The fourth generation of Americanland-speed racers are in diapers now, sowhy not take a peek at how one of the firstthree generation families got started?Although this column will only focus onthe Ferguson family, there are many oth-ers that share equally notable threegenerational statuses within the sport. Allshare a common bond; they are all hookedon horsepower, smitten with speed and arenever satisfied with last year’s time slip. Allof these families (not to mention the manydozens of two-generation families) areheavily involved and the entire familyhelps out, or directly participates in theracing program. The list below is what Ihave sorted out thus far, but I will nodoubt miss someone, so please drop me aline so I might include those missing folksin future articles.

Three Generation Land Speed Families:

Feisty Fergusons

Whenever I have wandered into theFerguson’s pit area, the greeting has beenthe same: big smiles, tools down and stopto chat. Now that’s a welcome, let me tellyou. This style of greeting is offeredthroughout the pits, it is an inextricablepart of land speed racing. Here, familydoes not necessarily mean youare connected by blood, yet thebond is just as sturdy.

Consider what Don Fergu-son the third, or “3” as I call him,did to get three guys into the200MPH Club in four days.What III was attempting on thesalt was bold, daring and eye-brow-raising outrageous.

In order to earn member-ship in the Bonneville 200MHClub, he needed all three driversto set specific records - not toofast or too slow - without anymistakes, in six runs down thelong black line. Youthful enthusi-asm knows no bounds(remember how that felt?).

Never mind that very tal-ented people take years beforethey gain entree to this presti-gious speed fraternity, earningthe right to wear a simple redball cap that proclaims theirspeediness to the world, thisthird generation velocity fruit ofhis father’s loins was after a triplecrown in 96 hours! “Don’t go toofast,” DDII cautioned his son,“because the hardest person tocatch is yourself.” Sage speedadvice.

Now some folks might beannoyed by such an accomplish-ment, but just like the fabled fox

who called the grapes sour because hecouldn’t jump high enough to get them,you’ve still got to admire the tenacity.From where I sat, it was quite a show ofhuman spirit mixed with “Calvin andHobbes” fantasy dreaming.

Meeting up one morning with thenormally jovial, bright-natured 24-year-old with a Samson physique, I noticed heappeared burdened with the weight of asmall solar system. Here we were at theSCTA World Finals on the BonnevilleSalt Flats and I knew the handsome ladhad arrived with three wrench-wielding,speed-hungry buddies to play with thefamily’s 200 mile-per-hour streamliner.

“Did you break the car,” I asked withcurious astonishment, “Or have youknuckleheads been up all night betting,boozing and boasting to women?”

“No,” replied the wearied-eye youngman, “I didn’t get any sleep last night; I’vebeen up worrying about how I’m going toget the guys in the 200MPH Club. Mystomach is upset, I can’t eat, my dad isn’there to help and I have to tune the carmyself.”

“What?! How come he’s not here?” Iasked.

“He couldn’t make it this year andI’ve never gone racing without himbefore,” III replied.

Ah ha! This was the epiphany at theconclusion of a grease-laden molt. Bornand raised in a family that for decades hadchased high-speed dreams out on the drylakes of southern California; III finallyunderstood what his father and grandfa-ther endured to successfully campaign aspeed machine.

Simultaneously, III and crew werehelping veteran racer Jim Travis get hisson Randy into the 2-Club with a gas

sucking Ardun. Down on speed, III andhigh performance laureate Don Franciscoput their heads together and came up witha gear change that boosted the RPM andRandy turned in a 233 average to earn ared hat for his head. Another Randy, theyoungest Fergu-son, also becamethe youngest tojoin the 200MPHClub and the ElMirage 200MPHClub at age 17 in2001. Never abunch to hoardthe driving funfor themselves,the Fergusonsoffer seat time tomany. Watchingthem can be asexhausting as it isentertaining.

Senior, or“Ferg” as hisfriends calledhim, foundedParamount Forgein 1954. When hedied in 1999, itpassed ontoJunior (DDII)who in turn isteaching III thefine points of hammer forging 2,200degree metal, machining, cutting raw bil-let stock, fine grinding, and ring rolling.

“I learned a lot from my grandfatherand my dad,” explained DDIII, the currentpresident of the Rod Riders Racing Team,a racing group founded by his grandfatherin 1947, “I spent every summer with them.Something always needed to be takenapart, or put back together.”

The family motto is “Fun”, and IIIbelieves it is a lot more fun to help otherpeople go fast than doing it himself. IInotes that if the racing isn’t fun, then it’snot worth doing. This ideology came fromFerg, who proffered “You can have morefun with people than you can with any-thing else”. To fund the family speeddeeds they have developed a retro revenuestream borne out of yesterday’s memories

and today’s desires: the largest private col-lection of American vintage enginepatterns, castings and parts, ranging fromModel A and B Fords, to flatheads, in-line6’s, Chryslers, and Arduns.

This collection, housed above theracecar workshop justdown the street fromthe family business,Paramount Forge, is ajaw-dropping, motor-head wonderland ofhorsepower possibili-ties.

