History Auto racing 1894-1942

Many thanks to both of you.

 

The Vic-Mac car, Harry Hartz, and the history of the cycle cars and drivers from that era are well covered and pictured in the first 10 pages of the first chapter of the Dick Wallen book "Distant Thunder" When Midgets were Mighty.

The chapter is entitled "Small Cars and Short Tracks 1910-1942" and was written by Jim Chini.

 

Looks like a big car to me.

Would they have run the Champ in that car or might it have been the bigger Studebaker engine and Hot Rod erred?

Not knowing the vagaries of the dry lakes, I'm curious.

How about it Rich?

 

Thanks!

 

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has undergone a process of digitizing their photo library. Below are a couple of images of Wilbur Shaw from early in his career.

 

That car was called the RED Special after the initials of the owner, Roscoe E. Dunning.

 

Zig Zag, does IMS have any of these type of photos online someplace? They keep changing their site every time I get used to what they have....

 

Thought it was just me.
Getting historical data from IMS seems very difficult and I can't imagine they would want it to be so elusive.

 

Which one, the left or the right one?

And I can only echo the two previous comments - the Indy 500 website is a hot contender for Worst Website Worldwide!

 

The photographs are being digitized by the Indiana University & Purdue University. The project is not complete, and they are periodically adding photos to the web-site. Below is the link:

http://ulib.iupui.edu/digitalscholarship/collections/IMS

In regards to the IMS web-site being amongst the worst in the world, have you tried navigating the National Archives web-site lately?

 

Thanks Zig Zag. Will check what is new at the link.

 

OT- but I vote for the National Archive site



Herb Kephart

 

Off Topic: Recently during the government shutdown the National Archives web-page was shut down, but my congressmen's web-site was working just fine. What's up with that?

 

One of his "Sponsors" picks up the tab.

 

A Congressman can use his campaign "contributions" for pretty much anything, to include Web services.

 

That what is wrong!!!


Ago

 

Today in 1929 on the sands of Daytona Beach, Lee Bible lost his life attempting to be the fastest man on earth.

The video features a song called Tragedy on Daytona Beach. First written and sung in 1929 by "Blind" Andy Jenkins and recently discovered by local Daytona Beach musician August Wenger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq81BGFuHhw

 

https://www.academia.edu/6412424/The_Catlin_Russo_Files

https://www.academia.edu/6412432/The_Catlin_Russo_Files_closer_look

https://www.academia.edu/6412425/The_Catlin_Russo_Files_Means_1913_worksheet

For those few who might be interested, here are links to the infamous Russ Catlin & Bob Russo files as they were obtained by Joe Freeman for his Racemaker Archives in Boston.

I have included a look at the worksheet that Arthur Means used to created the ersatz 1913 national championship season for his retroactive champions.

Hopefully, this should make it clear just how little Russ Catlin left behind as well as making it crystal clear that there should be no question as to the true nature of the 1909-1915 and 1917-1919 national championships as well as that the 1920 national champion was Gaston Chevrolet. Period.

 

Gasoline Alley - Spring 1920

 

Dirt Track - Sprint Cars In the Los Angeles area 1950's == If you were in LA in the EARLY 1950's were did the "Big Cars" sprints run? Is there anyone out there that is a big fan of these cars with info and photos to ID cars? Thanks. Bob

 

A start,
Joe Scalzo - The American Dirt Track Racer
http://books.google.com/books?id=ws...epage&q=los angeles dirt tracks 1950s&f=false

'To live in Los Angeles in the mid-1950s and be an aspiring dirt track highway to Indy driver was like a kid being in a candy store...'

 

Take a look at Harold Osmer's Where They Raced books which should give you all the venues in the LA area.

 

In the early fifties, there was really only Carrell Speedway, and the occasional race at the LA County Fairgrounds in Pomona. You could watch Midgets and Track Roadsters, Jalopies and the like at many venues, but Sprint Cars were not very popular in the LA area. Up north, there was Oakland Speedway/Stadium and a number of fairgrounds tracks, including Calistoga already, with a regular circuit of races, but it would be a few years until the Southland matched that.

If you have photos, just post 'em - I might be able to ID some.

 

Heres a picture of a Hudsonracer i that I'm building a replica of. I have just started up with the frame and built a buck, soon me and my friend start with the body. You can check it out on the link below.

http://molinsgarage.blogspot.se/search/label/Projekt Essex racer

 

I like the pictures of the body buck, very cool!

 

Great work Molin ein und sexzig.
Cheers
Jim

 

Molin,Welcome to the HAMB. I can see three louvers in that Hudson tail, do you think they may have used a Bugatti tail? Bob

 

Hope you keep us posted on this one Molin.

 

Hello Auto Racers 94 to 44,

I unintentionally drifted away and now I've drifted back, and it's not just because I want something. I do love this thread.

I have procured a very high resolution photograph of the Hudson factory 1920 Essex 'Pike's Peak' Special. It's a shot of the RHS, or the exhaust side. I have a low resolution shot of the LHS of the same car, and would dearly love to know if anybody has a highres pic of the LHS. Do you have one or have you ever seen one?

I am building a replica, as accurate as possible, of that car and am therefore seeking a better pic than I have of the LHS. See the original LHS one I have below.

Also, see a couple of project pics. The chassis is shortened and the hood/bonnet louvers we are now working on are the big ones, around 1-1/2"

I'm sure hoping you fellows can help turn up the pic I'm looking for.

Cheers
Jim

 

I dont think it`s a Bugattitail they used, they may have been inspired by it.
I have just a few pictures from this racer, but if anyone have more I´am interested. The frame i use is an Essex 1930 113" wheelbase and at the moment i have an Pontiac straght eight I was thinking of using.