29 replies to this topic

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

Philippe, isn't that 81 car the one that flipped in the esses at Riverside in about 63? I should go look it up, but you usually know this stuff off the top of your head.

Fate

[Horsepower]

That was the FIRST thing that caught my eye-Dick Trickle. Maybe because I had just taken medicine for my prostate. Anyway, THAT is one BEAUTIFUL Cheetah! Very unusual motor/chassis combo which has GOT to kick butt on the home tracks. That whole car is so sano it's amazing! The dash, instruments, chassis, good grief it's a show piece!

[Horsepower]

Regis- after looking over those pictures again, it seems like you are channeling Jose Rodriguez.

[Regis4446]

[Quote = nom de «date Switchblade '= '16 avril 2010 - 05:34 PM' timestamp = '1271457271 'post = '242355']
Regis-après avoir examiné ces images à nouveau, il semble que vous orientent Jose Rodriguez.
[/ Quote]

[TSR]

Philippe, isn't that 81 car the one that flipped in the esses at Riverside in about 63?

Indeed.

Cheetah Number Two had an extensive race career before ending up on the street. In July 1963, Bill Thomas tested several people to drive the development/factory car, including Bob Bondurant, Billy Cantrell, and Jerry Titus. Jerry Titus was selected. The car was scheduled to make its competition debut in the 1963 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside International Raceway. However, in testing at Riverside two weeks before the event, Billy Cantrell crashed heavily into turn nine, effectively preventing the car from running the '63 event. The debut finally came in January 1964 at a Cal-Club event at Riverside, with Jerry Titus driving. As Titus completed lap one, in 1st place, the lower radiator hose came loose, dumping water under the rear wheels. The car went straight off turn one, climbed the Armco guardrail, and went over the top. Titus survived, but the car was heavily damaged. However, it was repaired at the Thomas facility and continued to compete in West Coast tracks such as, Pomona, Riverside, Cotati, Seattle, Phoenix, and Santa Barbara through out the remainder of 1964 with Jerry Titus as the driver. Near the end of the year, Friendly Chevrolet in Rialto, CA became the owner/sponsor until the car was sold to Jerry Entin in 1965. Entin’s previous race car had been Max Balchowsky’s Ol’ Yaller Mk.II.

Jerry Entin is a good friend of mine, and can be seen here at the recent Riverside Reunion II, where people that achieved success on that famous track met for 3 days of great reminiscence.




From left to right, Vince Howlett, Yours Truly, Jerry Entin and Frank Lance who was instrumental as a crew chief for Jim Hall, John Mecom, Carroll Shelby and plenty of other luminaries... frank lance also worked on Cheetahs for Allen Grant.