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Some Names To Look For In This Newsletter:
President's Corner, Editorials, Wednesday January 19 2011 We lost Willie Buchta this morning, Here is a TV interview of Barry and Ginny Lobeck on Episode 10021, Thank you so much for the nice review of the Custom Cars 2009 Annual on Hotrodhotline.com, I am researching a Sunbeam Tiger that ran at Bonneville in 1965, Road Runners - Minutes January Meeting, The 2011 B'ville NW Banquet will be held February 19 2011, The Sam Auxier Jr Show, Europe's first dragster is 50 years old, The Sam Auxier Jr Radio Show Mondays at 7PM EST, Attached are two pictures of the midget my dad owned in 1941, I'm writing to pass along some information you and the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians might find interesting, I checked out the website at www.samuelhawley.com and it is an excellent source of information on Bonneville land speed racing, Looking at a copy of "A Visit with Charlie Gilmore" dated 1/15/09 on your site Hotrodhotlin; I thought you and your readers who may know Charlie would like to know of his passing on Dec 26 2010, This was shared with me and it may help to save the life of someone suffering a heart attack, Recently I sent out a group emailer and some came back to me as "undeliverable" due to the content of the material, Even with exercise hours of screen time doubles risk of severe heart disease
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President's Corner:
In ten days the silly season starts again with the 2011 version of the Grand National Roadster Show. It's only natural that we tie this show together with the land speed community in that the first winner of the show was Bill NieKamp who just happened to be a Road Runners member. Bill was even gutsy enough to run his show winning car at El Mirage. In June, 1950, his little beauty, powered by a '42 vintage 248" Ford flattie cruised through the timing trap at a cool 124.64 mph to take 12th in class. This set the stage for other lakes runners to do the same. Take Fred Ige for example. He was just a few points from taking the big trophy from Bill at the first show and also ran his Track Roadster at the lakes. In '51 Alex Xydias and the So-Cal gang took the Streamliner up to the show for all to see. Guys like Woody Lee and his show stopping T also ventured to Bonneville and ran the car.
Fast forward and a role reversal for the racers who invaded the show car world like Chauvin Emmons, Ermie Immerso, Tom Walsh and Dennis Varney became big players at the GNRS. This year at the roadster show the history of customs is being presented and if you look real close you'll find a couple of lead slingers who were among the list of players at the lakes in the early days like George Barris and our own Gene Winfield. Actually Gene still shows up at El Mirage with one or two of his racers and even drives. On Saturday over at the Wally Parks NHRA Museum they are having a special program honoring the Low Flyers, those bad boy hot rodders from the Santa Monica/West L. A. area. Phil Remington will be the guest of honor as in his past life he was a Low Flyer and don't be surprised if Stu Hilborn shows up too.
For those of you who get to go to the GNRS don't forget that across town Saturday night is the Annual S.C.T.A. Awards Banquet. If you're really cool you'd bring an autograph book and see the roadsters, mingle with the bad boy racers and then attend the Banquet. Come to think of it you might need more than one book for all the heroes you get to meet. I've attached a couple clippings from the (Click for Clip '50, Click for Clip '51, Click for Clip'53, Click for Clip'55 and Click for Clip'64 GNRS) Programs to show you that land speed guys were players everywhere in the early days. Here is the info on the SCTA banquet: Date January 29, 2011.
4:30 Fellowship
6:00 Banquet room opens
7:00 Four Star Dinner
8:00 Video Presentation of El Mirage Season
8:30 Awards Presentation.
Location: Westminster Rose Center, 14140 All American Way, Westminster, CA 92683. Price- $33; Chicken Dijon or Vegetable Lasagna. Contact Jim Miller or your club rep asap to ensure that you get a ticket to the banquet.
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Editorial:
For some time now I’ve known that the amount of time spent at the computer is harmful. There is an article at the end of this newsletter that describes the health issues. I’m not the only one who is addicted to the computer, so I ask that you all look at some of the problems that car guys encounter when we “retire” to the TV or the computer screen. There are so many tempting TV channels and internet websites that we spend more than four hours a day sitting and this can be harmful to our health. In my case it is typing up articles and responding to emails and so I must become more efficient and learn to do these tasks quicker. For many hot rodders, their health is such that they are housebound and sitting at the computer or TV is about all that you can do. In such cases try to break up your routine with walks around the house, yard, garage and neighborhood. The more active that you are the better your health will be. Health is an important part, for without it the research that we do will be limited.
I want to publicly thank a very special person, among many special people that I have had the pleasure to meet in hot rodding over the years. His name is Roger Rohrdanz and he is the Photographic Editor of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter. He heard Jim Miller and I talk while sitting on the Barbara Livingston Parks bench at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, in Pomona, California. Jim and I were discussing the need for more museums to save more artifacts before they were lost forever. That conversation led to the founding of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians and Roger said, “I want to join too.” So in the list of original founders, include Roger Rohrdanz. There were others who also said “me too” and over time my memory starts to go, so we just say that the founding members are a very representative group of eclectic hot rodders. Roger though is special and he’s special because he’s a photographer and his field of art is vital to saving our racing history and heritage. Before I met him he must have taken 50,000 photographs and spent untold hours captioning them. I asked him what he was going to do with all these photos once he passed on and he just smiled.
