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2009 Hot Rod Revolution

Автор: RaymondLilly | среда, 30 сентября 2009 г.

“We cling to our tried and trued. We are creatures of comfort. We find our patterns and we stick to what we know best… But there is a big wide beautiful world out there and for those that want it, it’s there for the taking. Some of us are just content with what has been here and what we still have.”

The 2009 Hot Rod Revolution was remarkable. It starts with the venue. There is just something about the old dusty baseball diamond in that tiny Northern California town that makes everything right. The seemingly strategically placed trees, the numerous old pergolas, the hap-hazard condition and shape of the field itself – all of the elements work together to create an environment that is perfectly suited for a small number of old hot rods to just… well, sit.

And typically, it’s the essence of a parked hot rod that drives me away from car shows. I like to see cars in motion. I like to hear them roar. I like to see them on their own, away from clutter, and in their natural element. But again, this venue changes the dynamic. The layout and location blocks out the rest of the world and as soon as you pull in, you are only influenced by what’s inside the confines of the old park.

This saturday, the park housed 130 to 140 of the best traditional hot rods in Northern California. It was as if some hot rod gods got together and decided to create a show that was suited and groomed to do one thing – make me happy. Just about every car in attendance shared a traditional commonality, but just as impressively, each also seemed to have something that set it apart as well. If you are a guy like me… a guy that loves the simple aesthetic and reasoning behind a car built with the late 1940’s and early 1950’s in mind, then this show just might have been the best show you’ve ever attended. It was certainly that and more for me. Glorious.

Of course, something like this doesn’t happen without a little luck and a whole lot of help from some seriously fine people. I don’t even know where to begin or end. I guess a list of “thanks” would be most appropriate. Don’t skip to the pictures… Read this list – the folks being thanked deserve it.

This show could not have happened without:

1. Keith and Mary Tardel. Marcie and I are so lucky to have family like the Tardels. It’s rare that two couples find each other’s company so perfect.

2. Vern Tardel. He’s not just Vern to me. He’s a legend, a visionary, and one hell of a great guy to look up to. He also cooks one mean cheeseburger.

3. Rolo. Man… talk about a volunteer. Rolo worked his ass off all day in an effort to make sure we all got fed and got a beer. He’s also a damn good friend to all of us.

4. Anita. This is the woman that gave you the free hat at the open house. She made the open house happen and we all owe her for the clean shop!

5. Dave DiFalco. You probably know him as the owner of one kick ass little yellow roadster. We, however, know him as the best damn burger flipper west of the Mississippi.

6. Brothers Bruce and Paul. These fellas are straight from the flathead ranch and like the rest of them, a huge help. It was great meeting them both and seeing their projects!

7. John. He didn’t know us from a Chinaman before the show, but that didn’t stop him from bustin’ ass all day long at the beer booth. Again… Pal.

8. Jason (Turbo442. AKA: Spiderman). He PM’ed me a few months ago offering help. I always hate accepting ‘cuz I feel like the hard work can hinder the experience, but Jason is now part of the group. He has to be there every year now because he fits in with the rest of us so well. Sorry, Jason… You’re screwed from now on.

9. Jay Ward. I realized something this weekend. I really look up to Jay. The man understands character.

10. Danielle McCabe. That gorgeous little girl that served you burgers and hot dogs all day long…

11. Clay from Santa Cruz. He organized a bunch of folks to make the drive up north. All of them were in cars that belonged.

12. Flip and Trish. Speaking of Santa Cruz… This couple is traditional to the Hot Rod Revolution, a huge help, and very good friends. Who doesn’t love Flip and Trish?

13. There were historically significant cars sprinkled throughout the park, but there are two guys I really want to point out. As many of you know, this was a very big weekend for my pal Ralph Whitworth. Even so, he made sure that his buddy Jim Watson got the Tom Cobb’s roadster to the Revolution. It’s first time the car has been seen in public in almost half a century and it was breathtaking. Thanks go out to both Jim and Ralph.

