thebear's archive of motorsports trivia

[thebear]

Here we have a LINK to a trailer for a DVD with all the action from the Can-Am races in the US & Canada during the 1966-1974 seasons. It is only a sample of "the action". I have no connection or obligation to the producers or sellers of the DVD.

[thebear]

1953

– January, 16

The Chevrolet Corvette was introduced as a show car at NY's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The car became an American classic almost instantly. Its sporty fiberglass body didn't look like anything else on the road. Altho some car buffs criticized the sportscar for being underpowered, that didn't stop Corvettes from speeding off the showroom floors.

[thebear]

1959

22 JAN

John Michael (Mike) Hawthorn, Britain's 1st World Champion Driver, was killed after losing control of his Jaguar while driving along the A3 Guildford by-pass in southern England.

To this day controversy surrounds the cause of his crash. The hand throttle he had fitted to the car stuck open - the car was fitted w/experimental Dunlop tires that were unsuitable for the wet conditions. Maybe in the end he was just going too fast & lost it.

By chance he had come across an acquaintance just prior to the crash, the famous entrant of that time Rob Walker. Walker was driving a Mercedes-Benz 300SL, which must have been like a red rag to a bull for Mike, in those perhaps more patriotic times. Hawthorn had spent much of his racing life driving his beloved Jaguars against all types of foreign cars on the race tracks of the world. As he saw the car up ahead & recognized its driver, no doubt it was just another opportunity for his specially modified Jaguar to uphold British "honor" one more time.

Hawthorn accelerated past the Mercedes & gave its driver a cheery wave. They were now doing over 100 MPH going slightly down-hill on what was a wet & narrow road. As the Jaguar entered a right hand bend, the rear end broke away & clipped the curb spinning it thru 180 degrees. It continued backwards for an instant before clipping a traffic island & then ended its journey sideways against a tree.

Mike Hawthorn was found in the Jaguar's back seat, alive but dying.

In the days that followed, thousands came to drive quietly past the spot where Hawthorn had died, hundreds of wreaths were laid to mark the spot where a racing legend's luck had finally run out.

[lml698]

Many thanks "Thebear" for the Aitken info. I am on the case

[thebear]

1909-2009

100 years ago, the model T Ford.

[thebear]

Now THIS is a Blower Bentley.

[johnh875]

Originally Posted by thebear

Now THIS is a Blower Bentley.

Fantastic car, I wonder what happened to it after it passed in at the auction?

I have an article on the car from 10-15yr ago in one of the classic car mags, it is absolutely astounding, lunacy of the highest order! The original idea was to have 3 turbos except there wasn't room... Because the Bentley does not have a detachable head, the normal symptom of excessive boost of blowing a head gasket became instead blowing pistons. Investigation revealed twice the intended boost... I'll definitely go & have another look at that now.

[thebear]

1925 – March 1

The first nationwide highway numbering system in the US was instituted by the joint board of state & federal highway officials appointed by the secretary of agriculture. In order to minimize confusion caused by the array of multiform state-appointed highway signs, the board created the shield-shaped highway number markers that have become a comforting sight to lost travelers in times since. Later, interstate highway (motorway) numbering would be improved by colored signs & the odd-even demarcation that distinguishes between north-south & east-west travel respectively.

. .

[thebear]

Three very interesting films(?) of 1904 Vanderbilt Cup race. Click on parts I, II & III.

Note the Stewards(?) and Corner Workers in those days and the vicious speed of the race cars.

Period music, as well.

[thebear]

Ferrari Serial Number 0600MDTR, The Testa Rossa Prototype. . . .

[thebear]

