Santa Barbara Race to Revisit the Rumble of Vintage Engines

Last month Highway 1 profiled the busy Southern California amateur racing scene (“Gentle Readers, Start Your Engines,� Aug. 26).

Readers can check out one popular form--vintage racing--on Oct. 16, as participants from around the country revisit the classic Santa Barbara Road Races of 1953-69. The program, part of the annual Santa Barbara Air Show, will feature 50 vintage cars and 10 motorcycles racing over an abbreviated version of the old airport race course.

Among the participants will be Los Angeles vintage racer Ernie Nagamatsu and his 1959 Old Yeller II, a Buick-powered sports car built by Max Balchowsky. That’s the same historic car Nagamatsu raced in July during the International Challenge at Elkhart Lake, Wis., against a field that included the legendary Augie Pabst in his ’58 Scarab (mistakenly referred to as August Busch in the Aug. 26 issue).

The air show will include displays of World War II military aircraft and antique planes, as well as performances by a wing walker and acrobatic pilots. Proceeds from the charity show will benefit the Santa Barbara Children’s Aviation Scholarship Fund.

* Santa Barbara Air Show and Road Race Reunion, Santa Barbara Airport, 601 Firestone Road. Oct. 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adults, $6; children 12 and under and senior citizens, $4. (805) 692-6010; https://www.sbairshow.com.