2009 Bakersfield March Meet

[Larry M]

Link to 2009 March Meet photos on Club Hotrod:
http://www.clubhotrod.com/photopost/...ry.php?cat=527


Well, is anybody going? I should be pulling into Bakersfield this Thursday. I'll be taking a lot of pics there so when we get back I'll get them posted in the Gallery.

Larry M

[John Palmer]

My son and I will be again racing his 1960 VW Bug at The March Meet. It's light blue with a dark blue sunroof. We will be required to run it "without nitrous" this weekend, so we will be only running in the 11.60's. We race in the Hot Rod Class which is basically a 12.99 and quicker, bracket class that they run as a time filler between the fast classes. There will be a half a dozen VW's running this year that are all fun to watch. All are BIG wheelstanders, and run normally 11's or quicker.

One car was shipped "OVER the POND" from England for this event. He normally races at Saint Pod (sp?) Raceway in England. It's a light yellow VW Bug convertable that runs in the low nines. If you see this car in the staging lanes, stop and welcome Ritchie to the event, you will blow his mind (LOL). He has been here for the past few weeks qualifing for his NHRA license.

This is the start of our racing season each year. We have a ball cruising the pro pits on Friday and Saturday nights. Last year we we ran across a "low budget" funny car team rebuilding their motor "on the ground". Don't get me wrong, we are also low budget with a open trailer and sleep in the bed of our truck. But what we still remember was the funny car team's driver was holding a "trouble light" over the engine as they all worked past midnight to get it ready for first round the next morning, the driver.........RON CAPPS. It could have been Big Daddy standing in the same spot fifty years ago!

You will see everything at this event, it's great.

[Larry M]

Great! Will hope to run in to you there as I'll be spending some ground time in the pits. Your VW sounds great,,,, 11's thats fast!!

I'm trying to get my credentials run thru on short notice so I can shoot track side. I'll try and get some pics of you off the line if I'm there, if not I just screw on the ol' 300mm lens and shoot from the stands.

I'll look for Ritchie and give him a big Club Hot Rod Welcome too.

Its been many years since I've been to the MM, I'm really pumped up about it, just looking at some of the pics from last years meet is enough to get ya going.

Hope to see you and your son there John.
Larry M

[BigTruckDriver]

We need pics guys!!!!!!!!!!!

[Larry M]

They'll be coming soon.
Larry M

[vara4]

I used to get invited to those things all the time when I was in the Army at Fort Ord.
I had a beautiful 73 V.W. Bug show ready, but the dang thing was not dependable.
I was blowing the doors off the V8's but every time I turned around it would break down.
So I got rid of it and bought chevy pick up, It never left me walking. Kurt

[jerry clayton]

Haven't been to Bakersfield for years---was there in 1970 and 71--we had low ET both years

Last time I was there was the year after Keeling passed away from cancer, went to the reunion---would like to go back but getting on an airplane is something I haven't done for years

[Larry M]

I know what you mean vara4 about blowing the doors off V8s, there was a few real fast VWs there last weekend.

John P. is this VW yours?? (2nd set of pics)

I didn't get much time in the pits, had to be track side shooting. I did get a chance Saturday afternoon when they ran the Hot Rod class. I already shot most all of them in the morning.

I'm trying to gey my son-in-law Brent to move the March Meet heading over to the Drag Racing section instead of in the Car Show section where its at now. Then I'll start posting a bunch of pics. Here's a few pics.

Larry M.

[Larry M]

Here's a few more pics.
Larry M.

[John Palmer]

Hey Larry, Yup! That's my son's light blue VW before eliminations at Famosa, (BTW a nice photo). Unfortunetly.......He cut a BIG RED light in the first round on Sunday morning. I told him that it's good to get that out of his system early in the racing year, LOL.

But even though "we were out" by 8:30AM on Sunday morning, our racing friends (Mike Lawless) kept going rounds all day in the Hot Rod class. They were one of the very last pair of cars to go down the track on Sunday night and WON the March Meet Hot Rod class (150 cars entered) with a dark metalic blue 1965 Karman Ghia. It's powered by a 2332cc Hilborn mechanical fuel injected "alcohol fueled" VW engine. It's unbelieveable that an air cooled VW could make it to the finals after being "hot lapped" in the final four rounds. Needless to say, we are very happy with the weekends results.

Mike will be racing in Phoenix in a couple of weeks at the Bug-O-Rama PRA first race. Hopefully.......Techinspector will be working the Fireird tech line again this year and can give the Blue Ghia a "hard time". Just tell Mike that some of the V-8 drivers he beat up at Bakersfield are protesting him because a manual 4-sp should not be able to out last 150 transbraked Powerglide's, LOL.

[Larry M]

That's to bad 'bout the red light but he learned something at the track that day.
I'm looking thru my pics, I shot about 2,500 photos and 2 hours HiDef movies track side and around the pits to see if I hav a shot of the Karman Ghia. I hung around the winners circle after it was all done Sunday evening by the tower and took some movies as my external flash quit on me.

Our home state guy Bucky Austin did great winning Funny Car finals with another record setting run.

That's great about Mike's win as there was some strong cars in the HR class. I remember him running and your car also as some of the other photographers were remarking how fast you guys ran. I do remember him pulling about a 3-4 ft wheel stand cuz I shot him just as I turned around.

Found his car pics.

I'm waiting for Brent to fix up an area in the Drag Racing Photo Gallery and I'll start loading a bunch of my photos of the March Meet there.

Larry M

[overholserracin]

Thank you for posting a pic of my vette....Not to many people get pics of it.....All of them you posted are way cool....I just love our door cars!!

[BigTruckDriver]

Thats NICE!!!!

[overholserracin]

Thank You!

[Larry M]

overholserracin, no problem. That's a cool looking Vette, how did you do that weekend? I have posted a lot of pics in the gallery of that weekend so I may have more pics of your car.

Larry M