Wes, You are absolutely right on target: World's Fastest Indian undoubtedly
brought a lot of newcomers to the Salt this year ! I think we should also
have to give a lot of the credit for increased attendance to Hot Rod Magazine,
and editor David F, with his LSR interest and ties to people right here on
this list ! Bonneville and land speed cars are now topics to be found Once
Again within the pages of HRM .... I find this very refreshing after a VERY
long
absence of salt event coverage. I was a totally addicted reader of HRM since
1950 and actually remember when it came in a plain brown wrapper ( that is a
fact, folks ). In those days every Bonneville Speedweek was given much
coverage, and the cars that were photographed there would be featured in
subsequent issues for the following year. My heroes were guys like Mickey, Ak
Miller,
the Dahm Brothers, Art Chrisman, Jack Lufkin, C&T Automotive,and Fred
Carrillo, etc, on and on .... a very long list ! Things changed with HRM by
the
70s, and it got quite 'hip' with the times, and became a mag about dolling-up
vans and surfing and a few other 'niceties' that had nothing at all to do with
building and racing HOT RODS. Like many of my car buddies, I dropped my
subscription, and would look it over on the newstand to see if anything at all
worthwhile was within its' covers. I actually think there might be some 70s or
80s issues of HRM that do not have the word "Bonneville" in them. I never
really checked that, and why bother now ? -- end part 1
|