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Celebrating Year One
Courtesy of:
Hawaii Motorbeat Monthly
By
Paul Maddox
Yes, it's been a year since we began
this Hawai'i Motorbeat web site. Since we began last September, the
site has grown from a single page to a multi-page monthly covering a
lot of action on all the Islands. Let's take a look back at the last
12 months...
The initial September '08 column
kicked off with basic tune-up tips for better mileage. Checking tire
pressure, switching to synthetic oil and adding injector cleaner to
add over 5 mpg. We also looked at the re-birth of the muscle cars.
In October I reminisced about sneaking
under the tarps of big rig car-carrying trucks to preview the new
cars of the mid-50s ~ and how the 2009 Mazda MX6 would have blown
our teenage minds back then. The November edition lamented the lack
of a good ol' V8 throb from the coming electric cars, like the
amazing Tesla roadster.
The holiday issue looked at outrageous
and sensible vehicular possibilities from Santa. The new year roared
off with a review of 2008's Top 20 race photos and new links to
coverage of the illegal Last Drag Race at Sandy Beach, new Club
Links and more.
For February we gave you the 2009 race
events calendar and plenty of photos from the Waikoloa Lions Club
show. In March I rambled on about the new Superwagons and we had
some great pix from the SCCA Solo event in Hilo.
April featured the editorial "Is
Racing Dead", some great shots by Jim Riddiford from the Hilo
dragstrip and lots more. May saw an update on the HRA's Kona
Motorsport Park plan and the debut of nostalgic photos from Hawai'i
Raceway Park back in the late 60s. The June edition gave you the
schedule for this year's Cruise Paradise and a great story by Danny
Sachs about the 50s-era Hilo Road Devils connection.
In July I had some thoughts on the
future of the US auto industry, coverage of the Cruise Paradise
gathering in Waikoloa and lots more ol' drag racing photos from 1968
at HRP. Wrapping up a year of columns in August I asked, "Is
Nostalgia Getting Old?" and suggested that it isn't by providing
even more old stories and pix from drag racing's early days in
Hawai'i and the mainland.
If you missed any of this nonsense,
it's still all there, waiting for you on the links below. A fun
place to waste some quality time!
• • •
This month we have even more classic
old drag photos from Hawai'i Raceway Park in 1968. Action shots in
living black and white of Mel Pestana and Elmer 'Unsprung' Snyder in
a final round Top Elim shootout, Sid Sakamaki, Morris Sakuda, Bobby
Crivello, German Farias, Stan Shiroma, Andy Suzuki and Richard
Armstrong and more. Plus our April 1968 color cover shot of Ken
Kepner and his wicked 1933 Willys.
We also review the emergence of
powerboat racing at Ke'ehi Lagoon and the 'scrambles' put on by the
"Ka Mo'i O Makaha" MC club. One young rider went on to do very well
in that new 'motocross' sport ~ John 'The Flyin' Hawaiian' DeSoto.
There's also some fun old ads from Motor Supply, touting their new AMX, Aloha Motors and their hot '68 line of Chevys and K-Poi AM
radio which played the music we all listened to back in the day.
On a more contemporary note, this
edition has some great photos from Ed Douglas from his 20th annual
July Super Show in Hilo and terrific shots by Bruce 'Wheeler Dealer'
Wheeler from the Maui Raceway Park.
Coming up this month is the VW Club's
8th annual Car Show & Food Bank Drive on Sept 5th at Ala Moana Park
(click their link at the left), The Corvette Club's Labor Day
Weekend Show on the Honolulu Zoo lawn and Sept 20th it's the 2nd
annual "Rumble on the Roof" put on by the High Performance Mustang
Club at Honolulu Ford. For all the scoops on that one, click their
link...
Lots to see and read this month, so
get to it and I'll see you in October with more.
Enjoy! ~ Paul Maddox,
Hawaii Motorbeat Monthly
More from Paul Maddox at:
www.hawaiimotorbeat.com
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