Mad Scientist: The Epic Drag Racing Genius of Pete Robinson

[@sve-li1wc]

Counting Pete as a friend and mentor, he was an inspiration to continue with my schooling to a PhD level, I can add a couple of things. First that I remember to use push to stop on brake lever; ran 100pc nitro and used pill to adjust for atmospheric condition; first to use an automatic transmission with clutch (in the "red" car) with a non-magneto ignition - it did a massive wheel stand at Rockingham or Bristol (I am unsure which one); once sucked a bird into the injector and was confused by performance fall off until a total tear down - thus the plate in front of the injector housing in some photos near the end on the "blue car"; for a time put 100 pc alcohol in the first several inches of the hose leading to the fuel pump (one of my tasks) to promote staring on "pure nitro"; diagnosed and fixed problems by stopping if found something wrong and then totally concentrating efforts on solving that one problem; and more, and more, from my years of meeting him (and Sandra sometimes but not all) at a race track and being the "go fer". It was devastating to hear he had been killed. I believe that the guard rail impact split the magnesium seat and cut the lap belt so that he was thrown out and up against the roll bar at the back of his neck. His memories are with me still. Oh, and I work for Lockheed well past usual retirement because partly of the love of being an engineer inspired by Pete Robinson - my friend.

[@brianlohnes3079]

This is INCREDIBLE. I am so thankful that you have shred this stuff. I 100% whiffed on the automatic situation. I had it in my notes and all and that was an egregious miss. Thank you for watching and I hope I did your friend proud here. I should only have wished I could have met him.

[@mikenodine6713]

Did you know John Hancock who also worked for Pete?

[@gothicpagan.666]

Who was responsible for the vacuum air intake? 🤔🙂

[@oldhillbillybuckkowalski]

You are another absolute legend. What a time it must have been for you and your generation if innovators, drag racers, and dreamers. All of us that came later owe you and your fellow drag racing legends a debt of gratitude for the inspiration and wealth of knowledge you handed down after learning these lessons at a time with safety equipment that was primitive or nonexistent by later standards. Much respect.

[@elvispresley3340]

CHEERS from AUSTRALIA - NEATO story

[@joeculpjr3028]

Mr Lohnes, I, we beg of you, PLEASE DONT EVER STOP DOING WHAT YOU DO !

[@brianlohnes3079]

As long as you keep watching!!

[@joeculpjr3028]

@@brianlohnes3079 That's a gentlemen's agreement on an old school handshake

[@JamesCorn-mw6dn]

Being a racing fan for over 60 years this is one of the most incredible tributes I have ever heard.

[@brianlohnes3079]

This means a lot. Sincerely glad you enjoyed it.

[@RussellCompton-fh3gr]

@@brianlohnes3079 thanks so much

[@davemcreynolds6012]

Been a vintage drag racing fan for years. Thanks for sharing !

[@watajob]

It is criminal that this channel doesn't have at least a 6 figure following...

[@brianlohnes3079]

Ha! Thank you. It’s ok, I love making this stuff.

[@cubleathetrailerporchmonol7739]

As a former broadcaster and feature writer, I've acquired something of a critic's mentality over the years, and there aren't many content creators out there who can get me to regularly sit still for a half-hour plus of narration with still images as the only multimedia support. Especially impressive given that most of your subjects wouldn't normally interest me. (In fact, I can think of exactly two others on KZbin who can do that, and my taste is somewhat validated by the mid/high-six-figure viewcounts that they routinely achieve.) If I was still in this game, you'd better believe I'd be taking notes. (I'm typically far more inclined to give them.) Love your formula. love your storytelling style, love the subjects you choose to cover, and I wish there was much more back catalog to keep me entertained between drops. So glad you're doing what you're doing.

[@brianlohnes3079]

This is amazing. Thank you for watching and thank you for this positivity!

[@joesantiso6495]

You deserve an award for your journalism

[@matthewklein9225]

I greatly appreciate the attention to details and complete lack of fluff. No wasted words. No music.

