1950's land speed racers pics

[tomsmith]

I just moved forward (slowly).  My only real problem is old age and I doubt I can do anything about it.  I don't weigh 124 pounds any more.  I also gained a wife and three kids.  I changed from a pre-med major to mathematics (I still don't know why) and got into computers.  This is a good fit for weird nerds, and it lasted me from 1959 until I retired in 2001.  I used to tell the people that worked for me that if they ever detected any signs of me growing up to warn me immediately.  My wife thinks the warning worked. 

[Granddaddy Joe]

Yep, I worked at Motorcycle Specialties HD on Garvey Blvd in South San Gabriel, who sponsored me, off and on for about three years.  Down Garvey a mile or two was Ed Kretz's shop.  I dropped out of college in 1952 and worked there full time in exchange for discounted parts and free labor on my drag bike since I didn't have any money.  I normally rode Joe Fernandez' knucklehead at drags and dry lakes.  Since he was good friends with Blackie Bernal, he set me up with Blackie and his drag Triumph in 1952 when he had his drag bike down for upgrade to billet cylinders and bigger displacement.  Joe thought I needed something to do while waiting for him.  I also rode a K-model Harley at Carrell Speedway and my HD Hummer on scrambles & Catalina.  John Gregurich sold the shop to Bob Laidlaw right about the time that Joe Smith initially ran his drag bike out of the shop.  I loaned my gas dragster (minus motor) to Joe Smith for a while.  He used his motor in it while he was building up his first drag bike.  Bob Laidlaw did the lower end on my dragster and I did the porting and upper end.  I returned to college in 54 after recovering from Bonneville and built up my gas dragster in 57 or 58.  I finally dropped out of college and got a real job in 1959 at Edwards AFB.  By that time I was married and had a kid.  College, wife, kid and a job kind of slowed me down permanently although my wife got mad at me when I quit running drags.

I'm going to go ahead and reply to this post until I learn more about the workings of this Forum...

Hi Tommy,

I remember the day I first met Bob Laidlaw and he told me the story of Tommy Smith, it was a Big Story in the Salt Racing World at that time...

I also worked for Laidlaw in the seventy's and eighty's, Bob was my main Sponsor through out my Drag Racing Career...He was responsible for the seven year Sponsorship I had from the Harley Davidson Motor Co...He and the fact that I was at the top of the Motorcycle Drag Racing field...

I met John Noonan when a Aussie email friend came to America to meet with me for a visit, we met a Laidlaw's new Store and had a great day of past memories and bench racing...plus we spent some time with Bob Laidlaw which was a treat in it's self...Bob and I have been friends since 1954...

I remember when they let me used that complete drag chassis but didn't know it was yours at the time...I believe it was raced before with a Panhead Motor, I know I went faster with it with my Knucklehead motor than the Pahhead...I have some pictures of when I used that chassis and if you like I will find them and Post one...

Granddaddy Joe Smith
 

[John Noonan]

Hello Joe and welcome to the forum..

Tell us more about this Tom Fellow..

J

[Granddaddy Joe]

Hello Joe and welcome to the forum..

Tell us more about this Tom Fellow..

J

Hey John,

I really never met Tommy, seen him once after the accident at Motorcycle Specialties before it became Laidlaw's Harley Davidson...I only heard the story of the "fall down on the Salt" and how badly he got messed up...Man, that all happen probably before you were born...I really didn't know that he later worked at Ed Kretz's Triumph Dealership which was just down the street from Laidlaw's or just don't remember, that was a long time ago and a different life back then...

I went 118 MPH on gas with that chassis, like I said not knowing it was Tommy's...It was a lot prettier than the one I was using at the time and I was glad to use it for them...What brought it on was the argument between Gregavich (owner of Motorcycle Specialties) and Bob Laidlaw who at the time was the Engine Builder at Specialties...The argument was Bob said he could build a faster motor than the Panhead that was in Tommy's bike which Gregavich built...The Panhead went 113 MPH if I'm correct...Laidlaw won the "BET"...

I've been trying to keep up with your action at Bonneville, not hard to do, plus I get info from our Aussie Friend, Baz...

[John Noonan]

Joe,

I was asking about Tom N..

Nevermind..Tell Baz Hello.

J

[Granddaddy Joe]

Joe,

I was asking about Tom N..

Nevermind..Tell Baz Hello.

J

I went back and checked and seen what you are talking about...You have to give me some credit John, I'm old, so old I removed the mirror's in the bathroom long ago...

What was your name Bond no John, I got it now, Sorry...



1969, my Knucklehead at Bonneville

[High Gear]

Tom,

Did you run a junior fuel Triumph in the late 60's?

Gary

[bak189]

Great to hear you are still with us, Joe......I had the pleasure in seeing you run many a time at the drags..
About the same time period I was running a Triumph out of Bill Graves's shop in Pasadena........Bill called the bike "Senator"  because Bill said "It made lots of noise....and did not do much".......we had fun.......


 

[Granddaddy Joe]

Great to hear you are still with us, Joe......I had the pleasure in seeing you run many a time at the drags..
About the same time period I was running a Triumph out of Bill Graves's shop in Pasadena........Bill called the bike "Senator"  because Bill said "It made lots of noise....and did not do much".......we had fun.......


 

Is this one of the Baker Brothers of the late 50's...?

[John Noonan]

Great to hear you are still with us, Joe......I had the pleasure in seeing you run many a time at the drags..
About the same time period I was running a Triumph out of Bill Graves's shop in Pasadena........Bill called the bike "Senator"  because Bill said "It made lots of noise....and did not do much".......we had fun.......


 

Is this one of the Baker Brothers of the late 50's...?




[/quote

Joe,

Can't be, he is about 72.....

[slopoke]

.

[Stan Back]

That (those) Enfield was the king for quite a while!

[Granddaddy Joe]

Quote,

"I remember looking at "Joe's" bike photo's in CYCLE Magazine,
and using pencil and protractor to figure out wheelbase,
rake, trail, CDa, horsepower, etc".



I'd like to see that...??

[slopoke]

.

[Granddaddy Joe]

Quote,

"I remember looking at "Joe's" bike photo's in CYCLE Magazine,
and using pencil and protractor to figure out wheelbase,
rake, trail, CDa, horsepower, etc".



I'd like to see that...??

That issue is still on my shelf,
with the calculations in the margin......

You should see the Enz calc's....

Like I said, I'd like to see the measurements you came up with by looking at picture in magazine of my Fuel bike...would be very interesting to see how close you came...there were three single engine bikes, which picture were you looking at...some of the articles told the dimensions...