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From: FastmetalBDF@aol.com
Full-name: FastmetalBDF
Message-ID: <b6.16b949ff.2856bf6e@aol.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2001 20:42:22 EDT
Subject: AIRSTRIPS FOR DRAGS & AIRPLANES / OTHER RAMBLINGS
To: jdincau@qnet.com, land-speed@autox.team.net
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Jim, when I lived in Los Angeles from 1956 to ' 58, I never did get
to the
San Fernando drags, but did get to see dragging at Santa Ana, Lions ( LADS
....... Lions Associated Drag Strip, later known as " the Beach ", at 223rd
and Alameda ), Pomona, still running as we all know, and also San Gabriel .
Lions was close to Bell ( nice town in those years ), so we went there
more often than the others . The racing was fantastic, and I' ll just drop a
few
of the team names that were running : Emory Cook & Cliff Bedwell, who set
the world record ( at Lions ), Jack Chrisman's fuel Chrysler ' 29 sedan,
Jim Kamboor, Reath & Mailliard's deuce coupe, Yeakel Bros Caddy engined
rail, Masters & Richter's beautiful Nesbitt Orange Spl, Romeo Palamides
equally
impressive rail, Fritz Voigt, and many others I can' t think of at the moment.
Sure, this was before the 200mph speeds and seven or eight second
ETs ....... but racing was much easier on the pocket book then . I think
that I could have seen Tom Bryant run at one or more of these tracks in those
days, but he was one of many entrants ...... didn't get to talk with him until
Speedweek 1987 ...... as I recall I talked with him right after he had some
major engine problems ( of a cardiac nature, wasn't it, Tom ? ) I did get to
talk at length with him when he visited our pit at last year's Speedweek,
and he is a walking ( and hard charging ) racing & automotive encyclopedia,
to be sure . Getting back to Lions ...... It is the only strip where I ever
saw
a Chrysler Hemi rail coming full tilt down the asphalt ......
FROM THE FINISH LINE TO THE STARTING LINE !!!
It was one of the above mentioned dragsters ...... a rail, and the
driver was EXTREMELY unhappy with the flagman's start to put it
mildly ...... he locked up the slicks and slid across the starting line
and jumped out and went after the starter ...... by now many crew
members were converging on the scene, along with officials, and
what looked like the start of a small riot was avoided in a short
time as cooler heads prevailed and removed one very angry loser !!!
It was an unforgettable scene from many wild and wacky dragstrip
memories of mine, and I wonder if anyone reading this was there to
witness it also ? Jim / Tom / Glen / Doug O, or maybe Gene Barbee ???
Time clouds my memory banks ...... I cannot recall which of the
two drivers it was, so I won't mention either of them ...... but it was the
loser who was the wrong way rail pilot that afternoon in' 56 or ' 57 ........
As to airplanes ...... I didn't pay attention to them at Santa Ana,
but those blimp hangers were really something ........ isn't it known
as John Wayne Airport nowadays ? Nice tribute to The Duke !!!
Back on the east ( right ) coast, we were running our cars at the
long gone Charlestown, RI Auxiliary Naval Airfield in the early 60s
( racing started there around ' 56 or ' 57, not sure ) and it was a fairly
common occurrence for the Navy to order all cars and personnel off
of the strip and starting line while a ( usually twin engine ) plane
would land, or take off . The Navy oversaw and allowed the racing
there ( Southern New England Timing Ass' n officiated these events )
and the atmosphere was laid back, informal, and FUN !!!!
It was NOT about money then ..... it was the camaraderie and fun
of us all trying to do, as Jim B. says, "The Best I Can With What I Got !!!"
Saw MANY of those guys yesterday at that strip' s reunion ......
Two of them in their 80s !!! Marvin Rifchin of M & H Tire Co
( drag slicks of yesteryear ) was there, 86 years old, and Ralph Bannister,
82, brother of the late Fran Bannister, who ran a 32 Ford roadster at
Bonneville in 1950, after driving it out ( and back afterward ) from
my home state of Massachusetts ! One of my EARLY heroes !!!
The years of informal FUN racing !!! What memories in my
Rear View Mirror .......
Enough of my rambling !!! Thanks to those of you who didn't
hit "delete" part way through .......
Bruce Ferguson,
Doubting I' ll be at the reunions in my 80s .........
>>> Not for us to know <<<
" Study like you' ll live Forever ......
Live like you won' t be here Tomorrow "
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