old racecourses. Johnny McDonald has brought us a tidy and fascinating book that opens the door to a corner of our nation's racing history.
Gone Racin' is at [email protected]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caption: Military testing out new airless tires.

image0014

What you're looking at might just be the tire of the future. At least that's what the military thinks, as it's testing out prototypes of this new airless tire. The advantages of airless tires are obvious: they can't be punctured and they never go flat. But it clearly takes a lot of science to get the proper material that can stand up to the pressure of a multi-ton military vehicle sitting on top of it. I look forward to when these things are the standard on normal cars we see on the highways.  Sent in by Ron Main.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

El Mirage dry lake, 1948. An exciting time in the lives of two young Southern California car Hot Rod Racing guys with big dreams.

“KEEPER OF THE FLAME”

Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster

Racing swiftly in the swirling dust from the clay pans of the Dry Lakes of Southern California in the SCTA racing season of 1948… flashed the dark teal blue sleek and innovative Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster, which was the legendary “Albata” Club Dry Lakes- Land Speed racer that established one of the most incredible records in Dry Lakes racing history… “It was the little Chevy 4 that thought it could… and it did”

To: Bob Spurgin

From: Ernie & Elaine

Re: The Spurgin-Giovanine Roadster/ Borgh “Mothersill’s Special/ Cano “Snoot” update

Date: December 2, 2009

1.) Thanks for the memo about visit with Bill Erickson last week and to see for the first time (“in the flesh as they say Down Under”)… the great restoration project of the Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster. There is so much more coming down the pipe for the legendary Roadster that thrilled all of the Car Clubs and participants of the 1948 SCTA Dry Lakes racing season… as everyone at the last SCTA Meet of 1948 all holding their breath to see if the little Chevy 4 could pull off the feat of a lifetime… and it was a moment that it was not Car Club against Car Club showdown (the S-G Roadster had already amassed in incredible lead in total points)… but everyone on the dusty Dry Lakes of El Mirage wanting to see the miracle of making it through the last two way pass for the record for the 6th time in the 1948 season… it was the cheer that would last for years.

2.) Your comments are important and Richard Parks (Society of Land Speed Racing Historians) always reminds us that the time is now… and not later to record the oral history from your mother about Rufi- Chuck and Bob… as well as the other significant people that made up the world of racing Hot Rods. Richard is the Editor and we all want real stories and your mother is a key link to provide that.

3.) We hope to get invited to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2010 and that would be a gesture of high tribute and honor for the two guys in 1948 with big dreams… as our team has worked so hard to make this all happen with all of the historical details in place with the help of so many. William and Will have put their heart and soul into the restoration project with a vision… with sweat and tears that is priceless.

4.) Stay in touch and glad you are on board as we just knew that you would be thrilled… Ernie & Elaine Nagamatsu

ELEMENTS OF ACHIEVEMENTS – SPURGIN- GIOVANINE ROADSTER

1.) “Long lost” from sight was the legendary record breaking Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster and it was in a backyard of a home in Apple Valley for over 42 years… it has been discovered intact and restored to the record breaking 1948 SCTA Dry Lakes racing season configuration.

2.) For your kind consideration… the Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster… for 2010 “Legends of the Lakes”

3.) Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster -1948 Season SCTA Dry Lakes Champion- record breaking and “High Points” Dry Lakes- Land Speed Racer… during the year of the highest average entrants for racing the Dry Lakes. After 1948, there were more Drag Strips and the starting of racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats (1949) which affected the number of entrants at the Dry Lakes Meets. In 1948, the Rusetta Timing Association began and also started to attract entrants and their cars. Hot Rod Author/ historian Don Montgomery states…”The 1948 season was a tremendous year for SCTA … record numbers came to the Lakes Meets and expanded to two days. The 1948 SCTA club roster had also expanded to a record of 38 clubs… not only did SCTA have possibly the greatest season in 1948, the competitors blasted the records.” There were crowds up to 10,000 race fans at some of the meets. 1948 was the peak of Dry Lakes racing with up to 400 plus entrants per meet and the meets were two day meets.

4.) The 1948 SCTA overall High Points Season Champion- Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster- Class A- season total of an incredible 1800 points. The second place in total points was Doug Hartelt with 1480 points and third place went to the Burke and Francisco Streamliner with 1400 points.

5.) The Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster established an unmatched historic record, as the Class A roadster in the 1948 SCTA racing season. The Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster broke the existing world record in it’s class at every consecutive SCTA racing meet of the season which consisted of 6 very competitive racing meets. It was an incredible feat that would set a mark in Land Speed Records.