Along the same lines, Ken Fuhrman brought out his roadster as well. Ken built it in the late 1940’s and it has survived pretty much unchanged since then. The Revolution will be the last show for the car and we were honored to have it in attendance.

14. Everyone that attended and brought out their hot rods… Man, you guys made it happen.

15. Our Sponsors. There is no way in hell we could ever do this show without the support of some great companies. Pete & Jakes, Riley Automotive, Coker Tire, RediRad, and Porter Mufflers.

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You Like Drag Racing?

Автор: RaymondLilly |

Aside from our own H.A.M.B. Drags, there are a few other drag races in the US that really get me going. The first will be obvious to some of you… The Day of The Drags is held at what many think is the most gorgeous track in the country – Little River Dragway located just north of Austin in Temple, TEXAS! You can read more about the Day of the Drags and get any questions answered here.

Now, what’s the other? It’s not quite as obvious as I’ve never been and as such, have never been able to cover it. The Jalopy Showdown Drags is held by a bunch of really good guys at what I hear is a perfect track – Beaver Springs Dragway. Reports from the H.A.M.B. as well as rumors from around the globe say that it’s all class… And class, ladies and gentleman, is what drag racing is all about. You want details, right? Of course you do… CLICK HERE.

In any case, I’m off to Santa Rosa and Tardel Ranch to get ready for this weekend’s Hot Rod Revolution. The fine Mr. Jay Ward will be carrying the torch on The Jalopy Journal tomorrow and Thursday. With any luck, I’ll give ya a report of my activities on Friday.

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SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TRADITIONAL DRAG RACE!

Editor’s Note: Just before going to press with this post, I realized that I forgot another “local” drag race that needs mentioning… The Texas Thaw.

HAMB Drags 2003… Has it really been six years?

Автор: RaymondLilly | воскресенье, 30 августа 2009 г.

The first annual HAMB Drags happened 6 years ago at the Mo-Kan Dragstrip in Asbury, Missouri. When Ryan announced the new venture earlier that year, I had a feeling it was gonna be a really special inaugural event that I just had to attend: Low buck, run what you brung, honest-to-goodness drag racing amongst like-minded folks! More flatheads, home-built roadsters, rail jobs, and rickshaws than one would ever see at a typical NHRA deal. Above all else, I really wanted to support my friend Ryan, the HAMB, and my buddies like SamIyam and Gordini (who were trailering their freshly-built drag cars all the way out from California for this deal- That’s some commitment!)

Those of you who were there that sweltering Summer day with me know how fun and cool it was to be at ‘The First’. That excitement of knowing anything can happen, and that your there to see it all… To make some history.

Sadly, I didn’t take many pictures that day- Probably running around having too much fun. Rather than re-post pics that have already been on the HAMB, I found cool pics by Jim Marlett here.

Editor’s note: The first H.A.M.B. Drags was put on as an after thought… I’m terrible in crowds, had no idea what I was doing, and way more people showed up than anyone expected. To put it nicely, I froze up. My wife (Marcie) had to take over the reigns to get registration to run smoothly and I just kind of hid in a corner. Of course, Marcie couldn’t do it all by herself and guess who came to the rescue? None other than Jay Ward - your author.

The Leadsled Spectacular

Автор: RaymondLilly | вторник, 11 августа 2009 г.

I attended my first Spectacular a number of years ago in Wichita, KS. Robert Rolling and I drove my ‘65 Buick Riviera up for the event and proceeded to have an absolute ball. We reveled in the fact that we were the young guys in a crowd of older gentlemen. Something about it made us feel like we were in on a secret that other folks our age weren’t quite privy too. Rubbing elbows with guys like George Barris, Bill Hines, Lee Pratt, Gary Howard, and a whole lot of other custom legends just seemed to confirm the notion.

