Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

[WildcatOne]

My pick for Racer of the Week is Jon Webster, from Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. Jon was recommended to me by our friend Andy Cowen. Thanks, Andy!

Jon’s car is a 1964 Mercury Comet. It came in to the UK from Arizona in 2011. Jon built the car during the winter of 2011 into 2012. Jon ran it a few times in 2012 at test and tune days at a couple of events. In 2013 Jon had an ambition to try for the Street Eliminator national championship, and managed to finish as runner-up. He’s subsequently finished as runner-up in 2014 and now in 2015, it’s a bit of a pattern ( always the bridesmaid:-)).

The car has a 25.1 WRE ( Webster Race Engineering) chassis and weighs 2630 lbs with the driver. Powered by 377 Small Block Ford with Yates heads and a dry sump Fontana block, Single 104mm Bullseye turbo, Motec engine management ignition and power distribution module, an ATI Superglide with a Protorque converter. The car has Moser rear axle internals in a WRE 9"casing. Strange GT struts, WRE Ladder bar rear suspension with Penske shocks.

Jon’s Best performance to date is 1.18 second 60ft, 3.16 seconds at 330ft, 4.80 at 153mph at 660ft, and a 7.41 ET at 188 mph at the stripe. This is a 100% street-legal car, by the way.

Jon’s goal is to win the championship eventually and keep going quicker and faster. He has won championships in Super Gas and Super Comp as well as Runner-up in Super Pro dragster. Jon’s been a hired gun in other class such as import and 9.50 bike and he has wins in both classes. Jon also has had a couple of drives in TopFuel Dragster, good success throughout his time including winning the 2009 European Finals.

Jon feels very fortunate to be involved in the sport of Drag Racing, both in competing and professionally contributing and he is very grateful that his customers have entrusted him with producing their cars, resulting in numerous race wins, championships and national records. ( He said “Hey, its better than working for a living:-) “). You got that right, Jon! He thanks us for giving him this feature as well.

That’s Jon Webster, Racer of the Week. Jon, we wish you good luck, safe racing and the best of times in the future!

The 10th annual DragList.com Nationals weekend was another fantastic success. It came and went so fast it was unbelievable. There were a couple hundred instances I could relay here, but what I plan to do is to do a write-up and post it on DragList of my experiences over the weekend. It was great to see Bill, Denise and Jason, who gave me the best hospitality I’ve ever had, and to get to hang out with our DragList Super Crew members: Daryl and Heidi Arnold, who ran a personal best 8.74 at sunset on Saturday, which Zappy predicted accurately, of course Zappy’s wife Linda, Gary and Jeff Spear, who brought t-shirts, decals and an awesome banner for the event, Boyd and Sue Wylie, who flew out from Langley, British Columbia, Jack and Sharon Garl who drove out from Ohio, Ohio Dave Oakes took pictures all day on track as did Gary, BP’s neighbor Wayne and his son and daughter-in-law were with us all day, BP’s friends Tia, Greg and Will. And thanks to the great folks at MIR for their awesome hospitality to us.

I was pleasantly surprised that Tod Mack dropped in with his grandson and we exchanged contact info for a graphics project he has in mind. Dale Broderick and Ellen McAuliffe ran Dale’s gorgeous A/Competition coupe to an 8.50 win in his 3rd round after Daryl made his historic run. We went down to Bunny Burkett’s pit and got kissed, hugged and photographed with her, and it was an awesome time that night. Bunny’s nostalgia alcohol funny car ran a 6.11 at 225 on its 3rd pass after making its half-track burnout with an American Flag flying from its chassis. It was over too soon, and I got home in time for cake and ice cream for my birthday here Sunday. What can I say…Life is good.

I was going to talk about Jimi Hendrix tonight. He died 45 years ago Friday and I had him on my mind all week, but today I had a long talk with Danny White about Gary Richrath, the often troubled but brilliant guitarist for REO Speedwagon who died on September 13th at the age of 65. Danny knows a lot more about the Wagon’s history than I do, and his take on the story of the band and the love/hate relationship between Richrath and Kevin Cronin took its toll on both of them, but what really mattered was the awesome American Rock Music that came out of that tense and challenging relationship. Some of the best heavy rock that now stands as classics was produced by those 2 guys. They headlined a major festival here at the Astrodome in 1981 as I recall.

Gary Richrath ended up having some hard years after the High Infidelity album, which was an international smash hit and put REO on top of the heap, up there with the most popular and best-selling artists of the 80s. He blurred it and didn’t really come home from the party for a long, long time and he ended up out of the band. Richrath finally did leave the party and he got back with the band, but even Cronin had left for a while, yet the two of them made amends, reunited and were playing shows up into this year. It ain’t easy being part of a 2-man songwriting and performing team like that. You can ask Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, but Lennon isn’t available for an interview…Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham…it’s never easy to do, but it often yields incredible results.

