Calistoga Races

[AndyClary]

Since Ed posted the poster from the Calistoga races I dug through a shoe box and came up with some photos. First are two shots from dad’s three wheel excursion through the infield. I wasn’t there, my brother Dan was riding shotgun. Perhaps Wayne can fill in the play by play as he was right behind the action.

Andy

[Hudson29]

What failed here? WAs it a spindle or a wheel?

Paul

[Wayne Sheldon]

I need to collect my thoughts here, and have more than a few uninterrupted minutes to begin telling the tale. Some of the story goes against common conceptions. Some of it warns of hidden dangers lurking from in the hobby's past. Some of it? Best most fun EVER!

[Dan McEachern]

Good chance that's a mama McEachern photo. C'mon Andy, what else did you find in that box?

[Wayne Sheldon]

Oh, WHERE to begin about the Calistoga Races!?

One weekend in July those few years as a sideshow at the "Antique and Collectors Revival" at the Calistoga fairgrounds in California!
I have been on Endurance Runs (not enough of them!), a couple Catalina Caper tours, a few national club tours (MAFCA, MTFCA, HCCA, VMCCA), but those few weekends at Calistoga were the most fun of all!
Way too many names to remember even half of them, Ed Archer of course above all else! Pat and Pat (Brogan was it? Husband and wife team that put on the antique revival show) also need to be remembered and thanked for their support and including us in a great collector's event (yes our show helped them put on one of the most popular antique and collectors shows in the Western US). Susanne (now living in Italy?), her father was a bigwig in the California AAA and gave support. Larry Streeter and Dan Erceg, did a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes.
Every year managed to have six to eight crazy people willing to drive their model T speedsters and racing cars in one of the most abusive ways possible! On an over half mile dirt racing track usually used by modern sprint cars with huge V8s! The almost unbelievable fact was, the faster model Ts were turning laps at the same times as many of the modern sprint cars and drivers could do it!
And let us not forget the even crazier riding mechanics taking the chances alongside the crazy drivers.
It really was a fantastic show!

It does need to be noted that Dan McEachern (not sure if he was there every year, but was there most of them), and Vic Sala was there every year.
Andy Clary's father Dexter Clary was there, usually with a son riding alongside. (At that, except maybe for specific stories, I will try to stop naming names as there are too many and I will miss most of them!)

And, oh the stories that can be told! Dan McEachern nearly folded a front wire wheel on a fast turn! He eased into the pit area with the wheel wobbling terribly. And speaking of wheels? In four years, as I recall, only two wooden spoke wheels failed, in spite of about a third of the cars were running on wooden spokes. Only one of those two wooden spoke wheels actually broke wooden spokes! The other one, it was not the wheel at fault either. About half way into one of the turns, the car's tie rod suddenly collapsed causing both front wheels to turn sharply OUT, and the car at nearly full speed slammed the right front wheel into the wall! The collision broke the wooden spokes!
The other wooden wheel failure turned out to be a cracked rear hub broke, leaving the car without drive power, it was quickly repaired by replacing the hub on site with someone's borrowed spare and resuming the races about an hour later.

Steel wire wheels and steel disc wheels didn't fare quite as well. Although mostly the failures were not the wheels themselves, they each broke axles and hubs on several cars.
Which leads us to tonight's story request.

