Cyr & Hopper duly noted in the advertisement. Hello, When my brother and I heard of this gathering of the top drag racers from all across the USA coming to the Westcoast, it was unbelievable. The drag racers we had only read about in the weekly Drag News were actually coming to a dragstrip about an hour +45 minutes away. It was to be an all day into the early night event. Back in December of 1959, we were told of a huge drag race that was advertised in the Drag News labeled as the best racers in the East versus the always fast Westcoast contingent in the drag racing world. No racers had traveled to other dragstrips, except for their own individual road trips. But, this event was going to be a showcase of the top racers in almost every category of classes from all parts of the USA. It was about a two hour drive to get there along surface streets and again, we left in the dark from Long Beach, to get there by the opening gate hour of 8 am. It was a huge drag strip out in the middle of nowhere and we began to see the different racers all lined up trying to enter the gate for the pits and actual drag strip facilities. A couple of Long Beach drag racing enthusiastic teenagers (Green/White 56 Chevy Bel Air + Black 34 Ford Coupe owners/drivers) My brother and his older teenage friends had decided to go to the drive to Riverside Raceway in late December of 1959. I was the tag along kid with a camera to record as much as I could. It was an honor to be able to hang out with older teens and still be a part of the contingent from Long Beach to watch the big name racers arriving at this event. As they walked along the pit rows and drag strip, I wandered on my own after a few morning shots. and don’t forget it was one of the first So Cal drag races of the newest twin Buick FED of Tommy Ivo, too. It was the first and definitely not the last gathering of all of the biggest names in drag racing from all over the USA, to race in So Cal. Being So Cal drag race teens, we could not miss this big time event. The Riverside Raceway Dragstrip course in 1959 from the cliff top perch looking back toward the starting line. Which of course, was accessible as close as one could get to the actual starting line. Jnaki I was fortunate to take the only captured films of the record setting Cyr and Hopper FED, ever... December 20, 1959. From the time we saw it in the early morning pits to the starting line blast away, it was a great day for the team. Within the above film, one sees the Chassis Research race car blasting away. To highlight the actual race from the urging of our friends who saw the raw footage, here is the actual race against the ever dangerous, but fast Competition Coupe, from Bill Colburn and his Colburn Glaze Wax Company. From my starting line location, it was the best competitive run on that particular day. A competition coupe against a top Westcoast FED, needless to say, I did not know if I should plug my ears or just tough it out with the filming going on, right in front of me. It was, one of the most exciting drag races in early history December, 1959.
It is first time I see such steering wheel on a side car. What is it for? Is it to change the angle in turns?
The Jalopy Journal