I was a fan of REO Speedwagon in the early 70s, when they were huge in the Midwestern region of the US, and when I played in the Young Brothers band in Kansas City in the summer of ’73, we were doing a couple of their songs, which were faster and harder than anything this side of Deep Purple. In the late 70s and early 80s, I was playing with a band here in Houston that did some of their material from that era as well.

It was the combination of Gary Richrath’s heartfelt guitar and Kevin Cronin’s outstanding talents as a vocalist that gave them the instantly recognizable sound they had that put them on top. They gave us some of the best times we ever had. Rest in peace, Gary. Your legacy is intact, your unforgettable guitar licks will live forever, and your struggles here are over.

I’ll get back to Hendrix next week. I have some thoughts about him that I’d like to share with you.

Y’all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening at 7 PM Eastern on Racers Reunion Radio for Racing Through History. It’s Thee Goat Rodeo you don’t want to miss. Thanks, I’ll see y’all next week.

[WildcatOne]

My pick for Racer of the Week is Kiah Taroma from Hilo, Hawaii. Kiah was recommended to me by our friend Michael Baba Balbarino. Thanks, Michael! Kiah is an event and track champion, and her mid-7-second ’68 Camaro is a masterpiece combination of beauty, power and speed. I’d love to see this car race over here on the Mainland. I have no doubt she would blow away most if not all of the competition. Kiah sent me her story, and I’d like to read it to you now.

I was raised around cars and drag racing from when i was very little. I started drag racing when I was 16. I got my driver’s license on a Friday and then very next day I was in a dragster going 8.80s at 156 mph. I worked hard helping my dad as well as my uncles and cousin when they raced as well. Especially my Dad, I was always there to help him at home with his race car and down at the track. I would joke to him that he should let me drive, and in 2013 he finally gave in and let me race the ‘68 Camaro.

It was street legal car with only a fiber glass hood and trunk. Dad’s fastest time was 8.28 and when I did my licensing pass I ran a 8.25 which also was my fastest et. It had a 572 Reher-Morrison engine, naturally aspirated with a Bruno Lenco transmission. I been competing with that set up for about a year and won a couple of races. In the next year, 2014, we wanted to go faster! So we got a 665 cubic inch Reher -Morrison engine. We were hoping to run in the 7s. And on one race we got it in the 7.90s. After a few races we got the fine tuning down and my fastest ET right now is 7.74 at 177mph.
Here in Hilo our race season is from February to October. We have 2 big races: Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. My dad also puts on a Door Slammer shootout for one month throughout the year. I have won quite a few races as well as some Memorial Day and Labor Day races. At the 2013 Labor Day races there was a Door Slammer program on Saturday and Sunday and I was lucky to win both days of the program which was really awesome. We usually get about 14 cars in the bracket, ranging from a 9.20 and faster cut off. I also won this pass memorial day. My Dad held his door slammer shoot out. IHRA also donated Iron man trophies. I was able to get the win that weekend too winning over $1k and 2 trophies.
I am trying to get some stuff up on YouTube to check out some in-car videos....just search my name. I absolutely love what I do and always can’t wait for the next races to come.

Being from a small town and on an island, of course it’s my dream to make it big time but I would like to say a BIG thanks to my Dad! He’s the main man behind all of this and my mom as well who is also helping and supporting me, and also my big family and all my uncles who are my crew, helping me every second with my car at home and down at the track. Without them it wouldn’t be possible.

That’s Kiah Taroma, Racer of the Week. Kiah, we wish you good luck, safe racing and the best of times in the future!

Last week I was going to talk about Jimi Hendrix, since it was the 45th anniversary of his passing, but I got sidetracked when Gary Richrath up-and-died. Over the last couple of weeks or so, I’ve been chatting with Danny White about Hendrix. It turned out that Danny and I share the exact same favorite Hendrix songs, and with Hendrix being a full-blown force of Nature like he was, his music often went from one extreme to the other.
He singlehandedly rewrote the language of electric guitar, with his dazzling brilliance in live performance and in the studio. He made sounds that were never conjured out of an amp and guitar before or since, and more often than not, he did it with his eyes closed and his head reared back. Then he could turn around and write the most beautiful ballads and melodies that were unforgettable statements of poetry and music combined.

This all coming from a shy, quiet, borderline autistic kid who was in a totally disadvantaged situation from the day he was born, until his Dad gave him a guitar when he was 12 years old. The sheer genius that was unleashed from him changed the face, the sound and the attitude of modern music from the time he broke through to the big-time in 1967 until he died in 1970.

The three years that he played around the world and made 4 studio albums and one live album stand to this day as his monument and his legacy. He’d be 73 in November. For the last 45 years, I have wondered what Jimi Hendrix might have done had he lived through the hurricane of his life back then. He was looking to expand his style and his musical connections at the time he died; he had just finished building a brand-new, state-of-the-art recording facility in New York, and he let those around him know that he was looking for new inroads to explore. He was ready to move on, but what’s left, is what he did and that’s it.