“By the 80’s dadprobably had the bestcollection of rare, one-off cylinder heads inthe country,” saidDDII, “he marveled athow folks approachedspeed. Testing everyone of the heads on hisflow bench, he foundout what worked andwhat didn’t, docu-menting everything. Itis how we found outthat Ed Winfield’shead, the supposedbest, wasn’t!”

Starting out asFerg’s boyhood obses-sion with vintage mills;

he would be astonished today at what hisson and grandkids have done with thefamily racing program that they would begoing as fast as they are with the Ardunsand GMC’s.

“A lot of it is due to the technologyand the upgrades that my dad has put intothe Ardun conversions,” III chimed, “heraised the bar. We make our own rockerarms, pushrods, head gaskets, billet crankand camshafts, 4340 connecting rods, butwe are still using grandpa’s injectors thatare still far superior to what anyone else ismaking. With the GMC technology, weare running the Wayne cross flow headthat my grandpa and dad worked on.”

Migrating to in-line 6-cylinders(Arduns and Wayne head GMC’s compet-ed in the same class years ago) because theengines were much easier to work on, tol-

erated heavier loads of nitro andtook a lot more abuse before theyfell apart. When they added nitrousoxide that put 375 HP at the fly-wheel records came easier and moreoften. Because no one would sellthem flathead parts, Ferg designedwhat he wanted – only better. Heput a venturi down inside the injec-tor to speed up the air, to this day,no one has made an injector likethat. Did I mention he only had an8th grade education?

A plum Ardun can cost up to 50large these days. For years DDIIthought the fragile flathead requiredtoo much work for too little pay-back, “Flatheads were the last thingI ever wanted to build.” His dad hadother ideas and over the years IIabsorbed practical mechanicalsmarts that he now imparts to hissons and other speed-seeking centu-rions.

“My first taste of record-setting

Generations Of Speed

BarrettBrantBryantBurkeCampbellCobbCookEdelbrockFreudigerKalbach

LindsleyMillerNishRickmanSykesToneVescoYoungWhite

Sporting his dry lakes best head gear, DonFerguson III, president of the Rod Riders RacingClub, takes a moment with members out on theEl Mirage Dry Lake in southern California. TheClub was first formed in the late 40’s by hisgrandfather, Don “Ferg” Ferguson.

Dynasty’s have to start somewhere andwhen Don “Ferg” Ferguson took a han-kering to Model B’s the whole familygot hooked. Today, 50 years later, thegrandkids are still ripping through thetiming lights with vintage mills of theirown.

Don Ferguson III stand by his Ardun poweredroadster. Still under construction, the third gen-eration land speed racers is also the Presidentof the Rod Riders Racing Club.

Don Ferguson II, left and son Don III, have alaugh in the family race car shop.

14 � March.2006

came at El Mirage in 1978 running inXX/Fuel Roadster class,” said DDII withan excitement in his voice as those he hadjust then climbed out of the cockpit afterrunning 165MPH right off the trailer run-ning on straight alcohol, “The differencebetween the flat head and the Ardun con-version was dramatic, like night and day. Itwas smooth as silk and felt so strong Icould have run laps with it.”

That record still stands to this dayand later that year he ran 165 at Bon-neville with the flathead, but needed 60%nitro to do it.

The female Fergusons also figureprominently in this generational speed

2., Smash Flatfire’s 302MPH recordto become the “World’s Fastest Flathead

3., Top 200MPH at El Mirage withthe roadster (with III driving).

Ferg’s spirit continues to be mademanifest through his grandson’s hands andhis son’s quick-witted, velocity hungrymind. In a hobby that often becomes alifestyle, land-speed racing continues tothe best little “amateur” motorsports gamein the world.

Asking III about his speed dreams, hereplies faster than you can dump a clutch,“Don Vesco’s 458MPH record is out thereand it is calling our name”.

And what about that 2-Club triplecrown? III, strategizing by phone withdad at home, together they worked tofine-tune the in-line 6-cylinder. In sevenruns down the course Chris Field, “JellyBean” Mike Cook, and Dave Kirsch madethe most of their opportunity for lifemembership in the oldest speed club onthe salt setting records at 221, 224 and227. It was a happy day in the sandbox.

And for the upcoming race season?Make note of their goals:

1., Exceed 300 MPH with the Waynehead GMC engine

tree. Pauline Ferguson, Ferg’s wife, II’smom and III’s gram, is a sharp, senior hot-tie, who lived for years surrounded by carsof all description including a VincentBlack Shadow motorcycle in a spare bed-room. This is a woman, who for Christmasone year, bought her husband dry lakespioneer Karl Orr’s racecar, sewed a dozenred satin Russetta official shirts and helpedbuy new time clocks for SCTA-BNI whoresponded at the 1986 SCTA annual ban-quet by presenting her with a specialtrophy inscribed - “A Special Thanks toPauline Ferguson, the initiator for thefund raising of the Bonneville Nationalclocks.”

www.good-guys.com � 15

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