28 replies to this topic

[formulaphoto]

I am slowly going through my Dad's old photo archives to put together a series of archives/articles for my website, and tonight I edited together the set of photos from a trip to California he did in (approx.) 1967. I thought I'd post these photos from Riverside and see if the seemingly bottomless pit of TNF knowledge can add some details for me - especially the race grids (names, car types, what race weekend this is, etc.)! Thanks!

Kill the Mowog! I like the little details - the wicker chair under the bench, and "Go Faster!" written on the dash.


Gordon Wilson Chevrolet Corvette. This must have been the latest and greatest to arrive at the track.


Mmmm..smog.


Midpack


Front runners


Cheers!
Warwick, Son of Girvan

[raceannouncer2003]

I think these entry lists from Martin Krejci's site should help:

http://www.wsrp.ic.c...tus1967.html#19

http://www.wsrp.ic.c...tus1967.html#20

So I think I see:

Second photo: 46 Lynn Butler Chevrolet Corvette Stingray The In Team

Fourth photo:

26 Chuck McConnell Porsche (also in fifth photo)

66 looks like Bill Molle, Lotus 23

51 Jon Higgins Lotus James Ltd

25 Jim Chaffee Pink Elephant

34 R. Keith Brown Lotus G. Quam

81 Jay Hills McLaren Peck & Hills Furn.

43 Al Whatley Ford GT

Fifth photo:

64 Carl Swanson Ginetta Scarti (front row)

68 Charles Kulmann Lotus (front row)

21 (?) Ray Senchyna (?) Chevrolet

17 Eric Hauser Fokker Hollywood Luft

4 Charles Gates Triumph GT6 (Spitfire?) R. W. Kastner (I know Gates in the Kastner cars was fast, but what was he doing up there?)

I see Jerry Entin was listed. Anything to add, Jerry? Frank S?

Vince H.

[formulaphoto]

Thanks Vince! Great to have those entry lists, and to know it was a US National Road Race Championship event.

[TooTall]

"4 Charles Gates Triumph GT6 (Spitfire?) R. W. Kastner (I know Gates in the Kastner cars was fast, but what was he doing up there?)"

Could this be the Macau Spitfire?

Kurt O.

[bradbury west]

What wonderful period shots. Many thanks for posting something so nice and different, broadens the knowledge again. Presumably the G12 Ginetta ran a twin cam. Quite a late model car in those days.
Roger Lund

[formulaphoto]

What wonderful period shots. Many thanks for posting something so nice and different, broadens the knowledge again. Presumably the G12 Ginetta ran a twin cam. Quite a late model car in those days.
Roger Lund

What sort of Porsche is #26 (Chuck McConnell)? It has elements I recognize, but not being very knowledgable about Porsches, I don't know if it is a modified racer or something porsche offered?

[David McKinney]

Am I the only person who can see only two of the (apparently) five photos?

[Tim Murray]

I had three of the dreaded red crosses, but they all responded to the 'right click - Show Picture' treatment.

[Lotus23]

Am I the only person who can see only two of the (apparently) five photos?

David, I see but two also: Mowog and midpack.

(My wife and I, still together, were married in downtown Riverside in March '67.)

[David McKinney]

Thanks for the thought, Tim, but right-clicking is for PC users, not sophisticated Mac types

AND I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN

I opened the thread three times in the hope that maybe the picture would appear, and only after posting my complaint did they do so

[Frank S]

At first, in Firefox I saw just the first image; switching to Internet Exploder brought them all in. Back to Firefox and a try at the "Reload" button, and they all came up.

I believe the "Fokker" is an "Old Yeller" iteration; similar at any rate.

Jon Higgins was the son of one of my father's WWII shipmates. Jon was a couple years younger than me, and I teased him terribly. His older sister is still a template for absolute beauty of face and figure. At age nine or ten I had a giant crush on her.

Charlie Kullman and his Lotus were a feature of just about every race they were eligible for; he really liked doing it, any time, any where. I don't know how he kept getting through tech with a driver suit he apparently didn't believe in cleaning: it just kept getting darker and darker, limper and limper, since IIRC, he came alone to the races and worked on the car in racing togs.

"Doc" Bill Molle, dentist and war hero, was quite disillusioned when Jim Hall came along and usurped his accustomed number (66) in the West Coast events. Bill sent me his unpublished article railing against some unfairnesses, and urged me to put it on line:
"THEN THERE WAS US"

Extraneous information. It's all I know; not much, but this program seems to contain the principals we've seen so far:
"August 5,6 1967"

In the Turn Five-Esses view, I don't see any marshals; the "tower" is still in the S/F area, wall has been built on the inside of the course. Must have been a non-spectator event, eh?

[dbltop]

My first car was a Triumph GT6, I t was basically a Spitfire with a hardtop, fastback roof, and an Inline 1998 cc 6 cylinder engine. Very quick.

[raceannouncer2003]

What sort of Porsche is #26 (Chuck McConnell)? It has elements I recognize, but not being very knowledgable about Porsches, I don't know if it is a modified racer or something porsche offered?

At Santa Barbara in 1966, Chuck McConnell was on the entry list in F Sports-Racing in a Porsche entered by Cadrobbi Engineering. So maybe this was the Porsche RSK that Cadrobbi had raced a couple of years earlier? (albeit, in this photo, with modified bodywork for wider tires, etc.). At this Riverside event, he was still entered in F S/R, so couldn't have been more than 1600 cc. Looks like a regular racing Porsche exhaust in the second photo.

And from Frank's program, it looks like the #3 TR3 was Lee Midgley (also has his name on the rear fender!).

And, yes, it took me a few tries to open all the photos.

Vince H.