I’m not saying Jimi didn’t reach his full potential, because he took it above and beyond anything anybody had ever dreamed of at that time, but there were all those years ahead of him that he could have evolved into another musical dimension altogether. As I sit here doing my segment, I can say that I have no doubt that if Hendrix were still with us, we’d have an entirely different kind of music to hear and be inspired by.

I go back and forth with it. Losing him was like losing the touchstone of creativity and passion that he brought to the forefront of the world, but I earnestly tried my best to carry on with his examples and apply them to my music. The main thing I took with me was the spirit of Hendrix. I’ve been aware of it for as long as I’ve been playing guitar. I get his vibe to this day.

This evening, my son Nick pulled me aside and told me that it’s time for me to do it. Record the album I’ve been procrastinating on for the last several years. He offered to learn all my songs and play drums for me on the recordings. How can I refuse an offer like that? He’s one of the greatest drummers I’ve ever heard. I plan to hang on to the inspiration that I got from Hendrix and put it into these new songs I wrote. If I don’t get distracted, this will be my main project for this year. I’ll keep y’all posted.

Y’all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening at 7 PM Eastern on Racers Reunion Radio for Racing Through History. It’s Thee Goat Rodeo you don’t want to miss! Thanks, I’ll see y’all next week.

[Wheelzman]

Go for it JB. We will all be waiting to hear it.

[draglist]

Great stuff, John. bp

[WildcatOne]

Thanks, BP and Wheelz! I'm getting it together. Stay tuned!

I want to send our prayers and best wishes to Jerry Smith of S.T.A.R.S. Radio. Jerry said his home came through hurricane Joaquin OK, but there is a lot of damage, flooding and devastation in his home town of South Congaree, South Carolina. Jerry is a 100% great guy and we’re proud to be on the Racers Reunion team with him. Jerry, we hope y’all pull through this catastrophe and your town will be OK.

My pick for Racer of the Week is James Wilson, Sr., from Milan, Illinois. James is the patriarch of one of the longest-running, well-known and respected Drag Racing families in the Quad Cities area. I have featured his son Jay Wilson and his daughter Jenny Wilson as Racers of the Week in the past, and now it’s their Dad’s turn. Jim runs a ’63 Corvette convertible hot rod that has been raced in multiple classes, and he’s won in all of them.

With a best et of 8.42 seconds @155 mph , James Wilson, Sr. has beaten some of the best: Jegs, the Richardsons and this past year, he beat Luke Bogacki. He has made it to the Sunday running of the US Nationals, he came very close to winning the World Series at Cordova, and he’s competed in the Midwest Super Comp series. He also competed in the Bracket Finals for Byron and Cordova. He’s always out there holding up the backbone of our sport.

Jim Wilson has won many races and is very competitive in Super Gas. He is known to help anyone and always puts his kids before himself.
The engine in Jim’s Vette is a 540 cubic inch Chevy with a Powerglide transmission. It has 4:30 rear gears, a Holley 1050 Dominator Carb, and it weighs 2200 lbs.

The influence of James Wilson, Sr. has helped to mold the culture and atmosphere of the Quad Cities Drag Racing community one of the finest groups of Drag Racers in the Country. He quietly goes about his business, keeping his car ready to win at all times, and he’ll be there to help his fellow racers any time they need it.

That’s James Wilson, Sr., Racer of the Week. Jim, we wish you good luck, safe racing and the best of times in the future.

One of my friends died last week. He was an outstanding vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. Earl “Peanut” Nickell was one of the players I had the honor of being in a band with in the early 1980s, along with his awesome brother, Charles “Buzz” Nickell, who I counted among my very best friends, and we lost Buzz last year. My prayers and condolences are with the Nickell family, of whom I have been included as a brother, and all of our friends.

I also got a message from my lifelong friend and collaborator Colin Kennedy Saturday. Colin had a heart attack Thursday when he was at the Post Office. He woke up in intensive care 24 hours later, and he’s having open-heart surgery tomorrow. The doctors found out that he also has diabetes. He’s in pretty bad shape right now, and I am asking for your prayers to help this great artist and human being to be pulled through this crisis. I could spend a week talking about all of the great things that Colin has done for me, but suffice it to say that if it weren’t for his unending dedication to my music and to me as a person, I wouldn’t be here right now on this show. Colin, you have my most ardent prayers for a recovery. I might add that I sent Colin the link to Diet Truth.com, BP’s blog and the Facebook page that goes with it. BP is living proof of what a guy can accomplish, and this is precisely what Colin needs to get his life and his health back on track. He told me he’s going to go there and check it all out, and I hope he does and sees what is possible. Go, Colin, beat this down and come back strong.