[@williambarry8015]

Pretty amazing he could take a set of conecting rods, cut them in half, weld them back together and then spin the engine to 9000 rpm. Thats some master class welding.

[@fastinradfordable]

That’s called confidence.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Back then the options we have today simply did not exist. Adapt and overcome.

[@larrylewis4111]

O o😊😅

[@jonathangehman4005]

We can still do that today, we just don't need to. A lot of us wonder what amazing things Pete would have done if he lived. I bet welding up connecting rods and making them live at a bazillion rpm would have been the least of his feats R.I.P. Pete Robinson

[@williambarry8015]

@@jonathangehman4005 yes i see them doing it on those pakistan channels. I don't know what type of welding methods they had 60 years ago however

[@mattfarrant4089]

Excellent. I cannot praise the historical value of the video enough. What a brilliant engineer Sneaky Pete was. Thank you.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Sincere thank you, Matt!

[@HotRodHoarder]

Absolutely fascinating. Please never stop doing these deep dives.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thanks Tommy!

[@nitrochampion]

Brian, Thank you for keeping drag racing history alive. ❤

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thanks for digging it!

[@benrossbach6501]

Come on people hit the sub button. Can't get enough of your stories. Thanks Brian

[@brianlohnes3079]

@@benrossbach6501 thank you for watching!!

[@MachineintheMonkey]

Mate, I hit and share this channel to anyone I think is worthy. I’ve yet to come across another channel so informative and comprehensive. 🤙🇦🇺

[@paulpz04]

You're one of the best deep-dive journalists on YT..great masculine voice with clear annunciation, no thick accent, uses fun yet simple to follow vocabulary, and a great story teller 👏

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thank you very much, Paul!

[@robertreisner6119]

Pete Robinson in my humble opion was one of the true greats in the golden age of drag racing.

[@russhoffman6301]

Absolutely phenomenal story. The man was an absolute genius who was taken from the world too soon. Thank you for providing stories like this and others about the motorsport I love the most.

[@nsxmatt]

Have heard of him but never knew all that he accomplished. Was a very fitting tribute to a pioneer of the sport. Thank you again for honoring these legends!!

[@brianlohnes3079]

Appreciate you watching Matt!

[@dlkline27]

It's amazing that I never heard of Pete Robinson before. Starting in 1962 I became a drag racing enthusiast. The first time I went to a track I took off my hubcaps, went through classification and ran my '62 Chevy. I got my doors blown off but I didn't care. I participated. I continued for a couple years before it ate too big of a hole in my wallet. Sure was fun. Great video here. Thanks.

[@ridgerunnerperformance-jas5418]

First of class tribute!!! He stood the drag racing world on its nose with light weight sluggers!!!

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thank you!

[@bogginbrandon]

This man was an American legend. Obviously the sport of drag racing wouldn’t be what it is today without his additions to it. Had he survived there’s no telling what the sport would look like with the additions we missed out on with his demise. Thank you for putting this together Brian, I really appreciate your efforts to record this history in a way the modern world can consume it.

[@vehdynam]

I have known about Sneaky Pete from the magazines in the early days . I did not know the whole story , and now I do. Many thanks Professor Lohnes, well done.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Glad I was able to bring some value!

[@allareasindex7984]

Your description of Pete as the Colin Chapman of drag racing was so accurate. I would have loved to see what Pete would have done at the Indianapolis 500!

[@leesherman100]

I witnessed his last pass at the NHRA Winters back in '71. He punched a big hole in the guard rail. The crowd went silent! It was waaaaay ugly. RIP Pete.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Incredible that you were there. A tough day

[@abcullens2328]

I was also at the 1971 NHRA Winter Nationals, Me (age 19) and my best friend Don were standing near the top end of the track when Pete's Dragster wrecked. It was very ugly, indeed. A sad end to great man and a great racer, a true innovator. God Speed Pete Robinson.

[@jefferypitts343]

This level of engineering is fantastic, great story

[@funone8716]

When I click the Play button on any of your videos, there are no stops or interruptions until the end......ever. Excellent work.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Man, wow. Thank you for pressing the button in the first place!!

