Comments on: Memories of Big John

By: Mark Ryan

Mark Ryan — Sat, 01 May 2010 14:54:41 +0000

I didn’t really know John. He and his family were my next door neighbors when I was growing up. He was a big, imposing dude but was always nice. His kids were pretty much grown when we moved in in 1971 but the boys were around every so often and they had a pair of matching…. well maybe it’s not my business to say … matching red Italian cars that sounded sooooo cool that any time we heard them I’d be right outside on the porch just to hear those engines.
If my brother or I threw a baseball, or something else into their back yard I’d be the one to go knock on the door and ask if we could go back and get it. Alice, or sometimes their daughter, would answer the door. Usually they would graciously ask me to wait for a second. She’d leave the front door open and would get the ball or whatever it was and bring it to us. I’d stand there waiting and smell the wonderful, and to me mysterious, food she was cooking. It happened a handful of times but I always wondered what it was she was cooking — yum.
But back to John. One day maybe in the mid 80s, my dad was taking out the trash and he saw John doing the same. They chatted briefly over the shrubbery that separated our side yards. John gestured to a very well constructed barbecue made from an oil drum. It had caster wheels, solid shelves on both sides, and a rack on the bottom. He said, “Hey Ed can you use this thing? Somebody made this at work and I already have another one.” My dad took it, it became my first barbecue when my wife and I bought our first house a few years later.
Thanks John.

By: mary Dowell

mary Dowell — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:59:57 +0000

Hi I am a friend of Paula King, she was talking about John at the Quarter Final race in Pamona yesterday. I said ” you should look him up, then I said I will.” Paula and husband at the time were freinds of John’s. I have her contact info if John is interested in taking a trip down memory lane. Paula was so much fun I met her just yesterday and will never forget her and her great stories.

By: Tom Reilly

Tom Reilly — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:23:08 +0000

A great car, that ’61 Vette. Inspired me to get a Vette and drag race it. RIP, Big John.

By: glenn miller

glenn miller — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:01:34 +0000

never hear back from you…no response

By: S. Delgadillo

S. Delgadillo — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:12:13 +0000

Fan since 65. Friend since 68. Had lunch with John several months before his passing. John’s stories about his racing career were great. The lunch meeting lasted a very short 3 hours. When we left the restaurant John graced my wife Marie and I with gifts of autographed “Big John Mazmanian” caps. He was a class act all the way.

We attended his funeral and several months later my wife and I helped with the a tribute to him hosted at the NHRA museum. There were many family members, racers and friends there. Included in the audience were his driver’s Bones Balogh, his nephew Rich Siroonian, Jr. Thompson and other great drivers like Jess Tryee and the great artist James Ibusuki. Many people spoke and everyone got a little choked up.

I knew John as a bigger that life individual that was always nice to me and my wife. The fact that he was a very candid person is what made it interesting to talk to him. He told it like it was and If you didn’t like it, to bad for you. We have such good memories of John his wife Alice, daughter Kathy, son Victor, nephew Rich and the rest of his family.

This past October we went to the Hot Rod Reunion and ran into Rich Siroonian and his wife. They invited us out for drinks and we spent a few hours visiting and talking about racing. It was a great time.

Although John is gone his memory and that of his flawless race cars along with the many great people that were associated with him will live on. I have much more to share, maybe later.

Great web site, thanks.

By: glenn miller

glenn miller — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:02:52 +0000

I was thrilled to see you guys at the march meet 3-09…Without a doubt the red cuda’s were my favorite of all time..I would like to show you guys my scrapbook sometime….I spent a bunch at the races…so I could not affor more stuff,but I assure you I want more of what you got…great site…Do you have any shirts with the cuda’s yet? The willys were before my time…my first time was at Fremont 1970…I burned the image of the cuda coming to a stop after a burnout at dusk….Flames belching out whoomp whoomp whoomp!!!…I was just a kid but distinkly remeber telling myself “Don’t ever forget this”…I would have liker to chat some more, but I was with my wife,and did not want to keep her waiting.Also could you please tell me when you next appearance will be..I live in the S.F. bay area, and frequent Famoso and Sacramento…Thanx for your time