Next Saturday, I’ll be playing a set with the bands I was in before I joined Pee Wee 10 years ago, Shakedown and The Wildcats. We’ll be performing at Archie’s Better Times on Highway 3 in the NASA area. It’s a benefit for the great Mike Simon, who played with me in both Shakedown and The Wildcats for 4 years in the early Millenium. Mike’s having some serious health issues, and we’re going to try to raise some bucks for him to get by with until he can get well again. Mikey is another inspiration in my life. Pure Gypsy, with a heart as big as Texas. He’s multi-talented, a free spirit, and he lives a wide-open life. Always has and he always will. It is a gift to know him, and I hope that Shakedown and The Wildcats as well will deliver for his benefit. I have faith in these folks, and I’m sure it will be like we just finished playing last week although it’s been years since we actually performed together. You never forget, though. It’s like swimming or riding a bike, comes naturally. I just hope we get big crowds for Mikey.

Over the last couple of weeks, Danny White and I have been chatting about a number of subjects, mostly Rock n’ Roll and Drag Racing. Our conversations have been quite inspiring, and as it turns out we are more often than not in full agreement about almost everything we discuss. It’s great to have somebody you can share ideas and stories with. Danny is a Rock Historian and he knows a lot of things about our favorite Rock n’ Roll stars that a lot of folks including myself didn’t know, but I’ve been able to provide my share of information on these same people and their careers as well. It goes stream-of-consciousness most of the time. There is no set subject, just random thoughts, and it’s taken us into a fascinating land of truth and dreams with a lot of laughs added. Thanks for the great stories and for enjoying mine as well, Danny.

I’ve been swamped with graphics over the last couple of weeks as well. I’m doing a Photoshop collage for some friends I have who are involved with the Charlie Daniels Band, also a collage for some friends in Nashville. Today I finished a CD cover for Paul Orta and Nuno Mindelis with the International Playboys for their album Live in Paris, and I started a graphics project for Tod Mack’s new venture that he’s developing.

Paul approved the cover this afternoon. He and Nuno went from Sao Paolo to Paris to play some gigs and while they were there, they recorded this album. Paul’s originally from the Golden Triangle area in Southeast Texas: Orange, Port Arthur and Beaumont. He’s an awesome Blues Harmonica player and vocalist. I haven’t heard Nuno play but I’m sure I will soon and I wish them both the best with this project. I regret that I wasn’t able to get the design done in time for the Heather and the Hellcats’ new Rockabilly CD, but they’re going to keep me on the A-List for the next one.

Seems all this stuff comes up at once and I can’t get it all done by the time they need it, ya know, but I guess all in all, it’s a good problem to have! If any of y’all are listening tonight, hang in there. I’ll get all of it done in the next couple of weeks…

Y’all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening at 7 PM Eastern for Racing Through History on Racers Reunion Radio. It’s Thee Goat Rodeo you don’t want to miss! Thanks, I’ll see y’all next week.

[WildcatOne]

My pick for Racer of the Week is Mark Todd, from Altrincham, England. Mark is the Street Eliminator Champion in the UK in all 3 series, and his ’65 GTO is truly one of the finest hot rods and Mark is one of the finest gents you’d ever see in the British and European drag racing scene. Mark sent an outstanding story to me, and I’d like to read it as he sent it. He said:

I don’t know why but I’ve always been into cars. I remember when I was a kid, walking to school and taking a diversion just to pass a house that had a 70‘s corvette in the driveway. With its side pipes and huge rear tyres to me it was amazing. I loved Cannon Ball Run where the White Lamborgini left the cop car standing. I went from Lego cars to Scalelectrix, to racing an Rc10 radio controlled ca,r so I guess you could say it’s in my blood. At 16 I started an engineering apprenticeship on £37.50 per week. I saved every penny I could and at 17 I bought a Mk1 Fiesta XR2.

Next up was the car that got me into drag racing. A mate of mine had bought a VW Beetle. I loved it and that year we attended the 1990 Bug Jam event at Santa Pod. I found myself totally hooked on the track action and on my return home I got stuck into locating a car to compete in. The car I found was a 1969 VW Variant Square Back. Not content with the 1500cc boxer engine I punched it out to 2275cc and fabricated my own turbo setup using parts off a scrapped MG Montego Turbo. The car took a couple of years to build and its first trip to the track netted a 16 second time slip.

At this point my racing career was cut short by a move to Sheffield to begin life as a student studying for a mechanical engineering degree, so with no funds the Variant had to go. Having no money meant the speed bug remained dormant for a further 10 years, by which time I had started my own Engineering company. Now having some money burning a hole in my pocket I stumbled upon an ebay advert for an 11-second ‘69 Pontiac Firebird. At this time I wasn’t into Yanks but the idea of an 11 second street car was hard to resist so the bid was placed and the rest is history.
First Competing in the street racer series, I found myself uncompetitive as the front runners were running mid 9’s, so in 2005 I had the Firebird totally rebuilt. The trusty 355ci nitrous motor was exchanged for a 406 with twin turbos, which dynoed at 1000 hp and was enough to run very low 9’s, eventually winning the 2008 Street racer series.