[@jamestone265]

Same for me… there is no stopping Brian… I’ve enjoyed them all. I started racing at Lions in 1960 in the stock classes and moved up to the AHRA Hot Rod classes in the mid 60’s and still have my 3 class winner trophies. We met at Perris Auto Speedway a few years ago. You may remember my son and I both were wearing Bonneville 200 MPH Club red hats…

[@mikecurtis2585]

Always great to see the little guy do great! Smart and very fast! Great part of history! Thanks 🙏

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thanks for watching!

[@ChaseKnight-j7p]

Brian, you've outdone yourself with this one. Totally accurate, with none of the conspiracy theories that Pete seemed to attract. I was at Crane for the cam chain stretch test, and even though the dyno cell was seriously soundproofed, the noise and vibration echoed throughout the area. Neighboring shops called the police and fire departments to report "something happening" at Crane that didn't seem right. Our second story employees debated whether to evacuate or stay put. One additional bit of info, was that just prior to the 1971 Winters, Pete called in to order cams and valve train components for a 426 Hemi program that he was initiating. Cammer parts were no longer coming from Ford, and block life was sketchy with the amount of power increases from the project's inception. I still miss him...

[@brianlohnes3079]

This means the world, Chase. Thanks for watching and thanks for signing off on the validity of the story telling. I really try to invest the time and energy to get it as right as I can.

[@ChaseKnight-j7p]

@@brianlohnes3079 Thank YOU, Brian. This has rekindled a lot of great old memories.

[@lloydwolfe3175]

Knew bits and pieces of the Pete Robinson story.Thanks for tying it all together in a comprehensive story that showed what a genius Pete was. Thanks.

[@terrymusch9581]

Thank you Brian for such an amazing documentary. Brilliant to say the least. Sadly I was in the stands with my brother on that tragic day at Pomona in 1971. A very sad day. I had never seen that last picture. What a testimony to Pete you created. Be very proud of it. Very. The sport of Drag Racing is blessed to have you. Big Mac and Steve are smiling down on you. 🙏🏻🏁

[@brianlohnes3079]

Terry, this is exceptionally kind and I thank you sincerely for it.

[@mikenodine6713]

Pete was the Smokey Yunick of drag racing. According to an old friend who used to work for Pete, no one is sure how long Pete was using two pie pans before he got caught. A pie pan was a sheet metal disk that was put on one front wheel to block the staging beams that would otherwise not be blocked by the spoke wheels. At one race, someone noticed that Pete had a pie pan on BOTH of his front wheels. It might have gone unquestioned if it had been anyone other than Pete. But knowing Pete didn't have even a single gram of weight more than what was absolutely necessary on his car, the second pie pan on the other front wheel was out of place on Pete's car and highly suspect. When inspected more closely, it was found that Pete's front axle was several inches out of square with the chassis of his car. One of his front wheels was several inches staggered ahead of the other front wheel. Combined with Pete staging shallow, the two pie pans blocked the staging beam longer, allowing Pete to anticipate the light, leave sooner, and essentially get a rolling start. In other words, the front wheel ahead of the other would block the staging beam, and when this wheel should unblock the beam as it rolled forward as Pete launched, the wheel staggered to the rear would continue to block the staging beam with its second pie pan. This would yield a slightly longer reaction time and a lower ET as well. I don't know how the beams were set up back in the day when Pete is reported to have done this, but I'm thinking either they didn't have the third set of foul beams as they do today, or Pete calculated how much rollout he had before blocking the foul beam. For those who don't know, the foul beam is usually located 16" down the track from the staging beam. If the foul beam is broken before the staging beam is unblocked, you are disqualified for having something other than your front wheels blocking the beams. It makes me wonder if the foul beams were added because of Pete's double pie pan staggered front wheel trick?

[@daleguenther5826]

Pete wasn't the only one with staggered front wheels. These engineers wakeup with all kinds of interesting adjustments to their rides. True engineering minds!

