Curt, nice story. I too have some "industrial" hearing loss, and it can be frustrating, especially on the phone.
@Curt Six - Great . . . read! I . . . really . . . enjoyed . . . the . . . 1959 . . . March . . . Meet: . . . story. Looking . . . forward . . . to . . . "hearing" . . . the . . . Tommy . . . Ivo . . . 1964 . . . British . . . International . . . Drag . . . Festival: . . . antics . . . story. - @HEMI32
I was already familiar with Steve ****an’s fanatical attention to detail. The caption I wrote to accompany Ken’s photo had already been kicked back to me once—maybe twice—before Steve called. “I really think we should find out more about exactly when they added the blower and who was involved. Always a problem. A picture says 1,000 words and they expect you to condense it into 10. The March meet was always the place to be if you wanted to see engine carnage. The Legendary 204 MPH P***: The most famous intersection of hydrazine and Famoso Raceway occurred in late February 1963 at the U.S. Fuel and Gas Championships (the famous "March Meet"). Legendary driver Chris "The Greek" Karamesines shocked the motorsport world by clocking an unprecedented 204 miles per hour p***. While heavily debated for decades due to potential timing stand glitches, drag racing history widely attributes the staggering speed to a heavy mix of nitromethane and "the squeeze" (hydrazine).
Chris Karamesines alleged 204 mph p*** was not at the ‘63 Bakersfield March Meet, it was actually at Alton, IL in 1960. It was four years later that Don Garlits ran what is credited as the first official 200 at a sanctioned track. I think the Greek would give a grin and a wink if asked about the Alton 204 mph run.
I was very fortunate last year while visiting Don's museum. He was there and came out and told all the visitors stories for almost an hour. He remembers the smallest details and it was truly amazing to hear some of the legendary stories about him in his own words.
I was at the Garlits Museum in February. I was surprised and pleased at the credit given to the Greek as another one of the early pioneers of TF racing.
Great story. Garlits is still a national treasure. About a year or two ago I got to hang out with him at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida. I gave me and a couple other guys a very detailed rundown of the various rear end housings, carrier ***emblies , and gear ratios that he had progressed through over the decades. He is still such an interesting guy.
Hello, That was a fun read. I had experienced the whole scene as a young teen and wrote from my own times reading all about the events. My brother was mad because we missed the first Bakersfield March Meet in 1959. But, we followed the whole West Coast touring and information from the local published, Drag News Weekly. We followed anxiously at the news coming out of Bakersfield and wanted to know how he was going to continue his West Coast Tour. For, the information we gathered was p***ed on to the drag race locals and now, we knew what he was planning to do to continue his tour. Jnaki We vowed we would not miss the next March Meet and planned early on how we would drive the 3 plus hour drive to Bakersfield from our house in the Westside of Long Beach. We wished it was just around the corner at Lion’s Dragstrip, that would have saved us at least 6+ hours on the road and back… Here is an old story with a correction added to update the information. Bakersfield 1959 March Meet #1 It has been 66 (67) years for the big turn around in the fortunes of Don Garlits. At 29 years old, in the East, he was one of the fastest racers around. But, when he came out to the initial March Meet in Bakersfield in 1959 , he went out in the first round and went to So Cal for some help. The industry sponsors and local racers had suggestion for various things and came up with a blower spec motor with a 671 on top. Now, he was pretty equal the top racers in the Westcoast that were powered by the hemi motor with a 671 supercharger on top. This started his winning, continued, West coast tour and changed the way he raced. It was a historic turning point for the racer from Florida. These photos and films are the only ones taken and recorded for drag racing history, at the time of his Westcoast tour in 1959 and the 2nd annual March Meet in 1960. From March 1959 Smokers Event Drag News Weekly So, with such a disappointing showing at the initial Westcoast appearance for the Garlits team, they got some help from noted So Cal locals. Note the adverti*****t photo taken