1949 Air Races Press Photo Harvey Christensen
Zipper Midget Racer Barred in 1948
National Air Races Cleveland | Goodyear Class | CaptionDESCRIPTIONOriginal press photograph of Harvey Christensen, the owner, builder and pilot of the Goodyear-class midget racer "Zipper," photographed at the 1949 National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. Christensen poses in a white shirt and dark pictorial necktie, one hand on his hip, with his 1949 National Air Races contestant badge pinned to his chest. The original typed caption slip is still with the print and carries the same reference number, 1888-49 Y, that is stamped in the lower corner of the photograph.The caption tells a story most race photos never do. It reads that Christensen "was barred from the 1948 Goodyear event by the Contest Committee because of a design defect. Heavier flying wire has been added and other alterations made since 1948." Zipper was a homebuilt single-seat racer, patterned after Steve Wittman's Bonzo and Buster, with a welded steel-tube fuselage, fabric covering, a wooden-spar wing and a stock Continental C-85 engine. Published accounts say it was disqualified at Cleveland in 1948 after a wing spar inspection.Christensen came back in 1949 with Zipper painted yellow, wearing race number 59 and carrying the name of a Minneapolis root beer drive-in sponsor. Published accounts give a qualifying speed of 156.245 mph and say he was running third in the final when he saw a checkered flag waved for a faster racer who had lapped him, and landed a lap early. The mistake dropped him to tenth. Bill Brennand won the race at 177.3 mph.The Goodyear midget class began in 1947 as a builder's class, limited to 190 cubic inch engines so that backyard designers could compete, and it is the direct ancestor of today's Formula One air racing. The 1949 races were the last National Air Races held at Cleveland. On the final day, Bill Odom crashed during the Thompson Trophy Race into a house in Berea, Ohio, killing himself and two people on the ground, and the National Air Races did not return until Reno in 1964. This photograph shows a builder-pilot who had to rework his own airplane to earn a place on that final Cleveland starting line.Images were scanned at 600dpi. A good fit for a collector of air racing, Goodyear midget and Formula One history, homebuilt aircraft, or the final Cleveland National Air Races.Every effort is made for fact checking and provenance, including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you are unsatisfied with the item, please connect with me and I will make it right.Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout. Orders placed before Noon CDT ship same day via USPS Ground Advantage with tracking so you know exactly when it will arrive. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. Rigid, professional packaging on all shipments, sealed and protected in acid free protectors.CONDITIONOriginal vintage press photograph, glossy warm-toned silver gelatin print, slightly smaller than a standard 8x10. The original typed caption slip is included, attached at the top with period staples; the slip has a small tear and crease at the upper right corner and a rough torn left edge, and all typed text is fully legible. The print shows a bent staple remnant and small pinch marks in the top border, light edge wear and a chipped upper edge, and fine hairline scratches in the black masked area near the lower corner, with the white reference number 1888-49 Y clearly readable. The image is sharp with strong contrast and a clear view of the contestant badge. No tears or creases through the picture area and no writing on the front.
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