[@mikenodine6713]

@@daleguenther5826 But Pete got caught, 🤑

[@nolongeravailabletoyou]

Pete was one of My All Time Favorite Drivers! Thank you Brian!

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thanks for watching Frank!

[@Metalcrafter]

Outstanding episode, Brian. Sneaky Pete was a genius engineer and fabricator. Thank you.

[@stevenpill6241]

I have always been fascinated with the drag racing minds of guys like Pete and others like Skinner and Jobe …. Awesome tribute Brian … keep them coming

[@DogatHeart]

A masterclass presentation. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Several years after Pete's passing in 1971... another interesting man appeared on the Drag racing scene, who still carries that same torch of innovation. Ken Veney

[@RenoLaringo]

What a wonderful épisode!

[@mikeryan1077]

Brian- That was a Brilliant tribute to a genius- Thank you for sharing his story through your research.

[@michaelmartinez1345]

What a great story!!! This guy was something else!!! Innovative to the max... He died doing what he Loved, but his ideas rwally made a difference in the Drag Racing world... That thing about designing and fabricating the entire gear drive system for the SOHC 427 Ford was amazing....Great story...

[@87mini]

Your writing and delivery are top-notch, and you have an awesome voice for narration. I was a gear head teen in the mid-60’s and remember Sneaky Pete’s name from the drag magazines and sports pages.Thanks for bringing his legacy to light with the whole story; something that fans never got much of back in the day.

[@jeffjankiewicz5100]

Great tribute Brian. He was The Mad Scientist.

[@mgbchuck6527]

Thanks Brian! 'Pete" Robinson was truly a "legend"!

[@brianlohnes3079]

The man!

[@paulwilkinson673]

Brian I’ve always had an interest in Pete’s career but it’s not easy finding articles but this is fantastic. Thanks for putting it together. You made my day.

[@Westsideautomotive]

This is the best video on KZbin full stop. More emotion and care than anything ever seen. Mr Lohnes you are amazing. Pete is my personal hero and you have done him proud.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thank you very much man. Respect and I appreciate you watching!

[@bobpratt8224]

Great story..keeping the history of drag racing alive!

[@burnatire4916]

Another gem, what a fascinating time to be alive.

[@henryfordsrc6660]

What an intelligent man Rip Pete.Im sure his family misses him dearly ❤

[@patrickmcgrath5411]

"LIONS DRAG STRIP"❣️

[@brianlohnes3079]

Plenty of lions history in here!

[@patrickmcgrath5411]

@@brianlohnes3079 YES, AND THANK YOU... I WAS 16 YEARS OLD MY FIRST TRIP TO "LIONS"AND I WAS THERE ON DECEMBER 2ND 1972'WHEN IT CLOSED ITS DOORS FOR THE LAST TIME..... GREAT MEMORIES 👍🏻😎

[@halseyknox]

Great episode Brian....pleasantly surprised it was about one of my favorite drivers being only second to Garlits as a kid. Pete over throned Garlits when he came out with that rear engine car. I loathed that car as rear engine cars and full face helmets belonged in formula one or can- am cars. I loved the slingshot and the breather mask as it was what signified drag racing to me....to this day I still dool over those images and the era it represents.....Pete and just handful of drivers such as Carbone, Wiebe, Ruth and a few others I can't think of were still believers in the slingshot. Robinson stands out because of still running the cammer and even though I was only 11/12 yrs. old at the time I was engrossed with all the publications and inside scoop behind the scenes about guys like Pete.......knew he ran a 289 on fuel back in the day but was a little young to grasp the significance of it and his other innovations until years later after his fatal crash at Pomona. Was ignorant of the fact that it was Pete who innovated the use of hand held air craft starters as I was always under the impression it was Mickey Thompson, another victorious cammer hold out....I remember how sad I was when I was at a magazine rack in a store on my way to test fly a model airplane I built and opened up Hot Rod or Car Craft magazine to read about Pomona coverage and read about Pete's crash.....similar scenario and feelings reading about Mulligan succumbing from burns from his crash....thanks so much for the episode on Pete ....he was a special guy in that era of drag racing, the best era for sure.....maybe one on John in the future?.....

