Santa Ana Drag Strip Reunion
Orange, CASaturday, October 1, 2016
Photos by: Roger Rohrdanz
Story by Richard Parks & Photos by Roger Rohrdanz
Twice a year we celebrate the very first professional drag strip, the Santa Ana Airport Drag Strip, and the men and women who made this such a special place in drag racing history. This year, amid sunny skies and warm weather, we held our second reunion of the year on October 1, 2016 at Santiago Creek Park, in Santa Ana. We also said our goodbyes to many of our friends who have passed on, including Lou Senter and Art Chrisman, and last year to Otto Ryssman Sr. The reunion honors Leslie Long who took over the event many years ago and is an inspiration to us for his years of research into the history of the Santa Ana Airport Drag Strip. In addition we wish to thank Gene Mitchell who brings tents, chairs and food to our reunion and refuses all donations. Without Gene we wouldn’t be able to keep these reunions going. Roger Rohrdanz is our chief reunion photographer and a historian in his own right. I make the phone calls and notify the public when the event will be held. We try to keep to a schedule of the first Saturday in April and again the first Saturday in October. Everyone is welcome to attend and there is no charge to do so.
This year’s reunion attendees included Jim Miller, Gene Mitchell, Roger Rohrdanz, Wayne Harper, Paul Rios, Phil Turgasen, Jerry Hart, Betty Belcourt, Shane Zacherson, John Jennings, “Junkyard” Steve Reich, Bob Mullinax, Tim and Richard Casada, Chuck Richards, Doug Wilson, Richard Parks, Eldon Harris, Ed Luther, Chuck Hance, Lance Ozbourn, Jim Murphy, Gene Ellis, Vince Redmond, Larry Cerny, Tommy Thompson, Diane Vandenberg, Lyman Wilson, Jim Donoho, Terry Shaw, Norm Stevenson, Durrell Corry, Ron and Susan Whitney, Ben Corneloup, Horace Allen, and Ken Freund. Missing was our leader Leslie Long, who is recovering from a fall and couldn’t make it to the reunion he helped the Jenks family create some seven decades ago. We wish Leslie a speedy recovery. As usual the weather was nearly perfect and the food provided by Gene Mitchell was delicious. Ed Iskenderian sent his greetings but was unable to attend as he had a prior speaking engagement. Also missing were the Bean Bandits of San Diego contingent. With their bright yellow shirts, caps and club jackets they are always a hit.
The reunion is really a picnic, but with the park’s picnic tables and Gene’s comfortable tents, chairs and food it is a top of the line event for us. It is also casual; the starting time is 10 AM, food is served around 11:30 and a group photo is scheduled for 12:30 to 1:00 PM. There is little structure to the reunion; Jerry Hart brings an easel and puts up old Santa Ana memorabilia and others bring their photo albums or interesting souvenirs. Leslie Long is our historian and he traces his racing days back to the first year of the Santa Ana Drags, and then further back to dry lakes in the 1940’s. Wayne Harper and Durrell Corry represented the WRA and vintage roadster racing, which is still going strong today. Jim Miller is the west coast director and head historian for the American Hot Rod Foundation and a dry lakes and Bonneville racer. Roger Rohrdanz has been taking drag racing photographs for a long time. Jerry Hart worked at the Santa Ana Drags in the 1950’s for his father and mother who were the first and only promoters of the drag strip. Betty Belcourt’s husband and son were both drag racers and she told us stories about growing up on the Indian Reservation in Montana.
Shane Zacherson’s father, Zach, couldn’t make it to the reunion this time. Shane was in the area selling very valuable flathead engines and parts. Junkyard Steve Reich has old and vintage auto parts at his store in Orange right across the street from Randy Ema, owner of the Duesenberg archives and name. Junkyard Steve’s place is 504-B West Chapman, Orange, California. With Steve was Bob Mullinax, who also goes by the names of “Art Boy” and “Memphis Bobby.” Besides old cars, Bob is a recording music artist for Jazz and Blues. Eldon Harris is one of the few who visited the Santa Ana Drags and also an original Main Street Malt Shop reunion attendee. Irish Jim Murphy still has to give me his biography, but everywhere I go with him people know him and yell out, “Hey, Murph.” He has raced motorcycles, cars and worked for many race teams. Gene Ellis raced all kinds of oval race cars and even put up respectable times in trying to qualify at the Indy 500. He was honored at the Walt James CRA Reunion some years ago. Tommy Thompson is the son of Junior Thompson who was very active in drag racing. Diane Vandenberg raced at the Santa Ana drag strip in the early 1950’s and her family history goes back to the founding of California in the late 1700’s. Ken Freund is a free-lance racing and motorcycle writer and former editor. Susan Whitney is Doug Hartelt’s daughter. Doug and partner Mel Dodd were very early drag racers; both are now deceased.
Our next reunion will be in April of 2017 and we will try to get the word out as soon as possible.
The Santa Ana Drags Reunion drew to a close and they gathered together to get a group photograph. Today they are in their seventies and eighties and the Santa Ana drag strip is long gone, but the memories remain and as long as they do, that era in our early history will remain as well.
Click on any photo for slideshow