I’ve strung a lot of words together in my life, probably as many as my father wrote in his life and while he was the editor of Hot Rod magazine and National Dragster. But the impact of those articles and stories would be minimal if it weren’t for Roger and his camera. He turned my stories into something special with his photography. Together the captioned photographs and the written word became a living testament to our desire to record and capture the story for all of you to read and look at. Without Roger and his camera, my impact would be very small. Roger also writes and produces his own stories of car shows, races and events, though he groans when he has to pick up the pen. He is at his best with camera in hand and that funny apron of his that says “Press.” He is also one of the best photographers anywhere and I’ve seen the best that racing has to offer. He knows the racers and hot rodders and they admire him for going the extra mile to help them. He has Eric “Rick” Rickman’s personality and attitude for service that the hot rodders loved. Roger knows everybody and has been involved since the late 1950’s. The reason that Roger is important is that I can work with him and he can work with anyone.
Few of you can comprehend the world of the photographer or how sensitive they are. They are artists of the highest caliber and extremely difficult. I have worked with other photographers and after a few hours my thoughts drifted to mayhem. Writers will tell you that photographers are strange. They are aliens sent to earth by a malevolent force to pester writers. We need them to capture those wonderful photographs, but working with them is painful. A writer can capture an event in a few hours and he’s ready to get back and finish the story. Photographers get to a race or car show before the sun rises and they won’t leave until the guards throw them out. They put their bodies and lives right out there in the open, inches from roaring cars and oblivious to danger. If they could get on the hood of a racecar for that special photo as it rockets off the line, they would do so. Many photographers have lost their lives in the pursuit of their art and that “one special photo” that defines an era. Roger is the only photographer that I’ve been able to work with and not feel the urge to strangle after a day of reporting and photographing. He is a professional who goes the extra mile to capture on film the moments that we all remember and relish.
He’s also privy to the most wonderful discoveries and news. Sometimes that gets him in trouble with the promoter, but you are nobody in this business until you are hustled out of an event by the back of your shirt collar. Oh, the stories that he could tell. I’m proud to say that I have also been tossed from a few events, by the very best. Somehow the promoters always forgive us and let us return. You can’t be the best until you’ve stepped over the line a few times. Roger is not only the better half of the Gone Racin’ team, of which I am the other half, but he’s also the driver. I suppose I’d drive to events if he asked me to, but Roger really enjoys being the go to guy. He often schedules the events that we write about, follows up with phone calls to see that our interviewees are going to be there and reviews all of my articles. What a guy to do all that and be likable too. He’s the only photographer I know like that and he’s my partner and the rest of you writers will just have to make do with other photogs that drive you crazy. We make a good team and Roger also makes the photographs in the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter special. We are really grateful to have him as our Photographic Editor and my partner.
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Wednesday, January 19, 2011. We lost Willie Buchta this morning. He passed away at the hospital due to an infection from the last surgery. Would you please notify the club. As soon as I hear about the services I will let you know. Willie was a member of the Gear Grinders and a builder of side car motorcycles he and his wife both rode at the dry lakes and Bonneville. Glen Barrett
Glen, Heather and Jim: I am very sorry to hear about Willie. Does anyone have a story or biography including photos that we can put in the Newsletter to honor him by? Thank you for keeping us notified.
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Here is a TV interview of Barry and Ginny Lobeck on Episode 10021. From: "Car Crazy" with Barry Meguiar. It is in two parts starts at the 2:00 mark, pauses for a short Duesenberg piece and starts again at 12:30 mark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBVEVxBQCYo. Michael Kacsala
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I found the following article on the Goodguys website. http://www.good-guys.com/news/newsStory.aspx?newsid=1681.
