Header__ARTICLEShorter
line12
slsrh-logo1

SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS
NEWSLETTER 143 - December 24, 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, I would just like to say Merry Christmas to all of you guys and a Happy New Year and holidays, Since our book about Harrell Engines & Racing Equipment and its companion web site have been in place we have received some interesting information and old photos from racing enthusiasts from the past and present, Thanks for the welcome - I am very excited about going salt racing, Ya see Mike how picky they are - The attempt was the Hal Needham evolution of the rocket machine that ran at Edwards and driven by Stanton Barrett, My name is David Eltervoog and I just found this Oilstick article on the internet of Andy Conze passing away and would like to request a story on the Conze's and the Conze Brother's machine shop, Racing Clubs: Historians listed for each club, Noted the By-Line of Craney Gartz on the piece about the grave site of the USAAF pilot Vanley Johnson, My name is Greg Pieper Wally P drove my super in the 1970's & '80's how do I reach him? My name is Tim Doherty I was referred to your club by Bill Chambers please contact him for references regarding me, Greetings from the Moldy one, The following website has restrictions on the use by another publication, The following story was sent in by Ron Main, Gone Racin'…Portfolio 1; Boys and their Toys by the American Hot Rod Foundation, Random Photos

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

President's Corner:  
Sometimes all the cards fall in the right place and they did this week. Mark Brinker lucked out and bought Chet Herbert's old Beast III streamliner that ran at Bonneville in 1952. Behind the scenes Dave Crouse at Custom Auto had found the car and is now restoring it for Mark. Dave hauled it from his shop in Colorado to Art Chrisman's shop for his annual Christmas party this last Saturday. The cool thing about all this is that this is the car that Art got in the Bonneville 200 MPH club with. Lady luck turned one of the cards for us two days before the party. Dan Warner and I had gone down San Diego way to do an engine measurement job and check out a new streamliner that Pete Aardema is building for the salt. Just as we got there an older gentleman was just leaving and we were introduced. His name was Rod. About a half hour later when we were talking about aerodynamics and the new liner Rod's name came up. When Pete said the man's last name I just about had a cow on the spot. Seems this Rod fellow was Rod Schapel, the man who designed the Beast for Herbert all those years ago. Talk about a find. Between myself and Dave we had been hunting for Rod because he had also designed Beast IV that Dave was restoring before he found the second Beast for Mark. When Mark got his car, finding Rod had been even more important. We all came up with dead-ends and then pow, there he was.
   Needless to say Rod came to the party and we got the back story on what I think is the greatest land speed liner built in the first thirty years of our sport. Yes, we can chalk finding Rod up to lady luck. What about the hundreds of other old-timers that we have a name for, but no face or whereabouts of. I guess you could say Richard and I are happy campers if you look at the last couple of years and all the guys that have come out of the woodwork to tell their stories. We've hooked up long lost pals and uncovered lots of facts on what really happened to make our sport what it is today, the greatest form of racing still going. We want to say thank you and keep it up.  Merry Christmas! 

Mark-and-Art
Beast-III

Beast III owner Mark Brinker and Art Chrisman looking over the ride that got Art in the Bonneville 200 MPH club way back in 1952 at a speed of 235.91 mph.

A modified version of Rex Burnette's cutaway drawing of Chet Herberts Chrysler powered Beast III that appeared in Hot Rod Magazine back in 1952.

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

Editorial:   
The following letter is very important. It has excellent points and merits and thus it gives me a chance to explain what we are trying to achieve. It also helps me to focus on what should and shouldn't be done when editing the newsletter.
-------------------------------------
"Reading your comments in the racing news, I was never made aware that such a thing had happened? Had I been, I certainly would have tried to make amends. Rather than air our dirty laundry, give us a chance to fix it. Was this in recent history? Who, what, when? Lattin, Gillette, Liggett, Wolfe, Kalbach, Louie, Warner? That goes back nearly 30 years. We can't expect all the younger folks to know their history and mistakes can me made, but let me try to make it up." Name withheld by the editor
----------------------
You are probably referring to an editorial that I wrote in newsletter #139, of the
Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter and not The SCTA Racing News. It isn't dirty laundry, it's a primary source and that source comes from a former president of the SCTA, who states that he was tossed out of a Bonneville meet, but not while he served in any office of the SCTA. I need to make this perfectly clear so that readers can understand the purpose and function of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians and its newsletter. We claim to be historians and we don't differentiate between professional and amateur. A professional historian is one who makes his living as a researcher, writer or archivist in the field of history. An amateur historian is one who is just as skilled and qualified as a professional historian, but who doesn't make his living in this field. Therefore Jim Miller should be considered a professional historian, while I am an amateur historian. But that doesn't mean that there is much of a difference between either one of us. In some areas, Jim has better skills, while in other areas, I have higher skills. What do we do? Well for one we look for primary, secondary and circumstantial evidence and facts in order to record history and tell a story, as true to what happened as we can.
Primary facts come from the source and in this case the person tossed was a primary witness, giving a primary account. If I hear of it from this person and repeat it, the facts are considered secondary that is, I am the second to repeat the story and there is always the problem with secondary evidence being incorrectly understood and repeated. Circumstantial evidence is even farther from the main source. A circumstantial piece of evidence is where neither the evictee reports it, or a secondary source reports it, but there are isolated facts that when taken together tells what happened. If the evictee is reported on the lake, is later seen in Wendover, at the date and time of the incident, then that is circumstantial. Here's how it works; the evictee said he was booted, so that's primary evidence. I reported on what I heard, but did not see it, therefore that is secondary. It was reported that this man was at the lake, then in town on the date in question, so that is circumstantial evidence. Historians do not use one set of facts and exclude all others. We use every bit of fact that we can find, but we give each set of facts a certain weight. If person A is known to be very trustworthy, we might say that his testimony carries a weight of 100%. If person B stretches the truth on some occasions, but not on all occasions, we might consider his statements to be 50% accurate. If person C is an out and out fraud and one whose word can never be trusted, we might give that person a 5% accuracy rating.
We realize that there is another factor that we have to be careful of and that is interpretation. Interpretation means that an event can be viewed from different angles. One person is sure that he heard or saw something, while another person is sure that he saw just the opposite. Historians use what is called "reasonableness." So if we hear that this former SCTA president got thrown off the lake for some reason, then we ask, "How reasonable is that?" Was he really asked to leave, was he picked up and hauled off, was he surrounded and forced to leave. What about the person who was asked to leave? We have to ask if there were valid reasons for such a thing. That is where you come in when you say, "Give us a chance to fix it." Or in more common terms, "Give us a chance to tell our side." And that is what a historian does, he looks for all angles and viewpoints and facts and if we haven't heard your side, it's only because you haven't written to us. We will post it. We are not a blog. Gossip and innuendo are usually edited out and if they remain then it is in error.
Also, you did not understand how I used the material. I used it to commend the SCTA for their rugged individualism and refusal to do the politically correct thing. When SCTA officials believe something, they act. I did not say that SCTA officials always get things right and that they are infallible. Yes, I did say that it would have been better to have a public relations official on hand to cover such incidents, but that is only an editorial suggestion. I am the editor and as such I use the newsletter much as my father did when he was editor of
Hot Rod magazine and National Dragster. I have a historical agenda, but that agenda is not rigid and I often issue retractions and apologies, because no one is perfect. You can't really "fix" history. What you can try to do is to understand the events of the past and put those facts into better perspective. As I pointed out, I have been asked to leave events on many occasions and I really never argue, for the work of safety and security officials is vitally important and I have served on security patrols many times. In fact, it's sort of a badge of honor, a club if you might say, of the "evictees" and we don't take it personally.
I do receive both praise and criticism on occasion, because the SLSRH delves into the very heart of the history of straight-line racing; i.e. drag and land speed racing. My biggest critic was my father. Almost every story that I sent him and most emails were returned to me with his blue pencil markings. "You should cut your length down by two-thirds and your grammar is horrible," he would tell me. At other times he would say, "Worst article I have ever read and you should know better." There is nothing like a father/son discussion as to what is true or false. I wrote once that the NASCAR and NHRA cup points system is unfair. Taking away a winner's points and starting almost over for the last four races is unfair to the racer who ran great all year long. Boy, did my father lay into me for that one. On another occasion I wrote a story on an NHRA race and forgot to prominently mention the main sponsor. I'm an independent writer and have never drawn a paycheck from the NHRA, but the sponsor wrote a letter saying that article was a slap on the reputation of his company and threatened to withdraw their sponsorship from the NHRA. I'm not required to rewrite an article, but I do whenever it causes anyone any harm. When I write my stories I follow my notes religiously, very carefully in fact and that causes some people to squirm. One lady was so irate she said she would sue me, not for any false facts, but because what I wrote was "too honest and revealing." Even though I'm not paid for what I do and in fact actually pay to do this job, editorial integrity is something I value highly.
What the evictee ex-president said is not new. Many people know about the event. It's historical and it's relevant. This eviction at Bonneville was important for the same reasons that the SCTA and NHRA Safety Safari crews and safety departments are important. The more we know the better we are at heading off trouble. I saw people, important people, being turned away at Black Rock in 1997. It's happened at SCTA and NHRA events. It won't kill off the sports, but it does make it harder to get the job done. The SLSRH attempts to report on the past as well as the present and sometimes we even extrapolate what we know to make judgments about the future. But we try to stay in the past and we do that for several reasons. One is that the past is under-researched and little known, so we concentrate our time there. Secondly, disagreements that happened in 1946 are not as prickly as events that happened in 1996 or 2006. People get really incensed about what happened at the last meet, even though that is now in the past and open to historical research and understanding. I am not asking you to fix anything. I am asking that you write your biography, caption your photographs and even do a little historical writing. We know young people are fuzzy with the history of the sport; so are we at times. We do not take sides, even if it seems like it. I publish just about everything. My rejection rate is a fraction of one percent, although if it is scurrilous, scandalous or meant to cause harm I will return the email to the writer and ask to discuss it with him/her. We can always tell the story in a more benign and honest way. Since the original story was short on details, write to us and tell us what you know to be true.
  

