CLASS RACER FORUM - View Single Post - Len Imborgno - Jim Skelly

Chuck Norton · 07-04-2007, 09:51 AM

Ramona was a very slow track partially due to the altitude. As I recall, it ran from east to west which would also put it at odds to the ocean breezes.

That's the earliest reference I've seen that identifies "Junior Stock" as an entity.

The line-up from that report was pretty much the way I remember it. The wagon ran mid-12s at Lions on a regular basis so we weren't terribly impressed with the times down in San Diego County. I don't think that altutude factors were used and I believed we were handicapped off the national record. Since we held the record it was no big deal. I remember that all class winners tore down at that race. A little different than modern Divisional races?

I recall a few other things about the Ramona race: That was the first event at which I can remember a christmas tree being used and the first at which I recall a handicapped start as we know it today. (At some point previously there had been handicapped starts using car-length spots.) Seemed pretty much like magic at the time. Note the presence of Mike Schmidt's Desert Motors B/FX Galaxie from Ridgecrest. Mike went on to win the national points championship in 1964 although Kempton gave him a run for the money through the early part of the season. The Hoefer cars (B/S and D/MP) were run by Bill Hoefer Sr., the father of Willy Hoefer (2006 Sportsman Bracket Eliminator National Champion) as well as Clarence and Alan Hoefer (current contenders in Super classes and Stock Eliminator). Bill Sr. finished the 1964 season as the National Champion in the Street Eliminator category. Unless memory fails me, Gas Ronda also did pretty well that year in his Thunderbolt although I don't recall if he won the national points chase.

Those were golden days.

07-04-2007, 09:51 AM	#65
Chuck Norton Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Covina, CA Posts: 474 Likes: 105 Liked 89 Times in 19 Posts	Re: Len Imborgno - Jim Skelly - Performance Preserves Ramona was a very slow track partially due to the altitude. As I recall, it ran from east to west which would also put it at odds to the ocean breezes. That's the earliest reference I've seen that identifies "Junior Stock" as an entity. The line-up from that report was pretty much the way I remember it. The wagon ran mid-12s at Lions on a regular basis so we weren't terribly impressed with the times down in San Diego County. I don't think that altutude factors were used and I believed we were handicapped off the national record. Since we held the record it was no big deal. I remember that all class winners tore down at that race. A little different than modern Divisional races? I recall a few other things about the Ramona race: That was the first event at which I can remember a christmas tree being used and the first at which I recall a handicapped start as we know it today. (At some point previously there had been handicapped starts using car-length spots.) Seemed pretty much like magic at the time. Note the presence of Mike Schmidt's Desert Motors B/FX Galaxie from Ridgecrest. Mike went on to win the national points championship in 1964 although Kempton gave him a run for the money through the early part of the season. The Hoefer cars (B/S and D/MP) were run by Bill Hoefer Sr., the father of Willy Hoefer (2006 Sportsman Bracket Eliminator National Champion) as well as Clarence and Alan Hoefer (current contenders in Super classes and Stock Eliminator). Bill Sr. finished the 1964 season as the National Champion in the Street Eliminator category. Unless memory fails me, Gas Ronda also did pretty well that year in his Thunderbolt although I don't recall if he won the national points chase. Those were golden days.