Hot rodding has lost one of its most colorful characters. Midwest icon Barry "Lord of Low" Lobeck passed away Thursday, January 6, 2011. He had been battling cancer in recent months. He was 60. A staple of the Midwest hot rod scene since 1974 when his flamed 1940 Ford coupe landed on the cover of Hot Rod magazine, Lobeck and his wife Ginny have operated Lobeck's V8 Shop & Hot Rod Parts since 1984 as well as the Just a Hobby chassis shop in Cleveland, Ohio. Together they turned Lobeck's into a "one stop shop" for hot rodders offering everything from door hinges to complete turnkey rods & customs. A native of Springfield, Lobeck was one of the most popular hot rod builders outside California, building a decades-long string of low slung traditionally styled hot rods. Issue #39 of the Rodder's Journal touted Lobeck as the father of the "Ohio Look." Goodguys enjoyed a longstanding business and personal relationship with Barry over the years. He provided the Grand Prize Giveaway Cars (a 1933 sedan in 1993 and a 1933 coupe in 1994) which brought credibility to the program. The Lobeck's trailer was a fixture on the Goodguys event midway and he was always quick to joke with staff members. In 1998, Goodguys roasted Lobeck along with Jack Chisenhall at the 2nd annual PPG Nationals in Columbus which turned out to be a raucous affair with over 500 people in attendance. In 2007, a special "Lobeck Reunion" was held in Columbus featuring over 30 cars built by the Lobeck's team. Barry and his team had a half dozen cars make it to the top 5 for the Goodguys Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year award including George Poteet's 1939 Ford Convertible, Sal Magarino's 1940 Ford roadster among others. "We've lost a great one," said Goodguys founder Gary Meadors. "Lobeck was always a Goodguys supporter. He was on board with what we were doing from day one. When he stepped up to do the Giveaway Car program it was one of the early breakthroughs for Goodguys. He helped us out in a lot of ways. He will be missed by many. He was a legend in our industry and a great friend. There was never a dull moment when Barry was around." The funeral is scheduled for Monday, January 10, 2011 at the Ferfolia Funeral Home located at 356 West Aurora Road (Ohio State Route 82) Sagamore Hills, Ohio 44067 at 11am. A visitation is scheduled for Sunday, the 9th from 4pm-8pm. A block of rooms is reserved under "Lobeck Funeral" at the La-Quinta Inn, 268 East Highland Rd, Macedonia, Ohio (330) 468-5400. In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be made to Hospice of Western Reserve http://www.hospicewr.org/. Sent in by Michael Kacsala
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There is an article about Barry Lobeck titled "The Ohio Look" in the #39 Rodder's Journal starting on page 26 through page 41 with many photos. Mike Kacsala
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Thank you so much for the nice review of the Custom Cars 2009 Annual on Hotrodhotline.com. I certainly wasn't expecting that, what a thrill! I really appreciate the depth you went into in the review, as well as the various things you discussed. Your viewed a lot of elements and noticed many things that most people don't catch, or at least don't mention. I also appreciate the honest opinions you expressed in the review, rather than just a typical review where they usually just say "Oh that was really great," or just merely describe the contents of the book. I like to hear people’s actual opinions, good or bad. I am still working on the 2010 Annual. I didn't complete it by the end of the year like I had wanted to. I added up the total time that I've spent on it so far, and it's up over 500 hours! I couldn't believe it was that much. Once I get done with the 3rd Annual, I think I will have a much better grasp of the time it actually takes to get it done, and then I can get them out at the same time every year. At any rate, I will send you copies when it is finished. Thank you again, and if there is anything I can help you with, please let me know! Sincerely, Justin Kudolla
Justin: Hotrodhotline.com and Landspeedracing.com are dedicated to the advancement of straight-line racing and hot rodding. One of the ways that we do that is to have a book, movie and magazine review for our readers to use. The purpose is to encourage our members and the general public to create their own libraries. If we don't collect and read these works we cannot increase our knowledge. And that means that there won't be a market for publishers, authors, photographers and artists to sell their works. The reviews are meant to tell the potential buyers just what they will get for their money. A well developed library is a treasure to the hot rodder. I can appreciate the work that you put into your publication and I sincerely hope that your idea of bringing back an important publication catches the interest of the car community. Send us updates on what you are doing including photographs and we will post it to the SLSRH Newsletter. We will be glad to publicize your book as often as we receive information from you.
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I am researching a Sunbeam Tiger that ran at Bonneville in 1965. It was driven by Stan Peterson and ran in B/GT. Do you have an archive of pictures from that year? Thanks, Matthew Taylor
Matthew: We are a group of individual historians and fans of motorsports racing, mostly along the lines of straight-line racing. We have no archives that are accessible to the public, except what is located at www.landspeedracing.com. We can post your request and perhaps some of our members might be able to respond and tell you what they know. I would advise you to also start a phone tree; contact as many people as you can and spread the word that you are looking for the Sunbeam Tiger or Stan Peterson. Start with Jim Miller at 818-846-5139, which is the phone number on the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter. Also check the AHRF.com website to see what they have. I will also send your request to a few people who might have raced at Bonneville at that time and who may remember Stan.
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Road Runners - Minutes, January Meeting. A copy of the minutes from last night's Road Runners Meeting is attached. Please see the note about our upcoming Road Runners Banquet. This will be a fun event held at the historic Flabob Airport in Riverside (Rubidoux). There are going to be some great raffle prizes available. Cost is $10 for a Club member plus one guest and $15 for non member guests. The event will be on Saturday, March 5th. The exact time will be announced but it will begin in the late afternoon. We will post a map link on the Road Runners website. There is ample room to bring your hot rod or race car to display if you like. REMINDER: Club and SCTA dues must be paid by January 31, 2011. Dues for SCTA members are $75 and Associate Members $30. Failure to pay dues will result in loss of membership. To be reinstated, a person must submit an application for membership as a new member. (see Road Runners By-Laws, II E and VI B 3). Please make checks payable to “Road Runners.” Drop your check off at the Ed Martin Garage or mail your dues payment to: Bill Harris. Minutes attached. Jerry Cornelison, Secretary, Road Runners - SCTA (est. 1937). See http://www.ussarcherfish.com/roadrunners.