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

I would just like to say Merry Christmas to all of you guys and a Happy New Year and holidays. I had a little recession on working on my project Lightning Bolt. It's going though and my friends Mike Arndt and Dino Fry should be swinging by after new years. I had a lot of hardship figuring out the interference problem with the exhaust next to the steering box. I now have that covered. Because I do not have a garage, it's freakin' freezing, not to mention wet at the same time. It feels like my fingers would actually snap off and the tent seems hopeless. Anyways I am looking forward to seeing the next Grand National Roadster show in the Cow Palace hopefully this year. Well God Bless You All - and hope all goes well. Spencer Simon
   Spencer: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and to all the SLSRH readers. The Grand National Roadster Show is owned by John Buck and for the last 5 or 6 years has been held at the Los Angeles County Fairplex in Pomona, California on the third week in January of each year. There is another roadster show held in your area and is sort of a spin-off of the original GNRS. Offhand I forget the name of the man who produces the show, but I do believe he holds it in the Cow Palace about the same time each year.

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

Since our book about Harrell Engines & Racing Equipment and its companion web site have been in place, we have received some interesting information and old photos from racing enthusiasts from the past and present. As you know, the book and web site cover the Harrell brothers' racing activities from the early 1930's but spends little time on the late 1950's through 1966. Well, during the past several months we have been made aware of how much interest there is in the early development of the Harrell-Borsch "Winged Express"-1956-October 1966. With the help of racing enthusiasts who have sent us materials, we have added a page to our web site that includes most of the recently acquired materials. Our purpose is two-fold: to share the materials, and to ask others to join in the process of collecting old photo that show the evolution of the altered from 1956 to 1966. When you have time, take a look at the web site to see what we have so far: www.harrellengineshotrodding.com, then click on the tab, "Harrell-Borsch Roadster & Altered 1956-1966." R. H. Harrell

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

Thanks for the welcome. I am very excited about going salt racing. It has been a life long dream and I just wish the circumstances were different but sometimes we don't get to choose how things turn out. Chuck Sydoryk is the man who currently owns the Burke Avanti. He saved it from who knows what kind of future and he has lent it to me so that I might full fill my dream. So far everything for this dream has been donated or loaned. It is amazing to see what kind of people are in the racing and car restoring world. I feel very blessed to know they care about me. Here is a little background. I am 57 years old and a lifetime car enthusiast. I got started early and built my first engine at ten years of age, and my first automatic transmission at the age of fourteen. My dad owned an auto parts store on Van Nuys Blvd and that's where I got bit by the bug. I had my first race car at sixteen. I drag raced in Southern California until the 1980's. My fastest ride was 8:60 ET at 186 MPH. I also did some road racing and dirt track racing. I met my wife at the street races in Simi Valley. I have been an ASE Master Technician since the seventies. I was teaching High School auto shop right up to my diagnosis of cancer in August of 2005.
   I have had three surgeries in the last four years to remove tumors from my neck. I have an unknown primary so I will have more tumors in the future unless they can locate the primary. It was this realization that the next one could be inoperable that led me to create a "Bucket List." The four things that were on that list were to win another World Championship in Softball (done in 2006). I attended the Los Angeles Dodger's fantasy baseball camp, the Richard Petty Driving School and drove a cup car, and raced flat out at Bonneville. Of the remaining three I felt the Bonneville one was the furthest out of reach. But I forgot about the wonderful people who are "Bonneville." Chuck Sydoryk has loaned me a proven car. Another Studebaker racer has loaned me an engine built by Jim Lange who set a new record this year at 223mph. A great painter and air brush artist has offered to paint and letter the car. Five Bonneville veterans, all of whom are 200 mph club members are helping me build the car and teaching me all I need to know to succeed at Bonneville.
   So the dream begins. I am keeping a journal of all that takes place so that I will be able to write a book about the generosity and big hearts of all of the people who are working hard to make this dream a reality. I have included a picture of the car taken two weeks ago. I will send you more as they become available. Thanks for letting me tell my story. People need to know that the people who race and preserve cars are more than just car nuts. They are wonderful people. Stay tuned for more. Please publish with photo if possible. Thank you. Dan Sallia
   Dan: We are glad to have you involved in land speed racing. All racers in all the automotive sports have been fantastic guys. They are competitive, but they also like to help one another. That's especially true in land speed racing and its sister sport, drag racing. We hope they find and cure your cancer and that you stay with the straight-line racing for a long time. Keep your journal and share it with us. Our focus is to share what we know and what we experience so that we can leave an archive of information for the next generation. You've mentioned some interesting subjects and names of people. Take some time and give us a more in-depth accounting of them. Each of these subjects is important and when you write about them it expands our area of knowledge. As historians we cannot know for sure what future historians and interested parties may want to know, so we record it all. Sometimes people will write into the newsletter and ask me, "Why did you write about that topic, it doesn't interest us?" Well, that may be true for this year and the next, but we can't foresee what will be important to those in the future. Our goal is to record what we can and leave it behind and let the next generation sort it all out. What you are observing and doing will be very important in the future. Tell us more about what you teach, the activities you have accomplished, the people who have helped and inspired you and the efforts you have undertaken in land speed racing. We have no limits here at the SLSRH as to volume, though I jokingly tell Kay Kimes that he is limited to one million words. His bio reached 77,000 words and the more the better. So keep on writing because what you have to say is important.