In 2010 I moved up to Street Eliminator (the series I have always aspired to). I upped the Firebird power to 1400hp which was enough to push the car down into the 8’s; not bad considering it was full steel with a full stock interior including back seats, but still not enough to worry the front runners.
The decision to sell the Firebird was made and the search for a replacement started. Whilst browsing the eurodragster classified back in June of 2009, I stumbled upon an advert for a ‘65 GTO. The decision to buy the GTO was not a rash decision; it was a calculated decision…my vision encompassed all aspects of the car. The GTO was purchased as a roller but was in a pretty poor state, having sat for several years. The car had a long history in the UK, having been imported in 1965 to be used in the film industry. It had been a regular at Santa Pod over the years and in 1992 it was rebuilt with a tube chassis, spec’d for pro-mod with a glass front end, doors, hood and boot lid.

In late 2009 I booked the car in with chassis builder Jon Webster of Webster Race Engineering. I think few would disagree when I say that Jon is the no.1 builder of street legal drag cars in the UK. Jon also happens to be very passionate about Street Eliminator, contending his own car in the class. I thoroughly discussed my vision with Jon, specifying all aspects including stance, appearance, intercooler position etc. Jon literally made my dream reality, building a beautifully crafted chromoly-chassied 25.2 masterpiece. The engine is an all aluminium Donovan BBC water block 582ci with twin 91mm turbos.

With the car now finished, the plan was to slowly catch a monkey, so with each pass things moved up a notch, each pass resulted in a one-tenth of a second improvement. The first full pass in 2012 was a 9.10 and within 12 passes the car was in the 7‘s. This first competitive season netted the Street Eliminator runner-up position. Having a young family I was unable to attend all of the rounds in both the 2013 and 2014 season.
Moving on to 2015 and it was agreed that I would attend all of the rounds and challenge for the title. What a year it has been.
At the first meeting on a relatively cold track we set a new class record of 7.47 seconds. We reset this record a further 2 times during the season; finally in the last meet of the year backing up a 7.24 seconds and 200.66 mph. Out of 8 rounds we netted 6 number 1 qualifiers, winning all three championships. Best of all, the car suffered no damage other than that caused by a faulty trans radiator. So to say it was a good year would be an understatement.

The thing to remember here is that Street Eliminator cars can’t be compared with Drag Week cars, etc. Mark’s car complies with the UK MOT test and has to run on the track exactly as it runs legally on the street. This means NO wheelie bars, No cut slick type tyres, they have to be treaded tyres with street legal depth markers. The fuel must be pump gas (E85 is allowed), no second fuel systems, nothing can be removed from the cars etc. so the times we are running can’t be compared.

Mark said “I’d like to thank my wife Natalie and boys, Nathan, Jake and Daniel, my crew (Paul Houston, Andy Cunningham), SE Chairman Ben Barnwell, Jon Webster, Kenny Coleman (Dennis & Ben), Andy Frost, and anyone else that has helped.”

That’s Mark Todd, Racer of the Week. Mark, thanks for the great write, and we wish you good luck, safe racing and the best of times.

Probably the most interesting and influential of all of the second wave of British Invasion bands was the Yardbirds. Danny White and I have been discussing this incredible band over the last week, and I thought I’d get part one glossed over tonight. Although the Kinks, the Animals, The Who and the Zombies all had hits around the same time, what made the Yardbirds different was that they had several personnel changes during their few years on the charts, and they experimented in the studio with different musicians, songwriters, and musical styles.

At the core of the band was the enlightened musical genius Keith Relf, who although he was not known as a knockout singer, the guy had a creative streak that rivaled the best of his peers, and he led the band through rocky times until he finally left the band in1968, gave the gigs and the name to Pagey and formed the acoustic, folksy Renaissance with his sister Jane, then left that band and formed one of the greatest early metal bands, Armageddon. It was during his woodshedding period in creating their second album that Keith was electrocuted while playing his electric guitar at home. His legacy is up there with the best of them and anyone who played in his bands will tell you that he was a major element in forming the basis of modern hard rock.

In the space of 3 years,The Yardbirds had 6 guitarists, 4 bass players, 2 drummers and two singers, yet with the constantly shifting personnel, they managed to not only produce consistently outstanding music, they were ahead of most of the other bands from that era in terms of musicianship, creativity and cutting-edge vision.

Starting out as a schoolboy band, they gradually developed into a first-rate blues outfit and made a name for themselves after succeeding the Rolling Stones as the main attraction at the Crawdaddy Club. The original lead guitarist, Top Topham left in 1963 (He is a story in himself, but that will be done another time) and he was replaced by a local kid who had been playing dead-end gigs with the primitive blues band called the Roosters. This kid was Eric Clapton, and once he got in the band, they took off like a skyrocket.