It was such a long time ago, I was quite young, about two years out of high school, going to college part time, working part time, and playing with my antique automobiles as much as I could! I had built my first model T speedster, on a bit of a budget. The engine I got from a local horseless carriage friend turned out to be really worn out. So I scraped up the dollars and had it pretty well rebuilt, doing some of the work myself. Bored cylinders, reground crankshaft, all new Babbitt, new pistons, new valves, nothing fancy. Except for the Bosch DU4 magneto, it was very stock right down to the Holly NH carburetor! Needless to say, it was the slowest car there every year.
The other thing it did have, was a heavy case Muncie transmission which gave me a wonderful selection of gear ratios to select from. On that over half mile oval dirt track I had a bit of a problem. The engine didn't have enough power to push the overdrive around the turns. However, in direct gear, the engine was wound out about half way down the straightaways! So I spent a lot of time shifting the Muncie and trying to find the best points to shift losing the least amount of speed in the process.
I don't recall what specific race it was. How many laps etcetera, however, a few laps into the race I was heading into the second turn while paying attention to the faster cars coming up behind me! I staked my claim about the middle of the track as a couple of the faster cars were pushing to the inside to pass me, while another red car had begun coming up on my outside. And into the turn we headed, the entire cluster of cars, me being passed on both sides! Dexter Clary and son went around on my right side and I slacked off on my speed slightly to give them more room. Meanwhile, on my left, a much faster car went by leaving me behind and beginning to pass the Clary's red car ahead of me. Just at that moment, maybe fifty feet ahead of me, it happened! The rear hub of the faster car, which was holding the wire wheel in place, broke! I saw the wheel come off, the rear end dropping one side into the dirt with dust flying ahead of me I quickly shut down my throttle and began steering off to the outside of the track.
What happened in the following couple seconds was incredible to watch.
First, the loss of the rear wheel caused the car to skid outwards. Bob Edwards driving very quickly recovered control and headed toward the infield, but not before the car had drifted a bit. Meanwhile Dexter Clary had begun to pull in ahead of my car, and just BARELY, the two cars clipped wheels! I am not certain, but I am fairly sure it was Bob Edwards' right rear wheel clipped Dexter Clary's left front wheel.
What happened next was hard to believe if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Dexter Clary's kingpin sheared cleanly above and below the spindle!
The tie rod on the Clary car had an unusual (but not the only one I have seen) design detail in that it had a drain/vent hole in the center of the tie rod instead of an open seam the length of it. A bit of rust just inside that hole had added a weakness to the tie rod and under the stress and shock of the wheel leaving the car, the tie rod broke right in the middle! The clipping had lurched Dexter's front wheel ahead of his car while also launching it into the air ahead of them! For a bare moment in time, I watched as wheel, spindle, and spinning tie rod flew through the air as Dexter regained control of his now three wheeled car and masterfully steered his car onto the infield. Not an easy task with a broken half a tie rod flopping around loosely connected to the drag link.

I don't know if Andy Clary knows this next part or not? It happened a long time ago, and many hopefully wonderful years have come and gone since.
Few people ever really knew just how close this was to being a horrible tragedy. The images are burned into my brain from my front row seat.

The front wheel with its half of the tie rod had kicked up into the air ahead of the Clary car. With its tie rod flailing around, it was coming down in front of them, then got knocked back up and over their heads as they passed harmlessly underneath.
I could see everyone stepping out of their three wheeled cars as I pulled into the pit area. I quickly parked and ran over to where both cars and people were. What I saw upon reaching Dexter Clary, son, and car, sent a chill up my spine (I already knew they were fine, but YIKES!). There in the car's cowl, an inch or two ahead of where the wooden dash was bolted in on the inside? Was a small hole, maybe two inches in size. Dexter told me he saw it do it. With the weight of the wheel and tire behind it, the tie rod punched in through the cowl's sheet metal and vaulted over them!

Some time later, Dexter told me that after getting home, he checked inside under the cowl, and the tie rod had hit the forward side of the wooden dash and cut a chip out of the wooden dash. That probably began the push to launch the wheel back up and over their heads?

Except for Endurance Runs and the Calistoga Races, I didn't see the Clary family very often. They were more active with the North of San Francisco T clubs while I was mostly with the South bay area groups.
Dexter put a nice patch over the hole in the cowl. Whenever I saw him with the car, we would share a moment recalling the event leading to the patch.

To this day, I am very grateful nobody was hurt there that day!

If I had the opportunity, would I seriously drive a speedster/racer in a similar type racing conditions event? YOU BET I WOULD!

[Wayne Sheldon]

A few more words about the kingpin.
I said I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. But I did get to see the kingpin merely minutes after it broke. It was two very clean straight breaks. The kingpin bolt head and nutted and cotter pinned bottom end were still in the front axle.
The kingpin should NOT have broken! The clean and straight breaks tell me that the kingpin was improperly hardened. It was probably way too hard, and when hit by the sudden shock and stresses of the wheel being clipped, the kingpin simply let go and away went the wheel,
Over the years, quality control has been not what it should have been with some manufacturers. I have heard a few other stories about kingpin failures indicating improper hardening.
So, I say be aware of it. I don't know of any reasonable "fix" to the issue. Certainly hundreds of sets of improperly hardened kingpins are still in use today. I do not think replacing all of them is a reasonable request or approach.
Either too hard or not hard enough is a defective kingpin. Many thousands of model Ts have been driven many millions of total miles, with very few actually breaking. I don't worry myself about my Ts breaking a kingpin on the road. And I wouldn't suggest anyone else worry too much about it. Anyone driving nearly hundred year old automobiles needs to be aware of certain realities of many types of failures that could happen at any time.
That a kingpin could break is such an unlikely occurrence, there are dozens of possible and far worse causes of breakdowns or accidents.

