SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS |
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ James Irven Poetker-Baker passed away on March 27, 2009. He was born June 16, 1936 and passed away at the age of 72. James was the husband of Debbie Baker. When he contracted prostate cancer, Debbie set out to do something, rather than just allow the disease to dictate to her and Jim. She and others created the Cruisin' for a Cure car show, one of the largest in the country and raised funds for Prostate Cancer Research. The car show attracts thousands of cars and car lovers each September and the proceeds go to help with cancer awareness and research. There is a trailer available at the show where men can take free screenings to determine if they are afflicted with this dread killer. We all know friends who have died from this disease and Debbie is determined to fight against this illness with all her resolve. James was always a soft spoken and friendly car guy and he will be missed by all. A Celebration of Life will be held for him on April 18, 2009, from 11AM until 2 PM at the Mariners Church Community Center Room, 5001 Newport Coast Drive, Irvine, California 92603. See www.marinerschurch.org. Bring your hot rod and memories of Jim. No flowers please, but if you wish, donations to fight Prostate cancer can be made out to Cruisin' For A Cure, 25491 Morningstar Road, Lake Forest, California 92630. From an email received from Debbie Baker. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Twilight car cruise at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 4-8pm, Gate One, 1101 W. McKinley Avenue, Pomona, California. The cruise is held on the first Wednesday of each month, April through December. Call 909-622-2133 for info. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lynn Wineland's Celebration of Life will be held at 11AM on Saturday, April 11, 2009, at the Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, California. Call the museum at 323-964-6348 for more information. The Celebration of Life is open to all the friends of Lynn who wish to attend. Lynn was a prominent member of the Petersen Publishing and Motor Trend groups. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lynn Wineland. The April 2009 issue of Gabriel's Horn (PCA SGVR) notes that Lynn Wineland died on his 81st birthday, 24 February, 2009 at the VA Hospital in Loma Linda, California. Among his many accomplishments, Lynn worked on the X-1 at Edwards AFB, ran at Bonneville ('34 coupe in 1951), was the editor of Rod & Custom, Hot Rod, Car Craft, and several motorcycle magazines. Lynn coined the terms "Go-Kart" and "Mini-Bike." Lynn rescued and restored the famous "Doane Spencer 1932 Roadster," now in the Bruce Meyers Collection. Even if you did not know Lynn personally, as a car person you have come across his work. His 2000 novel In the Shadow of the Devil, incorporated the names and places of several Hot Rodders in the Glendale/Los Angeles area; as well as being a bit of a spy story. It's a good read. Lynn left the LA Region to found the SGVR, designed the Region's logo, and was the first editor of Gabriel's Horn. His hopped up white 912 carried the license "St. George." Lynn was a real car guy, a driver, and he enjoyed cars in competition. There will be a Celebration of his life at the Petersen Automotive Museum, 11AM, 11 April, 2009. Reverend Scrub Hansen and ENF |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jim Deist's Celebration of Life is 11AM, on Wednesday, April 8, 2009, at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, enter Gate One, at 1101 W. McKinley Avenue, Pomona, California. The museum is on the Los Angeles County Fairplex property. The Celebration of Life is open to all of Jim's friends in land speed, drag racing, oval, boats and other forms of motorsports. Call 909-622-2133 for more information. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Santa Ana Drags Reunion and Main Malt Picnic, 10:00 AM, Saturday, April 4, 2009. For more information call Leslie Long at 714-921-1814, who is the coordinator for the event. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, the word is out about my upcoming Feature Hot Rod film DEUCE OF SPADES. Somebody emailed me last Friday to alert me that Hemmings just did a small (but oh so very sweet) write up about my film. I had no idea. I have been receiving other emails from the four corners of the world it seems, to alert me to more press about my film, press I was unaware of. We got a write up in Australia, another one in France, a follow-up in New Zealand. A big one in Italy. Now the Czech Republic is spilling ink over DEUCE OF SPADES and England is to follow next month. It's a world wide invasion of the jalopies! So glad they are back in the spot light: They deserve to be. FAITH GRANGER, Filmmaker. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I have been looking for my old friend Charley Gilmore from Pennsylvania. Would you give him my Email Address or do you have his? One of these days I'll write you a bio. Thanks, Rocket man, John Paxson |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There is a really great cruise in downtown Petaluma that honors the movie American Graffiti on May 17, 18 and 19. Bob Choisser |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Editor's notes: I received a phone call from Kay Kimes, member of the Wheelers car club from the 1940's. He informs us that the scheduled memorial services for Jim Deist will be April 8, 2009 at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, in Pomona, California, on the grounds of the Los Angeles County Fairplex, at 11 AM. Kay also let us know that he has a video of movie footage of the Wheelers at El Mirage and at Bonneville in the early 1950's. For more information on Kay and his history in land speed racing, go to www.hotrodhotline.com, guest columnists and read his biography. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chop Shop Customs newsletter, see www.imakenews.com/chopshopcustoms/e_article001350588.cfm?x=bfk8Wtg,bbpDBsHn. They have one of my articles on their website. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bruce Glascock was invited to the Goodwood Festival of Speed (with) the El Caballo that Ak Miller ran in Mexico. We were next to him with the OYII. Bruce invited Ak Miller and Ray Brock along to be with the car at Goodwood. Here are Bruce's great comments and he got to know Ak quite well during the re-build. He can tell some exciting stories and bring more light to Ak Miller. Ernie Nagamatsu |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SPECIAL BULLETIN: The Bill and Marie Jenks Annual "Santa Ana Drags Reunion and Main Malt Picnic" is scheduled for 10:00 AM, Saturday, April 4, 2009. The place will be in Santiago Park, along the Santiago Creek, off Memory Lane, east of Main Street, in Orange. Going north on Main Street from Santa Ana or south from Orange on Main Street, turn east on Memory Lane. Go east on Memory Lane for about a 1000 feet to the first street and turn right, which leads down into the creek to a concrete parking area. Bring your albums of the Santa Ana Drags, food, drinks and folding chairs. For more information call Leslie Long at 714-921-1814, who is the coordinator for the event. Marie Jenks started this reunion to honor the pioneers of the 1950's Santa Ana Dragstrip, where drag racing came of age. Check Mapquest or call Leslie for directions. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ See Sad News Crane Cams-RIP on Landracing.com. Link http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php?topic=5778.0. Dick Elliott |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some months ago I was doing a bit of vanity surfing for hits for myself, John Allen Rudesill, and to my delight and surprise I came across the www.hotrodhotline.com piece by Jerry Cornelison and his kind mention of my father John Amos Rudesill and his machine shop Petco. I have been meaning to contact you and ask you to tell Jerry I said "Hi" since I remember working with him briefly during one of those summers in the '60's. Now I see another reference to Petco and my father from Klaus Cuthbert and I have to respond. If you like, I can co-write with you a short bio on my father or a short feature. It is both funny and very sentimental for me that 29 years after my father passed away in 1980 that his name shows up on google for being a member of Pomona Valley Pilots Association (PVPA) and for a small scholarship they maintain in his name to help young students get their first taste of flying. Then your hits show up. So much time has elapsed that dates, times, and names will be incomplete and missing details. Perhaps other readers still among us who knew my father can offer some of their personal experiences with Petco and Pa as I usually called him. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Editor's notes: Unfortunately, your mail was not delivered to the following address - [email protected]. In this case the person is Fred Lobello and I called his phone number repeatedly and got no answer. I left messages with several SCTA members to see if they can find out if Fred is okay. Please notify me whenever any of our Society's members are ill or incapacitated. We want to know how you are all doing, because you are important to us. If you haven't done your bio, get started on it today. Ask me for the list of questions, answer them quickly, send the answers to me to re-write and edit and send back to you for approval. Then we publish. Also, don't forget to caption your photos. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ My book “Crazy Horses; the history of British drag racing”, will be published by Haynes in the UK at the end of April and in the USA at the end of August. I'll make sure you get a review copy in time. Haynes North America Inc's main outlets are people such as Pep Boys, Autozone and Advance, but that is only for the manuals. Motorbooks International distribute the other titles and I've been asked to advise them on the best distribution channels to the drag racing and hot rodding fraternity in the USA and name some key events worth attending. Our plan is to have an East Coast launch at Don Garlit's museum in Florida with the book being made available via his shop, but as yet I have not recommended a West Coast launch event/venue. SEMA in Vegas is important of course, but that's October/November and the California Hot Rod Reunion is October 16-18, 2009. I also think the book should be made available via the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports museum's gift shop. Does the NHRA sell books from a store at its meetings? If not, how can I find out the names of those with concessions to sell books at NHRA meets? Hopefully you can advise so that I can pass on details to Motorbooks International. Brian Taylor, Tel - 01395-579733. E-mail [email protected]. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for remembering me with the schedule of events. I am so sorry to hear that these people have passed on. We're back here and we don't hear of events like we did in California. Hope all is well, KS about the same. LaVaun Pittman |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spring has sprung and 36ers are getting ready to attack the salt of Bonneville and concrete of Maxton and Goliad. Listed below are new websites outlining two teams efforts. I am sure they would welcome your comments and interest: www.bonnevilleorbust.com, from Ireland, and www.blackline57.com, from Utah. In addition to the two efforts outlined on the above sites, the Beaver Geezers crew has the chassis for their Stone Stock 58 rolling and engine components in hand with assembly headed towards a July roll out and road test. Bruce Cook in North Carolina has replaced his Stone Stock record holding motor with a new big bore stroker outfitted with new repo period style dual carbs on homebuilt single port manifolds. He will debut the motor at the May Maxton meet and I am going east to watch him challenge Mel Ellis's 94.40 mph record set in 1962. Tom Bruch and Gaylen Anderson will be busy the month of April readying their newly crowned, "Worlds Fastest 36hp Beetle," in hopes they can beat their own record of 103 miles per hour, also at Maxton in May. Different gearing will be needed for the low altitude passes of Maxton if they are going to be successful. Although the Harig clan will not have a 36hp motor in their bug, they have been inspired by the 130 Mile Per Hour Club racing concept and hope to join all the other VW's in September at the W.O.S. with a turbocharged VW big block engine. 2009 is shaping up to be a great year for land speed racing Volkswagens and we hope you will join us. We wish everyone a great racing season and hope you all enjoy following the new websites posted above. And I would especially like to thank Art Thraen of A.C.E. for his kind offer to dyno tune the Team Irelands and the Beaver Geezers 36ers for altitude prior to this years USFRA World of Speed event in September. The "Spirit if the Challenge" lives. May the Speed be with you. Burly Burlile |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for the mention. On reading through your bulletin (which I have now subscribed to by the way) I thought another project I am involved with would be of interest to your readers. I'm not sure whether I have mentioned it to you before but it is the restoration of Europe's first dragster - Sydney Allard's Allard Chrysler that was built in 1960/61 and last ran at the 1964 Drag Festivals at Blackbushe (your mother and father were there). Your subscribers might like to visit our website. There are many pictures as well as the full story. It can be found in http://www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk/. You and your subscribers might also be interested in this picture taken from Crazy Horses. It was shot in 1904 at Blackpool. Brian Taylor |