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Road Runners Membership Meeting, Tuesday, January 11, 2011 – 7PM, Ed Martin Garage, Riverside, California. President Mike Ferguson called the meeting to order at 7:02pm. Guests: Bill Clabaugh – Clabaugh Racing Team, Delia Riley – Prospective Member (first meeting). Minutes approved as read. Treasurer’s Report was given by Bill Harris, Treasurer. Balance reported. This does not include dues payment received at current meeting. Club Rep Jerry Cornelison gave the SCTA Board & Reps minutes report for the Jan 7th (board meeting). Discussion regarding new rules changes regarding polycarbonate vs. glass, gas tank positioning in Gas Class vehicles and other items and the negative impact on race vehicles and teams. Discussion on how to address these issues as a Club. Presidents Comments: Covered in rules discussion. Old Business: Report by the Banquet Committee. Date is March 5, 2011. Time will be announced. There will be a map link to Flabob Airport posted on the Road Runner website. REMINDER: A final head count and payment is due by our February meeting (February 8, 2011). There will be lots of great raffle prizes thanks to Dale and Bridget Wester. Some include: Half day of Dyno time at Westech, racing seat belt system, racing fuel certificates, machine tools, Road Runners wall plaque and drink coasters from All Valley Trophy, fire suppression system, certificate for sand blasting service from Orange County Sandblasting, Clinique products for the ladies, and much more. This will be a great event at a unique venue. Plan to be there! President Mike Ferguson asked for a volunteer to fill the open SCTA Club Rep position. Mark Saxlund has volunteered to cover the February meeting in Anaheim. We still need a permanent Rep. Being a Club Rep fulfills your Club duty requirements. Pat Riley gave an update on the new El Mirage BLM passes. See Pat to purchase your pass. Also available through the SCTA Office or at the Registration Trailer during our race season. Cost is $65 for a tow vehicle/trailer pass. Individual car passes are $5 each. REMINDER: Club and SCTA dues must be paid by January 31st. Dues for SCTA members are $75 and Associate Members $30. Failure to pay dues will result in loss of membership. To be reinstated, a person must submit an application for membership as a new member. (see Road Runners By-Laws, II E and VI B 3). Please make checks payable to “Road Runners.” Drop your check off at the Ed Martin Garage or mail your dues payment to: Bill Harris. New Business: Membership Applications. Dave Bennet submitted a request to upgrade his Associate Membership to full Road Runners SCTA Membership. Dave has been a member in good standing since 2009. Jerry Cornelison made a motion to upgrade Dave’s membership. Mark Saxlund seconded. Passed by the membership. Dave will have his new Henry J Classic Coupe ready for inspection this season. Hopefully we will see it on the dry lake before the end of the year. Welcome as a racing member Dave! President Mike Ferguson reminded members of the upcoming SCTA Awards Banquet. Jerry Cornelison followed up on information regarding Pole Position Kart Racing. He will check on times for a Club event. Coupe guys have challenged the Roadster guys to a race. Jim Kitchen will provide the pre-race flyby. You “had to be there” to fully appreciate this! El Mirage Procedures changes and upgrades are requested by February 2nd. They will be presented at the February SCTA meeting and brought back for Club discussion. Changes will be voted on at the March SCTA meeting. Member Items and Open Discussion: Jerry Cornelison reported on potential member Buddy Walker. Buddy is building a ’38 Chevy Coupe with Flathead Caddy engine. He plans to run XXO/BVGC. Buddy plans to attend our April meeting as his required meeting for prospective Out of Area Members. Jim Clabaugh inquired about the status of new BLM regulations covering off road events. Pat Riley gave an overview of the work done by SCTA representatives to ensure we have no problems in conduction of our events. SCTA is positioned very well with the BLM. Jack Masson delivered our DVD copy of the recent Safety Seminar. We are not allowed to make copies. The DVD will be available on a loan basis. Contact President Mike Ferguson or Secretary Jerry Cornelison to borrow the video. Wendell Burns has the DVD currently. We will show the Safety video at our February meeting. Meeting adjourned at 8:15PM. Submitted 1/12/11 – Secretary, Jerry Cornelison
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The 2011 B'ville NW Banquet will be held February 19, 2011. Location is the Shilo Inn Portland Airport, 11707 NE Airport Way, Portland, Oregon 97220. The cost for this year's event is $48 per person. After February 5th the cost goes up to $55.00. There will be a registration limit of 150. Registration cutoff date is February 12th. It will be by pre-registration only. There will be no at the door registration. There will be a flower and cash drawings for the ladies attending. Please register as soon as possible. It will help me with the hotel. Check or Money Order payable to: Bonneville NW Reunion, 11113 37th DR SE, Everett, WA 98208. If you have any questions send me an e-mail at [email protected] or call 425-337-4558. Cell phone number is 425-422-6944. I'll get back to you within 24 hours. Doors open at 5 PM. The featured speaker is not confirmed. I'll know soon. I suggest Shilo Inn. For reservations call 503-252-7500, or their National number 1-800-222-2244. We have a block of rooms held for us at a reduced rate. I suggest you call the Portland location, 503-252-7500 and be certain to mention that you are affiliated with the B'VILLE NORTHWEST REUNION. This rate covers several days before and after the event. Make your reservation as soon as possible. High Speed Internet is free. Tours are available. Evergreen Air Museum is located in McMinnville, Oregon. More information will be announced soon. Refund policy: Up to February 6th all but $5 will be refunded. I must have the written request in my hands by February 6th. After February 7th, there will be no refunds. Follow up announcements will be made on www.Landracing.com. Check this website first; www.bonnevillenwreunion.com. I would love to see you. Thanks, Glenn Freudenberger, 11113 37th DR SE Everett, WA 98208. 425-422-6944.
