LIONS THE GREATEST DRAG STRIP (Part 3/1967-’72) by Don Gillespie: Third and final video documentary on sport’s most famous drag strip (Long Beach, Calif.); rare photos, film, interviews with leading pioneers.

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:27:35 +0000

Third and final episode (110-minutes) on historic Long Beach, CA drag strip features 40-plus interviews with top pioneers, including; Don Garlits, Ed Iskenderian, Hayden Proffitt, Gas Ronda, Bill Maverick Golden, Robert Balogh, Carl Olson, Sush Matsubara, Tom McEwen, Pat Foster, Tommy Ivo, Dale Pulde, Don Long, C. J. Hart, Larry Sutton, etc. Begins with nitro racings version of a heavyweight bout, as Top Fuel dragsters fight the growing trend of AFX and early Funny Cars. Huge meets ensued. Innovation led to quicker ETs and speeds. Funny Cars roared into the 7-second zone. Top Fuelers blazed past 220 miles-per-hour. With increased performance came danger. Straining clutches and superchargers resulted in spectacular fires, wheel-stands and crashes, with drivers in extreme peril. One of the more dramatic segments depicts the AHRA Grand American in early 1970, when Top Fuel legend Big Daddy Don Garlits lost part of his right foot in a horrific starting line transmission explosion. Graphic film of the accident surfaced only recently. Garlits recounts the incident, plus his equally stunning return months later with a rear-engine dragster that likewise changed the sport forever. Weekly campaigners included Jr. Fuel and Gas Dragsters, AA/Gas Supercharged, AA/Fuel Altered, Injected Funny Cars, plus wild exhibition vehicles. Manager C.J. Hart departed in 1971, replaced by innovator, Steve Evans, who switched from AHRA to NHRA sanction, and produced events like the giant Grand Premier, which saw the tracks largest number of incidents. When noise complaints spelled the end in December 1972, Lions held the racing equivalent of Woodstock, with The Last Drag Race, a colossal, fitting, yet tear-filled end to one of the sports most historic, and revered tracks.

Lions – THE Greatest Drag Strip (Part Two/1962-’66) By Don Gillespie: Historical Documentary’s 2nd Volume on One of Drag Racing’s Greatest Tracks; Rare Film, Photos, Interviews with Its Pioneers

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:23:15 +0000

In-depth documentary combines rare film clips and incredible photography with firsthand accounts. Long Beach, CA-based track was pivotal in the sport's early growth, with many of the great names taking part in carving history. The latest installment by veteran motorsports journalist Don Gillespie picks up speed in 1962, when nitro cars returned after a 5-year ban under founding manager, Mickey Thompson. The (1-HR, 40-MIN) presentation concludes near the end of '66, with explosive growth in dragsters, supercharged coupes, early funny cars, etc. In 1962 newly formed 7-second dragster teams included Greer-Black & (Don) Prudhomme, plus TV Tommy Ivo, both among more than two-dozen interviewed on camera. Roland Leong recounts his accident in the Hawaiian. Don Garlits recalls a colorful match race involving Chris Karamesines. Rick Stewart, shown in a breathaking finish line crash, recounts waking up in the hospital as the Watts Riots began. Wild Willie Borsch explains how he drove his fuel altered using one hand, from uncovered audiotape. Other appearances include Tom McEwen, John Force, Gene Mooneyham, Larry Sutton, C.J. Hart, Ed Iskenderian, Ralph Guldahl, Jr., Don Prieto, Dave Wallace, Pat Foster, Paula Murphy, Ronnie Rapp, Dale Armstrong, Chris Karamesines, and many others. Top Fuel dragsters also reached 200 MPH. Match race draws included the Willys coupes of Stone-Woods-Cook versus Big John Mazmanian, the stands packed to capacity. Stockers evolved into altered wheelbase machines; carbs to injectors, gas to nitro, then blowers and funny cars were born. Emerging, too, were breathtaking streamliners, exhibition cars, junior fuelers, gas and fuel altereds, coupes, motorcycles, etc. Mickey Thompsons departure saw C.J. Pappy Hart take over, whom promptly ended NHRA sanction. Soon, epic, rival AHRA dual stocker/dragster championships took place, plus the racer-formed UDRA held a series of events of similar national caliber.

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LIONS THE GREATEST DRAG STRIP (Part 3/1967-’72) by Don Gillespie: Third and final video documentary on sport’s most famous drag strip (Long Beach, Calif.); rare photos, film, interviews with leading pioneers.

Lions – THE Greatest Drag Strip (Part Two/1962-’66) By Don Gillespie: Historical Documentary’s 2nd Volume on One of Drag Racing’s Greatest Tracks; Rare Film, Photos, Interviews with Its Pioneers