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Motion Pictures Les Dragsters!

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Ryan, Mar 1, 2010.

  1. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

  2. Royalshifter
    Joined: May 29, 2005
    Posts: 15,579

    Royalshifter
    Moderator
    from California

    Wee wee......Drag-strip in France has a whole other meaning......cool blog Ryan
     
  3. THE-SYNDICATE
    Joined: May 13, 2003
    Posts: 823

    THE-SYNDICATE
    Member

    That's outstanding! The french language works well with Drag racing! Bon.... Hyper Bon!
     
  4. Rolleiflex
    Joined: Oct 25, 2007
    Posts: 1,243

    Rolleiflex
    Member

    Wonderful footage! Does anyone know if it exists without the French narration? I'd love to be able to clearly hear the driver interviews.
     

  5. Mazooma1
    Joined: Jun 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,598

    Mazooma1
    Member

    ...someone really uncovered a treasure of a film. It sure doesn't need translating to get the point. Those were the glory years of the mid-60's. I was lucky enough to be there almost every weekend. My parents were cool and would drop me off about 1PM and pick me up after the last round.
    This is a good illustration of how close the first row of the bleachers were to the starting line on the "tower side". Maybe 15-20 feet max.

    [​IMG]

    another aerial view that I marked up for a different thread about wheelstanders
    [​IMG]

    this is from the west or "spectator" side...it was even close by the standards that we see today.
    But the east side, the "tower" side was even cloer
    [​IMG]

    "all good things come to an end"..after the last race, December, 1972
    ...even with tumbleweeds...
    [​IMG]
     
  6. HemiRambler
    Joined: Aug 26, 2005
    Posts: 4,208

    HemiRambler
    Member

    WOW!! First "French Movie" I ever liked!!!!
     
  7. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    Love this stuff!
     
  8. Thanks Ryan ... Thanks John D ... Great footage!

    Just wish I could understand some of the narration ... In the words of comedian Steve Martin: "Boy, those French, they have a different word for everything!" :)
     
  9. Church
    Joined: Nov 15, 2002
    Posts: 2,839

    Church
    Member
    from South Bay

    Front engine dragsters hiking the front wheels while smokin' the hoops never gets old. Thanks Mr. John Drummond.
     
  10. dustdevil
    Joined: Mar 2, 2009
    Posts: 815

    dustdevil
    Member
    from illinois

    I love nostalgic drag cars/rails!!! That video was great. Even though I didn't understand what they said and I took French in highschool, ha. It doesn't matter if there was no sound, it was cool. Thanks for the great post!!!:)
     
  11. Mazooma1
    Joined: Jun 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,598

    Mazooma1
    Member

    here's a good shot to use as an example of how close you could be to the starting line on the "tower" side. We'd spend the better part of the afternoon standing next to that chain link fence with our fingers hanging on to it.
    You would go home smelling like rubber and fuel, literally.
    What is that, maybe 12 feet away?

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Great Ryan, thanks ...........
     
  13. justanotherguy
    Joined: Apr 19, 2007
    Posts: 197

    justanotherguy
    Member

    heh heh... so you should watch "Rendezvous" ! about 5 minutes or so of driving insanity through Paris!

    Tres Magnifique!
     
  14. justanotherguy
    Joined: Apr 19, 2007
    Posts: 197

    justanotherguy
    Member

    I had a second thought on this film. Notice how many Fiats and Anglias were also shown? I'm guessing either the cameraman was just naturally drawn to film those cars out of familiarity, or possibly so a Euro market could relate more.
     
  15. rustydeuce
    Joined: May 26, 2006
    Posts: 855

    rustydeuce
    Member

    Awesome footage! Cheers for that.
     
  16. I forgot to mention ...

    Although I've seen a few still photographs of Pappy Hart's electric "roller starters" @ LIONS ... e.g.:

    [​IMG]

    ... this film is the first footage I've ever seen of them in ACTION ... very cool!

    Doug (Mazooma1) ...

    What year were the "Roller Starters" installed @ LIONS? ... Whereabouts were they located? ... and when were they removed?