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

Ya see Mike how picky they are? The attempt was the Hal Needham evolution of the rocket machine that ran at Edwards, and driven by Stanton Barrett. I might have spelled Hal's last name wrong but at least it sounds right. The big bucks came from Budweiser. The meeting I mentioned was hosted by Rick Vesco at the Disneyland Hotel. NHRA was represented by tech man Mr. Payroll #2, I think. Out of that meeting came a loose association of common interest individuals and organizations that called themselves the Land Speed Steering Committee.
They were to issue a nasty-gram letter/press release on the findings, and nothing else was ever done by that group to my knowledge. Earl Flanders was the AMA/FIM rep on site, and he was faulted for letting the publicity get out of hand with no comment from the Certifying Body.
History does need more work and deserves it too. All of those people suffer from a bit of "Mine is bigger/better that yours syndrome," but without them, we would all be riding the same bus to nowhere. Jack Dolan
Jack: For you the Webster Dictionary people invented the word TERSE. As in "tease it out of me." You have all these wonderful experiences and observations and yet you let them out about as fast as an infant feeds at the breast. We need GULPS of knowledge, not just little sips. Hal Needham has been mentioned before and so has Stan Barrett, but we still know so very little about them. What about Budweiser, who were the players behind the throne and how did they think to profit from this attempt? The sponsors are often the overlooked ones in the historical record, but from experience I can tell you that they control the action and how, when, where and what goes on. What role did Vesco play and what was he like. Who was the NHRA #2 man? The NHRA is famous for secrecy and again I can attest to the fact that my father NEVER brought his work home with him. I learned to eavesdrop from those James Bond movies. In fact, NHRA is so secretive that they could teach the CIA a thing or two about keeping secrets. As any corporate big-wig can tell you, keeping secrets could be the difference between success or failure. Tell us more about the Land Speed Steering Committee and who was on it. I'll bet you a buck that one of the names could be Wally Parks. He was fanatical about land speed racing. What was in the nasty letter and why did they cease to function. Who was Earl Flanders and what was he like and what did he do. What was the consensus of the quality of the work that AMA/FIM did? Is he the father of the well known announcer and bike racer Bruce Flanders? Tell us more about the "mine is bigger and better than yours" syndrome and who some of the big players were in the controversial first attempt to break the sound barrier. There are ardent fans who swear that Barrett broke the sound barrier that day and deserves recognition for his feat even if it was only a one-way attempt. Tell us about the Air Force and why they allowed this to occur at Edwards Air Force Base. There had to be some really big contacts between the top military brass and the group behind Barrett. Why do I keep thinking that the names you are withholding happen to be Wally Parks and Ak Miller? C'mon Irish Jack, spill the beans and tell that quiet and mute Jim Miller to get into this subject and tell us what he knows.
---------------------
Even his mother, Lucile Flanders, says Bruce has a face for the microphone, and Paul has a face for the camera. As far as payroll #2 is concerned, I can see him, pick his name out from a list of a hundred, but it just slipped my mind for the moment. While I was just a kid for most of that, I never had to buy any tickets, but I did pay attention. It wasn't Acton, Jim Nelson, or Dode Martin either. I wonder how many people are still around that remember that little fact? Jack Dolan
Jack: Is Bruce Flanders the brother of Paul Flanders and is Earl Flanders their father? Do you mean Akton (Ak) Miller, because he spelled his name with a K and not a C. His real name was Moeller and his family came from Denmark. Ak was actually born there and came to America as a very young boy. He had to get special permission to join the Army in World War II because he was born in Denmark and I believe he told me that he hadn't been naturalized yet. But getting back to Needham, Barrett and their LSR attempt at Muroc (Edwards Air Force Base), what else do you remember about that?
---------------------
I did the same thing with an earlier Irish bragging rights guy at The Salt in 1978. Prior to that the Irish record was by some guy in an F-1 car. I was with Vesco on private time before Speedweek , and I rented my open bike to him (the Irishman, not Vesco?). He beat the F-1 car speed, and set an FIM International record in the process. I didn't let him go as fast as the bike would run because we were saving the mark to get Marcia into the 2 club. The story ran in the Salt Lake paper, and made it to UPI. His Spanish born wife in Dublin had a fit because she didn't know about it. His name was Harry Lindsay and he was a portable gas heater manufacturer. The whole thing was a rich man's bar bet, bragging rights deal, but he was the only one ever to set a real World Record in the process. It is a longer, funnier story, but longer than I can type, so somebody else is going to do it. Small World, Eh? Ferd is working on the details for, "The older we get, the faster we were," reunion and tour on February 13, 2009. I am going by to see Marlo, the Green boys, and an old girl that I was dating in HS. You know how shy I am, and my sense of humor as well as most, and you wouldn't be surprised to hear that I took her and Sami to the same dance joint, at the same time. I found out at an early age that most girls and racing didn't mix. I pulled a fast one and got her out of school one day for the press preview of Carlsbad before it opened. John Force took a side trip in his truck to be there, and a lot of other historical racing figures also showed up. Much later I found out that she didn't like it much. Another one thought she saw me die at Ascot one night, and I didn't get to talk to her again for 25 + years. As the plans shake out, I might bring along Richard Parks to write some stuff down. Ya can't make that stuff up or ever do it again, and those guys are fast passing into a history that deserves more documentation. The "Keepers of the Blue Flame" (old farts) need to get some more sun. And I know you are on a strict diet for old men, so can I have your fries? Jack Dolan
Irish: You lead us on a hunt for clues and never really spell it out. Are you Irish or something. But we are going to keep at it until you tell us the whole story, even if you are making a blog out of our SLSRH newsletter.
---------------------
You have to forgive me about Miller's first name because it was late last night, and in those long ago days it was "Mr. Miller." The last time I saw him and Big Bill Edwards was at his shop while reviewing a project with me. It was then he asked me to kinda watch over your little brother, David Parks, when he made his first runs at El Mirage. Ask your brother if he thinks it is a good idea to shut off the electric fuel pump if it is shooting gas straight up, and won't start. Then ask him where he came up with that idea. One day David was sanding on a fender while waiting to run and I asked him why he was doing it there. He said because he was not allowed to do it at home. I didn't want to know any more. Oh ya, and about Earl, Lucile, and their boys, yup it's them. When Earl Flanders was about to pass on, he asked Lucile to speak to Ed Youngblood who was the AMA President and FIM VP to ask me if I wanted to be the AMA/ FIM steward for Landspeed and Endurance stuff. I did it for over 20 years. I prefer to let Rick Vesco do his best, and perhaps I can fill in some gaps. Nolan White worked for my dad in the 1950's as a finish carpenter, and his version of stories about Jack Lufkin would fill a book. They were both real competitors, if only with each other. Jack's racers were pretty and fast, and Nolan's were pretty fast too. Jack's fenders were show quality, hand formed aluminum and Nolan's were fiber glass, formed over the top of a suitable inner tube. When they called the class "Sports Racing," it was mostly those two sports. Jack Dolan
Jack: We always called Ak just "Ak." Some of his equals called him "The Kid," or Akton. Ak's middle initial was an O I believe and he painted an O on the nose of his streamliners or roadsters. He liked the aerodynamics of a cone. He told me once that A O stood for asshole and he seemed quite proud of that nickname, which he gave to himself. He was a two-fisted, loyal and trustworthy sort of man and very charismatic. He served two or three terms as President of the SCTA and was, in effect, the person that most people associated with land speed racing. I had heard that he was looking after my brother's welfare. What he said to me was, "Your brother didn't ask for any help and tried to go fast with junkyard parts. He's earned our help." Then Ak, Jack Lufkin, Leonard Carr, Go-Go Golightly, Dave Kleeman and others gave him their wisdom, knowledge, help and good parts and David started to go fast and set records. David's in the two club at Bonneville, Muroc and El Mirage. I'm very proud of my brother's accomplishments and he has put in nearly three decades into the sport as a member of the Lakers. Lufkin is another one of those unsung heroes and so is Carr, owner of Champion Automotive. I don't remember ever meeting Big Bill Edwards, but he was a towering force and we should make an effort to do his bio. Ak Miller has to be number two in the Pantheon of Gods that we call dry lakes racing. He not only led the SCTA and worked tirelessly over the years to support its goals, but he was instrumental in the reorganization of the SCTA just after World War II. He worked with a group of men who equaled him, including Bob Petersen, Wally Parks, Thatcher Darwin, Bozzie Willis, Randy Shinn, Mel Leighton, the Cannon brothers, Chuck Potvin, Ed Adams, Art Tilton and many others. I met Bruce Flanders recently and he was carrying an oxygen tank with him. He is an exceptional announcer. I had heard about Earl Flanders, but I don't know that much about him. We need bios here. We also need more info on the Vesco family. I have them in my notes as involved in LSR in the 1940's. Keep the memories of the past coming.