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The Sam Auxier, Jr Show is at www.automotiveradionetwork.com. Interviewing Tommy Ivo, Kenny Youngblood, Lou Santiago, Christine Chambless, Jim Amos.
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Europe's first dragster is 50 years old. First showing of the restored car with re-created engine is at Autosport International. Picture 2 shows Sydney Allard in the Allard Chrysler at Brands Hatch in 1961 – the first time the 354 Chrysler Hemi was fired up in public. This engine has been re-created by Booth-Arons and will be revealed at the show. (Source; LAT, Autocar, Crazy Horses.) Sydney Allard’s 1961 Allard Chrysler is appearing at Autosport International held at Birmingham NEC January 13-16, 2011, from 9am to 6pm each day. 2011 marks its 50th birthday and the show is the start of a year of celebrations. The car is Europe’s first dragster and is owned by the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, England. The Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG), whose UK Patron is Nick Mason of the band Pink Floyd, has been approved by the museum to restore the car so that it becomes a working exhibit and the re-created 354 Chrysler Hemi will be revealed at the show on Thursday, January 13, 2011 – its first appearance in public since being assembled by Michigan based nostalgia engine specialist Denny Hummel of Booth-Arons Racing Enterprises. ACAG sponsor SBS Worldwide arranged the freighting from Chicago to Heathrow. Picture 3 show members of the ACAG with Chairman Brian Taylor (kneeling) and Patron Nick Mason behind him. The trophy is the 1963 SEMA Trophy awarded to Sydney Allard (source; ACAG, Simon Maurice) Picture 4 shows Alan Allard (right) in conversation with ACAG Patron Nick Mason (source, ACAG, Simon Maurice). Handling the reveal will be Sydney’s son Alan Allard who drove the car the last time it raced back in 1964. Also involved will be Stuart Bradbury equipped with the original 1964 Drag Fest Starter’s jacket and flags. The timing of the reveal will be announced shortly, but it’s some time on Thursday morning. Picture 5 shows John McCrory, Race Product Manager, Aurora Bearing Company. Hosting the car, the engine and the reveal is the Aurora Bearing Company stand number 8330 in one of the main display areas, Hall 8. This company manufactures the world’s widest range of rod end and spherical bearings, supplying products to manufacturers of Lawn Equipment right through to Jet Fighters. Since they started nearly 40 years ago, motorsports has been one of their most important markets - all areas of motor sport including drag racing. John McCrory is Race Product Manager for Aurora. He said, “We are pleased to help honor a true motorsports pioneer by hosting the car and the new engine on our stand.
Sydney Allard was certainly a man of many talents and much foresight. To be involved, and excel in, Hill Climbing, Trials, Endurance Racing, and Drag Racing would be unusual today. Fifty years ago it was unique and it takes a special person to cross over the boundaries that the establishment in any field tends to put up”. “In motorsports, to embrace and promote drag racing in the UK during the early 1960's, when it was barely into its adolescence in North America, took perseverance and strength of character. It’s not enough to be the first to do something; to be a pioneer you have to do it, and keep doing it until others see the worth in what you are doing. By that definition, with this car, Sydney Allard was the foremost pioneer of British Drag Racing”. It was ACAG supporter Andy Robinson who brought Aurora and the ACAG together. John said, “Aurora Bearing is a proud to supply product to Andy Robinson Race Cars, a top builder of drag cars, not just in the UK, but worldwide. Andy is also a championship winning driver, and has helped Aurora with product development and testing. So it is fitting that we host the machine that laid down the foundations for Andy Robinson and others to build and drive world class drag cars in the UK today”. Brian Taylor, Chairman of the ACAG said, “We are very excited that Aurora has allocated space on their stand this year to highlight Sydney’s Allard Chrysler dragster and we are truly thankful.
We started the restoration project back in 2008 and have been looking forward to celebrating the car’s 50th birthday. This is a great way to start the party as well as introduce what we are doing to other companies and enthusiasts who might want to be a part of the project - because there’s still lots to do on the chassis and transmission”. Three ACAG members will be on duty each day of the show and they will include many pioneers of the sport in the UK. Brian Taylor - Chairman of the ACAG, former Chairman of the British Drag Racing & Hot Rod Association, Santa Pod Track Announcer during the 1970's and author of Crazy Horses – the history of British drag racing. He is on the selection committee of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Stuart Bradbury – ACAG Regional Officer and Engine Parts Coordinator, Chief Starter at Santa Pod through the 1960's to the 1990's, Chairman of British Drag Racing Hall of Fame and long serving member of ACAG supporter US Automotive’s team. Bob Roberts – ACAG Chassis Technical Coordinator, IT and Marketing Consultant for Andy Robinson Race Cars, Paul Whitehouse – ACAG member and automotive artist, Liz Rowland (formerly Liz Burn) – Pro Comp and Pro Fuel dragster driver during the late 1970's early 1980's. Author of Drag Racing through the eyes of a woman.
