Oh Wow! The membership cards, the timing tags and that trophy are just killer. Such an awesome collection. Thanks for sharing.
Another fabulous offering!!!! Thanks again Woodiemike. I'm a total sucker for timing tags. I've saved all mine but I'll have to be long dead before they become cool. What a history you have in your hands!!!!
I never knew Ak's name was Akton. You learn something new every day. I met Ak when he came over to Goodwood a few years ago. Mart.
Why did I not see this before? Best. Thread. Ever. And I agree that The Rodder's Journal needs to highlight these pics. BTW....Do I see the Remington car in a few of these pics? And Mr. Navarro makes a few appearances. Thanks for posting all this history for all to see.
I have spent a good portion of the morning in dreamland. This is a incredible collection of photos and comments by so many notables. The names on the programs are very notable and worthy of notice. Ryan this should become a Sticky. It would be good for it to become required reading for future Hamber's
Wilmer McNatt's 1947 Russetta timing plate In 1947 Russetta Timing was a solely owned enterprise that operated scheduled events on El Mirage. It was Raymond Ingram's side business. Raymond operated Raymond Automotive auto service at 9807 S. Main Street in Los Angeles. He owned and operated the timing equipment (Clocks). The meets were open to anyone. Unlike the SCTA, no club membership was required. Also any type of car - roadster, coupe, sedan or ? - could get "timed' by paying the entry fee. In 1948 the Russetta Timing Assn.(RTA) was formed to operate lakes meets. The association would be similar to the SCTA with clubs and memberships required. The main difference, compared to the SCTA, was that RTA would allow coupes and sedans to race. Raymond Ingram continued to "time" the cars with his clocks.
I lost part of my post - Sorry Re: Russetta Timing Assn. - RTA The RTA was started with about 16 clubs. Two SCTA clubs, the Gophers and Lancers, were among the founding fathers of the RTA. In fact, the first President of the RTA was Nelson Taylor (Gophers) and the Tech Committee Chairman was Johnny Ryan (Gophers). The first RTA meet was in May, 1948 on El Mirage. The RTA grew quickly with more new clubs and members. Some of the clubs faded out and many of their members moved on to other clubs. Example - I joined the RTA in May of 1948 but most of the guys in my club were not seriously interested in racing so the club faded out and I moved on the Velociteers. One other member of our club also moved on to another more race oriented club - Don Nicholson. After 1948 a lot of lakes racers had joined both the SCTA and RTA. It afforded more opportunities to race their car. As with the SCTA back then, a lot of the RTA members went on to be remembered in hot rodding history either for racing accomplishments or in the auto or racing industry. I put on the timing tags to show that the RTA continued to use the plates that Raymond had been using, Note that on Wilmer's (and my 1949 plate) the traps length was 1/4 mile while the 1951 plate shows the traps as 1/10 mile. The improvement in the clock accuracy allowed for shorter traps length. Both of my timing plates attached were for my Hudson sedan. Mike - Thanks for your post. I did not know that your Dad had joined the Gophers until you posted this. My memory thinks that the Pasadena Roadster club was fading out about then. Good stuff Don www.montgomeryhotrodbooks.com
Anyone who doesn't agree that this is one of the topmost best threads on here must be lost. "I need my mirror boy"
Agreed!! Someone suggested earlier that this thread should be the basis of a Rodders Journal article, I second the motion...these pictures, the history, and the artifacts are priceless...hope TRJ is listening!
Thanks again, Don for all this history...I think that Don Blair was originally in the Pasadena Roadster Club until it faded and then joined the Gophers....I really wish I had asked him more questions about this history when I worked there!
Hi Dave Don Blair was a prewar and postwar member of the Gophers with guys like Jack McGrath, Nelson Taylor and Johnny Ryan. The Gophers club faded away in the end of the 1940s as many of the guys moved on to other things. It is important to remember that perhaps most of the lakes clubs members in the 1946 to 1949 era were veterans back from wartime duty. After settling down and going to school (G I Bill) or getting jobs hot rodding for many of them took a back seat. Don and Bruce Blair were in business in Pasadena so I assume Don thought it good for him to join the Pasadena Roadster Club. He was deeply involved with track roadster racing by then so his involvement with the lakes was usually done by his friends or employees, running cars he had bought or he sponsored. So to answer your question, Don was a Gopher first. Don
Thanks, Don, I think you note this point in one of your books; hot rodding grew tremendously after WWII, single guys built hot rods and raced them at the lakes, but when they got married and had kids, hot rods were pretty impractical. That's why we saw lots of street roadsters converted into drag roadsters, still with filled grill shells and holes where the '39 Ford taillights were. Your history lessons are incredible!
