Canadian motorcycle winner, Billy Mathews

Billy Mathews did well at the Daytona 200, on the beach. He was originally from Hamilton, ON, but ended up in Vancouver for a while.

Oh, and Happy New Year!

Some CAMRA stuff, part four

I need to get back to this newspaper. They covered racing well back in 1969.

Some CAMRA stuff, part three

There seemed to be about three big races in Salt Lake City during the hey day of the CAMRA circuit: Intermountain, Copper Classic and Race-O-Rama.

Some CAMRA stuff, part two

More information pulled from the Google newspaper archive.

Some CAMRA stuff, part one

From the 1969 Deseret News.

Sunday funnies, International Incident, part two

Part two of the Rip Kirby story:

Saturday morning flick

This is ambitious. A long movie. But it is Xmas morning so you might have nothing to do.

When you pick yourself up off the floor from laughing give the show a look. The Fast and the Furious. I see names like Roger Corman and Chet Baker associated with it. Corman was the king of the drive-in flicks in the 1960s. And Chet Baker is a legend in the jazz world.

And the sports car theme goes well with the Rip Kirby sports car comic strip story.

See? It's Christmas!

Have a merry one.

(And forgive the possible ad leading into the movie.)

another day, another link

This one is some early Alberta drag racing photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/64016244@N00/sets/72157605906912807/

when in doubt, link and link again

A few findings on the weeb:

http://rides.webshots.com/album/1870528gxDRcKPPUI

http://www.theoaks.ca/bobwalkerhistoricracing.html

http://www.theoaks.ca/historic2.html

Sunday funnies, a return!

Been a while. And it took the internet to help find me a long story to get interested in.

Rip Kirby. One of those strips I didn't pay attention to back when I was a kid. Not enough action I suppose.

More about Rip and original artist Alex Raymond here. Not sure if he did the work on this story or just had his name attached to it.

Anyway, I see it's called "International Incident".

So "leave us begin", as one of those cartoon characters might say:

Saturday morning cartoon, Mighty Mouse

This brings back some misspent Saturday mornings. A friend and I cheered for the cats. Of course, the stories were always "rigged" for the mice.

Don't remember this "Hot Rod" story. Corny but familiar. (I'm not giving anything away when I tell you the mice come out okay. Again!)

internet archives, motorcycle stuff

A couple clippings from Alberta concerning the exploits of the motorcycling world. Vancouver's Trev Deeley is mentioned in the Montana race report. Eugene Thiessen raced a Chilliwack, BC, a number of times. And he won there as well.

internet archives, another batch

Some information on the Model T races held in Alberta. They started during the Second World War and lasted until about 1951.

Saskatchewan also held them. One race had a four page spread the day before the Labour Day race.

internet archives

Some newspapers are getting their microfilm digitized. Guaranteed this is a good thing. Not perfect yet but not having to cross town for some of these is great.

A couple from the Regina Morning Post (or Leader-Post, depending on era). I wouldn't mind trying an "Old Bohemian Style Lager" right now.

IMCA, Regina, 1933

I thought I did this one but can't find it listed. So, here is the 1933 IMCA stuff from Regina.

IMCA, Medicine Hat, 1921

I wondered about this question for a while:

I see I have some tentative information on a race at Medicine Hat, AB, but nothing solid. Would like to find out more. Anyone? June 29, 1921, Medicine Hat, AB --not sure if this race was run

Found the answer recently.

Sunday cartoon

I know, I'm slow, I'm late, it's Christmas, I got no excuses.

old Brock Yates story on sprint cars, part two

Finishing the 1965 Brock Yates look at sprint cars.

old Brock Yates story on sprint cars, part one

Brock Yates has lots of opinions on lots of racing things. This story was from January, 1965.

Sunday cartoon

It's December! Already!