New Top Fuel Dragster team F&A Racing has announced that it is to sponsor the restoration of Europe’s first dragster – Sydney Allard’s 1961 Allard Chrysler. Using a unique approach, F&A has given a four figure sum that will be boosted by a percentage of all sponsorship monies received by the team during 2011. The initials F&A represent the names Forbes and Andrews. The team was originally set up by Vince Andrews back in 1998 to realise his son Chris’s dreams of becoming a Top Fuel driver. This resulted in Chris racing in Europe and the USA working with people like Frank Hawley, Bob Gilbertson, Bobby Baldwin, Smax Smith, Joran Persaker and Lex Joon. The recently re-born team with Mac Forbes at the helm consists of driver Chris Andrews, Marketing Manager Neil Williams with administration covered by Finola Adams. The new car is the ex-Morgan Lucas Geico dragster and definitely ‘state of the art’. It won three NHRA events during 2009 and was then parked up when a new car was debuted. It has since been re-wired, re-plumbed and fitted with the latest safety gear and is ready to roll. Picture 7.
Picture 6; Team Principal, Mac Forbes first discovered drag racing at Santa Pod in the 1970's. He said, “We at F&A have been following the progress of the Allard Chrysler dragster restoration for some time and wanted to help in some way because we think it is a really important job the Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG) is doing. So we made contact with Brian Taylor and arranged to transfer �1000 to the restoration fund”. “But we wanted to do more and we thought aligning Europe’s first dragster with Europe’s newest had a synergy that could work for both parties. So we have decided that five percent of all sponsorship monies for our new car received during 2011 will go to the fund. Our sponsors will know that they are supporting this restoration as well as the F&A dragster. Sometimes the Allard Chrysler will appear alongside our car at sponsor’s functions or race meetings. I’m sure the arrangements will work well for everyone involved”. The driver of the new F&A Top Fuel dragster Chris Andrews said, “To be associated with a part of drag racing history is something of which I am very proud. It is also a great opportunity for race fans to see how these cars have evolved over the last 50 years. I never got to see these cars run in their hey-day but it will be good to see our dragster and the Allard Chrysler car together at the race track and other events. We hope this is the beginning of a substantial relationship where F&A Racing can assist the ACAG long into the future”.
Picture 8; Chris Andrews. Picture 9; Neil Williams said, “As we are a British based team we felt it necessary to get involved with the guys at the ACAG as they are preserving a major part of British and European drag racing history. The dragster is looking absolutely stunning and it is nearly back to its full glory. It will be fantastic to work alongside Brian and his team and be able to display both cars at events and shows. With both ‘the new kid on the block’ and the Grand Old Daddy’ of European drag racing, it really will be something to behold – the original and the newest together. Not just for us, but for motor sport and drag racing fans everywhere. It is too easy to concentrate on the present but we must never forget our roots. If it wasn’t for the early days and those pioneers, we probably wouldn’t be where we are now”. CAG Chairman Brian Taylor said, “When F&A Racing first contacted me with his idea I thought what a radical the approach! It should be a win-win situation all round giving both parties additional exposure, credibility and funds. F&A sponsors will have that unique added value and will receive regular ACAG newsletters about the restoration’s progress. Their logos will be included with those of direct supporters of the project”.
Owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland, the RBS Insurance Group has announced its support for the restoration of Europe’s first dragster via its UK Assistance Accident Repair Centre chain. As well as a network of approved independent body shops that can carry out repairs, RBS Insurance owns sixteen accident repair sites throughout the country. One of them is at Bristol and it is this centre that will completely refurbish the 1961 Allard Chrysler dragster body panels during late January. Announcing this new sponsorship, Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG) Chairman Brian Taylor said, “Although the paintwork on the body panels looks to be in fairly good condition there is some damage caused by the steering mechanism and the inside of the cockpit panels have also lost their finish. Alan Allard remembers them as being polished aluminium on the inside with a paint finished outside. And although attractive, the existing paint on the car is not historically correct. It is a two-pack finish where as the original paint applied in 1961 would have been flat. Mark Old, a Business Project Manager at RBS Insurance, has been following the restoration for some time and he passed information on to his colleagues at UK Assistance ARC with the recommendation that they should become involved. This resulted in Tony Rider and Tony Davis of the Bristol centre visiting the museum on Tuesday 14th of December to meet up with myself and view the car”. Picture 10; Tony Rider, Manager UK Assistance ARC, Bristol couldn’t resist sitting in the car. Tony Rider said after inspecting the car, “We were very impressed with the car and look forward to our involvement with the restoration of such a historically important vehicle. It's very different to our normal repair work and an honor to be working on it. The existing paint will be completely stripped off, filler used on the damage and smoothed down, primer applied followed by a flat white and blue paint finish. This will be varnished and all the work will be carried out at Bristol.” When the panels have been completed they will be returned to the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, new Zeus fasteners fitted and another long-time ACAG supporter Ed Wimble will spend a day at the museum on the sign writing. The wheels will be painted red later after they have been crack tested. Brian Taylor said, “It’s good to have another well-known company joining our family of supporters. Now we have the engine, it really feels as if we are getting somewhere.” See you at Autosport International.