I’m running out of time, so I have to go for now, but next week I’ll polish up what I said tonight and finish the story of the Yardbirds. The plot thickens and it’s worth talking about.

Y’all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening at 7 PM Eastern on Racers Reunion Radio for Racing Through History. It’s Thee Goat Rodeo you don’t want to miss! Thanks, I’ll see y’all next week.

[Wheelzman]

John while reading my new Popular Mechanics magazine today at lunch they had a detailed description on how Jimi Hendrix restrung his right handed guitar to play it left handed. I will try and copy it and send it to you. His sound was due to this revamping but his genius at playing sounds not know to man was the the true Jimi Hendirx. I also found the below video too. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaXA8XHnlfE

I wonder if Wayman Tisdale restrung his bass guitar too? Man, I love his music, it has so much soul in it.

[WildcatOne]

My pick for Racer of the Week is Mark Jones, from Marrero, Louisiana. Mark is the NHRA Division 4 Top Dragster Champion. He and his wife Kelly were referred to me by our friend Nicole Folse. Thanks, Nicole! Mark raced at the NHRA event in Dallas this weekend. He didn’t win, but he ran strong and came extremely close to hitting his numbers better than the other guy but it wasn’t meant to be. Mark is well-known at his home track and his feature got over a hundred likes and 20 shares the first day it went online. It was said that Mark is the best representative of Louisiana Drag Racing, and I’m proud to spotlight him tonight.

Mark is a Member of the NHRA Division 4 Sportsman Racers Advisory Council. He was named 2014 Division 4 Top Dragster Driver of the Year. He was the 2011 NHRA Cajun Sports Nationals Top Dragster Champion. In 2001, he was the IHRA Top Dragster World Finals Champion . He has 2 NHRA Divisional Race wins and 1 IHRA Divisional Race win in Top Dragster. Mark has multiple runner-up finishes in both NHRA & IHRA. He has 3 Quick 16 Track Championships at No Problem Raceway ( 2003. 2005, & 2007 ). Kelly was voted 2014 Top Dragster Wrench of the Year.

Mark’s goals are to win an NHRA world championship, and to win the Jegs AllStars.

The car is a 2009 Spitzer 262" top dragster, powered by a 540 cubic inch Chevy with a 14-71 Kobelco blower built by Steve Nicoll Racing Enterprizes. It has an Abruzzi transmission & converter . Mark uses 34.5 x 17 x 16 Mickey Thompson tires.

Mark Jones is a 49 year-old landscape contractor who owns & operates his business with Kelly. Kelly Jones is a horticulturist & she and Mark work together. They have been together since high school graduation and have been racing as a team ever since 1985. They used to street race , then in 1990 Mark started running super street , and in 1995 moved into Super Comp. In 2001 Mark and Kelly decided to try out top dragster and they have never looked back! It is always a team of 2, and they love it !!

Special thanks to Steve & Mike Nicoll of Steve Nicoll racing Enterprizes, Abruzzi Transmissions, Figspeed, Chuck Haase, the NHRA Safety Safari & Staff , and to their friends & family for their support and their racing family for sharing this wonderful sport’s lifestyle !!

That’s Mark Jones and his wife, Kelly. We wish y’all good luck, safe racing and the best of times in the future, Mark.

Gonna finish up the Yardbirds tonight, and thanks to Danny White for helping me get this segment in order. On the strength of their gigs at the Marquee Club, the Yardbirds were signed to a recording contract and the pressure got put on them to deliver pop hits. Clapton didn’t agree with that. He thought the blues was the way for the band to go, but on the day “For Your Love” which was written by Graham Gouldman, later of 10cc and featuring Brian Auger’s harpsichord, Clapton split. He joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and went on his humble way to global superstardom.

The band found a more than capable replacement from another local band, the Tridents, named Geoffrey Beckwith, shortened to Jeff Beck. Jeff had an adventurous and off-the-wall style and a penchant for playing show tunes at the spur of the moment. Very quirky guy; he had a complicated personality, but adding him to the band brought a string of hits. “I’m A Man”, featuring the rave-up chops of their live show, the neo-progressive country “Heart Full Of Soul”, and “Shapes Of Things”, which is arguably the touchstone for modern Heavy Metal.

By the time “Over Under Sideways Down” came out, the bass player, Paul Samwell-Smith had decided to move into record production, which he excelled at, so the noted London session man Jimmy Page was brought in to play bass with the understanding that he would move to guitar when he had sufficiently taught rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja how to play the instrument. Once Chris was proficient on bass, the tandem guitar team of Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page absolutely set the world on fire. They had a rivalry but a close friendship, and the few months that they were playing together in the Yardbirds, they laid down some of the finest and most dynamic blues/rock playing anybody had ever heard. Their twin guitar attack can be seen and heard in the party scene of Michael Antonioni’s film, “Blow Up”.