[@brianlohnes3079]

These are amazing memories and thank you for sharing them. John is on my list!

[@nealm8709]

Brian, I've been a race fan since the '70s and have been drag racing since 1982. I must say that your style of putting facts and stories together is unrivalled. I watch everything you do. Please keep doing EXACTLY what you do. You are the man!

[@hairypaulmm7wab195]

Thank You so much for this excellent production. I never fully understood why My father referred to high speed runs and winning times as Sneaky Petes. He called my first 150MPH run on a modified Norton motorcycle as A sneaky Pete run on 2 wheels. It makes perfect sense now as he was involved in car racing in the 60s until the early 90s and even had a crazy fast sports car with a custom tubular chassis called sneaky peter Jr that he raced may times. There were also many photos and images of wild looking dragsters framed on the walls in the hallway of our house back in the 70s that I did not know the significance of at the time, You showed several of these exact pictures in this video., now I know some were actually cut out of magazines and news articles about Sneaky Pete. My father passed away a couple of years ago and I no longer race due to injuries and being old and broken but enjoy RC car racing. This has inspired me to try building a small scale RC dragster that will carry two names, Sneaky Pete and Dave Scott in honor of my father and an incredible engineer and drag racer who inspired him. Long may You continue to do what You do so well Sir. Thank You for the time and effort You put into these productions.

[@FromMyEyesToYours]

Thank you so much for creating this piece of wonderful recognition for one of the most unique and well respected people in all of auto racing history.

[@sandyt4343]

One of the best if not the absolute best narration in any KZbin videos I’ve seen ( and I’ve watched many thousands) the information is spot on and kept interesting and lively. Never over the top, just perfect, start to finish

[@allendalewilliams5762]

Watching that almost brought me to tears, magnificent.

[@robertklein1316]

Thanks for the bio. of Pete, It's a long time ago that I was fortunate to race and attend the 61 Nat's and watch his little Tinker Toy mow down the big boys. The stands went wild when Pete won with his mouse motor. I bet you he hadn't eaten that day to save weight. He was quiet and unassuming. I also think he towed with an El Camino.

[@mikenodine6713]

A friend of mine worked for Pete in the late 60's. You win your bet, Pete never ate before a race, sometimes he didn't eat a day or two before a race. And when he did eat in between races, it was very little. He weighed himself like he weighed every part on his cars, to the microgram. Pete never used a nut where he could get away with a thin jam nut instead on his cars. Here's another Sneaky Pete trick, aluminum lug nuts!

[@wizardshome9686]

Thanks, Brian I worked for Pete's long-time friend John Reed another Tech Engineer after I moved to Atlanta in July of 1971. I was at Pomona the day Pete crashed, and everyone was devastated. Pete was an icon of our sport, and many of his innovations have continued to this day.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Incredible. He seemed to have a good GA rivalry with Reed!

[@mikenodine6713]

The glory days of Reed Cams! I ran a few of them in small block street cars in the 80's and 90's. Steve Demos was who I dealt back then and he could always come up the grind I was looking for, even for an Isuzu. 🤣 I wish Jim's wife had sold Steve the business when Jim was killed in his Steerman crash. 😥 Steve is still grinding at DemosCams and would have kept the Reed Cams name going. Did you know big John Hancock who worked for Pete?

[@wizardshome9686]

@@mikenodine6713 - No to the John Hancock - John's wife had no control over the biz - His brother and sister took over after he died and finally sold it to Butch Shirley and he couldn't keep it going everything is now in storage -

[@mikenodine6713]

Thanks for the clarification.

[@onespeedworld6979]

Wow. What a man...what a story...what a video! Excellent work!

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thank you!!

[@ed.puckett]

Excellent reporting! Thank you very much!

[@alanquintus2069]

Thanks Brian for the video of one of my mechanical heroes. Glenn Curtis is another. Keep up the good work 👍.

[@mypl510]

Amazing job, Mr. Lohnes! Please keep up the great work! Thank you!