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

My name is David Eltervoog. I just found this Oilstick article on the internet of Andy Conze passing away and would like to request a story on the Conze's and the Conze Brother's machine shop. I am Uncle Andy's nephew. David Eltervoog
David: Please find an attachment with the story of the Conze Brothers. Also go to www.landspeedracing.com and you can find some references in emails and letters received that relate to the Conze's. Another source is to Google the internet, because we unfortunately do not have an index system set up for the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter that is the core of the website. Andy, Elaine and Vince Conze played a major role in Southern California's racing heritage, mostly in oval track racing. So many of their peers have passed away that we have very little memory of the Conze's and their machine shop. I met Andy and Elaine twice and Vince once, but I was impressed with their zeal for automotive racing. One of the best sources for the Conze's are the racers still around in the area. We all get together in January for the CRA Reunion, where it's still possible to find people who knew Andy, Vince and Elaine well. The reunion in 2010 may not take place as the leader, Walt James, passed away just a few months ago. Walt had an encyclopedic mind and knew of and about everyone. If the CRA Reunion is not continued, then it will be very hard to find out more information on the Conze's. Sign up for the free website and or Google the key words in this email to see if this and other reunions will be held in the future. I really admired the Conze's. Their role in racing was very important and their story hasn't been told in the scope that it needs to be. One man that is still with us and who worked for the Conze Brothers is Rod Larmer and I see him at several reunions in the area with his good friends, Jim Murphy and Billy Cruse.

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

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

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

Noted the By-Line of Craney Gartz on the piece about the grave site of the USAAF pilot Vanley Johnson. Gartz' name rings a bell in my memory! Can you tell me anything about him that may help me to fit him into some incident in my memory bank? Thanks, Bob Falcon
   Bob: No, I don't know anything about Mr Gartz, but the article was sent to me by Roy Creel and I'll email him and ask if he has any further information to share. Often the Air Force and other branches of the military were interconnected with racing and the car culture. I've heard many stories from Ak Miller and others concerning their war experiences and dealings with General Curtis LeMay.

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

My name is Greg Pieper, Wally P. drove my super in the 1970's & '80's; how do I reach him?
   Greg: I'm the editor of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians and your email was referred to me. Can you give me a little more information? Do you mean Wally Parks, Wally Pankratz or some other Wally P?

