Photos: The Ken Hyndman Collection

[Bryan]

1973-74 IROC series (including Denis Hulme) - 10 minute video

1984 IROC from Talladega - Derek Bell versus the wall at 175mph.

Youtube clip

[khyndart in CA]

IROC racing got pretty wild at times.
Sometimes when you see these clips it looks more like the IROI series (International Race of Idiots)

[video=youtube;TJrewm2TV2Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJrewm2TV2Y[/video]

(Ken Hyndman )

[Grant Sprague]

IROC racing got pretty wild at times.
Sometimes when you see these clips it looks more like the IROI series (International Race of Idiots)

[video=youtube;TJrewm2TV2Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJrewm2TV2Y[/video]

(Ken Hyndman )

Ken what an action packed clip, obviousley the drivers did not own these cars talk about distructive drivers........

[Oldfart]

Did somebody ask if any of these cars survived still?

[khyndart in CA]

Grant,
These were champion drivers from F 1, Nascar, Indy,Le Mans,drag racing etc. They raced mainly on oval circuits in later years. The Nascar boys did not want to be beaten by foreign drivers on their home tracks so this led to a lot of " tapping" just to remind others of where they were !
I remember some of the races were like demolition derbies and you knew the series could not last. I am glad I got to see the early years even though they had some violent incidents back then.
Not a lot of love was lost between these proud warriors !


(Ken Hyndman )

[khyndart in CA]

Did somebody ask if any of these cars survived still?

The only original 1974 IROC Camaros that I could still find are the Black # 7 first driven by Bobby Unser Sept 14, 1974.
The Brown # 10 Camaro and the Yellow # 6 Camaro first raced by Jody Scheckter.
Perhaps someone has more information.
After seeing the way they were driven it is a miracle any survived !
Check the start of this race that I went to at Riverside. They had hardly crossed the starting line when this crash took place !

[video=youtube;IkW-y357ULk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkW-y357ULk[/video]


(Ken Hyndman )

[khyndart in CA]

I found two more photos of Riverside during IROC races in 1974 and 1975. That will be the end of this part of my collection.

The first photo shows Jody Scheckter in # 10 following the Porsche pace car with Graham Hill in Blue Camaro # 3 followed by Richard Petty in the white Camaro. They had a rolling start but still managed to collide right after the start. As shown in the previous post.

[Rod Grimwood]

Steve Millen raced in the later Camaros and turned a few heads on the oval, and a couple of 'the good o'l boys' after they had a dig at him. He was pretty respected in the end.

[khyndart in CA]

Oct 25 1975 IROC race Riverside.
It is a year later and the Camaros are back with black stripes over the hood and larger rear windows.
This shows the start of the race and Bobby Unser is already in the lead followed by James Hunt. Bobby Unser led from start to finish.The race drivers included ; Bobby Unser, AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Benny Parsons, Richard Petty, Jody Scheckter, Brian Redman, Al Unser, David Pearson, Bobby Allison and James Hunt.
In the background is the sweeping corner # 9, one of the longest corners on any road course in the country.

(This is my last Riverside photo )

( Ken Hyndman )

[khyndart in CA]

In the background you can see the high grandstands above Turn Six in October 1974.
This is approx. where Turn Six was situated today in June 2014. (Oh for the good old days !)

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9387...rlPA!2e0?hl=en

( Ken Hyndman )

[khyndart in CA]

I found two more photos of Riverside during IROC races in 1974 and 1975. That will be the end of this part of my collection.

The first photo shows Jody Scheckter in # 10 following the Porsche pace car with Graham Hill in Blue Camaro # 3 followed by Richard Petty in the white Camaro. They had a rolling start but still managed to collide right after the start. As shown in the previous post.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]25263[/ATTACH]

Riverside Raceway 1974
In the background you can just see the high grandstands above Turn Six in October 1974.

Riverside Today;
This is approx. where Turn Six was situated today in June 2014. (Oh for the good old days !)
See attached Google Map.