prior to the early March 7th event... This event at Kingdon Drag Strip was supposed to be the next stop after Bakersfield in March if 1959. The early photo was carburetor powered Hemi motor. But after the devastating performance or lack thereof at Bakersfield in early March, he returned to Kingdon with a 671 supercharger, plus a blower spec motor to continue his Westcoast tour. The whole Don Garlits West Coast Tour in 1959 is best summed up in this excerpt from WDIFL article. “After a humbling defeat at the first Smoker's Meet (in March of 1959) at Famoso, Don Garlits hastily equipped his "Swamp Rat" dragster with a supercharger and won the next big race at Kingdon two weeks later.” WDIFL As West Coast drag racers were happy with the results at the March 1959 Smokers Race at Bakersfield, Garlits started to do some changes to be more compe***ive. After the new 671 was added, he was off to Kingdon for some racing in Northern California. Kingdon 1959 Now, the results were what everyone thought of was going to happen in 1959, but the Westcoast racers had one step ahead back then. So, this time, it was everyone’s race at any time… “After incurring burns at a race at Chester, SC. in 1959 Don was unable to drive and his friend Art Malone, pictured here with Don, took over the driving. Don also changed over from the 8 carburetor set-up he had used previously, to a Hilborn two-port injector. With the ability to tune the car more accurately performance immediately improved. At one of the first outings with Malone in the seat at Sanford, ME. on August 23, 1959, the car set a new Standard 1320 speed record of 183.66 MPH.” WDIFL Then, one year later: The only color films of the now, faster FED race car. March 1960: Smokers March Meet #2
1998ish (?) my dad, girlfriend (now wife) and I were taking my grandmother to Florida for the winter. I insisted we stop at The Garlits museum. We pull onto the road and I say 'WAIT!! STOP!!'. Don was in his garage working on a 46-48 Ford. I hopped out the van and ran up to him. Glad I did. He was the coolest guy I ever met. Even after some crazed ***** jumped out of a van and ran up his driveway. I'll never forget that.
the drag racing museum is one of my favorites. In the store I bought a few T shirts and this reminder of a race Don did not win...
I got to go with my dad on one of those dad and kid weekends to SIR /Pacific raceways out east of Kent Wa in the early 60's when Don showed up for a big time race but never got close to him. At that time my dad might not have understood why a 13 year old kid wanted to go meet this specific drag racer. Move on to 1988 and a road trip in my 51 Mercury where I took my dad along on a road trip to McGegor Tx to take my kids back to my wife as we had been separated for a couple of years and she had moved back to Texas to be close to her folks. That trip included a couple of days at Bonneville on the way back that were planned. Anyhow there I am at Bonneville looking at Bruce Crowers Nash Powered roadster not letting on that I knew that he was Bruce Crower but was a dude totally wrapped up in this specifically built roadster to run in a certain cl*** and he was giving me the grand tour of the roadster. About that time this white K car comes flying across the pit area at way too fast for the pit area and Bruce says "who the hell is that" and the car comes up close to us and Don Garlits and his wife hop out and Don gives the big " High Bruce" . I was totally involved in the moment and dad was getting bore as all hell because he just did not understand what was transpiring. Don's wife was taking photos and somewhere in their 1988 trip to Bonneville archive photos there are photos of Don, Bruce and a fat guy in a cowboy hat with his grumpy father in the background. On Sunday when the cars were in line for a run Dad did go up to Don and get him to sign his pit p*** that was on his hat. Back to the race in the early 60's I think one of the local guys beat Don that day but that was about 65 years ago.
Oh God forbid we have somebody, with common sense,honest, and has the balls to look out for the working man in Congress!!!
Garlits Museum is worth the trip. Plenty of room for trailers if your hauling. Find a way to get there. So much to do in Florida... what's an extra day.
I've been told that Don Garlits had a clause in his contract with the Smokers that he couldn't run his dragster in California before the Smokers meet. It's little known that he brought Setto Postonian's(sp?) blown car to Colton the previous weekend.
The Jalopy Journal
