The Surfers win Bakersfield

1966 US Fuel & Gas Championship. Bakersfield, CA held by the Smokers. The Surfers vs Warren & Coburn in TOP FUEL.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• top fuel
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• funny car
• us 131
• popular hot rodding
• ron colson
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• nostalgia
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• bakersfield

[1pollo1rabbit]

The surfers are what drag racing used to be.Raw,pure and badass.Now it's a bunch of corporate crap.long live the march meet!

[daddyfink]

The Surfers' Rule!

[MrRonnieG]

The car that the Surfers beat in this final, the Warren-Coburn-Miller car (The Ridge Route Terror), with James Warren in the seat, was one of the strongest cars ever to come out of the west coast (Bakersfield, actually). James Warren, sadly, just passed away within the last week. Warren's passing was just 6 months after the death of Roger Coburn who turned the wrench on the W-C-M 392 Chrysler motor. This car was feared, by all, for years & years.

[MrRonnieG]

I attended the 1965 and 1967 "Smokers" meet at Bakersfield but, for whatever reason, missed '66. The blond with Mike Sirokin is Linda Vaughn. She was the Hurst girl for several years beginning around 1966 and running thru the early 70's. Mike Sirokin only knew one way to run and that was petal to the metal until the car either reached the speed traps or blew up. Front-engine cars took alot of lives in the 60's including Mike's. They were trouble. Clutch explosions were always catastrophic.

[MrRonnieG]

These guys use to freak out alot of big name east coast cars because, between rounds, they usually wouldn't even touch the car! MAYBE they'd pull the plugs and check 'em but even that wasn't a regular deal. The yellow scoop on top of that old vertical 4-hole Hilborne fuel injection was made of wood and it was painted yellow because, as Jobe said, "that's the only paint that we had laying around." They ran out of a motel in Santa Monica that either Jobe or Skinner's mom managed. It was bad!!!

[TheMsautobodyman]

i dig this

[Mikes66442]

I can watch vintage footage like this all day long!!

[superprojoe]

Awesome.....i needed to be born alittle earlier,hee,hee!!!

[MrRonnieG]

I was @ OCIR (Orange County Int'l Raceway) at the end of 1967 when Mike Sorokin was killed driving Tony Water's top fuel car. It was bad, really really bad. I'll never forget how quiet the crowd became right after the crash. The Surfers had everybody spooked in the mid 60's with their 98% in the tank stuff. When these guys pulled to the line your eyes REALLY burned! I remember Tom Jobe telling someone in the pits, back in '65 @ Bakersfield, that they tried 100% "but it just wouldn't idle."

[richardbuckminster]

Seven Thirty Four and Mike Sorokin gets the 5G.

[scotb2930]

nostalgic racing now days is where its at!!!!!!!!!!!!!!