One day I will drive my roadster to El Mirage and take in the sights and sounds and environment. This weekend won't be it, though...
(Sorry I got them out of sequence, I can't seem to fix it.) We held the C and D Street Roadster records for a number of years.
1000 or 1037 one way for me from driveway to the entrance to the lake. If I had my ot pickup and old camper in decent shape and had the money for gas I would be sitting there now. I sure can't do that run one way in one day anymore though. I didn't save the map but think Cornhusker towed his roadster over 2100 miles one way to get there.
Hello, Our family has lived and played in So Cal since 1946, starting in a 25 foot long trailer to several different old houses to this day. It has been interesting to say the least. But, like anywhere else, it is a destination for some and home and exploration grounds for others. The mild climates most of the time have been the key to enjoying our outdoor activities for such a long time. The ocean + coastline always is good for a calming effect, despite the current pandemic problem and other things going on in everyone’s lives across the USA. The old saying of aging well does wonders in So Cal. It has aged well and we have enjoyed the “whole” area in all directions during our lives, since being little kids. We have learned to adapt. Now, we are old, couple of “little kids” still wondering what is the next step… Ha!! Ha!! As a teen into the 20 something years, my brother and I raced our desert dirt bikes in various races in the Mojave Desert area. Since we were beginners in this popular activity in So Cal, the Novice class was usually the largest of all classes on any given day. The drive out there to the race courses called “Hare And Hound” races was long and empty as we had to leave late at night to get to the pits for a good sleep in the inside of the 58 Impala towing a trailer and later, the back of the El Camino. It certainly did not compare to sleeping in our own beds until the early morning drive out to the desert. But, that long drive was harrowing with anxiety at the upcoming desert race. Plus, by the time we got there, we had to rush to get everything ready to race and survive the two 40-45 mile courses in one day. So, by staying overnight and at least getting some old Boy Scout sleeping on air mattresses, at least everything was ready when we woke up and not a two hour drive to get to the race course. Two of those races involved “flat out high speed throttle” racing across a portion of the El Mirage Dry Lake area. Each leg of the Hare and Hound was 40-50 miles long. The origin of those two races started in the Pearblossom area and part of the course was on the dry lake flat surface. (About 30 minutes away) Well, flat out high speed for us was not the modified roadster high speed of the cars at the actual dry lake races. For us, it was squat down to lessen the wind resistance and go as fast as the Greeves Dirt Racebike would go, with the gearing we had for the normal desert sand washes, short hills and scrub areas. This style of racing was exciting, flat wide open surface, no barriers as to how fast we wanted to go and as we did go fast, but when a big 650 Triumph blasts by us like we were standing still, is very impressive. So, kudos to the car racers and their super fast race car builds. Jnaki The old drag racing Wynn’s Friction Two Tone Red/Yellow Nylon Jacket could be seen from far away, but in a crowd, perhaps a little difficult at the start… But, there were times when 45 miles out in the middle of nowhere, I was stuck with a fouled plug and the extras did not work. So, luckily I had the brightly color jacket, then noticing the color in the drab desert, another rider gave me a similar spark plug to get started and continue back to the pits. My water canteen was low, my snack bars were gone, it was blazing hot, and it was dusty to say the least... The headless horseman on his trusty steed… was able to ride another weekend, so thanks for those saving days... Note: Don Nowell was a Gas Coupe guy that we all know with his immaculate, blue 37 Chevy. But, in reading http://writingdisorder.com/don-nowell/ it gave one of many sides to his history. This was a great article by Don Garson written in June of 2017. I found this section on Don Nowell’s exploits with dirt racing motorcycles. I can’t help but wonder if we did not cross paths out in the Mojave Desert in those zillion “Hare And Hound or European Scrambles” events during the same time period, 1964-67. “Greeves: Don Nowell: When asked when he got into motorcycles, Don points to 1964 when he bought his first bike, a Yamaha 80 motocross, then wanting more power went for a 175 Montesa for blasting out into the desert and through the canyons. Says Don, “Back then people were running imported Greeves and the Dots (Villiers) fitted with Blooie pipes, basically straight pipes and you could them making bitchin’ music playing off the canyon walls, but then they went to those expansion chambers for more power but they sounded like bumble bees.” I had a Greeves “Blooie pipe” version at first, then moved up to a 66 Greeves specifically set up for desert racing that had the expansion chambers…Yes, we sounded like a bunch of bees going in and out of the canyons, river washes and terrain. Thanks for the memories, Don… Note 2: A 1966 Greeves Challenger.. My new/old desert race bike had an extended swing arm for better stability, and a better riding position for me. I also had a twin spark plug head for continued racing in the dusty courses. Plus, it was faster than the old 250cc Scrambler in addition to the high pitched "bee buzzer" sounds coming from the expansion chamber exhaust pipe. One could just feel the “more horsepower” aspect of the new design. But, those 500cc to 650 cc Triumph bikes were the kings of the desert races, for sure !!! Those were certainly very exciting days… Kudos to those that race those hot rod builds on the flat out high speed event days in the So Cal desert area. Pure Envy...
Ya, but you have to admit it was a thing of beauty to see him drive out of it as if nothing ever happened.
The Jalopy Journal
