OCIR

[Red]

 

[alteredpilot]

American Rikshaw!!!

part of the fabric of my childhood!

[Red]

American Rikshaw!!!

part of the fabric of my childhood!

  One of my favorites back then, too!

[TS3X65MPH]

FUNNY'S

[TS3X65MPH]

POSTERS

[TS3X65MPH]

A FEW MORE FOR YA STEVE.

[TS3X65MPH]

American Rikshaw!!!

part of the fabric of my childhood!

  One of my favorites back then, too!

HERE'S ALITTLE HISTORY ON IT.

One day in 1970 Homer Williams told his family that he had to go look at a truck someone wanted to sell.  Homer made an offer and soon trailered home to Orange a 1967 Datsun mini-truck.  Homer bought a 396 cu in Chevy engine and proceeded to install it in the frame of the Datsun.  Homer had questions on the mechanical stuff and soon met two guys that offered to help him with all the work of making the truck go:  Armond LaBarre and Don Maples.  Armond worked at a Garden Grove transmission shop and offered his expertise.  Don was a mechanic and had just come off a nation-wide tour with funny car racer Dickie Harrel.  Armond wanted to drive the truck and Don wanted to wrench the engine and "work" the crowd just like he had seen Jungle-Jim and other funny car racers do on tour.  Homer became the "money" man who secured the funding or sponsorships that paid for everything.  Homer's wife Betty remembers the Rik-Shaw engine starting up out in the garage at home and "being the only thing louder than her opera-singing brother John".  The Rik-Shaw team always made a point to wear matching shirts at the track, ie either sponsor's T-shirts or shirts with the Rik-Shaw logo embroidered on them.  Betty and daughter Beth would also wear matching outfits.  Don brought the showmanship to the Rik-Shaw team.  It was Don that ran up to the announcer in the tower with a smile on his face and had the announcer work up the crowd for the Rik-Shaw.  Don got chants for the Rik-Shaw going and getting everyone on their feet with dramatic and too-close -too-call staggered-start races with a variety of opponents.  The most memorable had to be at one of the funny car shows.  Usually the Rik-Shaw was brought out between rounds of the funny cars while they were cooling down or being repaired in the pits.  The announcer would announce "Next up is the American Rik-Shaw, the world's fastest Datsun pick-up".  "The Rik-Shaw is going to give the 22 second VW a big headstart."  "Let out a big yell if you think the little VW will cross the finish line before the little truck!"  "Let out a big yell if you think the little datsun truck will win!"  Staggered start.  VW leaves about 11 seconds before the Rik-Shaw gets to go.  Everyone in the stands are on their feet and looking at the VW almost at the end and the Rik-Shaw gaining ground quickly.  What happened?  Why the Rik-Shaw got the win (most of the time) right at the finish line of course!  Then everybody reacts as to 'how is that possible?' and 'what did we just see?'.....  Then here come the fans out to the pits to see the Rik-Shaw up close and get a picture or some stickers.  Wow!  Some OCIR funny car shows had over 25,000 people at them!  Talk about swarms of people.

[DavyJ]

Cool story of some home style racers doing it big time..........................nice stuff.

[Striper]

I live about 5miles from where it was ,, damn I miss that place !! When they were still talking about tearing it down , I was lettering a FC for Tom McEwen and we were discussing what was going to happen , Tom said " what else would you put between a Marine base and a freeway?  The answer after all these years is ,, another damn Walmart and a Costco ! Oh well , screwed again .

[TS3X65MPH]

Don Cook 1971

[TS3X65MPH]

GARY'S FUNNY

[Steves32]

Larry Reyes at OCIR

 

[Steves32]

[Steves32]

[Steves32]

[Steves32]

Never saw this pic before. How cool..........and sad!