Got some pics from Brenda Morton today from Picton Airfield. I ask her to take a few and she did. Always does a good job and is willing to share them.
Someone discovered a sign in a building from Mohawks NHRA Canadian National Days. Before the Picton Airfield races started (May 18) they set the old sign up . Bob Beazer who always did the India Rain dance at NHRA events in the 60s and 70s (Indy and even some Goodguy Events)was a very big part of Mohawk Dragway's early days. He donned one of his rain dance suits and brought a pair of flags from pre Christmas tree days to re-enact some of the old days. All of the drivers in these cars save one raced at Mohawk at one time or another. Here Pat Doornbos and I line up as "The Beaz" flags us off. Pat has a Hilborn Injected BB Chevy in his rail and we usually run each other. As impossible as it seems I have won a few although currently he is ahead. (I have 5 wins he has 7)
The next photo is me with my proper driving suit on as well as my race face, heading for the line to run John Mortons BB Ford powered 32 Bantam altered. On this particular run I was successful (somehow?!!!!) Interestingly the car behind me is a supercharged 60s GTO driven by GTO Joe Hendick(Rick Hendicks (Nascar fame) cousin. )
The last is another photo of Pat and John for the Beazer Mohawk Dragway shoot. The cars behind are typical of Picton Airfield and would have been typical of Mohawk as well. The Black Willys is Mike Sietsma's and is early hemi powered with a 4 speed. The Falcon has a Ford Smlblk. The Dart Gasser belongs to a friend, Ron Smith and has a Sm Blk Mopar with fenderwells and way back is a 70 RR driven by the man who bought it new and still owns and races it. Dave Grimmon. It probably have a 1/4 million miles on it now and I think is on its third Powerplant. Most of us FED guys as well as our gasser and altered friends live for these weekends. We get two to four per year.
Don
PS the old Mohawk Dragstrip at the Mohawk WWII Airfield is only about 10 minutes from Picton Airfield where we were racing. I worked in tech at Mohawk during 68 69 and 70. If you ran a Mopar I teched you in.
