STREET/RACE Issue 2, Spring 2018 | Page 52

ore than five decades ago , Bob Helms ’ racing career started in his parent ’ s 1957 Oldsmobile , an eager 15-year-old taking on his friend and his ’ 57 Chevy .
Much has changed for Helms in that time , but one thing remains the same – no matter the car , the style , the location or the stakes , his love of racing remains as strong as ever .
The 71-year-old Houston-area native is excelling on airfields these days , this time in a Lamborghini at 220- plus mph . Helms won the prestigious King of the Streets crown at the
Texas Invitational this past fall at Caddo Mills Municipal Airfield near Dallas , Texas , racing with the highlysuccessful Underground Racing team .
Started in 2010 , the Texas Invitational , widely known as the pinnacle of high-caliber automotive airfield competition , was created to help curtail illegal street racing . The innovative competition features sideby-side racing with a rolling 60 mph start over a distance of 1,550-feet , and includes a who ’ s-who list of drivers .
Helms has become a star player in
it , knocking off Gidi Chamdi in the final round in 2016 in his Underground Racing X Version Twin Turbo Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera LP570 . It ’ s a different outlet and a different form of racing , but after a series of accidents in Pro Stock and a near-fatal crash on the streets , it ’ s been a revelation for the ultra-successful Helms .
Following his victory at the Texas Invitational , Helms talked with STREET / RACE Magazine about his long and storied racing career , what finally steered him off of street racing , the thrills winning the Texas

NO MATTER THE CAR , THE STYLE , THE LOCATION OR THE STAKES , HIS LOVE OF RACING REMAINS AS STRONG AS EVER .

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