    I've read that the electric motor "Roller Starters" @ LIONS were troublesome ... and that the "Roller Starters" at other tracks were powered by automotive engines (hence the old joke: "SBCs make good starter motors for HEMIs" ) ... What other drag strips had "Roller Starters"? ... I don't remember ever seeing them @ Fremont.
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2010
  17. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
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    Those starters are cooler than shit.
     
  18. Tbomb428
    Joined: Aug 18, 2006
    Posts: 506

    Tbomb428
    Member
    from SoCal

    Bummer, I just tried to watch it and it said this: (using an online translator) "Please excuse us, it is impossible to read the media the URL of the media is untraceable"

    Perhaps it got too much web traffic?
     
  19. AnimalAin
    Joined: Jul 20, 2002
    Posts: 3,416

    AnimalAin
    Member

    In my memory, they worked pretty well in most cases. The one exception that sticks out in my mind was the PDA race, which was an all-dragster show (64 TF, 32 TG, 16 JF, 8 JG, IIRC). I think the rollers quit some time during qualifying, and subsequent operations were done the old-fashioned way, by staging the cars in the hot car lane (parallel to the the track on the right side, in front of the stands) and pushing them down the strip toward the starting line to get them started. There wasn't a door car or even an altered anywhere on the premises that night; it was cool beyond words.
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2010
  20. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    At least according to my stats, we've already hit it with over 500,000 views... I bet they are getting overloaded a bit.
     
  21. AnimalAin
    Joined: Jul 20, 2002
    Posts: 3,416

    AnimalAin
    Member

    The starters were there in '67. They were right behind the starting line, about where the water box is these days. I suspect they were still there when the place closed in '72.
     
  22. Mazooma1
    Joined: Jun 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,598

    Mazooma1
    Member



    I can't remember exactly when they were installed, but it was in the late 60's. The first set of rollers had to have their motors upgraded to a larger electric motor. In a way it was pretty cool, because when they'd start the rollers before "Round 1" of eliminations, all the lights in the pits would dim for a split second, which was our warning to get back to the grandstands.
    The rollers were back from the starting line about 50 ft. or so.
    The installation of them put an end to one of the most loved parts of top fuel racing...the push start, the "dance" as the two cars would swap lanes and then be pulled back by hand by the crew to get the cars straight.. No burnouts during this period, no reverse gear.
    I'll see if I can find a better shot of the rollers.
     
  23. AnimalAin & Mazooma1 ... Thanks! ... er, I mean Merci beaucoup! :)
     
  24. Mazooma1
    Joined: Jun 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,598

    Mazooma1
    Member

    So, the rollers were powered by an engine? Not an electric motor...man, I learn something everyday
     
  25. 56sedandelivery
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 6,695

    56sedandelivery
    Member Emeritus

    WOW, why can't we have some old film like that in ENGLISH? Seriously, pretty cool. What goes around, comes around; see the young guys with the goatees that have made a comeback? Oui, oui! Butch/56sedandelivery.
     
  26. autobilly
    Joined: May 23, 2007
    Posts: 3,123

    autobilly
    Member

    "...drag racing is the international language of hoodlums." Dig it daddyo!*


    *International language of hep.
     
  27. rumblefish
    Joined: Sep 2, 2006
    Posts: 77

    rumblefish
    Member
    from NE Ohio

    That is some of the coolest footage I've seen!!!
     
  28. Mazooma1
    Joined: Jun 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,598

    Mazooma1
    Member

    The rollers took away the push starts and the whole "show' of getting the cars straight with the strip....the crowd loved all this commotion...
    (photo not Lions)

    [​IMG]

    all replaced with the rollers

    [​IMG]
     
  29. catdad49
    Joined: Sep 25, 2005
    Posts: 6,401

    catdad49
    Member

    I could watch videos like that forever. I grew up reading about all the fantastic fuel and gas action on the other coast, but the closest I could get was "The Big Sounds of the Drags" record! I'm sure my folks got tired of hearing all those evil sounds. Thanks for the memory jog,Cat
     

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