[@davereloader8837]

Glad I found this channel. Very interesting, Thanks!

[@mytkc66atbat25]

Every time I watch one of your videos, I think "that is the best one yet". This one takes the green light. What a great lesson on a remarkable guy. Thanks!

[@Mike583]

I'm so glad that I subscribed to your channel awhile back! I'm 71 & have been a Ford fan for 55 years now. Until watching this video,I never knew that he ran a small block Ford! I only knew of his great success with his cammer. An absolute genius, building the gear drive,eliminating the 6' chain! The racing world lost a very special man,when he passed, & to think that he was ready to retire from drag racing. What a tragedy! Thank you so much for all your time & effort in bringing us these historical videos! You have my utmost respect. ❤

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thanks a million Mike, always try to honor the subject.

[@jackthegiantkiller388]

I knew some of this when I was a kid back in the sixties the name sneaky Pete rang some bells I loved drag racing then its bad that he passed thank you for bringing this story!

[@TIMEWARP-Racing]

Epic story!!! Thanks Brian !!

[@rageracing6435]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for making this video on Sneaky Pete. He was always one of my favorites. My dad even has a “Pete’s Engineering” blower drive on his front engine car we have yet to get down the track.

[@brianlohnes3079]

That’s amazing you have one of his pieces on the car!

[@rageracing6435]

@@brianlohnes3079 Sent you a couple pictures of it.

[@follkiej]

Well done! I loved Sneaky Pete!

[@Ros-co]

Amazing story Thanks ❤

[@jayholland8420]

Once again Brian, Thank You, I Love This Stuff !

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thanks for giving it a look!

[@louislepage5111]

Please keep the content coming, this is awesome

[@111walter111]

Your videos are so refreshing. Fun and educational subject matter and no AI narration. Keep up the great work!

[@neubert500]

Thank you! Pete was a hero while I was a boy, but sadly seems forgotten by most nowadays. It would have been amazing to see what you might have come up with in later years, if he had been granted them!

[@nuxboxen]

Excellent work, tremendous story of a legendary man.

[@mikebradford68]

Absolutely wonderful telling of the life of the sneaky one, thanks Brian for all of the effort put into this piece. Outstanding work!!!!!

[@christophersanders5007]

These old drag racing stories are great. Pete Robinson was before my time in drag racing. My first drag race was Coors 64-Funny car event at OCIR in 1977. That was my home track that I only lived a couple miles away from. After OCIR closed I had to travel a lot further to see a drag race: Pomona, Bakersfield, LACR, and even Firebird. I live in the state of Nevada now, and my home track is LVMS which is only 10 miles away from me.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thanks for watching this and supporting drag racing!! Those are a good list of tracks!

[@JakeMeisel]

Incredible documentary! Thank you!

[@jeffjeff4477]

60s baby here Those dragsters , Le Man cars and the Batmobile are my earliest Motorsports memories Totally dig those dragsters!!!

[@bradphillips6081]

Front engine drag cars look so cool

[@TorontoModifiedKarKlub]

Amazing story in drag racing history. Thank you Brian. As for the time we watch your videos. The time into making them must be ten fold. I am just a fan. Not a racer. But I do appreciate the innovation of all those individuals back then. My father in law and his friends started a Klub back then. And raced. Nothing even near to your story here. But in the 50s you worked with what you had. Thanks again. I am getting an amazing education here.

[@mudnducs]

Well THAT was just an awesome review and comment of respect to a great engineer!

[@Cliffswanson]

The look of dragsters made a huge impression on me as a young teenager, and that holds true even to this day about 60 years later. But once I started going to races and digging into the mechanics and physics of the instant chaos that ensues at the starting line, I became really hooked and fascinated by the engineering and innovations inherent in getting tires hooked up and parts hanging together. And here we are today with dragsters and funny cars exceeding 300 mph and running 1000 ft ETs of just over 3 seconds. Wow! The historical perspective your videos bring to all of that is a gift to drag racing writ large. Thanks for doing what you do, Brian. And DON'T STOP!