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

My name is Tim Doherty, I was referred to your club by Bill Chambers, please contact him for references regarding me, we have been friends with Bill for about 13 years. I wish to join your club and participate as much as possible, however I do understand typically the club requires attending meetings. I now live in Prescott Arizona, about 7 hours from where you hold your meetings, which would not be a realistic option for me. Bill has conveyed to me he thought it may still be possible to join your club under these extenuating circumstances. My Background; Owner of www.dohertymachine.com, also motion racing and engineering. Racing; 30 years in motorcycle, all forms on dirt, pro level, last 5 years in sprint cars and midgets. Business; Full CNC shop, 30 year old product line specializing in H.D. I wish to participate at the El Mirage meets and Bonneville (Motorcycle). I currently am completing a 200 hp Harley V-rod for the lake bed, and I have been going to El Mirage for about 20 years. My dad ran there and Muroc in the 1950's. Your consideration of allowing me to join your club would be appreciated. Regards Tim Doherty, 800-956-9409, [email protected].
Tim: Greetings. I'm the editor of The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians newsletter and we don't have any requirements, duties or dues for joining our group, except to ask our members to caption their photographs and write their biographies. I believe that what you are looking for is an active Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) club to join so that you can officially race at the dry lakes or Bonneville. The SCTA has member clubs that you can join or they also offer people a way to race their cars or motorcycles as a guest, under the auspices of the timing association itself. While many people do race as guests and have done so since the 1930's, joining a club, even if it is a long way from their meetings, offers some very valuable advantages. One of the most important advantages is the experience that members have and will gladly share with you. Members also help with suggestions and assistance in building the bike or car that you wish to race. The SCTA has a saying that is as old as racing itself; Experience is VERY expensive. Therefore, the best thing is to join a club and pick their brains. It seems like a simple sport until things start to go wrong. One of the biggest motorcycle clubs is the Gear Grinders. I'm forwarding your email to Roy Creel, the current president of the SCTA and a very committed man in the sport of land speed racing. Also, check out their website at http://www.scta-bni.org/. You should be able to see their member clubs listed there and the contact phone number of their president or representative. Also, besides the SCTA, which holds their meets at Bonneville and El Mirage, there are other groups that hold land speed timing contests. They are at Goliad, in Texas, Maxton in North Carolina and Maine. You can see comments about all of them in the pages of the SLSRH newsletter at www.landspeedracing.com, a free publication. There are other publications, newsletters, newspapers and magazines that also provide up-to-date news coverage on the sport of land speed racing. Normally I do not publish phone numbers and email addresses, but your contact information appears to be a business and thus that information is normally available to the public. Be sure to sign up for our free newsletter at www.landspeedracing.com, because you will find information there that may be of interest to you. We would also like to have more of your father's history at the dry lakes. If you can put together a bio, of any length, I would be glad to publish it in our newsletter.
-----------------------------------
Thank you for getting back to me, it is appreciated. Further most everything regarding LSR is new ball game to me, and will be a challenge to eventually and hopefully excel, which I look forward to. There are many very smart people in LSR, great friendly people as well. I did not mention we also will be putting a car together as well, running one of our alcohol sprint engines, my 30 year old son will drive along with myself, only I'll be on the bike. I'm only 64 years old and will continue to race until I am unable to. I raised my son and business partner by myself and of course he has grown up with racing, which included numerous meets at El Mirage. I do remember at about the age of four or so, driving with my mom and dad to El Mirage or Muroc and my uncles were running bikes, AJS's I believe. Anyway I will contact several friends who are currently running at El Mirage and Bonneville and look into joining one of the clubs you mentioned. Thanks again for the information. Best regards Tim Doherty
Tim: Write your biography and include your son and family so that other LSR members can get to know you and what you have done. If you look on www.landspeedracing.com you will see quite a few bios and get to know some of your competitors/friends to be. Muroc was closed to land speed racing around late 1942, although Karl Orr tried to race on the lake bed after that with mixed results. Muroc stayed closed until the late 1990's when the SCTA, with Mike Cook, the board of directors and other parties got the base commander to allow a reunion and timing trials for a few years. It definitely was an experience to race on this famous lakebed and one year we lost Bruce Johnston in an accident. The surface is slightly different from El Mirage. After a few reunions and time trials, the contract was not renewed with the military. You could have visited the same lakebed, only going onto the playa from different routes. Or you could have gone to Harper or Rosamond Dry Lakes around 1949. Perhaps Jim Miller can tell you how many different lake beds the racers used in and around that year. My records only go up to 1948. We're glad that you are going to field a car/motorcycle team. Clubs are always looking for competitive drivers in order to score points. I'm sure that the clubs of today aggressively go after the individual and club points championship, but it is nothing like it was just after WWII. The clubs back in those days would try their best to get a fast car and driver to leave their clubs and join the new club. They didn't have a lot of money, but they could throw some outlandish parties. Johnny Ryan and Ak Miller used to tell me stories about the Gophers, a legendary club of rascals that you just had to love. The nice thing about land speed racing is that even after a competitor tries to beat your time, he will stop what he's doing and give you the help you need, even if it costs him his record. If you have photos that you want to share, send them in to me to publish on the website. See you in May.

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

Greetings from the Moldy one. First of all I want to wish you and yours, Joy and Love during this Holiday Season! I have to admit that for most of us this last year had been pretty challenging and with that I look forward to new and positive things for 2010 which brings me to the following. A few months ago I was approached by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation to put together and be part of a series of fund raising events for 2010! After putting our heads together we came up with a calendar of events which are very diversified and rewarding for participants and spectators alike to include the communities in which they will be held. There is a very good chance that one if not several of these events will be held in a park near you so keep on reading! The following is what we came up with.
Starting in March there will be 8 weekend events held at 8 different parks for a total of 16 event days. These event dates will not only include an Automotive event but a Carnival, Midway, Farmers Mart, Live Entertainment and More! With these particular dates I am looking to host specialty Automotive events on Saturdays and then Pre-1973 Kustom, Classic and Hot Rod events on Sundays. Right now I am open for suggestions in regard to the Saturday events on the weekend dates, I'm looking for groups or clubs which are type specific, an example would be an all GM or FORD event, an all motorcycle show, or I'm even open to featuring newer vehicles and clubs that own Mini-Coopers, Tuners, Euros, etc. So if you belong to a group or club and have any ideas please take a look at the dates and locations and let me know if you are interested in putting something together! I will need to know A.S.A.P. so we can put it on the schedule.
In addition we also have 8 single day events that will be held on Saturdays at 6 different parks, this means that we have a grand total of 24 event dates overall! Our single day events will feature pre-1973 Kustom, Classics, Hot Rods, Motorcycles and whatever else ya got! These events will also include live entertainment, tattoo contest, family activities and more! One date you don't want to miss will be the Kustom Kulture Extravaganza which will be held on July 24, 2010 in Altadena, California. For those of you who have followed me throughout the years you can tell that this next year I'm going to have a pretty full plate! With that said I could really use some feed back and help in putting these events together. I'll be looking for a good street team, volunteers, sponsors, live entertainment, vendors and more! So please visit http://www.MoldyShows.com and let me know if what you think.
Next on the agenda is http://www.AEclassic.com. In the past few weeks I have gathered a whole bunch of new vehicles for sale that are currently featured on the site. Most all of the vehicles are located in Southern California and are very reasonably priced! Here is a list of what I just added in the past couple of days, so ya might want to check them out by going to the direct link below.
http://www.aeclassic.com/psales/privates.htm
1939 Custom Buick, 1940 Ford Deluxe, 1952 Chevy 4 X 4, 1953 Willys, 1956 Chevy Pickup (Primer)
1956 Chevy Wagon, 1957 Chevy Wagon,1960 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, 1960 Oldsmobile 88 (Blue)
1962 Chevy Impala, 1963 Chevy Impala, 1964 Dodge Dart, 1965 Chevy Impala, 1967 Ford Cobra
1968 Chevelle Convertible, 1968 Chevelle HT, 1968 Chevy Impala, 1968 Ford PU,1970 Chevy C-10 Pro-street
Well I think that should do it for now, if you have any questions or comments you can reply to this e-mail or just give me a call at the phone numbers listed below. Wishing you and yours all the best during this holiday season, tha Moldy one. 800-880-6567 http://www.MoldyShows.com, http://www.AEclassic.com, http://www.RatFink.org, and http://www.FinkBook.com.

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

The following website has restrictions on the use by another publication, including the SLSRH newsletter. However, try googling it and see some very good photos of old drag cars from the 1950's. http://www.nitrogeezers.com/John%20Moore%20Photos%201.htm. The site belongs to George Crittenden and was sent to us by George Callaway.