It was during a grueling tour supporting Bryan Hyland in 1966 that Jeff Beck decided to split. He went back home sick, and when he got well he started working on his own band, which was probably the best thing he could have done, considering the conditions in which the Yardbirds were surviving. Jeff Beck’s first album, Truth, stands as a template for future hard rock band production and was a springboard for his singer, Rod Stewart, and his bass player, Ronnie Wood.

The Yardbirds’ last chart entry was Relf and Page’s “Little Games” in 1967.

The band lasted until 1968, and their final gig with the original lineup was in LA. Page obtained the rights to the band’s name from Keith Relf, and with a few Scandanavian gigs left on their schedule, he quickly put a group together with his friend and fellow studio musician John Paul Jones. Terry Reid was his first choice as a vocalist, but Reid recommended the singer from out in the country, Robert Plant, who brought along his drummer John Bonham. They had a few rehearsals and it was ungodly how fantastic this band sounded. After they played the Scandanavian gigs as the New Yardbirds, they were re-christened Led Zeppelin, and the Yardbirds were not heard of again for another decade or so, when Chris Dreja and Jim McCarty put it back together and are still playing today with new members.

I didn’t go past the last gigs the band had in the 60s because that would begin the story of Led Zeppelin, which was the biggest band in the world for the next 12 years. I’ve avoided Zep because of the mountains of trivia and behind-the-scenes stories that could take over a year for me to completely do justice to their legacy. But for sheer creativity, vision and musicianship and unforgettable songs, for my money you couldn’t beat the Yardbirds in the mid to late 60s if you wanted a mind-blowing hard rock fix, and in my opinion it had more to do with Keith Relf than anybody else. Rest in peace, Keith, and thanks for your outstanding contribution to modern music.

Y’all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening at 7 PM Eastern on Racers Reunion Radio for Racing Through History. It’s Thee Goat Rodeo you don’t want to miss! Thanks, I’ll see y’all next week.

[WildcatOne]

Thanks, Wheelz! Great link! I will follow up on that! Best, WC1

[WildcatOne]

My pick for Racer of the Week is Charelle Luiz, born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii. Charelle was recommended to me by our friend Michael Baba Balbarino. Thanks, Michael! Charelle is the pilot of an outstanding purple Comp Dragster, and she has notched up recent wins and track championships with her awesome car and top-notch driving skills.

Charelle is a Graduate of the Kamehameha Schools in 2007.. Her entire family is involved in drag racing and she was raised and brought into the world of drag racing. Her dad, Donnley Koga, also races and his footsteps are the ones she follows. Donnley races a ‘69 Camaro with a 555 triple nickel engine. Charelle races a 1997 Tube Carz 240” rear engine dragster, with a 537 cubic inch alcohol injected engine; formerly owned by Larry Haas of Orange, California. Her best time was at this past Labor Day Drags and the car ran it’s best of a 7.91 ET at 172mph.

Charelle and the team are still working on testing the car and finding its happy medium and they’re hoping to run some exciting numbers again, come next season. Charelle started racing in 2006 when she was still a junior in high school. The only way she could drag race was if she got my driver’s license, so when she did that, one week later she got her competition license. She started off racing her Uncle’s rear engine dragster and just this year her boyfriend had bought her their own dragster. In the year 2009, she was the winner for the 7.90 index and was also named Big Island Auto Club’s 2009 Driver of the year.

Charelle would like to say a special thank you to her boyfriend for giving her the opportunity again to get back into the seat after three plus years of not racing. She said it’s different being on the side lines and not having a car to race. Also, she gives a big thank you to her parents, Uncle Wade, her sisters Kylie, Chassie, Sydney, and Tiana for their continued support, Papa Rudy, her Uncle Dennis and everyone else she may have missed. She said she can’t thank them enough for all they have done. Way back when, it was a goal of Charelle’s to go pro in drag racing. It still is, but for now she’s enjoying the fun in drag racing and not wanting to move towards the more serious side just yet.

This sport has gotten a bit more interesting and fun for her as her one year old son gets to enjoy it with the family and Charelle and he absolutely love it down there. He knows what the car looks like and he knows when she comes up to the line to race. It amazes her because he’s only one year old, but he is definitely following in his mom’s footsteps. Charelle’s initial goal in drag racing was to just have fun but there was one point where she had to get a bit serious, because she felt like she had to prove herself, because she’s a girl. But now, she thinks she did more than just prove herself. Charelle thinks she showed everyone that she belongs on the track and deserves a chance to race with everyone else.

She’s a very competitive person but at the same time, she wants to enjoy the opportunity she has. Not everyone can say they had an opportunity like she does. It’s a once in a lifetime thing she couldn’t pass up.

That’s Charelle Luiz, Racer of the Week. Charelle, we wish you good luck, safe racing and the best of times in the future.