Wow, wow, wow!!!! It just keeps getting better!! All the comments are fantastic! Again you guys keep the ball rolling! Like Mart said "you learn something new every day". I, like you Mart, did not know AK's name was Akton till I had seen his name on the Membership Card years ago!! And firingorder; hopefully you won't have to wait that long for people to enjoy all that you have collected. Sooner or later, it will be appreciated, just as what I have is being appreciated by all of you. And again, that is my hope!! I thank you all for the kind words, but I really feel that it is all of you that are making this work!! So give yourself a "pat on the back"!! I am again going to post some info from a couple of sources, and hope all enjoy. I have a picture of my Dad accepting a trophy that say's 19 PRC 48 / 3rd "C" R. /presented to Wilmer McNatt by Harlan G. Loud. Don Montgomery has informed me that Harland Loud was a Ford dealer in Pasadena at the time. I'll tell ya...Don is just a wealth of information!! Thank's Don. There is a page with the Points Results from 1949, a lot of great names here. And an article out of the Hot Rod Magazine June 1950 that I have covering the Russetta season opener April 22-23. Some very interesting reading. Along with a few pictures. As always, I hope you all enjoy, and keep the ball rolling!!!
Hey gwhite, you're a super moderator. So you must be fairly well up in the hierarchy. Perhaps you could get this as a page one sticky. It should be as its the best thread ever posted here. Plus it might show all the youngsters what traditional lakes racing was all about.
The page about the 1950 Russetta meet shows a 1936 Cord on the bottom of the page. Tom "Acmo" McLaughlin was probably my best racing friend. We were both in the Glendale Coupe And Roadster Club (GCRC). Acmo built this Cord for the 1950 season using his 3/8 X 3/8 flathead engine. Howard Johansen encouraged him to put a GMC engine in the car for the 1951 season. Tom ended up with the B Sedan record for 1951 at 133.82 mph. Both Tom and I were racing almost every week at the drags by then. He decided to build a lighter sedan - a 1941 Graham. It had the shape of the Cord but it weighted about 600 lbs less than his Cord. So I bought the Cord because it had less frontal area than my Hudson. I put my Buick engine in the Cord and went racing. We both ran in the B Sedan class in 1952 and I was fortunate enough to get the record at 137.509 mph. His best time was 136 mph. For 1953 Tom put a 260 cu. in. GMC engine in his Graham to move to the A Sedan class while I put a 292 cu. in GMC engine in the Cord to run in the B Sedan class. By the end of the season Tom owned the A Sedan class record and I owned the B Sedan record. In 1953 Tom was the Individual Point Champion in the RTA winning the number 1 for the next year. The lighter Graham would go a couple of MPH faster at the drags when Tom ran his 298 cu.in GMC engine. Both of our Cord style sedans set records at various drag strips. The picture of the Cord at Santa Ana was in 1953 when I was running a Howard 12 port GMC engine. It ran 107 mph there. Tom was a wonderful friend. Don www.montgomeryhotrodbooks.com
I love that little "T" roadster. And those pics of the Cord are very cool! And that trophy pictured above! Wow. Also, we are very lucky to have Mr. Montgomery's input on this thread.
I believe that Cord is the same one that was later owned by Don Montgomery. What a nice car. edit... Oops. I missed Don's post.
What ever happened to the Cord, is it still around? Thanks for sharing all the interesting pictures and stories.
I was reading the August 1952 Hot Rod Magazine last night, and on p. 27, was a picture of the Cord at El Mirage, with the following caption "First place in "B" Sedan class went to Don Montgomery, who turned 125. Car is '36 Cord with 330 cu. in Buick engine." I'd scan it but scanner is not working. How many guys on the HAMB can say that they made the pages of HRM in 1952?
Yes!! the memories and photos are priceless...and, I repeat, it should be a Rodder's Journal feature, anyone know those guys, don't they have a HAMB connection?
Again you guy's totally amaze me with your knowledge! Unbelievable! And again, thanks to all who have commented. I'll post some more pictures, along with some pages out of the S.C.T.A program June 12-12 1949. I think you will enjoy the articles, along with a couple of great pictures. Also interesting is the Club duties at the meet. Obviously all clubs were involved. And check out the SCTA class records. As for the pictures, I really love the one at the starting line! The one take from up high with the line up is great also. Don't know what to say about the one with the open wheel car, and the little one? Is it an early indy car? Sprint car? I'm not sure, but I'm sure someone out there will know!! So let's hear it! As always, hope ya enjoy
More amazing history!! Including the Great One himself. Each time I open this thread I feel a lot like Howard Carter when he said "I see wonderful things". What still amazes me is that this thread is ignored by the powers that be. Try posting that you have a rusty old Ford rim and ask if you should retain the "patina" or paint it. I'm sure it will be instantly made a sticky for all eternity.
Does anyone know if Russetta printed programs of their meets like SCTA did?I would love to see some from the 1949-1953 seasons...
The Jalopy Journal
