A Day for Racing Hot Rods in Tustin

TUSTIN — Not even the scorching heat could keep racing fans Gary and Loretta Cooper from the Tustin Marine Corps Helicopter Air Station on Saturday where they joined thousands of fellow enthusiasts for a day of high-speed races featuring vintage cars.

“We’ve been going to the races for 39 years,” said Loretta Cooper, shading herself with a large blue umbrella. “You learn to survive the heat. You bring ice water, an umbrella and make yourself comfortable.”

The Coopers, of Huntington Beach, came to watch Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros and other historic cars race around a two-mile track at the second annual Tustin Thunder Historic Road Races.

The three-day event ends today, and the proceeds benefit the Marconi Foundation for Kids, a nonprofit organization that supports several local charities.

“This is really turning out to be wonderful,” John Marconi, one of the event’s organizers, said during Saturday’s opening ceremonies.

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The hot weather seemed to be on the minds of everyone, including the event’s announcer who joked: “For those of you in the grandstand, for the next 10 minutes we’d like to have you roll over and cook the other side.”

Between races, Tom Stipek, 41, and Ben Reed, 53, coped by seeking refuge under one of the grandstands with large beers in hand.

“We’re just waiting for the next race to start,” said Stipek between sips. “It’s too hot out there.”

Long Beach resident Jerry Cheney didn’t seem to mind the discomfort. He came to the races with several family members and said the antique cars are what make this event special.

“It’s fun to see the old, vintage cars flying around,” he said. “This is just regular owners out there racing. That’s what the hey-day of racing was all about. It gives you the idea that you can participate, that you can actually make something in your garage that can be competitive.”

The races also made 45-year-old Joe Rojas nostalgic for the old days.

Standing next to the chain-link fence that separates the track from the spectators, Rojas and his 12-year-old son, David, watched the action up close.

“There’s a resurgence in this kind of racing, and I’m glad there is,” Rojas said. “And this event is especially nice because you don’t get bored. There’s racing, vendors and a little bit of everything. You’re always doing something.”

Don Phillips, 79, watched with amusement as a car in the day’s first race lagged dramatically behind the rest of the pack.

“I don’t know if it’s possible for someone to be lapped on this track, but I think it’s about to happen,” Phillips said, laughing.

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But racing was not the only feature to this second annual event. There also were more than 250 vending booths, 1,400 cars on display as well as carnival rides and a food court featuring dishes from local restaurants and shows.

Inside one of the base’s two air hangars was a large exhibit called “101 Years of Transportation,” which featured endless rows of polished, antique cars with proud owners showing them off to fellow enthusiasts.

“A lot of people come in here looking for ideas,” said Costa Mesa resident David Kinaan, who spent the day standing in front of his “radar blue” 1966 Pontiac GTO.

Drawing considerable attention was a beige 1956 Ford Skyliner with a retractable roof.

“If you run out of gas in this car, you leave it because you couldn’t push a car like this,” joked Alex K. Watanabe, who was displaying the car. “It’s made of real metal.”

The car’s window was rolled down, and a tray filled with sodas was affixed to its door to give the impression that the car was parked in a 1950s-style drive-in restaurant.

“You get a lot of people reminiscing when they come by and look at this car,” Watanabe said. “It reminds them of the good old days.”