Dave Hirata A/FD Question (1 Viewer)

[jgrigz]

I haven't seen Dave and Kenny Hirata out yet this year. Are they going to run or have they quit? Possibly they are waiting for Division 3 to start their series. Just curious. Great team.

 

[fibertech]

We met Dave, Kenny, and substitute driver Brian Inouye at the 2021 Gateway Fall Division 3 race and they were all genuinely nice people and were so gracious in answering all our questions. It was like they were thrilled that we were so interested in their team and we spent a couple of hours hanging around their pit. Dave DID mention that the growing expense of racing A/Fuel was making it harder to keep going. My son Joe and I will be Hirata fans till the bitter end. Hopefully the price of diesel fuel doesn't slow them down. They are a great asset to the Top Alky Dragster class.

 

[Cliff]

Hirata & Hobbs from around 1962 or so. I think they won Top Elim at the Nationals one year, early 60's.

 

[Nunz]

They were teamed up with Will Smith in recent years. Will had a one race deal with Robin Samsel a few weeks ago, I believe he won the Baby Gators before Robin took the wheel back. Not sure what the Hirata's plans are.

 

[junglevsbrutus]

Hi Cliff, yes, Hirata & Hobbs won the '63 US Nationals w/ Bobby Vodnik driving. Regular driver Phil Hobbs had been injured in a towing accident so they enlisted 19-year old Vodnik to drive. NHRA's fuel ban was still in place so Top Eliminator at the Nationals was a gasoline dragster race. This was the first time NHRA used the Christmas tree (plus the first ABC Wide World of Sports telecast). Garlits faced Vodnik for the final. Big Daddy was driving a customer car, the Cassedy & Winward "Brief Encounter." Don had won the '63 Winternationals on fuel, a small 8-car field that NHRA called a "showcase" eliminator, much like their Pro Mod eliminator of today. But for whatever reason NHRA only permitted gas at the same year Indy.

Naturally, Garlits was the expected winner but he RL in the final and Vodnik won. Still, Hirata & Hobbs ran the better ET so it wasn't a "giveaway" win.
After Phil Hobbs returned to the seat the team won Top Gas at the '65 Nationals (same race that Leong-Prudhomme won TF in the Hawaiian). Hirata & Hobbs also won
Top Gas at the '66 March Meet. Those are quite some feats given the sheer volume and quality of dragsters in the early half of the '60s!

Hirata & Hobbs from around 1962 or so. I think they won Top Elim at the Nationals one year, early 60's.

It's been many years since I've seen them but the Hirata family is so very kind and inviting when you visit them in the pits. The late Phil Hobbs was also a very nice man who I'd met many times at several reunions and Indy. They are truly a significant team of drag racing's pioneer era, what we call "The Golden Age!"

 

[Cliff]

Thanks James. Bobby Vodnik ran a AA/FD called The Shadow (?) a few years later. I think he was credited with a run of 214 MPH when everyone else was running 202 etc. Story goes that the 214 was on hydrazine. Also seem to remember that AHRA was started so the fuel cars had a place to run after the infamous fuel ban. NHRA only ran gas. BTW, story I heard was that when Cook & Bedwell ran that 166 run, the SoCal tracks came up with the ban (not enough room to stop from 166 MPH) and NHRA went along with it. But I also remember all the SoCal tracks going back to nitro after awhile. Lions, Pomona, San Fernando, etc all ran nitro.