6.) It was a difficult and complicated process in achieving a world SCTA record- “All SCTA records are based on the average time in miles per hour, of two runs through our quarter mile photo electric timed course from opposite directions. Both runs must be made within a total elapsed time of fifteen minutes. Any car exceeding the previous existing record in it’s own class shall be entitled to run for the record as such a time during the day’s meet as he chooses. Every car in the SCTA competition must be powered with an American automotive production engine, but may especially equipped with overhead valves, cams, or blowers subject to the 1947 Class regulations.” The official record run consisted of an average of the two way run.

7.) The Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster exemplified reliability and durability in the days of inconsistent performance in racing. There was consistency in performance during the 6 scheduled SCTA Dry Lakes sanctioned meets and multiple runs for an approved and official record for it’s class. The Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster established a record in the 1948 SCTA record books that would stand for two years!

8.) The Sprugin – Giovanine Roadster raced with a Chevy 4 engine and was in the true minority as most engines used were Fords or Mercury engines for Dry Lakes Racing. The team had the experience of Ralph Schenck, Bob Rufi, Duke Hallock to help Spurgin and Giovanine. A banner at the Los Angeles Second Annual Hot Rod Exposition at the Armory in Los Angeles… stated “Out of the 597 cars at the El Mirage event, all but 22 were powered by Ford or Lincoln Mercury Flathead V8s”… and the writer for the event stated “The banner did not say that the little Chevy four ‘banger’ got the first perfect score and broke the world record each time, and was almost as fast as Alex Zidias in a streamliner with a Ford V8.”

9.) The Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster was the “Hot Rod of the Month” and “Cover Car” for the March 1949 Hot Rod Magazine

10.) The Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster was featured in many magazines, and with many stories of achievement/ records, in the Hot Rod Magazines and Timing Association Programs.

11.) The Spurgin – Giovanine Roadster continued racing which then included Drag Racing and Bonneville Salt Flats racing. The legendary roadster was the “Mothersill’s Special” and later the Cano Snoot’ and rarely does a race car… race in Dry Lakes, Drag Racing, and Bonneville during it’s racing career.

12.) The Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster was built in 1939 and first raced in 1940 and the last race was in 1957 at Lion’s Drag Strip in Long Beach as the Spurgin- Giovanine Roadster- Borgh Mothersill’s Special– Cano “Snoot” racer. This long tenure in racing reflected many years of recorded racing history and the many types of racing was the hallmark for the legendary Land Speed- Dry Lakes roadster.

SpurginGiovanine4

Hi Karin! WOW what a great time meeting Bill and seeing the amazing car that has captured the hearts and minds of so many. It is truly a labor of love and the amount of effort going into the restoration is worthy of every opportunity to show it off. Just seeing it brought back so many memories of Chuck, dad, Rufi and the guys. Mom's enjoying the memories and more things come back to her mind as we talk. Our entire family is looking forward to following the progress of this awesome S-G roadster.
All the best, Bob

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caption: Chris Karamesines photos. Bob Brown collection.
 
If you are Chris Karamesines and you raced at Sanford, Maine in 1964, that is cool. If you are Chris Karamesines and you qualified # 10 in Pomona in top fuel last month, and you are 81 years old, that is VERY cool. Long live the Greek.

ygpC3A6

ygpC3A7

ygpC3A8

ygpC3AA

ygpC3A9

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caption: Five Photos from the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Knoxville, Iowa.  Dave Hill Collection.

image0015

image0023

image003

image004

image005

image006

line12

 

 

 

line12

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Land Speed Racing Websites:
www.hotrodhotline.com, www.landspeedracing.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[www.hotrodhotline.com] [Barn & Field Cars] [Blast to the Past] [Book Reviews] [Build Articles] [Buyers Guide] [Classifieds] [Club Directory] [Event Listings] [From our Friends] [Garage Shots] [Guest Columnists] [Hotrod MD] [New Products] [Newsletter Archive] [Order a Catalog] [Our Heroes] [Press Releases] [Rodders Forum] [Rodders Row] [Shop Tours] [Vendors Directory] [Advertising Info] [Young Rodders] [Modern Rods] [Site Map] [2009 Shows] [Stolen]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1999 - 2009 Hot Rod Hot Line All Rights Reserved
No Portion May Be Used Without Our Written Permission
Contact Us Toll Free (877) 700-2468 or (208) 562-0470
230 S. Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83709