[raceannouncer2003]

Kill the Mowog! I like the little details - the wicker chair under the bench, and "Go Faster!" written on the dash.

Apparently Lee Midgley did "Go Faster!". He won E Production at the Daytona ARRC in 1967 in the TR3.

Vince H.

[alansart]

Thanks for the thought, Tim, but right-clicking is for PC users, not sophisticated Mac types

AND I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN

I opened the thread three times in the hope that maybe the picture would appear, and only after posting my complaint did they do so

Only one pic opened in Mac Safari but they all opened when I clicked reload. Very strange.

[formulaphoto]

Only one pic opened in Mac Safari but they all opened when I clicked reload. Very strange.

Yeah, it's doing the same for me - needs a reload to show them all.

Thanks for all the detective work everybody! I've been pouring over the links and going on internet scavenger hunts to learn more and more about the names and cars you've mentioned.

Here's a few more photos for you.

James Ltd. Elva(?) with modified Alfa engine


Riverside paddock - Jon Higgins' car and entourage in the foreground


Cockpit of the Wilson Chev Corvette


The Fokker looking a little worse for wear


Cheers,
Warwick

[eldougo]

Anybody know what,s the car on pole along side the 23 b????

Front runners


Cheers!
Warwick, Son of Girvan
[/quote]

[bradbury west]

Ginetta G12, probably with a Lotus twin cam. Wonderful little cars, says he, having had a round tube G4 for 14 years a while ago .
Roger Lund

Edited by bradbury west, 07 January 2010 - 10:03.

[thunder427]

Cockpit of the Wilson Chev Corvette;...is that a 'Lucky'rabbits foot hanging on the Key ring ???????????

In the 60's my Dad took my Car for an erand as it was last in the driveway
"Whats with the Rabbits foot hanging of your Rearview Mirror"??????
"It's my lucky charm,a good luck thing", I explained
"Bloody get rid of it"!!!!!!
"BUT ITS FOR LUCK"!!!!!
"DIDN'T BRING THE BLOODY RABBIT MUCH LUCK"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.......................................Regards427

[WDH74]

Cockpit of the Wilson Chev Corvette;...is that a 'Lucky'rabbits foot hanging on the Key ring ???????????

First thing I noticed too! Rabbit's foot keychains were still quite popular when I was a kid in the 80's-the best prizes at the school fun fairs were rabbit's foot keychains! They used to come in some of the most blatantly non-rabbit colors-I had a pair of them, in navy and orange-never saw a rabbit in that color scheme!

I also noticed how stock the interior is-the dash and steering wheel are standard, down to badges.

-WDH

[raceannouncer2003]

James Ltd. Elva(?) with modified Alfa engine


Riverside paddock - Jon Higgins' car and entourage in the foreground

Anybody know the history of the (presumably) Joe Moore Elva Mk 6 in the first photo? A friend has an Elva Mk. 6-Alfa with some California racing history. Please see posts 84 and 90 on the following webpage:

http://forums.autosp...w...85714&st=80

Also, I know I am colourblind, but...why is the #51 Lotus in this photo apparently a different colour than the #51 Lotus in the photo of the grid. Also has a hole and scoop unlike the one in the other photo. The Santa Barbara program from 1966 had Jon Higgins' Lotus listed as blue. Any ideas, Frank? Also, the #12 EP Porsche in the background was listed as Ron Hogan.

Vince H.

[HistoricMustang]

(My wife and I, still together, were married in downtown Riverside in March '67.)

We have got to get together to catch up on things!

Henry

Edited by HistoricMustang, 08 January 2010 - 10:23.

[h4887]

Re the Swanson Ginetta G12 on pole, the entrant is given as 'SCARTI'. Anyone know who or what they were? I believe this was actually Art Allen's car.

[Aero Z-28]

Warwick,

I have been told that a Camaro was a pace car for this Riverside race. Was supposed to have been white or light yellow with wide stripes on the hood and rear deck and a black vinyl top. Would you happen to have any pictures of that car?

Thanks,
-Jon

[David McKinney]

Re the Swanson Ginetta G12 on pole, the entrant is given as 'SCARTI'. Anyone know who or what they were?

Southern California Automobile Racing Team International?

[h4887]

Ginetta G12, probably with a Lotus twin cam. Wonderful little cars, says he, having had a round tube G4 for 14 years a while ago .
Roger Lund

So that would be FLE604J?

[bradbury west]

Correct. I will reply to your PM in due course
RL

[raceannouncer2003]

"4 Charles Gates Triumph GT6 (Spitfire?) R. W. Kastner (I know Gates in the Kastner cars was fast, but what was he doing up there?)"

Could this be the Macau Spitfire?

Kurt O.

This from Kas Kastner:

"That is so cool. The Spitfire is the Macau Spitfire. Yes, Charlie Gates was driving it...I put a 2 liter GT-6 engine in the car and it went like a rocket, but could not stop worth a damn. But it was a terror down the chute. :-) Olden days."

More info here:

http://triumphmuseum.....0Macau Racing

Vince H.

[raceannouncer2003]

Apparently Lee Midgley did "Go Faster!". He won E Production at the Daytona ARRC in 1967 in the TR3.

Vince H.

I asked Kas Kastner:

"What do you know about Lee Midgley's #3 TR3 in the first photo? Did you work on that car too?"

His response:

"Ah! Lee,was a good guy and still is I guess. I was only a helper from afar. i did help him in ways. I offered him everything we had as a factory team. Really neat guy, like him a lot. Still do. I can't figure out Carl (Swanson, in the Ginetta) in that event as at that time he worked for me."

Vince H.

Edited by raceannouncer2003, 17 January 2010 - 06:58.