Brian: Thank you for the update, link and photograph. I will pass it on to our readers and invite their responses. If you would like me to post your telephone number and email address so that our readers can contact you, let me know. I don't do that unless I have been given permission. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HARRELL ENGINES & RACING EQUIPMENT: Jim (White) Harrell & Nick Harrell, written by Roger Harrell, with Richard C. Harrell and Alec R. Harrell Carlson. This book is available at www.HarrellEnginesHotRodding.com. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thank you very much for your involvement with this racing news email item. I won my first trophy at the Salt Flats in 1961. When I read about Rocky and his two wheel LSR, a big smile was on my face. Starting in 1970 I crewed on the Larsen/Cummins F Fuel Streamliner, car #115. A sleeved and destroked 265 Chevy small block cubic inch engine ended up with 180 cubic inches. Many records were set ending at 312MPH. The streamliner is now retired and it is on display at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California. The car is minus the engine, which now powers a modified roadster owned by the Moon Equipment Company. Three cheers to Rocky Robertson and his teams efforts. Ray Howe |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Horton twins put the program together with exerps from our letters and it is pretty funny, but looks and sounds good. I was hoping to forward them along, but it looks like you have the old ones up. I don't wanna overcrowd your cool board with us. We so appreciate you! |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A friend just sent me your Land Speed Record website. It's great and I have spent some time looking it over. I do have a question. I bought a road race car from a guy living near LAX in 1973 or 1974. He told me that he had a permanent LSR in the 700cc motorcycle class. He said it was permanent because the class was changed to 750cc the year following his Bonneville runs. Is there any way I can search your site to see if I can find his name? Dick Ryan |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ See? I did get around to it! I still owe you photos. I'll start compiling them. Quick question for you...I'm starting to work on a painting of the Spurgin/Giovanine roadster that is being restored. I've been in contact with Ernie Nagamatsu regarding this painting, but question is on the blue color of the car. Is there any way to find out for certain what "blue" it was. I have a hand-tinted b&w photo from the HAMB (attached here) to start with, but hand-tinted photos may be somewhat limited in color quality. Thanks! Tom Fritz See [email protected], and www.fritzart.com. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gone Racin' by Richard Parks and Roger Rohrdanz |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The 2009 Hot Rod Heritage Series is now in its second season. There are 14 categories: Nostalgia Top Fuel; Nostalgia Funny Car; A/Fuel; Junior Fuel; 7.0 Eliminator; AA/Gas Supercharged; Nostalgia Eliminator 1, Nostalgia Eliminator 2; Nostalgia Eliminator 3; A Gas; B Gas; C Gas; D Gas; and Hot Rod. The 2009 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series Schedule is as follows: April 3-5, Nostalgia Sportsman Shootout, Fontana, California. May 15-17, Las Vegas Speed Spectacular, Las Vegas, Nevada. June 12-13, Arizona Fuel & Gas Nationals, Wittmann, Arizona. July 10-11, WCTA Fremont Reunion, Sacramento, California. August 13-16, 38th Annual Pepsi NightFire Nationals, Boise, Idaho. September 11-13, Southern California Shootout (tentative), Fontana, California. October 16-18, California Hot Rod Reunion, Bakersfield, California. See www.autoclubfamosoraceway.com. Bill Groak |
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Captions: Ron Main's garage and his Flatfire Bonneville Streamliner. Photos by Ron Main. Ron's Garage Pics 3-21-09 FLATFIRE IS HOME Here are the photos that I want to share with you. Click Images Below for larger images. |
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jonathan Amo, Brett Arena, Henry Astor, Gale Banks, Glen Barrett, Mike Bastian, Lee Blaisdell, Jim Bremner, Warren Bullis, Burly Burlile, George Callaway, Gary Carmichael, John Backus, John Chambard, Jerry Cornelison, G. Thatcher Darwin, Jack Dolan, Ugo Fadini, Bob Falcon, Rich Fox, Glenn Freudenberger, Don Garlits, Bruce Geisler, Stan Goldstein, Andy Granatelli, Walt James, Wendy Jeffries, Ken Kelley, Mike Kelly, Bret Kepner, Kay Kimes, Jim Lattin, Mary Ann and Jack Lawford, Fred Lobello, Eric Loe, Dick Martin, Ron Martinez, Tom McIntyre, Don McMeekin, Bob McMillian, Tom Medley, Jim Miller, Don Montgomery, Bob Morton, Mark Morton, Paula Murphy, Landspeed Louise Ann Noeth, Frank Oddo, David Parks, Richard Parks, Wally Parks (in memoriam), Eric Rickman, Willard Ritchie, Roger Rohrdanz, Evelyn Roth, Ed Safarik, Frank Salzberg, Dave Seely, Charles Shaffer, Mike Stanton, David Steele, Doug Stokes, Bob Storck, Zach Suhr, Maggie Summers, Gary Svoboda, Pat Swanson, Al Teague, JD Tone, Jim Travis, Randy Travis, Jack Underwood and Tina Van Curen, Richard Venza. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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