April 8, 1910

L.A. Motordome opens

The Los Angeles Motordome, the first speedway with a board track, opened near Playa Del Rey, California, under the direction of Fred Moskovics and Jack Prince. The track was made of wood and ran a circumference of 5,281 feet. Board tracks used the same engineering technology as the smaller wood velodromes used in France for bicycle racing. The tracks were paved with 2x4's and were steeply banked at angles as high as 45 degrees. On such a track, a car-racing daredevil could reach speeds up to 100mph with his hands off the steering wheel. The L.A. Motordome, affectionately known as "The Boards," was a huge success. By 1915, nearly a half-dozen board tracks had popped up around the country. By 1931, there were 24 board tracks in operation including tracks in Beverly Hills, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and Atlantic City. Incidentally, the Beverly Hills track stood approximately where the prime-time shopping blocks of Rodeo Drive are located now. No tracks have ever approximated the speeds allowed on the heavily banked boards. Board tracks began to fade from existence during the Depression. The lifetime for 2x4's exposed to racing tires is approximately five years after which deadly splinters and potholes begin to dot the track's smooth surface. During the Depression, the expensive upkeep of the board tracks made them impractical. The last decade of board racing was a sight to behold. Cars tore down straightaways at 120mph while carpenter's patched the tracks from beneath. It wasn't unheard of for mischievous children to peek their heads up through holes in the board tracks to watch their favorite racers with a squirrel's eye view. Entertainment just isn't what it used to be.

Exactly six years later: April 8, 1916

Racer Bob Burman crashed through a barrier into the crowd at the last Boulevard Race in Corona, California. Burman, his riding mechanic Eric Scroeder, and a track policeman were killed, and five spectators were badly injured. The boulevard race started in 1913 as part of the AAA national championship schedule. The race was run on Grand Boulevard, a street that formed a perfect three-mile circle. Bob Burman was coming off an attempt at the world land-speed record at Brighton Beach, New York, where he had run 129mph. Burman led most of the race at Corona before his blue Peugot broke a wheel, sending the car over the curb and into a pole. The tragedy ended racing in inland Southern California for almost 40 years.

[thebear]

1958 -

Toytota sells 288 vehicles in the United States- 287 Toyopet Crowns and a Land Cruiser.

[thebear]

1948 "TUCKER" WITH HISTORY Amazing find....

Ever see a "1948 TUCKER" up close? . .

[thebear]

Diesel MOTORBIKES. .

[Tim the Grey]

I believe there is an Indian PRODUCTION diesel bike, which is the slowest homologated vehicle you can buy in the UK!

[thebear]

Stroll down memory lane at early '60s Daytona 24-Hour & Sebring 12-Hour races ...

Take a side trip to LeMans and ignore the Daytona Prototype that snuck in.

How casual things looked. No Armco at Sebring, no fire suits in the pits, no logos on the driver's suits and you could se the driver's faces.

Plan for at least a half hour to watch. Sorry, no captions.

. .

[thebear]

1k mph?.

[skycafe]

Originally Posted by thebear

Diesel MOTORBIKES. .

There is a steam powered moded in UK, which oddly sounds like loads of fun to me.

Loved the Daytona and Sebring photos!

[thebear]

Originally Posted by skycafe

There is a steam powered moded in UK, which oddly sounds like loads of fun to me.

Could prove `comfortable' in colder climates, too.

[thebear]

Famous.

Nov. 25, 1920: Gaston Chevrolet Dies in Race Crash.

[thebear]

Read the sidebar before watching this 1948 promotional film for the MG TD.

Also posted on the YouTube thread.

[D-Type]

I wonder if that's the same Ian Appleyard who won a gold Coupe des Alpes for consecutive clean runs in the Alpine Rally in 1951 to 53 driving an XK120

[thebear]

Originally Posted by D-Type

I wonder if that's the same Ian Appleyard who won a gold Coupe des Alpes for consecutive clean runs in the Alpine Rally in 1951 to 53 driving an XK120

From Wickipedia's XK120 page.

1950
Alpine Rally: Ian Appleyard's XK120, road-registered as NUB 120, won the French Alpine Rally with his wife Pat, who was the daughter of Sir William Lyons, navigating. They also won a coveted Coupe des Alpes. both the 1950 Alpine and 1951 Tulip rallies with Appleyard driving and his wife Pat navigating

1951
Alpine Rally: NUB 120 and the Appleyards repeated their previous year’s success.

[thebear]

101 IMSA GTP video clips dating from 1985 to 1993.

Plan on spending the afternoon watching..

[thebear]

The "seat belt" was invented by Sir George Cayley (27 December 1773 - 15 December 1857) for use in the aircraft he designed and built.

Click HERE for the story of this amazing inventor.

August 5, 1952: John W. Hetrick applies for a patent on a "safety cushion" (Air Bag) for motor vehicles.

c. 1968(?): Allen K. Breed invents the crash sensor that triggers an automobile's air bag.

Click HERE for more information.