Another quiz

[wingman]

A couple more JRS shots... You might recognize some of the other folks here.

[Big_Jim]

So Brad -- while you're here, could you run down some of Dwight's major racing involvements before 1985?

There was obviously 1964, and presumably the Lyford efforts after that, with the Nitrous and such.

There was #5 and Balz.

In the 70s I think he was doing Bob Love's motors for #97. It's always seemed a shame that Bob just didn't ever seem to have the money or sponsorship to make it to the top. He gave Lyle a good run for the money a couple of times though. I remember Lyle talking about how he felt when Bob would pull up on him -- he was not a big fan of racing against Bob Love.

Around 1980 he test ran the first Allison rod motor.

and what else?

Do you know the provenance of the 1985 (and Bakersfield) and 1986 motors in Strega? Did any of these engines have Allison rods?

Neal

Well, lets see. He was with Lyford from '64-67 with Bardahl Special/Challenger. Miss R.J. in 68-70. Roto-Finish '71-72. Oogahonk '73-75. Section Eight '79-81. Head Gorilla/Furias '83-84. And then Strega starting in '85.

I think the first Allison-rod motor was tested in Section Eight in 1979, but may not have raced until Reno '80.

And I'd have to go back and look, but I think Strega ran the Mike Nixon motor at Bakersfield because that was what they had. May have even been a Nixon motor at Reno '85, but I know at Reno '86 it was one of Doc's motors. But the Mouse in Strega started at Reno '87.

[wingman]

Ah -- I'd forgotten Dwight working with LLoyd. I didn't know about Miss RJ, but it makes sense -- a pilot connection with 1980, too.

Seeing your list makes me realize that my impressions of him being out of racing for much of the period were quite incorrect. His involvement was really pretty continuous.

[CJAM427]

And Hello back Connor. I've wondered what you've been up to. Still taking photographs, I assume. Will posts here occasionally, and on another site I frequent, but you've been real quiet. I still remember a PM discussion we had 4 years ago about political messages on raceplanes. I understand that you've been active working with the EAA, but know no specifics.

I have an unrelated question for you -- I'll start a new thread sometime over the next couple of days.

Neal

I'm EAA's staff photographer now, so yes still taking photographs! It keeps me pretty busy but in a good way. I've tried to make it back to the races the last two years but it just hasn't worked out. As a result I feel like I haven't had anything worth sharing here which is why I've been silent.

-Connor

[Big_Jim]

A couple more JRS shots... You might recognize some of the other folks here.

John Bjornsen, Gary Levitz, Skip Holm, Pete Law, Sam Torvik.

BTW, that's actually Steve Hinton in Miss Ashley at Hamilton. Gary had something come up at the last minute after he'd committed to bring the airplane, so asked Steve to race it for him.

[Big_Jim]

Ah -- I'd forgotten Dwight working with LLoyd. I didn't know about Miss RJ, but it makes sense -- a pilot connection with 1980, too.

Seeing your list makes me realize that my impressions of him being out of racing for much of the period were quite incorrect. His involvement was really pretty continuous.

Here's Doc at Reno '84 down in the CIA hangar working on Furias. I also have a picture of him somewhere sitting in the cockpit doing an engine runup.

[wingman]

Actually I'm certain that that is Sandberg warming up the engine before the Silver race. Steve raced the airplane, but Jack being Jack -- Sandberg took charge of maintenance and engine management. A nice arrangement for Steve, actually. JR was there partly as part of a group of racing big shots ( including Crocker, Jack Sweeney, and others) who were very actively wooing some Indy 500 level auto racing promotion guy to get seriously involved in Air Racing. As I remember the guy decided Air Racing was too small a pond for the likes of his people and nothing ever came of it, but the wooing was serious.

Neal

[wingman]

Brad -- you missed Pete's wife JoAnne, whose blond hair is visible in the right side of the photo. LOL

[wingman]

I didn't know Dwight was still involved after Furias became red. I have a couple of shots of him with "Havenot" in bare metal, but was unaware of him with the red version.