[@jd70HJ19]

Outstanding research work , above all else ...the most intelligible annunciation narration skills that I have been exposed to in decades, in every word spoken , my compliments , not once did I have to back up to be sure of what was said .

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thank you for saying that and for watching!

[@bradjohnson9671]

What a fantastic story. The delivery and tempo/pace could not be better. 40+ min flew by leaving me wanting more. I'd heard of Pete Robinson back in the day but didn't know much about him. We all do now! Brian, I can only imagine how much research time went into this story. Instantly hit subscribe.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thank you very much Brad!!!

[@BG-gr7fh]

Thanks Brian, another great job.

[@chrisn.e.q.patriot5957]

😃 THANK YOU BRIAN ! YOU AND STAPLTON 42. ARE THE TRUE HISTORIANS. OF. DRAG RACEING / STOCK CAR RACEING . YOU GUYS PRESERVE THE GREAT INOVATORS THAT HAVE DRIVEN THE EVOLUTION OF SPEED. THANK YOU 😃❤️👍🏽

[@AlW-c5u]

Awesome channel Brian, I can't imagine the hours of research you spend to bring this history. Great stuff thank you

[@scottc977]

It was so great to see this video. I do not recall the exact year, 1962-3, but I saw Sneaky Pete match race Art Arfons in the Cyclops jet car at Dover Drag Strip in Wingdale, NY. He had the " Jacks" car. I was there, just a kid of 12 or 13, with a friend of my fathers who raced in B/comp. I was off to the side and behind when he dropped the jacks and was amazed to see my white t shirt speckled with his tire rubber! LOL. On the second of three runs, the starter gave Pete a hot dog on a stick. That was an amazing race, the sound of the Dragster motor along with Arfon's afterburning jet engine,,, unforgettable.

[@paulmartin8212]

Thanks for sharing. These stories may give some young or old person an idea that could be applied to this sport. Truly a genius. He knew hp= weight moved over time and how to capitalize on the weight portion of this formula.

[@brianlohnes3079]

As simple as it sounds, he got the basics right and the results showed!

[@angelofiorini1759]

Awesome story, thanks Brian!

[@reginaldlawrence4935]

Great job u knocked it out of the ball park! Sneaky was one of my dad's favorite driver's. Sneaky gave Big daddy some beat down !

[@vincewilliams5219]

Great video, love hearing that Pete raced at Woodburn dragstrip in Oregon, watched Many drags there. Thanks for posting.

[@brianlohnes3079]

He was a hustler!!

[@MachineintheMonkey]

The thumbnail says a lot for me…wheels up and frying the bags. I’ve only ever read bits and pieces of Pete’s exploits here in Australia so thanks Brian for the vid!

[@nhra7110]

Brian - you're the best! Thank you for these fantastic videos

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thank you for watching!!

[@billp3310]

One of my absolute favorite channels on KZbin. Stellar research, fascinating subjects, all around awesome.

[@Sleeperdude]

Incredible story

[@rudysrc6652]

Wow!! Great Story… great person… well done sir. Well done!! 🙏🏽

[@larrytucker2938]

Extremely detailed video production. Thanks for pointing out the amazing ability and career of Sneaky Pete. Really enjoyed this.

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thank you for watching and enjoying it!

[@rogerholloway8498]

What a great story, thank you for this sharing!

[@brianlohnes3079]

Thanks for watching it!

[@molivroman9806]

Thank you for an excellent portrait of an amazing man. The video you produced was so educating and interesting it left me wanting more about these legends of old. Thanks again!

[@brianlohnes3079]

More on the way and plenty of legends yet to revisit!!

[@tonypolito6320]

Another great tutorial. Thanks for doing this for us.

[@mikeo7604]

I remember Sneaky Pete but I did not know this background. Dang Brian! You tell a really good story! Looking forward to more!

[@blackcatpgh13]

This was a great video on a person that needs to be remembered. Hopefully his relatives see it! Good on ya!

[@mikeyt3940]

As always Brian, this is a fantastic tribute to a fascinating and incredible drag racing pioneer. Thank You.