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The Sam Auxier Jr Radio Show, Mondays at 7PM EST. Pro Stock Racer Bill Stiles, East Coast Drag News editor Dave Bishop and Drag Racers Notebook Jim Amos. http://zeusradio.com/station/RacersReunionRadio/. Interviewing The Greatest Names In Racing. Call In 1-877-500-9387xSam 3. Archived Shows at http://racersreunionradio.com.
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Hi Claudia; Attached are two pictures of the midget my dad owned in 1941. These pics are a few years ago after being restored by Les DeLine. It has recently been sold after Les passed away. I would like to tell some of the history of this car to the new owner. I would appreciate any help in finding the midget. Thanks, Dan Ostwick
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Does anyone recognize this race car (Click For Image One, Click for Image 2), and know who owns it now? It was restored in California. This car has an outboard engine and was originally owned and driven by my dad's cousin, Eddie Ostwick. Claudia LaHaie
Claudia: The best sources to find this midget would have been Walt James, but he passed away. I'll send this to some of my friends and see if they know anything. A great source would be the members of the WRA (Western Racing Association) and they are located in and around the Los Angeles area. Brothers Bob and Richard Mastroleo, Dick Simon, Nat Fleischer and others in the WRA are good at knowing where these old midgets are. Another good source is Bob Falcon. Ken Hillberg is an active member of the WRA and if you contact them they can put out the word in their circles. I will also post it in the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter. Maybe some of our readers will see this and respond.
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I will look into it for them. Tried to read the sign on the cowling but what looks like the name of the city is blurred. Studying the body lines it appears to be a Hillegass tail with a later style nose added. I'll send the pix to Joe Devine to see if he recalls the car from the Eastern circuit. Joe is a body fabricator and knows those shapes well. Ed Justice has a flat tail Elto in his museum that was driven by Paul Russo but it is another color. The skinny tires tells me that it is a pre war car especially since the outboards became non competitive when the Offy, Drakes and Ford V8 60 became available for midgets. The outboards were the cars to beat when the majority of the cars used the Henderson motorcycle engines. Bob Falcon
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Dick and Claudia: Bob Falcon is one of the most knowledgeable man on the subject since we lost Walt James. He brings up several good points. One, contact Joe Devine who is the co-editor with Zach Suhr of The Alternate newspaper. That reaches about 1000 of the most knowledgeable oval track guys. They'll run your request for more info and the photograph, if it's in a story format, so write down all that you know. You can also send that story to me as well, because my publication, the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter also reaches about 1000 people. Google The Alternate for a contact number. Then contact Ed Justice Jr at Justice Brothers Car Care Products in Duarte, California. Ed has a wonderful museum in Duarte, California that you should both go over and see. Talk to Ed about a private showing and tell him that I referred you to him. Ed keeps up on the cars to add to his collection and he might know who owns the car now.
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A man named Jay Thompson contacted me and I passed his information along to Dan. He said a man named Dick Erickson in Utah owns the midget and has it in his museum. Claudia LaHaie
Claudia: Glad to hear you found the new owner.
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I'm writing to pass along some information you and the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians might find interesting. Since my book Speed Duel was published last October (it's about the quest for the LSR in the 1960s, especially the rivalry between Craig Breedlove and Art Arfons) I've been thinking about all the material I collected while doing research that I wasn't able to use, transcribed interviews and photos and other things. I've therefore decided to do something about it: On a new website I'm putting together I've included an LSR section. Go to www.samuelhawley.com and click on the "Land Speed Record" button on the left. I've included a list below of what's there so far. There will be more to follow; notably more Spirit of America and Green Monster photos, plus a section on the ill-fated Infinity racer, driven by Glenn Leasher. All the best, Sam Hawley
Sam: I checked and didn't find a book review on your book. I'll go to the museum and get a copy there at their book shop because I really want to do a review for our readers. Please keep us informed on your site.
SPIRIT OF AMERICA
--Craig Breedlove interview
--Mike Freebairn interview
--Photos (Part 1)
--Photos (Part 2)
GREEN MONSTER
--Lee Pendleton interview
--Tim Arfons interview
--Photos (Part 1)
--Photos (Part 2)
WINGFOOT EXPRESS
--Terry Arfons interview
--Photos (Part 1)
--Photos (Part 2)
FLYING CADUCEUS
--Alan Bradshaw interview
--Photos (Part 1)
-Photos (Part 2)
CITY OF SALT LAKE
--Harry Muhlbach interview
--Photos (Part 1)
--Photos (Part 2)
CHALLENGER
--Judy Creach interview
--Photos
BLUEBIRD
--Photos
MISCELLANEOUS
--Photos
--LSR films & recordings
--Speed Duel full interview list
--Jack Olsen tapes
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Editor: I checked out the website at www.samuelhawley.com, and it is an excellent source of information on Bonneville land speed racing. Here is a reference to the book; Speed Duel: The Inside Story of the Land Speed Record in the Sixties, by Sam Hawley. List Price: $24.95 Price. From Amazon.com.
