Ya really otta check this one out: http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/hrdp_0910_300_mph_lakester/index.htmlThe article states that back in 73 or so, Gray Baskerville described Seth Hammond as "eccentric." What a frikkin understatement. I've met him and you could say that he's a bit over the top. In this photo his wife (center) and crew enjoy some fine vintage wine...and I'm sure there's cheese and crackers somewhere.....(Seth's prolly "cuttin the cheese.")
http://www.chevyasylum.com/lsr/bsf2008/sw/20080817/20080817_0383r8_jpg.htmlHe was kind enough to allow my friend Bill "Sparky" Smith to run first in his ultra-low-buck lakester http://www.chevyasylum.com/lsr/bsf2008/wos/detail/080918_0211r8_jpg.html (built in his garage)...which became the first gas lakester to run over 300 and got Sparky a blue 300 mph club hat:
http://www.chevyasylum.com/lsr/bsf2008/wos/picks/080918_0622r8_jpg.htmlI watched that from the starting line. Hammond was in line 2 or 3 cars after Sparky. When he heard Sparky's speed, he immediately pulled the car out of line and returned to the pits. I asked him about it later in the day. He said that there was no way he could have run faster with the gear he had in it, so he brought it back to put a taller gear in. I suppose there's some truth to that, because he annihilated Sparky's speed...but AFTER Sparky had backed up his qualifying run and held the record for about 24 hours.
Here's a shot of Hammond feeding the Modified Roadster that was built from the ashes of the original #77 Lakester: http://www.chevyasylum.com/lsr/bsf2007/wf/20071003/20071003_400r8_jpg.html
I was also there when he wadded up that original lakester. He pencil rolled it at least 12 times...and ended up with a broken arm, iirc. http://www.chevyasylum.com/lsr/bsf2003/wf/031017/031017_058r8_jpg.html The coverage of that little fox paws starts there.
One last thing: I got the "Rat's Pics" section finished for Speed Week, since I gotta hustle before leaving Saturday or early Sunday: http://www.chevyasylum.com/lsr/bsf2009/Welcome.html I'm pretty pleased with the photos. There's also coverage of the rat rod cruise-in and the rods and kustoms seen on the salt.
I'm wiped out. Must sleep now. RtRps. The attached photo is Tanya Harding backing up a record run. She seemed to be a pretty "reg'lar guy"for a chick. I hope her bad times are behind her.
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