Doug Thorley: Difference between revisions
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'''Doug Thorley''' is an American [[Funny Car]] [[drag racing|drag racer]], [[hot rod]]der{{fact|date=December 2018}} and businessman. In 1967, he won the [[National Hot Rod Association|NHRA]] [[NHRA U.S. Nationals|Nationals]]' first Funny Car Eliminator title,<ref>[http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ Land Speed Racing newsletter] (retrieved 2 December 2018); [https://www.motorsport.com/ca/nhra/news/u-s-nationals-memorable-moments-don-garlits/1165526/ Motorsport.com] (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref> and was given ''[[Car Craft]]''{{'}}s All-Star Drag Racing Team Funny Car Driver of the Year Award in 1968.<ref>McClurg, Bob. ''The History of AMC Motorsports'' (CarTech, Inc, 2016), p.8.</ref> |
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== Racing career == |
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In 1964, Thorley [[Match racing|match race]]d an altered-wheelbase (pre-Funny Car) {{convert|396|cid|cc|abbr=on}} [[Fuel injection|injected]] [[Chevrolet big-block engine|big-block]] 1964 [[Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova|Chevy II]] he called ''[[Chevy Too Much]]''.<ref>[http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ Land Speed Racing newsletter] (retrieved 2 December 2018); Statham, Steve. ''Nova SS'' (Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing, 1997), p.107.</ref> |
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Thorley's ''Doug's Headers'' [[Chevrolet Corvair|Corvair]] was the first seven-second Funny Car,<ref>[https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/534450680750234187/ Pinterest] (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref> and it was in this car he won the NHRA supercharged A Funny Car (AA/FC) class at [[Indianapolis Raceway Park]] in 1967 in his <ref>[http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ Land Speed Racing newsletter] (retrieved 2 December 2018); [https://www.motorsport.com/ca/nhra/news/u-s-nationals-memorable-moments-don-garlits/1165526/ Motorsport.com] (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref></ref> (the first seven-second Funny Car), where he defeated [[Joe Lunati]].<ref>[http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/racelist2.php?uniqid=46614 Ultimateracinghistory] (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref> It was the first time Funny Car Eliminator was held at Indy.<ref>[http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ Land Speed Racing newsletter] (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref> |
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That year 1967, he would also record the first (unofficial) {{convert|200|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} funny car pass in his Corvair, at [[Lions Drag Strip]].<ref>McClurg, p.39 caption.</ref> |
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In 1968, Thorley bought a rear-engined [[AMC V8 engine#401|AMC 401]]-powered [[AMC Javelin|Javelin]] TF/FC (one of just a handful of similar funny cars ever built, including Dave Bowman’s ''[[California Stud]]''<ref>"Gallery: The Best of 1970s Drag Racing", written by Dave Kommel on April 25, 2017, at [http://www.hotrod.com/articles/gallery-best-1970s-drag-racing/ ''Hot Rod'' online] (retrieved 22 May 2017)</ref>) from [[Woody Gilmore]].<ref>McClurg, Bob. "50 Years of Funny Cars: Part 2" in ''Drag Racer'', November 2016, p.40 caption.</ref> (The {{convert|401|cid|cc|abbr=on}} would later be replaced by a {{convert|392|cid|cc|abbr=on}} [[Chrysler Hemi engine#392|hemi]] prepared by [[John Hoven]] and [[Glenn Okazaki]].<ref>McClurg, p.40 caption.</ref>) The same year, he was given ''[[Car Craft]]''{{'}}s All-Star Drag Racing Team Funny Car Driver of the Year Award in 1968.<ref>McClurg, Bob. ''The History of AMC Motorsports'' (CarTech, Inc, 2016), p.8.</ref> |
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== Doug Thorley Headers == |
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Thorley founded his header company in 1958.<ref>[http://www.dougthorleyheaders.com/about-us-10 Doug Thorley Headers Company] (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref> Among Thorley's better-known customers were [[Carol Cox]] (through her husband, who Thorley was friends with).<ref>Burgess, Phil, ''National Dragster'' editor. "Carol Cox: NHRA's first class winner", written 4 May 2018, at [https://www.nhra.com/news/2018/carol-cox-nhra-s-first-class-winner NHRA.com] (retrieved 16 September 2018)</ref> Thorley headers would go on to be a favorite among drag racers.<ref>[http://landspeedracing.com/2013/newsletter290/ Land Speed Racing newsletter] (retrieved 2 December 2018)</ref> |
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== Notes == |
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{{reflist}} |
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==Sources== |
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*McClurg, Bob. "50 Years of Funny Cars: Part 2" in ''Drag Racer'', November 2016, pp. 35–50. |
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*McClurg, Bob. ''The History of AMC Motorsports''. Forest Lake, Minnesota: CarTech, Inc, 2016 |
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*Taylor, Thom. "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone" in ''Hot Rod'', April 2017, pp. 30–43. |
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== External links == |
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*[https://www.hotrodders.com/forum/will-real-doug-thorley-please-stand-up-318898.html Hot Rodders.com] |
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*[ https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2018/08/03/funny-cars-stole-the-show-at-concours-of-america Hagerty] |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorley, Doug}} |
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{{US-autoracing-bio-stub}} |
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[[Category:drag racing]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American racing drivers]] |
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[[Category:1967 in motorsport]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]] |
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[[Category:21st-century American businesspeople]] |
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