[t-head]

The early T-racers are some of the most beautiful ugly cars you will ever see. Manned by a driver and a mechanic, these dust churning rattle traps rolled around the dirt roads of Lompoc sputtering and spewing smoke. The winner was usually the only car that actually finished the race. In actuality several cars finished the first race in 1936. Armand Cazenave and Walt Mafrina won this race and would be perpetual winners of future races. Two more road races were held in the spring and fall of 1937.

To survive a road race it was necessary to have your mechanic along for the ride. Of course, many of the drivers were able mechanics as well, but in a road race you didn’t break down in pit row. The mechanic, besides being prepared to fix the car, also had to open and close the cattle gates separating the ranches along the course. Tires were always a problem too and a quicker change could be facilitated by a team of two. This meant that the membership of the club was at least double the number of cars to be raced. Often these teams were made up of brothers.

As the racing action continued so did the local interest. More cars were built and more members joined the club. Due to the interest and general concerns about safety, dust and noise, it became evident that racing would have to move from the road to the track. The races were also attracting spectators and for them it was difficult to watch a race spread out along a sometime remote 35 mile course. When cars broke down out on the road course it was a long walk home too.

The end of the article is just down the page a little.