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

The following story was sent in by Ron Main. "Vanley? Who was Mr. Vanley?" By Craney Gartz.
   For many years, a few of the Landspeed racers that congregate at the Bonneville Salt Flats have visited an old aircraft crash site a few miles east of the town of Wendover, Utah. Wendover is a town of relative obscurity excepting for the fact that the 509th composite group, commanded by Col. Paul Tibbetts, conducted their training there. You may recall their job was to deliver the first Atom bomb in 1945 using the B29 Enola Gay. At the crash site, out in the middle of desert land adjacent to the famed Salt Flats, is a small cross, sunk to its wings, with the name "Vanley" marked on it, and a small pile of aircraft wreckage. Near the cross, many small pieces of aircraft may still be found scattered on the desert floor. Racers have visited this site for years, but no one ever knew who Mr. Vanley was or the circumstances of the apparent crash. But now they do. It was in August 2009 that Southern California Timing Association president Roy Creel and some other racers were visiting the site, musing that it was a shame that someone gave their life in service of their country, yet no one knows who it really was or when. Roy and his friends decided to try to do something about that.

image001

Roy Creel, Greg and Joann Carlson at the site , Aug. 2009

A few days later, fellow racers Ken and Inez Carlson were at the site and made an interesting and critical find. Among the scrub brush near the site, Inez spotted a rather odd shaped piece of metal. It was actually 2 identical pieces of metal, folded over; a pair of military dog tags. The name on the tags read: Vanley T. Johnson. This was a major clue.

image003 image005

The Johnson Dog Tags and Vanley's USAAF photo

There had been a lot of assumptions about the crash for many years. Since it was a small area, folks seemed to think that perhaps it occurred during the early WW2 years, when pilots were training at Wendover airfield in "Brewster Buffalos," a small fighter aircraft. In later years, Wendover was a Bomber training field. However, the mechanically minded racers also noticed that the wreckage parts included, plastic, something that was not used in aircraft until after WW2. With the newfound dog tag in hand, the research began in earnest. Thanks to the sources now available via the internet, the first step was easy: Www.Aircraftreports.com. This site provides actual copies of USAAF/USAF reports for many years, with an index by name. Vanley T. Johnson was listed. Creel ordered the 58 page report and soon was well on track to what had happened. On Sept. 14th, 1954, Captain Vanley T. Johnson was assigned to 388th Fighter Bomber Wing in Clovis, New Mexico and was flying a training mission conducted adjacent to Wendover Field; gunnery practice shooting at towed targets. Early on in the mission, Captain Johnson reported some smoke in the cockpit of the F86 Saber Jet he was flying. It seemed to dissipate, so they nearly finished the practice, when it started smoking again. The mission Major in charge instructed him to declare an emergency, break off and land at Wendover. Captain Johnson reported inbound for Wendover. The tower acknowledged and cleared him to land on runway 21. His wingman, Lt. Elmer "Ted" Hernquist also broke off to follow him in. Vanley never made it. During the approach to the runway, he went into a steep dive and went directly into the ground. Lt. Hernquist, in his written report, stated that Vanley's radio transmissions on the way in seemed incoherent. According to the Air force report, the fatal crash left a crater 12 feet Deep and 30 feet in diameter. Plastic covered wiring was fairly new in use in 1954 and there are assumptions that the degree of toxicity of plastic combustion was still to be learned and Captain Johnson was likely rendered unconscious on final approach. So now we knew who it was and what happened, but who really was this man and where did the cross come from? What to do with the dog tags?

image006

Obituary from Clovis News Journal Sept. 15, 1954

The report gave the hint about Vanley being stationed in Clovis NM, and an obituary was found published the in the Clovis, New Mexico newspaper files. There was also a similar one in the Salt Lake City Tribune. It listed Vanley as being survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Johnson of White Hills Kentucky. At this point, enters ace genealogist Bobbie Stehling, another racer's wife. She promptly found a photo of Vanley in the Hardin, Kentucky County museum, burial records for Vanley at the Sonora Cemetery near White Mills, Kentucky (they made an error in the obituary) and found current property records showing a William Johnson at an address in White Mills. Pay dirt! Creel found William Johnson's phone number in the local directory. A call to William acknowledged that he was indeed Vanley's Nephew. There were 11 sons and daughters born of Ray and Katie Johnson, 7 of whom are still living. Creel sent a letter to William explaining the circumstances of the contact and asked him to share it with the family. Soon Mr. Alan Johnson, one of Vanley's brothers, contacted the SCTA, along with his sister Vonda. It was through Alan and Vonda that the rest of the Vanley story unfolded. 
   Vanley had been a pilot since joining the WW2 effort in the early 1940's. He was absolutely crazy about airplanes since he was a kid. He flew in both WW2 and Korea. He was divorced and living as a bachelor in Clovis, New Mexico when assigned to the gunnery training mission. Being one of the oldest of the kids, he was the hero of the family. After the crash, the eldest brother Ralph, 89 years old now, made the cross and placed it at the crash site. Arrangements were made for Creel to meet and deliver the dog tags to the Family. On December 5th at 1030 AM, they arrived at Alan Johnson's home in Rienyville, Kentucky to find a full house. All of the living siblings except one were on hand to accept the dog tags. "What a warm and gracious family," Creel reports. "They presented me gifts and expressed their sincere appreciation. Each told Vanley stories from their childhood. They are so grateful that someone cares." It is intended that the dog tags and Vanley's uniform, which Ralph still has, will be displayed at the Hardin County Kentucky museum. So that all in the future may know, a simple granite stone will be placed at the crash site: At this site on September 14, 1954, an F86 crashed during a gunnery training mission. USAF Captain Vanley T. Johnson of White Mills, Kentucky made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his country.

