The Signal Hill Speed Run 1975-1978
The world's first skateboard race!
Description
The Signal Hill Speed Run was the birth of downhill skateboarding! From 1975 to 1978, it was an annual event, and was started by Jim O'Mahoney upon request by the show The Guinness Book of World Records, hosted by noted Brit David Frost. This event was covered by SkateBoarder, National Skateboard Review, Sports Illustrated, Sunset Magazine and many more!
Hello Signal Hill Speed Run Community,
Today, we wanted to let you know of a special opportunity. One of the icons of the Signal Hill Speed Run, John Hughes, is offering his historic kneeboard, used in the Signal Hill Speed Run, as well as the leathers he wore, for sale.
John raced in the 1976, 1977 and 1978 Speed Runs, competing with his kneeboard as well as a skatecar. This kneeboard is a product of the famous Turner name, and has a lot of significance to the Speed Runs. This kneeboard was one of only two hand-made by Bobby Turner for the 1976 Signal Hill Speed Run. John Hughes tied for 2nd place in 1976 with this kneeboard at 54 miles an hour and was pushed at the top of the hill by Sam Puccio, winner of the race and a fellow competitor.
John is a not only a famous racer from the competition, but he also kept the interest in the race alive over all the years. He has served as an ambassador to the sport of downhill racing.
If you have an interest in purchasing this historic piece of skateboard history, you can reach out to John Hughes at [email protected]
Thank you for looking!
We are sorry to pass along about the passing of Dave Dillberg, one of the heroes of the Signal Hill Speed Run. Dave Dillberg was born in Long Beach in 1948. In 1966, at the age of 17, he enlisted for the Marine Corps and was sent to Vietnam, where was involved in heavy action, surviving despite being wounded. One explosion affected his hearing, so upon return to the States, he had sensitive ears and didn't like loud auto racing, so surfing and skateboarding, without engines, were perfect. He would shoot under the Huntington Pier while surfing, not afraid of hitting the pilings since, as he said, it was not as scary as "...red hot shrapnel flying through the air..." as he had experienced in Vietnam.
Dave's involvement in the Signal Hill Speed Run started with the first race, where he served as an advisor to Guy Grundy and also designed and built Grundy's board. He started racing himself at the second speed run, and was the fastest standup racer in 1976 at 51 miles an hour. In 1977, Dave raced a skatecar, clocking 57 miles an hour, good for first place and a tie with Henry Hester. In the final speed run of 1978, Dave Dillberg raced both stand-up and skatecar, coming in 4th place in 58.89 miles an hour.
According to friend Guy Grundy, Dave Dillberg is considered a guru of the Signal Hill Speed Run, as he raced, coached, and fabricated for the race. In fact, he helped friend Chuy Madrigal, who had broken his arm skateboarding, enter a race by making Chuy a fiberglass cast that the racer could hide under his racing leathers. He was always helping other racers with equipment and advice on how best to make it down the steep precipice.
Later in life, Dave moved to Hawaii with his family, where he stayed involved in skateboarding and surfing. He was a supporter of the film, and always available to talk about the race. He was interviewed there on the island which was a great contribution to the film.
Our condolences are with the family and friends of this great man. We are also thanking him for his service to the country as well as his contributions to the world of skateboarding.
Hi! Today, we are featuring the hard work that went into the Signal Hill Speed Run. Like a Formula 1 or Indycar, the race was just part of the process. There were teams dedicated to designing and fabricating the one of a kind skatecars.
Work started on the Silver Streak long before the 1978 Speed Run, with Roger and crew carefully fabricating the winning skatecar. Enjoy and photos courtesy Roger Williams, Dennis Pappas, Tom West, John West, Debby West, and Crew.
Remembering John Hutson 1953-2024
https://youtu.be/UmfNNWPTb80?feature=shared
Remembering John Hutson 1953-2024
Hello Signal Hill racers, crew, photographers, fans and friends,
I am sorry to report that we just lost one of the greats. John Hutson was a fantastic downhill skateboarder. As a developer of the Hut Tuck, he had the "arms back" style named after him. It was an aerodynamic way to make it down the hill as quickly as possible, and he created it with friend Michael Goldman and others. It is still in use today.
He won numerous races, including the stand-up division of the 1978 Signal Hill Speed Run, and helped keep the stoke of downhill skateboarding alive even after the final Signal Hill race.
But more importantly, he was a great guy, friendly, helpful, and a mentor to many other racers.
He will be missed by all of us, and condolences to his family and friends.
Thank you to James O'Mahoney for this picture of Hut accepting his award in 1978.
SoCal Skateshop - Skateboards, Safety Gear, Clothing and More
If anyone out there is looking for a Special Edition DVD of the Signal Hill Speed Run film, it is back in stock at our friends over at SoCal Skateshop!
Thank you!
SoCal Skateshop - Skateboards, Safety Gear, Clothing and More We come to you from the heart of the skateboarding industry, Southern California, and have dealer accounts with all the major skateboard companies and distributors in Southern California and throughout the US.
sigtrib.com
https://sigtrib.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/THE-FINAL-FINAL-ST46_16_April-19-24-page.pdf
The City of Signal Hill is 100 years old. Congrats! Thanks to Signal Hill for both allowing the race and supporting the film. The paper re-ran a nice write-up of the film. Enjoy!
Support our narrator and wonderful personBen Harper!
