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Another Bicycle Owner Obtains License at Police Headquarters

"The sale of bicycle licenses at Police Headquarters continued today with over 300 having been given out. Here, Robert W. Kastner, 14, of No. 41 South Main street purchases a tag from Sergeant Forrest A Gray. Bicyclists have until September 15th to obtain the plates."

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Championship TR-3

Sitting in my Championship TR-3 at the Cal Sales (Triumph distributor) shops in Gardena, California, 1959.

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1951 MG

My first modified racer, 1951 MG. Entered my first race with the car in 1953 and still have the First Place trophy.

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1958 TR-3

On the fender of my 1958 TR-3 at Palm Springs, 1958.

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Built in 1955 on a MGTD chassis.

There is but one compound curve in this entire body. I built the body with Sears Roofing aluminum .019" thick at $4.95 for a sheet 4' X 8'. The panels were held to a framework I built of thin wall electrical conduit then attached the panels with sheet metal screws. Pop rivets had not yet been invented. Raced successfully and sold in I.A. in 1956.

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Lapping a Porsche, 1960

Racing at Santa Barbara in turn one of the old airport course that went around the hangers in 1960, my last year of racing. The Porsche is driven by my good friend George Follmer who went on to drive for Roger Penske and also into F-1 later. This was George's first race and he was being lapped at the time. He has commented to me recently that his Porsche was oversteering more than a little that day (common of the breed in those days) as you can note. George and I were very good friends and still are.

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Aspen, Colorado road course run in 1953

This is a back section of the Aspen, Colorado road course run in 1953. The front straight was paved and a couple blocks off the main drag, but the balance was dirt. Pretty interesting going from dirt to hard pavement at speed. For those that may have been to Aspen, the race was a LeMans-type start with the cars parked on the main street by the park, then off East towards the Jerome Hotel which was at turn one. The Jerome Hotel (still there) was right at turn one where we went through a right hander.

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R.W. KASTNER DRIVES TRIUMPH TR-3 (NO. 56) TO TURN THREE LEAD IN SECOND EVENT YESTERDAY

Gary Pickens (No. 149), Willie West (No. 63) trail in preliminary to International Examiner Grand Prix.

Leading and winning production car class in the Los Angeles Examiner Grand Prix. One of the very first races to be seen on local TV. Pomona, 1959.

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Los Angeles Examiner Grand Prix, Pomona, 1959

Leading and winning production car class in the Los Angeles Examiner Grand Prix. One of the very first races to be seen on local TV. Pomona, 1959.

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Final Tune!

All the factory teams in the Competition Department for the final tune before the Riverside SCCA Runnoffs.

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Kas Dyno Testing

Dyno testing in the Competition Department with the TR-250 engine.

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Unsolved Mystery...

Waiting as the tech people inspect and try to discover why this TR-3 was so fast.

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Kas, 1963

Kas at Earl's Court Auto Show, 1963.

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Kas, 1969

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Santa Barbara, 1958

On the grid at Santa Barbara Races, 1958. This was the year when the Toptex helmet became mandatory.

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1970

Carl Swanson and Kas testing in 1970.

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Riverside Raceway, 1959

Exiting turn 8 at the old Riverside raceway, 1959.

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Carl Swanson, 1970

This image is of Carl Swanson somewhere around 1970 winning a race in Texas with the GT-6.

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1968 Lambo Iso Grifo

Kas's Pickup truck - 1968 Lambo Iso Grifo.

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1968 Lambo Iso Grifo

Kas's Pickup truck - 1968 Lambo Iso Grifo.

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Cheyenne, Wyoming, 1955

This is young Kas in his 1955 brand new TR-2 racing at Cheyenne, Wyoming airport. Just over 1000 miles on the car part of which was just getting to the the event which was put on by the Denver Sports Car Club. Won both days. Note the lack of roll bar and driver suit. This is the Saturday event. I was in the habit of wearing a white "T" shirt on Saturday and a red shirt on Sunday so I'd know which day the photos were taken. Seat belt was all that was called for in those days. Field of about 20 cars.

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Riverside Raceway, 1959

Exiting turn 8 at the old Riverside raceway, 1959.

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Steamboat Springs, CO, 1955

This is Steamboat Springs, Colorado 1955, on the right is myself (Kas) in my just completed MG special and on the left is the first Triumph TR-2 I had the pleasure of racing. The car belonged to the dealer, but did not have a driver qualified to race it. I did and I liked it.

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"E" Production 1958 TR-3

Kas in his "E" production 1958 TR-3 just after passing his later years partner John Brophy in his "D" production Porsche Carrera at the Pomona Fairgrounds track early 1960. John was not pleased with this turn of events.

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Siata Spyder

Siata Spyder Kas restored in the mid-70's, now in Japan.

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Willow Springs, CA, 1970

1970, Willow Springs, California. Kas and Ritchie Ginther having a good laugh as Ritchie's Porsche driver, Alan Johnson, stands in the background wondering if this humor is at his expense. Just a few years before Ritchie gave the Honda factory their first Formula One win. Ritchie shown here was then running the factory Porsche Race Team on the West Coast and racing against the Competition Department Triumph TR-6 and the Peter Brock's factory team of Datsun 240Z.