image008

Roy Creel handing over the tags to the Johnson Family

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

Gone Racin'…Portfolio 1; Boys and their Toys, by the American Hot Rod Foundation. Review by Richard Parks, photographic consultant Roger Rohrdanz
Steve Memishian and Jim Miller have put together a fun little packet of interesting photo cards called Portfolio 1; Boys and their Toys. There are 16 cards in the set, and while this isn't a book in any sense, it still provides photographs and text that tells a story of land speed racing at the Dry Lakes and Bonneville. Each of the photo cards measure 8 � by 8 � inches on high quality heavy stock board. The artwork, graphics and photographs are of the highest quality and suitable for framing and hanging on the wall. The photo cards come in a stock board container that has a nice look to it and a photograph in color that is well done and is of coffee table appeal. The price is a reasonable $14.95 and you can get a packet of the cards at Autobooks/Aerobooks, in Burbank, California, or check out www.ahrf.com for more information. We are all used to books, some which are cheaper paperback quality and some that are hardbound and of a high quality. Having published the material in a card format is unusual, but it opens up the possibility to do things artistically that one cannot do with a book. For example, the packet of cards can be used as a game with children and grandchildren. Or the cards can be mounted in a frame and hung on the wall. They can be displayed all by themselves, perched on a table or leaning against a wall. It's easy to take the cards with you in their convenient packet carrying case, show the cards at reunions and car shows and then bring them home. You can also give them out as gifts, one at time, without having to incur a great expense of giving the entire packet away. The list of ways in which these cards can be used is numerous and fun. The cards are reasonably priced so that if we should lose a few, they can easily be replaced. They are almost like trading cards which we all had as youth. I hope Memishian and Miller do come up with this idea. How cool would it be to have a deck of 100 land speed racing cars to trade? "I'll give you a Spurgin/Giovanine roadster card for your Summers Brother's streamliner card," what a hoot that would be. Or, the American Hot Rod Foundation could create a list of trading cards with famous old racers, like Don Francisco, Karl and Veda Orr, Wally Parks, Burke LeSage, Bill Burke, Eldon Snapp, Art Tilton, Ed Adams, George Callaway, Thatcher Darwin, Ak Miller and dozens of other colorful characters.
Well, I better not get too carried away, but you can see that Memishian and Miller have found a nice way of presenting the history of land speed racing to the general public. I've never met Steve Memishian, and he doesn't talk much about himself. He's the founder and heart behind the American Hot Rod Foundation, see www.ahrf.com, and a huge supporter of hot rodding in general. How he made his fortune and why he decided to put so much of it into this labor of love is not known. Memishian and the American Hot Rod Foundation are located in New York City, New York. We know a little bit more about Jim Miller, but not that much more. Jim's grandfather raced Duesenberg cars at the dry lakes and was a mechanic. Jim's father was Eddie Miller, a founding member of the Centuries car club and the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA). Jim is a long-time member of the SCTA, a celebrated land speed historian, SCTA official, club representative and talented man. Jim was inducted into the Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame for his efforts to preserve the history and heritage of land speed racing and hot rodding. He is also the president of The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians and a member of the 200 MPH Club. He is very talented as an artist, photographer and researcher. His knowledge of land speed racing is vast and his love of the sport is unquestioned. He is always surprising us with the discoveries that he uncovers in the field of land speed history and research. Now it's important to know who the authors are when you review or buy a book, and Portfolio 1; Boys and their Toys has a set of illustrious and competent authors indeed.
#1 is an introductory card with biographical information on Miller, but very little on Steve Memishian and I would like to know more about this founder of the American Hot Rod Foundation. The reverse side lists sources of photographs and materials. Some of these men are; Dan Warner, Don Cox, Julian Doty, Leslie Long, Jack Underwood, Bob Morton, Mario Baffico, Joe Henning, Robert Wenz, Tony Baron, Don Ferrara, Rex Burnett, Tom Davis, Chet Herbert and the Tromphers car club, among others. These are substantial sources in land speed racing and other automotive forms of racing. Cox has been involved in a project with Robert Genat, another outstanding writer. Bob Morton towers over the field, both figuratively and with a sharp memory of the events that shaped our sport. Joe Henning is a master artist and has seen it all. I owe Henning a great deal and an apology for publishing his obituary, for which he teases me constantly. Chet Herbert on the other hand, did pass away recently and left us all a little poorer. Card #2 shows Tommy Davis' back yard replete with beautiful roadsters and on the other side a photograph of Fred Lobello's Ladybug Lakester. The Ronald Sommer/Lohry Class C Comp Coupe is on card #3 with the Ralph Schenck streamliner on the reverse side. Ralph used a Chevy power plant instead of the normal Ford flathead. The Howard's Cam streamliner is shown on card #4 in 1954 at Bonneville. On the opposite side is a photograph of Fred "Tiger" Baymiller, a member of the Bungholers car club. He nicknamed the car "The Okie Special" as a jibe against the worn out junkers often seen at the dry lakes. The Bungholers themselves represented a club that fought against convention and led a short but exciting existence in the SCTA. Bill Burke and his belly tank grace card #5. Burke was an innovator who adapted discarded fighter fuel wing tanks and turned them into aerodynamic bodies for dry lakes racing. They are still raced today. On the reverse side is the Pierson Brothers 2-D Coupe, one of land speed racing's more well-recognized cars.
A great photograph is the crew resting in the pits at El Mirage next to the Alger & Starr Class B Modified Roadster. On the reverse side of card #6 is a young Phil Weiand in a Rajo "B" powered T at Muroc Dry Lake in 1933. Muroc was the best dry lake to race on, but in 1942 the Army Air Corp took over all the area and land speed racing moved to El Mirage and other dry lake beds after the war. One of the prettiest land speed cars was the Shadoff Special, which received the Hot Rod Magazine Trophy for the fastest time at Bonneville in 1954. On the opposite side of card #7 is Norm Taylor and Jot Horne's Modified Roadster. Taylor and Horne had raced a Duesenberg engine in the car, but had poor success and sold the motor to Ron Henderson. Taylor and Horne switched to a Ranger L-440 air-cooled aircraft engine and ran a 142.57mph at Bonneville in 1952. The next card shows Jim Lindsley's roadster with unique wheel covers and styling. On the reverse of card #8 is Chauncy Crist's rear-engined roadster, which was originally Eddie "Bud" Meyer's rear-engined roadster. Vesco/Dinkins Class B Lakester is on card #9. The Vesco family is still involved in land speed racing. On the opposite side is Gus Rollins' 1937 Ford V-8, which is shown at Harper Dry Lake in 1942. Because of the large number of land speed racers prior to the war, the surface at Muroc would often become eroded and the need to find other lakes to race on became an imperative. My father would often take my brother and me out to look for dry lakes to race on. As a child I thought he must love deserts very much, but later in life I came to realize that like so many other land speed racers, he was always looking for a good place to race.
Bud Hinds, Tommy Lamon, Tommy Davis of the Bungholers are relaxing against their roadster on card #10. On the reverse is the famous Kenz & Leslie streamliner at Bonneville in 1955. The car was also called the Bob Jones Skyland Ford Special. The Bob Rufi streamliner is shown in card #11. After the car crashed in 1940, Rufi sold the car and it ended up in the hands of six owners. Unfortunately, it ended up in the dumpster and is sorely missed today. On the opposite side is Marvin Lee's streamliner, which was on the cover of the 1949 Bonneville Speedweek program. Eddie Miller's lakester graces card #12. It looks like an Indy 500 roadster with a pinstriped M above the grill. It ran a 156.58 mph at Bonneville in 1952. On the reverse is the beautiful Cortopassi Brothers/Davis/Garrett Glass Slipper at Bonneville in 1955. The Glass Slipper is on display at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California. The Emil Dietrich/Bill Thomas car is on card #13, with Eddie Hulse as the driver. The car is listed as a streamliner, but looks more like a sprint car of the era. On the reverse side is the Krays Auto Parts Special, which ran at Bonneville in 1957. Card #14 shows the Chet Herbert "Beast" which went 232.350 Mph at Bonneville in 1952. On the other side is the Neumayer/Reed Brothers belly tank. Leroy Neumayer excelled at all forms of auto racing and would drive down from his retirement ranch in Wyoming to see what the new kids were doing each year at Bonneville. The Centuries car club is mentioned on card #15. In the photo is Jim Travis' Model A, driven by Charlie Beck. On the reverse is Buck Davis in a roadster at Bonneville in 1951. The last card, number 16, shows Frank English and his roadster. On the opposite is a photo of quarter midget racers, who were active in the 1940's and '50's. The cards make a great gift, individually or as a group and I certainly hope that Miller and Memishian decide to bring out more portfolios in the future to go with their calendars, which are sought after.
Gone Racin' is at [email protected].

