Waiting for green…
10:30am | With the fifth annual Bixby Knolls Car & Dragster Show scheduled for this Saturday along Atlantic Avenue, we caught up with 8th District City Councilmember Rae Gabelich to talk about the origins of the popular event, the legend of her late husband Gary, the role that Long Beach plays in automotive history and much more.
Gary Gabelich set the world land speed record with an astounding 622.287mph average on October 23, 1970 in a rocket-powered car called the “Blue Flame,” and a drawing of the car is engraved into the lone plaque that graces the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah. Gabelich, a Long Beach native, held the record for 13 years and sadly died in a motorcycle traffic accident in 1984 at just 43 years old. But his wife Rae (pictured right) carried on his passion for racing and the Bixby Knolls Dragster Expo & Car Show was born in 2006.
This Saturday marks the event’s fifth showing. I’ll actually be a guest judge, and will accept rides in exchange for a favorable ruling.
What makes this year’s show different?
Being the fifth annual, we’ve come up with a couple of new additions to the day. One is the LED screen that – through the generosity of the Long Beach Airport, we were able to make that happen – that’s going to show all the old vintage dragster races, mostly from Lyons [Drag Strip in Long Beach, closed in the 70’s] but from other venues as well and that’s always something that people grab onto. Last year we had it in the Shakespeare Theatre, nobody really went in there so this time it’ll be out on display.
On the 1,000-horsepower dragster “fireups”
Last year we cut back because of the finances, everybody was pretty tight with money. So last year we didn’t have any fire ups – actually we had one sneak fireup, it wasn’t supposed to happen but we realized that’s what makes this car show different than any of the others in the city so I said, we have to bring that back. The guys liked coming and just displaying their cars but really they want to go places where they can fire them up, so that was the intention and the effort was put on that. I heard this morning that we now have sixteen dragsters. I know that we have at least fifteen, and it’s pretty impressive when they all fire up. Overwhelming, really.
Trading stories with the good ‘ol boys
I like the historical piece of it, and to hear the bench racing that goes on between the old drivers. The guys come with their grandkids. The dragster guys, they all knew Gary, and I love to hear their stories and I don’t think they ever repeat themselves. I get new ones every time. The camaraderie among them and the respect for each other and just trying to hold the historical piece of it together is very cool.
On an automotive scholarship at Long Beach City College that will be founded in Gary’s name
I just was speaking to the Dean of Long Beach City College because I’m going to start a scholarship in honor of Gary, to go to the automotive department. I really wanted to go with automotive design, and they don’t have design specifically but in the body repair they have paint classes, and he said they’re pretty phenomenal and obviously they always need scholarships. Apparently they have 40 to 50 students in each class, and they have 8 to 10 classes a year. That’s a lot, so I’m going to put that together. I’ve always wanted to somehow establish a scholarship in Gary’s memory. This year seems to be appropriate.
On the inaugural “Rocket Man” award
I thought, how do we recognize the incredible support we’ve received? And this year specifically I want to honor [former Champ Car World Series co-owner] Kevin Kalkhoven. He has been there with us to a level that if he hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t be where we are today. He’s an amazing man, he’s generous, he’s down to earth, it’s not about stature for him. To me that says a lot. The fact that he’s been our highest sponsor and doesn’t live in the city really says a lot.
Naming the award after Gary
I was talking to Blair [Cohn from the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association] on the way to the trophy shop and I said, I’m thinking we’re going to call it the Lyons Daze award. And he said no, it needs to be the Gary Gabelich award. I said that kind of feels weird. And he said no, it really does, that’s why you got behind this five years ago and we need to have the connection and the guys will love it. Everywhere I go and talk about this, they talk about your husband. I thougt ok, you know what, I can do that. His racing name was “Rocket Man.” This is the 40th anniversary of his land record as well, that’s another reason we decided to do the award. Forty years since he set the record, this is a good time to step up and do something again.
On her own love for racing
When I was in high school we used to go to the local drags up in Walnut Creek but really I didn’t get the bug until I married Gary. He said “Oh, we’ve gotta go to the drags, it’s a groundshaker.” And I thought “Well what the heck does that mean?” And then you stand at the start line, feet away from the tires and I thought oh my god. And I was hooked.
On Long Beach’s historical ties to the racing craze
It really was about Lyons Dragstrip. It was the Long Beach Lyons Drag Strip Daze. Gary’s first trophy was when he stole his dad’s car, took it to Lyons and won. Needless to say his father, nailed him when he got home. He definitely would have done it again, though.
On the event’s growing popularity
People come from far away and the dragster guys just love it. Word has spread and I hope it stays around way past my tenure. There are other big events that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions to put together, and this certainly isn’t that. But it makes a lot of people happy and I’m sure were going to pass the 10,000 mark this year. I think it’ll be the biggest one yet.
Anything else you’d like to add?
The other piece of this that is near and dear to my heart is the Long Beach Special Olympics and this year were going to present them with a check for $5,000. To present the check is pretty significant to me and to have it go to our local team is great, because every organization is strapped for monies and this one is– my son was in Special Olympics and I have a lot of friends who participate whether its volunteer level or actually being the athlete. It’s a good cause, a great cause. The state games are here [in Long Beach] and we’re really excited to help.