After working in the yard most of the day I cleaned up , grabbed a beer and my computer and settled down in my favorite chair. I was surfing around and hit on a drag racing site. I looked for a while and saw a car and driver I recognised and raced against in the early 60s. I punched in the name Jim Zakia and he was on facebook so I went there and he has a great site. I was surprised to see he is still at it and a couple of years ago he reaquired is old Anglia and is restoring it. There were a lot of faces I recognised from years past and it brought back many good memories of Sunday at Niagara Dragstrip and the many good people I met there.
Niagara Dragstrip has a good site too and I saw a lot of cars posted there that I had forgotten about but once I saw them the memories came back just like it was yesterday. there were a lot that weren't posted that I remember and they were asking for photos if anyone had them. I wasn,t much of a camera freak and I didn,t have any pics, fact is I really had to hunt to find a pic of my 55 Chev I had raced. Dam . I wish I still had that car.
There were so many good running cars over there. The Bad Bananna, Maggot, Mongoose, CC Rider, Hamilton brothers Pontiac stocker. A little Anglia from St Kitts 6 cyl powered, a runner, Peters Cheater from Niagara. A roadster from Niagara , Chev power, with 6 carbs. It ran pretty well too.
Dam good fun, good times , good people, Great memories.
I still tune in to the drags on T.V. but I wish they would televise the Nostalgia Drags . I like to watch the Gassers. To me the funny cars and Dragsters are all the same.
I remember the old days fondly as well but from Napierville, Cedres and Mohawk. I also wish there was more nostalgia stuff on TV The New Drags make me yawn. Perhaps they are over too quick to enjoy. I liked the days back when you built and ran it. Back when most but a few didn't have a lotta extra gold and ingenuity was always I action. I remember Midnight Oil, Thumber Chiily Willys, Ol Rumble Guts, Percy Also and The Quebec Express. Worked in tech in at Mohawk (mopars) in its last NHRA days. However some of that old stuff still comes alive at Picton Airfield Armdrop. Sometimes you have to rub your eyes to be sure you aren't dreaming. Raced at St Thomas maybe a half dozen times, Luskville many times, Cayuga a lot, Cicero a few and Mohawk both at the end of the early days and in its short revival years but I realized reading the thread above I have never been to Grand Bend (yet) . The thought of hauling a long way is now painful. Maybe I can hitch a ride someday. Ive ran a pile of runs at Shannonville (and brought home a lot of gold too!)and mustn't forget them for sure.
don
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SR Dragster because old people need to have fun too!
If you want to see the old stuff run, be sure to attend the Gold Cup Gasser meet over at Empire Dragway in early August. great show at a small comfortable track, and it won't break your wallet either.
