When you zoom down a dragstrip at 330 miles per hour it seems natural that your conversation travels fast, too. For loquacious John Force, though, his swift talking may not always follow a straight line like his powerful Funny Cars that have produced 14 NHRA championships. It’s not unusual for him to ask: “Now, what were we talking about?” We know, because recently, we took a slower, nostalgic tour through his 50,000-square-foot Yorba Linda shop, home for many of his past winning cars. He weaves through his crowd of media visitors, explaining his car collection, and then he’ll step up on a platform to tell of the passion he has for his sport and its future. That conversation carries over to his family, which includes three daughters and son-in-law Robert Hight — all winning race drivers. His eldest, 26–year-old Ashley Force Hood, last year became the first woman to win an NHRA Funny Car race, led the points standings for several weeks and finished in the season’s top 10. Younger Brittany and Courtney have done well in alcohol-powered dragsters, but their dad said college comes first. Ashley has graduated from Cal State Fullerton. In what he describes as a 300- mile-per-hour freight train going wild, Force was seriously injured in a 2007 accident at Texas Motorplex. He suffered a compound fracture of the left ankle, broken bones in his hands and toes and ligament and tendon damage in his right knee. Recovered, he has pronounced himself as fit for the 2009 campaign. His drag-racing accomplishments are a striking contrast to a high-school football career in which he quarterbacked Bell Gardens, Calif., High School to 27 consecutive losses. “As for the Funny Cars, we love the plastic, fantastic body,” he said. “That’s what turns us on. Like a billboard, you can paint pictures on them.” The 60-year old driver said: “I’m going to drive as long as I can do the job and beat Ashley. I can still show them all a few tricks.” * * * A Classic & Sports Car panel of well-known car designers recently voted the Citroen DS the most beautiful car of all time. Ferrari garnered the most votes as a brand, but Citroen received the most as an individual car. It was judged as a technical masterpiece in addition to winning praise for its sculpted exterior. The DS’s self-leveling suspension, power steering and amazing clutch and brake feel (compared to cars of the time) were praised. The car’s exterior was styled by Italian sculptor Flaminio Bertoni and became an instant classic. Here’s the top ten: Citroen DS, Jaguar XK120, Ferrari 275GTB, Cord 810/812, Ferrari 250GT Lusso, Ferrari 250GT Short-wheel based, Jaguar E-type, Lamborghini Miura, Lotus Elan and Lotus Elite (1957). * * * In this crazy, mixed-up world, has racing really sunk to this, where $500 clunkers compete in what is called the 24 Hours of LeMans? Well, promoter Jay Lamm of Emeryville thinks so, and he’s scheduled 10 of these blue smoke and roasted clutch disc events throughout the country. Lamm laughingly says he’s not another Bill France but more like a Groucho Marx. Each LeMans race is for cars purchased, fixed up, and track-prepped for a total of $500 or less. * * * The 2009 Patrón GT3 Challenge by Yokohama will be the first race series to use tires featuring environmentally friendly orange oil technology. The tires, which use approximately 20 percent less synthetic rubber, will be on all teams in the six-race series that features Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racecars.
