MY MEMORIES OF
"THE BRIDGE"
Anyone who was ever there for any kind of a race surely has to miss it.
Did the Hamptons really need another golf course ?
MY FIRST TIME THERE WAS ON SEPTEMBER 16, 1962
This photo, taken that day of World Champion Pedro Rodriguez in his Ferrari (The winner) wound up on the cover of Road & Track
Magazine. Along side of him are Alan Connell in a Cooper & Bob Holbert in a Porsche.
AUGIE PABST DROVE THIS VERY COOL LOOKING MASERATI THAT DAY
He burned a piston and did not finish
I took a bunch of B&W pics with my Brownie but they are long lost
HOWEVER, THE MOST UNFORGETABLE THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME THAT DAY,
I WOULD REVISIT OVER THREE DECADES LATER AND WRITE ABOUT IT IN MY BOOK
, "LONG RIDE ON A SHORT TRACK",
IN THE CHAPTER ON JIM "THE FLYING FARMER" MALONE OF SOUTHAMPTON
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FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS 1963 - 65, I MADE THE PILGRIMAGE OUT THERE FOR A VERY DIFFERENT TYPE OF RACING,
AND WOUND UP WITH SELECTING NUMBER TO PUT MY '37 PLYMOUTH. I WAS BUILDING FOR RIVERHEAD RACEWAY
THE TOTAL PURSE IS ONLY $4,575.00 SPLIT AMONG 17 TEAMS
MOST WHO CAME QUITE A LONG WAY
LOOKING EXACTLY LIKE HE DID WHEN WE FIRST SPOKE WITH EACH OTHER THERE IN 1964.
HE WAS EVEN IN THE SAME EXACT POSITION WHEN WE TALKED . ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS HE WAS HOLDING A LUG WRENCH AND CHECKING HIS LEFT FRONT WHEEL AS HE SPOKE TO ME.
I HAD FIRST SEEN HIM DRIVE THERE THE YEAR BEFORE IN JULY OF 1963 . HE WAS TRULY AMAZING THE WAY HE HANDLED HIS CAR COMPARED TO THE GUYS HE WAS RUNNING WITH, WHO WERE NO SLOUCHES EITHER , ( FIREBALL, JOE WEATHERLY, NED JARRETT, HIS DAD
THERE WERE NO CROWDS AROUND HIM IN THE PITS, ASKING FOR AUTOGRAPHS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT WAS VERY LOW KEYED, HE TOWED HIS CAR ON AN OPEN TRAILER
1964 WITH DAVID PEARSON #6 BILLY WADE #1 & BUCK BAKER #3
TWO GUYS WHO WERE THERE JUST A YEAR EARLIER, WERE NO LONGER WITH US
JOE WEATHERLY & FIREBALL ROBERTS,
FAST RISING DRIVER BILLY WADE WOULD JOIN THEM SIX MONTHS LATER.
AS YOU CAME OFF THE LONG STRAIGHT YOU WENT DOWNHILL AND TURNED RIGHT
I DID ATTEND A FEW MORE SPORTS CAR RACES OUT THERE
I BELIEVE IT WAS IN 1964 0r '65 THAT I MET "HOSS" THERE IN THE PITS
THE BIG GUY
DAN "Hoss" BLOCKER WAS WEARING A TAM WITH A POM ON IT WHEN WE MET
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THEY STARTED RACING IN BRIDGEHAMPTON ON THE ACTUAL ROADS OF TOWN IN 1951
BEFORE THEY BUILT THE TRACK IN 1957
SOME GREAT 16 MM FOOTAGE OF THE FIRST RACE IN 1951
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PAUL NEWMAN RACED THERE IN HIS DATSUN
PAUL ALSO WROTE ABOUT HIS FIRST TIME ON THE COURSE. HE WAS A PASSANGER WITH MARIO ANDRETTI
HIS DESCRIPTION OF HIS EXPERIENCE WAS VERY SIMILAR TO MINE WHEN I RODE WITH JIMMY MALONE