After chatting with Danny White over the last few weeks, we concur on almost all points of Rock n’ Roll. We’ve been a great sounding boards for each other, and we’ve shared countless points of interest in the history of this incredible art form. Our conversations drift from drag racing to rock n’ roll and back, and we both share opinions on the current state of affairs of both.

We’ve been all over Rock n’ Roll and its related fads, but one subject that we keep returning to and examining in great detail is the rise and fall of Psychedelic Music in the mid-to-late 60s. One group has stood out above all the others in that discussion. Over the next few shows, it is my intent with Danny’s input and imprimatur to relay some of the most important points that defined the era of psychedelia, which for all intents and purposes began and ended with the strange and inspiring story of Pink Floyd.

By the time their classic album “Dark Side Of The Moon” was released in 1973, the band had already been together for over 10 years, with their beginnings in the early 60s R & B fad having molded and shaped their internal chemistry.

There were personnel changes that happened in the band over time, but the most significant world-changing addition to the band was when one fine day in 1964, a kid showed up and introduced himself to the band. He had an aura around him that everybody could see. He was more than special; he was a force of nature that immediately had an impact on the band and the way they played. His name was Roger Barrett, from Cambridge, a mutual friend with the band of David Gilmour, and his nickname was Syd. Tall, outgoing, incredibly talented and handsome, Syd had charisma that without question put him on a par with Elvis, but he had a style and a sound all his own, and the band quickly absorbed and got in line with his incredible personality. He was an art college student, situating himself in a band full of architecture majors.

He played a combination of rythym and lead guitar in a way that nobody had seen before, like he was playing two guitars at once, and he was intent on creating a new, different and intriguing style of music that went above and beyond anything that had ever been done before or since. Around this time, Rick Wright moved over from guitar to keyboards full-time, and the original guitarist Bob Klose moved on, remaining true to his blues roots. After a period of woodshedding and collaborating, with Syd ultimately having the last word, the band changed their name several times from the Megadeaths, the Abdabs, then the Screaming Abdabs, Leonard's Lodgers, the Spectrum Five and the Tea Set. Finally Syd created a name for the band that stuck, using the first names of his two favorite Piedmont Records Bluesmen from the USA, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. He named the band The Pink Floyd Sound, later shortened to just Pink Floyd.

By 1966, Pink Floyd was playing all the time in Swinging London, creating a new and exciting sound that often bordered on total insanity, but didn’t quite go there altogether. Science-fiction outer space sounds mixed in with spooky, swirling riffs played by what sounded like inside-out guitars, mixed with what became known as a light show, something that hadn’t been done with a live rock n’ roll band. The music transported the audience to nirvana, and before hardly any time, the band Pink Floyd became the most popular and sought-after band in England.

When they recorded their first album, titled Piper at the Gates of Dawn at EMI studios at Abbey Road in London, they were in the next room from the Beatles, who were recording Sgt Pepper. There was no doubt that the Beatles heard what was going on with Floyd next door. The album was essentially written, produced and performed by Syd Barrett, and to this day it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Sgt Pepper as an all-time psychedelic masterpiece. Otherworldly sounds that are shockingly fresh to this day are mixed in with the most beautiful, cracked songs that Syd had written, and were performed perfectly by the band.

They were picked to headline an event known as the Technicolor Dream in London. They brought in their light show and set up a quadraphonic sound system, and by the time it was over, Pink Floyd had re-written the book of rock n’ roll and had transformed proper English society into a legion of blissful, wide-open people who saw the light and joined together to change the world through music, peace and love.

Just at the peak of the band’s popularity while all this was going on, suddenly something happened to Syd. What exactly it was is still debated today nearly 50 years after it happened, but Syd Barrett wasn’t Syd Barrett anymore. He appeared as a hollow shell of himself, with no explanations given. His personality had disappeared and he was what everyone described as gone. The band kept on, but Syd’s condition was seriously affecting what they were doing. A US tour to promote the album had to be scrapped halfway through, as Syd had finally become impossible to work with onstage. He’d show up and stand there onstage and not play or sing, just stare out into space, or he’d strum one note on his guitar all night long.

When they played in Los Angeles, they stayed at the Alice Cooper band’s house. Alice recalled that the band was fantastic on stage, including Syd, but back at the house, he said he came downstairs one morning for breakfast and Syd was sitting at the table, staring at a box of cornflakes. He said it was like Syd was watching something on that box that nobody else could see…when they were having dinner there, Glenn Buxton said that he automatically passed the salt to Syd but Syd didn’t actually ask for it. He just knew that’s what he wanted. Syd was on another wavelength altogether. I’m running out of time, so this will conclude part one of the Pink Floyd story.

Y’all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening at 7 PM Eastern on Racers Reunion Radio for Racing Through History. It’s Thee Goat Rodeo you don’t want to miss! Thanks, I’ll see y’all next week.