[George House]

What an interesting story - and very descriptive too !! Thanks for contributing your exciting reminiscences Wayne

[AndyClary]

Thanks for the story Wayne. Dad told pretty much the same story. It’s no coincidence that from that day forward the tie rod was made from solid bar stock and has 9/16” kingpins.

Here’s a couple more shots for Dan

Andy

[Hudson29]

Thanks for the pictures and the great front row "I was there" story. It does sound like fun. What year was this that the kingpin sheared? What years were these races held?

Paul

[AndyClary]

This was 75 or 76, I missed them because I was in the Marine Corps at the time. Wayne or Dan or Ed could probably pick out the year.


Andy

[Allan]

My kingpin story is nowhere near as hairy, but may be related to faulty manufacture also. On a national tour in Windsor NSW we drove along a particularly rough stretch of road to a rest stop destination. At the stop, my cousin's wife picked up a bit she found interesting. It was a kingpin head, complete with oiler!
Back at our caravan park for the evening, one participant came looking for their club's spares man, who just happened to be in the cabin next to us. He was looking to replace a king pin because the head had fallen off his. What are the chances of such a reunion?

No damage was done as the kingpin stem remained held in place by the nut and cotter pin.

Allan from down under.

[YellowTRacer]

I'll try to keep this short. The Calistoga Classics ran from 1972 to 1975. It all began when I read in a publication that there was going to be some horseless Carriage races at the annual Napa fair in Napa, CA. I enquired only to find out that there was not enough participants and so it was canceled. I replied "if I could get you ten cars or so to participate would you change your mind?" The answer was yes, so I began calling friends and we pulled it off on their 1/4 mile dirt track. Rough rough track. The promoter of an upcoming antique sale saw the event and called me some time afterwords wanting to know if I could do something similar at his next sale to be held at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, CA. on their 1/2 mile dirt track. I said yes and began calling all my speedster race car friends. The rest is history. As serious as it was, in one of the movies you see someone shooting a water pistol at the guy that was attempting a pass as they exited a turn on the back stretch. Loads of fun, beyond your wildest dreams!

Ed aka #4

[Wayne Sheldon]

Hey there Ed! I remember that first race on the rough 1/4 mile track. It was before I had my first speedster running, and I rode as "mechanic" with Dan Erceg for that race. The small track was rough and the turns were sharp. It was fun, but short and brutal. If I recall correctly, a couple cars rolled clincher tires off their rims!
The four years on the Calistoga track were a lot more fun!

[Dan McEachern]

Here are a few shots from the 1st event that Ed and Wayne mention above. It was a bit dusty that day.

[Dan Haynes]

Somewhere in the basement I have negatives from the Calistoga Races that I took in the infield. I remember the Clarey car losing its wheel and I'm pretty sure I took photos, but I may have been in shock and forgot to click the shutter. I'll go down and see what I can find. There used to be an envelope of of old silver certificates down there, too and I haven't seen those in a while.

[Wayne Sheldon]

I don't know, sometimes I just can't help myself.
I keep looking at those last two photos taken at the Napa fairgrounds, the first race before the Calistoga races. I keep thinking about the people and the cars. See if I can not make too many mistakes?
The group photo before the races driver's meeting. The goofy tall fellow admiring the Archer's yellow number four is probably me! It appears to be my black leather "helmet" (I still have!), goggles (should still be in my stuff somewhere?), and leather leggings that some years later would no longer fit around my fatter calves. The back of the black haired young fellow with the partially red area and winged wheel on the back of his white coveralls I think is Dan Erceg. My car was still being built at that time, so this was the one race I ever rode in as riding mechanic with Dan Erceg driving.
Way in the back of the cars, I "think" the reddish/orange car was Tim Stangeland's number 8. The white number 14 was Tim Butterick's fine car. Ahead of Tim Stangeland's and next to Tim Butterick's I again "think" is Dave Moultan's (sp?) Testa Rosa, a shortened chassis with a remarkably fast flathead T engine!
The other couple Ts there I cannot see enough of to spur my memory?