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Looking at a copy of "A Visit with Charlie Gilmore" dated 1/15/09 on your site Hotrodhotline; I thought you and your readers who may know Charlie would like to know of his passing on Dec. 26 2010. He sure was a hot rodder of the first degree. Maggie Gilmore (Charlie's other half)
Maggie: Several hot rodders wrote in to tell us of Charlie's passing and we are very sad to hear the news. When I asked our readers to share their bios and stories, Charlie wrote in and said that he would try. He told me at the time that he wondered why I would ask him and my answer was that whatever he wrote would grow in value over time. He started with his bio and when it was finished he had more stories to tell and so we got two articles out of him for hot rodders to read in the future. Charlie embraced the idea and I urged him to expand what he had written and now we have a legacy of his to share with the world. If every hot rodder and racer out there would follow Charlie's lead we would have a history and heritage of racing and hot rodding that would be the envy of any historian. When Charlie Gilmore got the urge to do something he followed through and as long as readers go to the website, Charlie's story and bio are there to see. He helped to set the example that I hope others will follow up on. He was a man loved by so many. I wish we still had him around and to listen to his stories.
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Thanks for your kind words about Charlie, a story teller he was for sure. His World War Two novel entitled "In Dangers Way" (unpublished) is quite the nail biter. I was his proof reader as he wrote it on his old word processer (pre computer days) reading each page wondering how his two heroes would get out of every scrape Charlie had put them into. I loved every word. What a guy! Many thanks, Maggie Gilmore
Maggie: There are many ways to publish a book, memoir or biography and if you want to do that to honor Charlie's memory. There is a process by which a publisher will "print on demand" and then send you a royalty check. It isn't much, but you don't have to put any money out of pocket. Sometimes the plots are so interesting that a publisher will pick up the book and publish it, sparing you the expense of doing so. Then there is another way in which you can put it on-line and anyone wishing a copy pays a fee and gets a code that allows them to download it. Another way is to simply post it on-line and let anyone read it or print it off for free. 95% of all books are done for the fun of doing it and very few of the remaining 5% break even. So the goal is to decide if you want the book published and how best to do it. At the very least your family and Charlie's relatives and friends should have access to In Dangers Way so that they can enjoy reading the book and knowing that it came from Charlie. I review books and did a similar review for Lynn Wineland, In The Shadow of the Devil, although it wasn't about racing. That book also was a WWII historical novel. I would be pleased to review Charlie's book as well.
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Editor’s notes: Recently I sent out a group emailer and some came back to me as "undeliverable" due to the content of the material. Since I have sent out thousands and yes, I do mean thousands, of these group emails, it came as no surprise to me that some of them bounced. I have to admit that sometimes it does seem like spam email. I can't begrudge your servers for rejecting some of the material, although I try to be informative and specific. I've also asked all of you if you want to get these newsletters and if you tell me to delete your email address I do so. Well I wrote back to the 11 or 12 rejections and asked them if they would talk to their servers about letting the emails go through to you. Then I receive word that you did indeed get the newsletter after all and I am asking myself, "Then why did the server tell me that they couldn't deliver the newsletter in the first place." Ruling out the possibility that your server is just toying with me, the question may simply never be answered. It could be a computer glitch or a wayward warning. Whatever it is, each time I get such a warning that my email has been stopped from going to you, I have to take time to find out what happened. Please, from time to time let me know that my emails are getting through to you or that you have changed your email address. Make it easy for me. Keep me informed. Don't make me guess and stop what I am doing and spend hours wondering if it is of my doing or if it is your server that is acting up. If you don't want to get my emails, please don't delete or put me on your spam filter. Have the courtesy of telling me to remove you from my lists. I'm really not a bad guy out to do you harm. The newsletters are sent to you because I believe in certain things like history and heritage. I will never force you to accept anything that I do. You may think that it's easier to ignore me rather than let me know that you don't want to receive what I send out. But sometimes I have limits on the number of people I can have on a newsletter and there may be people waiting to get on a list and if you are taking up space but not wanting to be there, please let me know that. I can always use phone numbers in case I have to contact you. If I don't have your number then I have to skip trace to find it and that takes time. Likewise, if you change street addresses or email addresses then that takes time to track you down. Please make it as easy as you can for me since I've been told to become more efficient so as to get in a bit of exercise each day and take a break from the computer.
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Even with exercise, hours of screen time doubles risk of severe heart disease. By Amanda Chan MyHealthNewsDaily. Spending more than four hours a day sitting in front of a television or computer more than doubles your risk of dying from or being hospitalized for heart disease, according to a new study. And even those who exercise can't overcome the detrimental effects of too much screen time, said study researcher Emmanuel Stamatakis, of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University College London. Many people have sedentary jobs, and spend five to seven hours sitting at their desk or in their cars during their daily commute, he said. Tack on two to four hours of leisure time spent sitting, and the total can balloon to 10 hours a day spent parked in a chair. "This is excessive," Stamatakis told MyHealthNewsDaily. The study is published in the January 18 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Death and risks; Stamatakis and his colleagues studied 4,512 adults who answered
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Land Speed Racing Websites:
www.hotrodhotline.com, www.landspeedracing.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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