Gas Ronda.pdf - NHRA.com

● Gas Rhonda
from page 36
did so very conservatively and tuned
the car to just run in the nines for
quite some time.”
But by 1967, Ronda had regained his
bravado and ran a new Mustang with a
tilt front end that originally ran with
fuel injection but later was equipped
with a supercharger that gave him sevensecond
elapsed time potential.
For 1969, Ronda had a new Mach 1
Mustang built by Logghe Bros.
that was easily the fastest and bestlooking
ride of his
career, but after scoring
his prestigious win at
that year’s Orange
County Int’l Raceway
Manufacturers
Championships, Ronda
suffered severe burns in
his early 1970 accident
while racing in Phoenix,
and his driving career
was brought to an abrupt
halt. Said Ronda, “Ford
tried to get me to run in
Pro Stock later that year,
but with my left leg
burned so badly, I
couldn’t operate the
clutch properly.”
Ronda then went into
the nightclub business,
where he enjoyed great success. He
retired in 1993.
Still very active at age 82, Ronda
lives with his wife in Palm Desert,
Calif., where he plays golf regularly
and enjoys driving his 2005 Mustang
GT, which has been performance
enhanced by Randy Ritchey, who has
resurrected the Performance
Associates business founded by his
father, Les.
Said Ronda, “Looking back on my
career, I wouldn’t change a thing. Even
though I suffered a setback with the
engine fire, I knew the risks that were
involved when I got into racing, and
the good far outweighs the bad. We
even learned from our losses, and
that helped us win more races,
which, of course, was something
that I always enjoyed.” ND
Greg Sharp collection
(Above) Ronda’s 1963 ride was this 12-second Ford Galaxie
fastback. Despite the addition of fiberglass fenders,
lightweight bucket seats, aluminum vendors, and other
weight-saving devices, it still was heavier than other
brands, especially the midsize Dodge and Plymouth entries,
a handicap that was challenging to overcome. (Left) Ford
finally put together a very competitive racing package in
1964 with the famed Ford Thunderbolts that combined the
power of the 427-cid, 425-horsepower high-riser wedge
with the lightweight Ford Fairlane body. Note the “four-leaf
clover” style bulge in the hood for the cold-air induction
system that was later seen in the more popular teardrop
design. (Below) After scoring SS/S class honors at the
season-opening Winternationals, Ronda made a midseason
switch to Russ Davis Ford in Covina, Calif., where he could
be closer to his engine builder and tuner Les Ritchey. Ronda
had his car repainted in the popular Mustang poppy red and
went on to win the inaugural Hot Rod Magazine
Championships in Riverside, Calif.,
and the NHRA Top Stock
points championship.
(Left) Ronda really enjoyed driving this four-speedequipped,
10-second A/FX Ford Mustang that was
powered with Ford’s new high-winding 427-cid SOHC
Hemi engine. Although many of his fellow competitors
jumped to “outlaw” altered-wheelbase, nitro-burning
Funny Cars to run on the lucrative match race circuit
that year, Ronda complied with Ford’s wishes for him
to stick with the NHRA-legal program for the balance
of the season.
38 ✦ National DRAGSTER
(Left) In an ironic twist that Ronda and the Ford officials
thoroughly enjoyed, Ronda won this Plymouth Barracuda
from Hurst Performance with his triumph at the Hot Rod
Magazine Championships. Ronda had the car on display
at the Ford dealership, and he won another Barracuda
when he clinched the NHRA Top Stock title. (Right)
Ritchey, a longtime Ford campaigner and owner of
Performance Associates, played a major role in Ronda’s
success as Ronda’s engine builder, tuner, business
advisor, and close friend.