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

Gone Racin'… Authentic Hot Rods, the Real Good Old Days, by Don Montgomery. Book review by Richard Parks, photographic consultant Roger Rohrdanz

Authentic Hot Rods, the Real Good Old Days is the fifth book in the series by noted hot rod writer Don Montgomery. The author has been compiling the history and heritage of hot rods for a lifetime. He has developed friendships with a wide selection of hot rodders and racers and these friends lend him priceless photos and memories. Montgomery's books are well done, not fancy and priced reasonably. This is the best way for a fan of hot rods to get a captioned album of the best hot rods with a bit of text and history thrown in. Don does for hot rodders what Dick Wallen does for oval track racers, turn out pictorials and histories that record the rich story of their respective fields. Authentic Hot Rods, the Real Good Old Days is a hardbound red covered book, measuring 9 inches wide by 11 � inches in height. The book has 208 pages and all 501 photographs are in black and white. The book cover jacket is styled in the red, white and black color pattern that Montgomery favors. Keep the jacket because it really enhances the look of this book. There is quite a lot of story and text and the captions are excellent. Montgomery doesn't waste time or space. He puts all the important information that he has into the story without any further embellishments and his research and thoroughness are well known. Authentic Hot Rods, the Real Good Old Days is self-published by Don Montgomery and his books can be purchased through the author at 760-728-5557, or at Autobooks/Aerobooks at 818-845-0707. The ISBN# is 0-962-6454-4-3 in case you want to look it up. The author dedicates the book to all hot rodders, but it is we who should thank Don for his dedicated efforts to save our history. There is a two-page introduction and a one-page acknowledgment, followed by five chapters.

Montgomery doesn't provide an index and this makes it harder to find a photo of your friends or family who may have raced at the dry lakes. Of course, his main audience are dry lakes racers and they will instantly recognize faces and cars from that the 1940's. It does make it harder on the new fan of hot rodding and dry lakes racing, because they will have to painstakingly pour over each page and try and remember where it was that they saw something familiar. The acknowledgments tell us just where the author found his photographs and source material. Some of the men and one woman may not be as familiar to us, or might have simply been spectators at the events listed in Authentic Hot Rods, the Real Good Old Days. But others were part of the very movement of hot rodding and dry lakes racing and they have to be recognized. Veda Orr is the one woman listed and there is a generation of men who went away to war in the early 1940's who will recognize her name and her importance. Veda Orr kept the racing newsletters flowing to our servicemen during World War II. She was also one of the few females who raced at the dry lakes in the 1930's and then after the war ended. She was fast and the cars built by her husband Karl, set many records. Montgomery gives special credit to Bart Bartoni of Modesto, who provided pictures throughout California showing great hot rods. Ed Hagthrop is credited with providing pre-WWII photographs, which are rare and very valuable. The photographs are generally outstanding in clarity and quality, although a few are very old and taken under difficult conditions and can be forgiven the graininess. Overall, Montgomery has brought together a spectacular collection of photos and text that take us back to the heyday of dry lakes racing.

Others mentioned are Dean Batchelor, George Bentley, Chic Cannon, Art Chrisman, Don Ferrara, Blackie Gold, Norm Grant, Fred Hadley, Holly Hedrich, 'Racecar' Kenny Howard, Charles 'Kong' Jackson, Bob Pierson, John Riley, Doane Spencer, Bud Van Maanen, Ken Walkey, Gene Winfield and many, many more. The chapters are titled 1) Prewar Activities, 2) Postwar on the Streets, 3) Postwar Lakes Racing, 4) Early Fifties on the Streets, and Early Fifties Lakes Racing. The book ends with a short two-page history on the author. Montgomery has been around for some time and has raced against many of those listed in Authentic Hot Rods, the Real Good Old Days. Don raced on the dry lakes in the 1940's, then went drag racing in the '50's and back to street rodding in the 1970's. He has never left the sport and his knowledge of these days is imperative to the success of his books. As important are the friendships he has made, which allows him to tap into a wealth of photo archives among his former racing buddies. There is a large volume of photographs representing the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), which is the oldest and largest of the sanctioning dry lake groups. The book also has a good selection of Russetta Timing Association (RTA) photographs, which we don't always see much of. The SCTA would allow only roadsters to race at their meets in the early years, while the RTA would accept coupes and motorcycles. The SCTA believed that cars had to be made aerodynamic and weight had to be removed. The RTA proved that full-fendered coupes could run times equal to the roadsters and eventually the SCTA accepted stock and altered cars into their organization. Montgomery provides a wide range of classic hot rods, including coupes, in Authentic Hot Rods, the Real Good Old Days. It's a book that the serious hot rodder must have for his library. Gone Racin' is at [email protected].

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click Images Below for Larger Pictures and Text.

Streamlined roadster.  Timbs designed the Lou Moore Blue Crown Racers that finished first and second at the Indy 500, three years in a row. No other cars have done that!  Caption by Bob Falcon, Gary Cerveny photograph.

Streamlined roadster, front view.  He also designed the Howard Keck FWD Indy car and late the Halibrand Shrike line of cars.  I thought you might enjoy these photographs.  Norman Timbs and I worked together at Halibrand Engineering.  He designed and built

Streamlined roadster, front view.  The picture shoot of the nearly completed Timbs Special was done last week in Denver.  Caption and photograph by Gary Cerveny.

Streamlined roadster, Interior view.  Please note that there is a black bell steering wheel on the car - the correct wood rimed wheel is being completed now and will be on the car for Amelia Island.  Caption and photograph by Gary Cerveny.

Streamlined roadster, rear view.  Some of the earlier photos are being used now on the Amelia Island website and the new photos will be used soon.  I have enclosed some low res pics we received from the photographer for your review.  I would like to thank

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

Car Craft December
Hot Rod Table of
December Cover
Hot Rod - Pages 46 47

Car Craft December.pdf - Speed Demon Engine Spread – Horsepower.  Courtesy of Ron Main

HOT ROD – December Cover.jpg - Hot Rod magazine December 2009 cover.  Courtesy of Ron Main

HOT ROD – December Table of Contents.pdf - Hot Rod magazine table of contents December 2009.  Courtesy of Ron Main

HOT ROD – Spread on pages 46 47.pdf - Article on Speed Demon in Hot Rod magazine.  Courtesy of Ron Main

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

christmas_cartoon

This comes from Rosco MacGlashan in Australia. Thanks, Richard

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

clip_image002

Captions:
On the left, a young Wild Willie Borsch, Vic Pollaccia, Phil Johnson, and Don Reynolds (in the car).   Photograph by Rod Larmer.

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

BurkeBrosAvanti014

Caption:
BurkeBrothersAvanti014.jpg..............Chuck Sydoryk is the man who currently owns the Burke Avanti.  Dan Sallia photograph.

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.

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

[HRHL Home] [2009 Show Coverage] [Classifieds] [Press Releases] [Stolen] [Tech]
[Guest Columnists] [Build Articles] [Barn & Field Cars] [Book Reviews] [Shop Tours]
[Garage Shots] [Rodders Row] [Young Rodders] [Vanity Plates] [From our Friends]
[Our Heroes] [Blast to the Past] [Modern Rods] [Newsletter Archive] [Event Listings]
[Club Directory] [Biker Hotline] [Landspeed Racing] [Buyers Guide] [Order a Catalog]
[Vendor Directory] [Rodders Forum] [New Products] [Advertising Information]
[Hotrod MD] [Site Map] [EMAIL]

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