Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

Here's my favorite driver and car from back in the 60's. It's Jim Moughan and I ended up buying this car from him. He ran it for me for 3 years.

 

How about Jim Moughan in Hector Honore's Black Duece? He told me that he and Hector butted heads on gear ratios. Jim won a feature in the car with the gear he wanted and quit.

 

Here is a left side photo, now we need some history on the car. Sure looks like a nice one. Bob

 

I would imagine that gear ratio thing was probably some thing like the relationship Dizz Wilson and Johnnie White had over chassis set ups.

 

That is IMHO a beautiful racing machine. The attention to detail everywhere down to even the simplicity of the trailer design is evident.

 

I wonder if that was from upstate New York, and wound up being the car Micky Ferron of Twixberry Ma. restored back in the 1980's?

 

Charlie Hoffer was indeed from upstate New York, Albany to be exact. Ran a white #67 Riley Special in the second half of the thirties, mainly for local boys like Jeri May and Fred Carpenter, in AAA Class B events and on a trip with the IMCA tour through Iowa and Minnesota in the summer of 1938. In 1940, Roy Tyler of Hobart/NY is said to have built this car for Hoffer, though it may in fact have been an older, ex-Lee Wallard car. It had a DO Hal engine, and did pretty well for Hoffer and Freddie Carpenter in Eastern AAA competition, he was second behind Johnny Ulesky at Ballston Spa in 1940, and 7th at the big Williams Grove finale behind Duke Nalon, Mark Light, Ted Horn, Buddie Rusch, Ev Saylor and Bill Holland, then sixth at Trenton behind Joie Chitwood, Tony Willman, Light, Hank Rogers and Ulesky, all in the month of September.

After the war, Carpenter was back at the wheel for a CSRA win at Altamont/NY in August of 1946, then a fourth in AAA competition later that same month (behind Horn, Tommy Mattson and Walt Brown). He was also seventh at Flemington/NJ, Rutland/VT and Port Royal/PA (all within the first week of September!), sixth at Reading/PA twice, and 10th in a Langhorne twenty-miler in July. Eddie Gallione won several ESRA-sanctioned races with the car in 1948 (Altamont, Akron/NY, Dover/NJ and at least four at Shangri-La/NY), then Speed McFee won a AAA race at Rochester/NY in September of 1949 (from Ottis Stine and Lucky Lux), before I slowly lose track. Last appearance I have is November 1950 with Earl Horne in a URC event at Delmar/DE.

 

came to live in the UK

 

The Racing Associates team was originally formed in 1955 by three men: Indianapolis attorney Arthur B. "Art" Lathrop, Nelson G. Johnson an Indianapolis businessman, and D. Coleman Glover from Moline Illinois.

 

We actually own the Leon DeRock Offy. It has since been moved to the Chapman Auto Racing Museum. In Chapman Ks. It still exists in its original form, and hopefully always will. The Claire Cotter #44 car was sold to a local collector who is into vintage racing. We have another one at Bellville, but will be moving it closer to home soon.

 

For those of you on the West Coast : As per a conversation with Jeanne Hunt this afternoon, there will be no "Vermeil Classic" or "World of Outlaws" at Calistoga this year. The County won't allow any spectators in the seats until this COV-19 issue is resolved, so the track is dark until at least 2021.

 

Here's a couple of pictures of the DeRock offy. I'll get better pictures next time I get to Chapman. It's safely kept in a museum for right now. Dad did race the car until his Parkinson's took over. I hope to be able to get it out again late this year or early next. Unless we decide to sell it. Sadly we can't keep everything.

 

I haven't posted on this thread in a long time; and I KNOW I've not posted this photo. It's of my car at Butttonwillow Raceway in 2018!

 

When Jim drove for me the main thing we adjusted during the night was tires and gear ratio. Jim rarely turned an adjustment bolt at the track. However, he would spend an hour or so getting the chassis adjusted just the way he wanted it in my garage.

