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In 1968 HARA was a pure american Club, that was not yet registered as a Club with the German register of associations and not yet a cooperativ club of the german motorsports governing associations. Their were a handfull of german members but the club was actually only for US Army members only in the begining.
 After the founding members got together, their was plenty of work to be done, so that the Hanau Auto Racing Association could get started.The small group achieved a lot in a small amount of time, so that racing could get underay in Hanau. Permission to use the airfield as a racetrack, had to be obtained from the US Military, registration with the NHRA had to be taken care of, applications for german licences, club paperwork, coverage (Stars & Stripes) had to be arranged, forms had to be printed aswell as admission tickets etc., quotations for trophys had to be obtained and the list went on and on.... |
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The founders had a lot on their having to convince the people incharge, so that HARA could hold their racing events at the Fliegerhorst Airbase in Erlensee. One of the founders was Capt. Tompkins, who was a pilot stationed at Fliegerhorst to fly Mohawk Turbo Jets. Jerry Lackey told us that Captn. Tompkins commitment was so great, that when it had rained at a race he would sometimes go and get his mohawk jet and use it to dry the track so racing could continue.
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Some of the members in the first years of the Hanau Auto Racing Association:
Captn. Tompkins Paul & Nedra Creamer Jerry Lackey Willi & Heidi Hestermann Delton Hix Larry D. Jones Peter Schmidt Lee Parnell Bob Tomek Tyron Philipps |
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Some of the founders and members from the early days of HARA:
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Probably most of our members have asked thereselves at one time were the HARA Mascot originated from. That is truly a funny story.
It began as the club had just formed and had just ordered a rubber stamp. The Stamp was supposed to have a wheel on it with the lettering Hanau Auto Racing Association and "Association" should be shortened Assoc. When HARA received it´s new rubber stamp together with some other printed forms like tickets, pit passes etc., everyone was in excited - until suddenly someone noticed that in the wheel the printing company had written Hanau Auto Racing "Ass“. Well for us Germans that´s not really such a problem, but for Americans the word "Ass" was not exactly how you wanted to call your club! So the Americans now new that German Stampproducers sure did not know hot to abreviate the word Association and therefore had suddenly made an Association a Club of Asses! The members were pretty much in uproar about the situation, no one wanted to be in a club of asses, so at the next meeting the problem was adressed.
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 In 1968 the club did not have a tree or a timing system, instead they had a flagstarter. The Flagstarters name was Bob Tomac. After the first race HARA was in a position to donate a large amount of money to charitable organizations of the US Military. And even after donating a large sum of money HARA was still able to get enought money together to build a tree and a timing system for the next season in 1969. The tree and the timingsystem became the winterprojects of the HARA members. But it was not an easy project due to none of the members being technicians and also the club not having a club house or a garage to go to. Even with the terms not being perfect, the members built a tree and a timing system. Some of the members diningtables were used for purposes other than inteded most of the time as working benches, but most of the wifes were used to their living rooms or dining rooms being used as a workshop. Jerry Lackey told us that the first timingsystem 1969 could only determine the winner and the time. In those days their was no 60 foot times, reactiontimes or information on the speeds driven. |
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In the first years
 HARA had to share the track with the german-american flightclub Arrows. When the landing of a plane was announced to the tower the organisation of HARA was radiod by the tower "attention incoming plane" - then the HARA crew had to very quickly remove the tree and timing equipment until the plane had safely landed and when the plane was on the ground and off the tracke the HARA crew just as quicly replaced the tree and timing system to and continued racing. The planes, jets and helicopters landing inbetween races were never a problem for the racing community, it only got a little hectic when a helicopter announced an emergency landing, that meant there was no time to remove any equipment! |
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One of the first to receive a german drag racing licence was Jerry Lackey
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The first german women in HARA to succeed in drag racing!
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Hedie Hestermann drag raced for the first time in 1966 in Ramstein and later at Fliegerhorst in her Ford Mustang "Albino".
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Heidi Lackey began her racing carrer in 1985 in Giebelstadt. Heidi was feared by her male oponents due to her striking reactiontimes at the tree. Heidi one the club championship many times.
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The members all were thinking of what could be done, which was not an easy task, due to the fact that the club did not have much money in the beginning and hat literally used all of the money for the the stamps and print work that had allready been done.