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Santa Barbara, 1959

Santa Barbara, 1959, Kas throwing the TR-3 into a lurid slide at the old around the hangers course. Reaching over and using the handbrake to stop the right rear wheel and thus using the full drive in to the left wheel and torquing away from the Porsches again. Limited slips and locked rear ends were not allowed. The handbrake is hooked up to the right rear wheel ONLY. The square roll bar wins again.

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Last Macau Spitfire Race

This is the last time that we raced the Macau Spitfire. Originally with a headrest and exhaust tube roll over bar and 1100cc engine, it was rather puny in performance. I fixed that with a GT-6 engine well-breathed upon. In the end the SCCA told me I had to make a proper roll over bar and thus the headrest was cut off and the full bar installed. It really ruined the appearance of this great little car. The car was never a barn burner but it was a sidelight of fun for the team to fiddle with at some races. The photo is Charlie Gates and I with the last version just before the car was sold. It went though several hands but is now back in England and owned by Coventry Classics who have restored it beautifully to the original configuration. It can viewed at the Coventry Classics showroom in England.

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Macau Spitfire

More of the Macau Spitfire. With the GT-6 engine fitted with Webers and making 200 bhp (double of the original engine) this little devil was a rocket down the chutes, but the tiny brakes and wheels and tires made it rather un-competitive. It was fun to watch it blow by some of the regular sports racers on any long straight. Charlie Gates is behind the wheel.

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Charlie Gates Driving the Macau Spitfire

And another of the Macau Spitfire. This is at Riverside Raceway, turn one, just before Kas put in the GT-6 engine. Charlie Gates is driving.

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Checking the Plugs with Carl Swanson

This is a photo of myself and Carl Swanson checking spark plugs (probably for the TR-250) at Riverside, around 1968.

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1958 TR-3, Pomona, CA

Here's a photo of me checking the spark plugs in my 1958 TR-3 at the Pomona track which was at the County Fairgrounds, 1958.

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Riverside Raceway, 1970

At Riverside Raceway, 1970, the Competition Department Triumph gang working out the troubles between sessions. Left to right: Don Devendorf's GT-6, Carl Swanson working on his GT-6, Lee Mueller's TR-6, then Kas doing some engine stuff on Jimmy Dittemore's TR-6 while John Costa, mechanic and the driver of the van, scoots around to the side.

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Goleta, CA in July 1964

July 1964, Goleta, CA, Charlie Gates and Kas with Charlie's TR-4, the first TR-4 raced in the USA. Charlie sold his Porsche 365A and bought the first Triumph TR-4 available. We made it into a race car. It was this car that allowed me access to on-the-track checks of modifications and to write the little books for Triumph that I did so long ago.

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Winning...

This is Charlie Gates in his new TR-4, prepared by Kas, running at the Tuscon airport S.C.C.A., race winning the race and class.

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Kastner-Brophy Racing

Kas and partner John Brophy in 1971 by the new shop.

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Mclaren M-20, 1973

The Can-Am car is a Mclaren M-20 driven by David Hobbs, 1973, entered for the Roy Woods Team and run by Kastner-Brophy Racing. Sponsor is Carling Black Label Beer thus the paint jobs of the Carling cars are all black and red.

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F-5000 Lola

The F-5000 Lola for Carling Black Label Beer and Roy Woods which was run by Kastner-Brophy Racing in 1973 for Tony Adamowicz.

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1973 Indy Race Team

This is a shot of the 1973 Indy Race team. Carling Black Label Beer was the major sponsor. The driver was David Hobbs, who also drove the McLarin M-20 in the Can-Am series that year for me. David is now one of the announcers on Speed for the F-1 races and other racing stories on the Speed Channel. From left to right: the late Max Kelley, Crew Chief; Jerry Schwartz, Head Mechanic; Kas Kastner, Team Manager; Crew Man; in front, the rep from Castrol Oil, sponsor, P.R. from Carling; David Hobbs, Driver.

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Turbocharged TR-6 Engine Kit

This is a turbocharged TR-6 engine that was designed by Kas and made available as a kit from his company ARKAY, Inc. Several cars are still running this kit after thousands of high performance miles. The kit uses a IHI turbocharger unit and a two inch S.U. carburetor for the draw through design.

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Lew Spencer

This photo is of me racing against my great and best friend Lew Spencer in his fast Morgan. This is the day we were racing so hard we did not see the chequered flag and raced hard on the cool off lap. Meantime Ronnie Bucknum in his 356 Porsche was sitting at the starter stand having won the race and we did not know or acknowledge it was over until we came to the line the second time side by side.

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Kas & Lew, 2014

Here is a shot of me and Lew taken May 14, 2014 in Frisco, Texas just before the K-Cup event at Eagle Canyon. Peggy took this photo. He was my best friend for over 50 years. Lew holds the lap record time of 3 wheels at R.A. in a Cobra for Shelby team. The wheel came off and Lew kept going. We raced hard with each other and against each other, but lifelong great best friends.

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Kas & Jack Crenshaw, 1953

Kas discussing the upcoming project in 1953 of installing a Ford V-8 60 into the MGTD of his good friend Dr. Jack Crenshaw after Jack blew the TD engine big time.

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1966 12 Hours of Sebring Series

This photo of me is in the garage preparing a head gasket for the #39 car. I pulled the head as my tests had shown a little seepage.

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MG Racing...

This photo is from the race in Aspen in 1953 driving my M.G.