Northwest sprint car champs, 1937 to the war

1937 -- Jimmie Wilburn

1938 -- (from National Auto Racing News)

Adolph Dans
Swede Lindskog
Les Anderson
Tommy Legge
Bert Blomgren
Ernie Spalding
Chick Barbo
Art Scovell
Tony West
Claude Walling

1939 -- no champion? (according to National Auto racing news)

1940 -- unknown

1941 -- unknown

Northwest sprint car champs, 1936

1936 -- (final standings from Coast Auto Racing)

Frank Wearne
Jimmie Wilburn
Johnny McDowell
Woody Woodford
B. Denslow
Jimmy Wilkeson
Bayliss Levrett
Mel Kenealy
Swede Lindskog
Jackie Dinsmoor

Northwest sprint car champs, part two

Some more big car (sprint car) champions from the northwest:

1933 -- Art Scovell

1934 -- Woody Woodford (got this from Coast Auto Racing, so I think it's confirmed as being correct)

1935 -- (standings with one race to go, Wilburn had a big points lead, information from Coast Auto Racing)

Jimmie Wilburn
Mel Kenealy
Johnny McDowell
Roy Ernstrom
Dave Dippolito
Woody Woodford
??? Webb
Les Anderson
Dude Bailey
Swede Lindskog

1990 super modified dash

Marty White qualified 2nd quick for the day. He is introduced as being from Washington state but he's actually from Kamloops, BC, by way of Langley Speedway. He was in a car from Maple Valley, WA.

Northwest sprint car champs

I was asked for what I knew about the "big car" (sprint car) champions from the northwest over the years. Here's a little of what I know.

1929 -- George "Swede" Smith
1930 -- Howard Wills
1931 -- Mario Bianchi
1932 -- either Mario Bianchi or "Swede" Smith (points were very close)

It appears from an article from a 1970s issue of Racing Wheels that Mario Bianchi was the 1932 champ. Here's a story, I believe written by Pike Green, on Mario:

1960 misc., part four

Last bit of info I have for the 1960 season around the Greater Vancouver area.

1960 misc., part three

Another installment of 1960 motorsport from the Greater Vancouver area.

1960 misc., part two

Some more motorsport from 1960.

1960 misc., part one

Some other forms of racing that happened in 1960.

1960 oval results

We'll see how good this is:

Saturday, May 21 -- False Creek -- unknown

Monday, May 23 -- False Creek -- unknown

May 28 -- False Creek -- unknown

Saturday, June 4 -- False Creek -- unknown

June 11 -- False Creek -- A main, Ralph Monhay; B main, Doug Airth

June 18 -- False Creek -- afternoon: A main, Ken Klatt; B main, Bob Desormeaux; evening: A main, Les Diack; B main, Norm Dahl

June 25 -- False Creek -- unknown

June 26 -- Haney -- unknown

Saturday, July 2 -- False Creek -- A main, Ralph Monhay; B main, Reno Koelman

Sunday, July 3 -- Haney -- unknown

July 9 -- False Creek -- A main, Les Diack

July 10 -- Haney -- A main, Les Diack

July 16 -- False Creek -- A main, Ralph Monhay; B main, Wayne McKenzie

July 17 -- Haney -- unknown

July 23 -- False Creek -- unknown

July 24 -- Haney -- unknown

July 30 -- False Creek -- A main, Ralph Monhay

July 31 -- Haney -- A main, Ken Klatt (?)

Saturday, August 6 -- False Creek -- midget A main, Gordy Livingston (#12 Reelie)

Sunday, August 7 -- Haney -- unknown

August 13 -- False Creek -- A main, Ken Klatt; B main, Joe Kafer

August 14 -- Haney -- unknown

August 20 -- False Creek -- unknown

August 21 -- Haney -- unknown

August 27 -- False Creek -- A main, 50 lap Bardahl Trophy, Ralph Monhay; B main, Frank Markell

August 28 -- Haney -- unknown

Saturday, September 3 -- False Creek -- unknwon

Sunday, September 4 -- Haney -- unknown

September 10 -- False Creek -- unknown

September 11 -- Haney -- unknown

September 17 -- False Creek -- unknown

September 18 -- Haney -- unknown

September 24 -- False Creek -- hardtops, A main, Les Diack

September 25 -- Haney -- unknown

1947 Kurtis Kraft

A lap at the Milwaukee Mile with the City of Tacoma Special:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnqvS1HZTdw

Made an appearance at Langford Speedway, in Victoria, around 1948.

1960 oval racing, part four

Last of the oval clippings. (There's always more in the archive but I can't give it "all" away, now can I?)

1960 oval racing, part three

Third installment of the 1960 oval racing clippings. A pair of midget events occurred at False Creek in 1960. The Bob "Cregg" mentioned is actually Bob Gregg, who you can find more about by clicking his tag over on the left.

1960 oval racing, part two

Some more 1960 stuff, mainly False Creek Speedway. I have indications, and a tiny morsel of a result, that Haney Speedway was in operation, but it definitely wasn't making it into the newspapers more than once or twice.