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.938716,-117.274806,3a,75y,7.07h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sFh-GqUX4i5cwAk2pX-rlPA!2e0?hl=en

( Ken Hyndman )

[khyndart in CA]

One thing leads to another. After reading about Dan Gurney and Riverside and that he also raced at the Santa Barbara Airport when races were held there from 1953 to 1967. As I work at Moss Motors, less than a mile from the airport I decided to check it out as I thought all the racing was done on the tarmac but found out they also raced among the hangers and out onto the road and back around. I have taken some photos of what it looks like today and also some photos of the race action from the 1967 races thanks to John Lacko and some of his collection. Some of the best drivers in the country raced here, some such as Phil Hill would drive his Ferrari up from Los Angeles, race and party at the "Biltmore Hotel" then drive home! Among the drivers included were of course; Phil Hill, Dan Gurney,Bob Bondurant, Ken Miles, Jim Hall, Richie Ginther, Lance Reventlow, Carroll Shelby, Jerry Entin, Jim Adams. Etc.. (Even James Dean raced here a few months before he died )
I was amazed I had driven by this spot for years and not realized this where it all took place.
So here is my attempt at what it looked like then and how it looks today at Santa Barbara and Goleta, California.


In early 1967, the SCCA held races at the Santa Barbara Airport with a 2.5 mile course laid out on runways and between buildings.

.

Santa Barbara Airport races. 1967
Jim Adams, 1967 Big Bore Race Winner, McLaren M1B (Chassis 20-09 )
(John Lacko photo ) ( mailto:?subject=&body= )

Ken Hyndman

[khyndart in CA]

This is how that same corner looks today !
(Note the power poles that were not there in 1967 ! )
A lot of famous drivers came round this very unexciting looking corner as it is today )

Ken Hyndman

[khyndart in CA]

Same corner in 1967.
An Austin Mini Cooper S, a BMW 1600 and a Volvo having fun

(John Lacko photo )

Much has changed but the trench line that shows just in front of the Mini wheels is still showing
in the present day photo.

Ken Hyndman (photo)

[khyndart in CA]

1967
A Corvette leads a Mustang 350 and a Porsche 911 past the hangar area.

( John Lacko photo )

As the hangar area looks today.(June 2014)

(Ken Hyndman photo )

[Grant Sprague]

Gee Ken what a time warp.... beaut piks ... Poor old mustang hung out to dry mind you by the attitude of it we can see why ... Ken hope you & wife all good there .. we are mid winter shortest day now behind us, kind regards Grant

[khyndart in CA]

Grant,
I always appreciate you input and concerns.
I did not have great camera skills back in my NZ days but here is a time warp photo for you.
Where were you when I took this of Gary at the 1969 Benson & Hedges at Pukekohe ?
Cheers,
Ken

[khyndart in CA]

Grant,
I always appreciate your input and concerns.
I did not have great camera skills back in my NZ days but here is a time warp photo for you.
Where were you when I took this of Gary at the 1969 Benson & Hedges at Pukekohe ?
Cheers,
Ken

Gary Sprague at Pukekohe, 1969

Ken Hyndman photo

[khyndart in CA]

Back to Santa Barbara Airport. 1955
The actor James Dean made an appearance and raced his car. This was just a few months before he died in a car crash about 150 miles north of Santa Barbara at Cholame.
Here is a brief video of James Dean at the 1955 Santa Barbara Airport races.

[video=youtube;ssTgzX2_5UY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssTgzX2_5UY[/video]


(Ken Hyndman )

[Grant Sprague]

Hi Ken, Thank You for this interesting [2nd attempt at replying to you computer or mondayitice lol] Pik [Gary & Leo ... Any way this pik would be when either of these two won B&H on this day ,Leo would be teamed with Brent Hawes , Gary with Ernie...... The year after Gary went to UK to work with March Engineering F1 , this pik shows the tow car Gary used to tow his T/Cam Escort around but did not have a support race for him that weekend I dont think ..then again might not be his tow car EH wagon ., I cant work out the back drop of pik the land scape must have changed a bit ........ Ok I would have been in the pits helping organise bits & peices making the area tidy [the boys job] I also helped with time keeping not much fun for 6 hrs lol, Gary here would be about 21 I would be 13 or 14 yrs old .
Thanks Ken for taking me down memory lane , love the vids etc .psssss... I could see the hills by River Side a few months ago & visualised where the track would have been on google ...very cool thanks mate , Kind Regards Grant