 

Needing help with a kurtis dash tag
(S-322-48) I’m trying to figure out what the “S” stands for, I believe it has something to do with the engine type that was run in the car. PM me with info thanks

 

Thanks for the info, Joe!
Bill

 

Josh, Did you post pics of the completed Bowles Ranger Special? Maybe I missed it.

 

Not much racing this year



Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

nice pic
I've thought about taking mine to local horse owners who have a dirt training track to get some similar pics.

 

I have Sullivan's photo index, but no separate for a track, only years.

 

With just about everything cancelled or postponed, we only have had one racing weekend so far this year! It was Vintage Auto Racing Association"s (VARA) "British Extravaganza". I had no real competition (almost a waste of the best engine and suspension set up I've ever had on my car). One other "Big Car" (now known as Sprint Cars) and three Pre-WW I Indianapolis cars! Below are photo examples of the cars; plus shots of the Epic Battle in 2018 at the same event between the late Peter Giddings and me!

 

Peter Giddings owned some of the finest cars in the world, and could drive them well, to best him in a Ford powered car speaks volumes about you and your car. Bob

 

Thanks, Bob! It was no mean feat! I really DID have my car in the best of tune. He made me work for it. On Saturday we literally wore each other out. Being the gentleman that he was we agreed that Sunday we wouldn't beat each other up; so we put on a show for the folks. He insisted that I cross the finish line first. Neither one of us figured that this would be the last race he ran behind the wheel! I'd never told Peter that I've been racing cars, starting out on the dirt, since I was 16! His passing was sad; but expected. His "Celebration of Life" at Sonoma Raceway was fitting and exciting. All his race cars, including his newly restored Type 159 Alfa, were there; and drive by friends on the track.

 

I'm sure there will be some sort of tribute at Lime Rock over the Labor Day event. Seams like just yesterday he arrived with the freshly restored Lyon Bugatti Type 35 and lovely wife handing him wrenches. Bob

 

Peter and Judy arranged a purchase/payment sale of the Bugatti to a young man who had been racing a Jag XK120 for several years. Peter had told me at least twenty years ago that his collection of fine automobiles was their 401K retirement plan! One hopes the race cars will go to people who continue to put them on the track! (the photo is the former Giddings "Bug")

 

I wish all the photos that are put on the Antiquated thread about Champ, Sprint, and midgets from the past were posted here. Just hoping I guess...

 

His post was reported to the moderators.

 

To continue to while away my time and yours in quarantine, I'll drag this one out from my archives:
From the 2017 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion:

We ran with the top five during the laps of practice on Thurs. and Friday. In the Qualifying Race on Saturday morning about halfway through the session a cylinder dropped out so I went into the pits. We took the valve cover off and found that a snap ring on the rockers shaft end had come off and the screw adjuster on #3 intake valve had backed off. We put the rocker assembly back into position, snapped in the ring and put the valve cover back on; then re-installed the ignition loom.
That afternoon I had to start in last place in the Main Event for our Group 2A . When in our rolling start, I saw the leading cars get the Green Flag as I came into Turn 11 (the last turn). I stood on it and accelerated quickly, looking to pass a number of cars before reaching the Flag Station. I pushed up to about sixth position ( out of about 30 cars)! 200 feet from the Start Line my engine quit completely! They put out the Yellow Flag, the Tow Truck came out, put me on the Hook and towed me back to my Paddock site. I got out of the car and keeping my helmet and gloves on I opened the hood and pushed the primary lead on the distributor completely in. Hitting the Start Button, it fired up! (when replacing the loom I failed to get the lead all the way home). I jumped back into the car, buckled up and threaded through the crowds and got back out on the track. I was of course in last place. Despite passing all the cars except the two leaders, I still finish last But it WAS fun!

And darned if I didn't get the award for "Driving Excellence and Presentation" for my trouble!

 

I'm not that "up " on sprint cars so if this is not in the correct thread let me know and I will delete it.

 

It looks like a midget to me. Nevertheless its a pretty car of the golden era. I like