History The Dry Lakes

We're going out there this weekend to ride dirt bikes and look at the lakebed and cry. I already tore my bike down so I dont have to look at it till May.

 

"Shutter" to think - good one - you were thinking about a camera, right?

 

The sidecar is out in the garage ready to go. All dressed up and nowhere to race!

 

The epitome of it all.... Great post....

On a side note and not to hi-jack this post... Joe Fontana and Don Ferguson has certainly been a great assistance to myself with the build of my GMC Jimmy 302 motor for the P-38 Tank...

 

I went through the engine for the "Brick" to have it ready for this weekend, I was all ready to make up for Bonnevilles problems and now nothing.

Oh well, such is life. Next year a new truck.

 

As a youngster, nearly 6 decades ago, I was an avid fan of anything that would take me into the world of dry lakes racing. Daydreaming constantly, I remember wishing to have the chance to be at one of the meets.

Well I found out one needs to temper what they wish for... In the early 1990s I was a freshly minted military retiree hired by Lockheed and needless to say the job location was California. I daily traversed the high desert from my home in Victorville and to complete the wish part of this post... I worked many days at one of the dry lakes.

As a middle aged man my ideas of temperate climes and reasonable landscapes was much different than those of dreaming youngster! Remember well the driving on Murdoch and as you aptly said... doing some touches and goes there too. While I was present in that area racing of hotrods was pretty low key.

Thanks for your post... created a rush of old memories to bubble to the surface. Keep digging into the history... makes for good reading

 

I love el marage.
I grew up in lancaster ca. I rode dirtbike there while growing up, but my grandad raced there in his younger days. I still have some video of his club the the L.a roadsters, out there blasting around.
Used to see the S.C.T.A all the time too.
Ill try to find a way to upload um!

Thanks for the post about my home! ha

 

Has anybody dug up anymore information about racing on the Mexican dry lakes in the 60s?

Need Louvers, were you able to dig up those Rod & Custom articles you were talking about?

 

Thanks for that video. Laguna Salada it is on a map of Baja California. I remember reading about how the locals came out on the track and got in the way of the event. It was sketchy. They never went back again. If I find the magazine I will post the article.

 

Laguna Salada April 1969

 

AWESOME pic - are you in it ?

Rat