The photo of the cars rounding the turn and headed into the straightaway (such as that small track was?) brings back some memories. It looks like Dave Moultan ahead, with a red car (not Tim Stangeland) following, Tim Butterick next followed by Ed Archer in famous number 4! Not to worry, Ed is not behind. He was probably getting ready to pass us for the second or third time by then! As I recall, he passed us at least tree times on that race.

[Dan McEachern]

Wayne- the red car behind Dave Moulton is Doug Abernathy with what looks like Doug's wife Sandy riding as mechanic. Might be me but pretty sure that was Sandy in that race. Car is easy to ID because of the huge gas tank that Doug had on the car.

Doug Abernathy - napa.jpg (14.09 KiB) Viewed 2525 times

[Hudson29]

I think it remarkable that the wood wheels did so well unders the stress of racing in rough dirt, perhaps even better than the wires. For some reason, I expected the opposite, possibly because the wheels that came on my '23 Runabout when I bought it were so rickety. That might have set an unfair impression in the back of my mind. The new set made by Dave Seiler in Brea, CA have been completely trouble free.

Paul

[Wayne Sheldon]

Dan Mc E, I had forgotten about that car. That gasoline tank was ridiculous for a speedster.

I think it remarkable that the wood wheels did so well unders the stress of racing in rough dirt, perhaps even better than the wires. For some reason, I expected the opposite, possibly because the wheels that came on my '23 Runabout when I bought it were so rickety. That might have set an unfair impression in the back of my mind. The new set made by Dave Seiler in Brea, CA have been completely trouble free.

Paul

That is the common misconception about wooden spoke wheels. The fact is that IF the proper types of wood are used, and the wheels are in good condition and TIGHT, wooden spoke wheels are remarkably strong, and resilient. Wooden spoke wheels will break if enough force is put onto them in certain directions, however, so will most modern cast wheels. Even pressed steel or wire spoke wheels will give in some way if enough force is given to them. I have had modern era steel wheels crack and break a few times on my work trucks.
Wooden spoke wheels need to be occasionally inspected for signs of damage or looseness. specific types of hickory is one of the best woods in the world for use in wooden spoke wheels. It is both very strong and resilient. Oak is even harder, however is much more brittle, and under major stress can shatter or break suddenly.
Way back in the early 1910s, Europe and England began using various types of metal wheels. They did so because their part of the world did not have an adequate supply of appropriate wood for automotive wheel use. They had to import wood from either the USA or one of their colonies half way around the world (Australia had some very good wood). The cost to ship an adequate supply of wheel wood made developing metal wheels more attractive for them.

Wooden spoke wheels often break in the course of an accident or collision with something? Breaking wooden spoke wheels rarely ever cause accidents. (As long as they are properly maintained and tight!)

[Susanne]

I remember doing double duty - one was taking notes in the tower for dad, as he was "announcing".... ever the ham, and quick of wit, he always had a massive grin from being part of it. I also got to drive the water truck which was a totally new experience. Surprisingly (to me) it was that experience that helped land the job later at Caltrans ("Do you have any experience driving, say, a water truck?" Why, funny you should mention, let me tell you about Calistoga!), which led to a long and generally fun career, which allowed us to (yes, we did) relocate to Italy a couple years ago.

Those photos bring back so many fun and fond memories for me. I do wish it weren't so darned expensive to get back into the old car thing over here, but I can at least enjoy it from afar... and keep a watchful eye out, just in case!

By the way, I'm not sure I ever thanked you, Ed, for finagling me a ride in Vic's #8. Mamamia, like the "yellow jacket", that was one HOT buggy as well. Really got bit by the bug, and I only wish I hadn't let life get in the way of my dreams!!! Wooh!!! When Calistoga ended, so did an era - one of excitement and yes, discovery for me. And of fun times, when a little danger was embraced, not shunned.

And thank you Andy and Wayne and all yo wild and crazy guys that made my growing up so much fun!!!! I still wonder what ever happened to everyone since '75? Of course, dad passed in 04, and I'd heard from a chance meeting with Vic's grandson (yikes!) who worked in a shop that boiled out the gas tank on Angel that he had passed a few years before...

OK, back to work for me!
Susanne

[Wayne Sheldon]

I am very pleased to see you add a few reminiscences Susanne! I enjoyed getting to know your dad way back then. He was really good with the announcing banter, and very supportive of our brand of lunacy.
The water truck, Lincoln tow truck, and motorcycle service-cycle he brought to the shows also added another layer of ambiance to the show.
I always enjoy reading your comments on this forum. Keep in touch.