BangShift to stream live video from CHRR

Through an agreement with the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, BangShift.com will feature live streaming video of the 2009 California Hot Rod Reunion presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California and held at legendary Auto Club Famoso Raceway near Bakersfield, Calif., on the weekend of October 16-18.

The live video feed will start at around noon Pacific Standard Time on Friday, October 16, and will continue during event hours through Sunday, October 18. BangShift.com will have two cameras on site to cover all the action on the track as well as in the pits and at the car show in The Grove. In addition to the live video, there will also be California Hot Rod Reunion photo galleries posted each night of the event.

See the homepage at www.BangShift.com to get in on the action! [10/14/09]

Top Fuel Bike legend Bo O’Brochta passes

We are sorry to report that one of the true giants of drag bike racing, Bo O’Brochta, has passed away according to Internet reports. O’Brochta was a super star of the old NHRA Top Fuel Bike program. In 1980 he won both the NHRA U.S. Nationals defeating Larry McBride and the Ontario World Finals defeating Russ Collins.  O’Brochta drove his Terminal Van Lines-backed Kawasaki to the national title that year. Interestingly, NHRA introduced Pro Stock Bike that same year (1980) at two national events.  (Tom Schiltz photo) [10/14/09]

Miller’s, er we mean Veney’s Vega

Northwest racer Vic Miller sent the Agent this photo of his latest project, the restored Ken Veney ‘72 Vega injected-alcohol funny car, the first of Veney’s series of haul-ass So-Cal-based Ken Cox-chassised floppers. At the end of the 1972 season Veney took delivery of his second injected Vega Funny car and sold the original to Hawaiian racer Jack Cambra. Cambra raced it briefly and then parked it for nearly 36 years.

Miller found the car on Christmas Eve 2006 and after some research, verified it was the original car and it still had 75% of the original equipment - still in nearly perfect condition. After nearly 2-1/2 years of restoration, including paint and lettering by Dick Pruitt and Mitch Kim, Veney’s Vega will make its first appearance on the quarter mile in almost 38 years running in the exhibition class at this weekend¹s 18th annual California Hot Rod Reunion. [10/14/09]