It’s now close to a decade later and I just got back from my latest Spectacular held in Salinas, KS. I have been meaning to return to the event for years and was planning on it last year when a family deal got in the way. This year, there was no stopping me. If you were around this past Friday, you read about our adventurous trip up to Kansas. I failed, however, to give you a cast of characters and maybe that’s where I should start. Our Texan caravan consisted of:

Steve Wertheimer. You all know Steve. He’s the man behind the Continental Club as well as one of the forces behind the Lonestar Round Up. You might know him as “El Jefe.” We all certainly do as he is the guy that makes sure we all stay in line and have a good time. He’s also family and one of my best pals.

Gary Howard. Gary is undoubtedly one of the most laid back and easy going fellas you are ever going to meet. Those are, of course, great qualities in any road trip partner… but it doesn’t stop there. Gary is also one of the most accomplished traditional customizers in the world and my personal favorite stylist. He’s a legend and one hell of a guy.

Lee Pratt. Another legend… “The Gentleman” is low key, quiet and reserved, smooth as silk, and a brilliant artist. He’s the guy that adds class to our bunch and he does so in spades. After our trip this weekend, I’ve decided we need to hear much more from Lee here on The Jalopy Journal. He’s got stories that don’t end and I can’t wait to tell them.

Reggie Hill. I’ve said it many times before, but Reggie is the best pure person I’ve ever met. He’s a great friend and maybe one of the best road trip partners of all time. He’s a hot rodder, hauls ass, and keeps us on pace. You couldn’t get a better guy to lead the pack to and from Kansas.

Norm Jones. Norm is the Godfather of hot rodding in Austin, Texas. He’s the guy we all hope to be when we grow up. He’s also the guy that consistently makes us laugh and keep perspective on whatever we happen to be contemplating at the time. A pure car guy…

Me. I’m the young guy, lowest on the totem pole, and by far the least accomplished of any in the crew. Frankly, I was just happy to be holding the company that I was in. I look a long ways up to each of those guys listed above and can only hope that I learn a little from each. I think “honored” is the best word to describe my attitude all weekend.

And there ya have it… The Texas crew headed up on Thursday, back on Sunday, and had a whole lot of fun in between.

For us, it really started with the drags held on Friday night. Jerry Weesner is a magician. He somehow talks the city of Salina, KS into handing over the keys to an old airstrip with little to no restrictions. With boundaries like that, you can only imagine what goes down… It’s a “no rules” drag race with a single flag start and a double flag finish. Late model Camaros matched up against traditional roadsters. Full on race cars ran against bubble top customs. Limos full of passengers went against antiques with folks hanging out of rumble seats. It was pure pandemonium… and an absolute blast to watch.

Of course, Saturday is the main attraction for most. The Spectacular is, first and foremost, a custom show and the quality was pretty damned impressive. It was great seeing so many historically significant customs sitting along new builds as well as other cars I haven’t seen since my earlier and more active KKOA days. I believe the final car count was somewhere over 1000, but other than the high numbers things haven’t changed much with the KKOA and that’s a damn good thing.

All that being said, I’ve finally concluded that I’m just not much of a car show guy. I just don’t know what to do with myself once I’ve gotten a good look at all of the cars in attendance. This past Saturday I went back to our cars, sat in a lawn chair (ha!), enjoyed the fabulous weather, and took a long nap. I needed it for the night to come.

To be honest, I don’t remember much of it. We went down to the host hotel bar and grabbed a table. While listening to the guy that used to lead the Poison Okies, a few of us managed to throw one too many down. Good times.

Of course, we paid for it this morning and the drive back to Texas wasn’t an easy one. Maybe we aren’t the young guys anymore…

Side notes:

- A special thanks to Roger Morrison for the tour of his private collection. You might notice a few pictures from the tour in this story. It was certainly a high point - His collection as well as his dedication to preservation was mighty impressive.

- Along with the images below, you can find more coverage on the HAMB, on my “from the road” blog, as well as a few videos from an experiment I was doing.

- Finally, I want to thank all of you fellas from the HAMB that were out there spreading the gospel. You all rule… and I’m sorry if I’m a little too shy to approach ya out of the blue.

Enjoy the photos: