Many contemporaries Glidden in the early eighties firmly in one voice that the title of 1980 is nothing more than a fluke, and the five-time champion firmly losing ground . And, frankly, the argument that it would be possible to counter such claims, at the time there was no one. The arguments, however, did not take long to wait, even though they were all as one not in favor of Glidden. Firstly, the competition has grown exponentially, technology has evolved, and know-how of previous years have ceased to be the guarantor of relatively easy victories. Second, the rules at the junction of decades NHRA also did not work in favor of the team of Bob. Allowable minimum mass dregster directly dependent on the volume of the engine, ie, the more cubic inches under your hood, the heavier you are the ballast required to fasten to your car.
In 1981, Chrysler has retired from professional drag racing because of financial difficulties, and Glidden returned to Ford. At that time he was the only pilot, elected as the main sponsor of the Blue Oval, which in turn was the only manufacturer to bet on Small blocks. Within the framework of regulations, big blocks of General Motors was not equal, and at Ford at that time simply did not have a competitive engine. Championship title in 1981 went to Lee Shepherd.
At the beginning of the next season in the team of Bob made a bet on Ford EXP and stuck to Boss 429 with hemispherical combustion chambers, but korotkobazny EXP, designed for use Small-block, ruled by disgusting with a motor larger volume, and eventually became a double champion Shepherd NHRA Winston Championship. In 1982, all the technical requirements were changed in favor of universal egalitarianism: the maximum displacement from now should not exceed 500 cubic meters. inch (8.2 L), and the minimum weight for all dregster now become identical. This extremely simple and transparent scheme eventually made Pro Stock heaped most technically class in professional drag racing: space flight engineering for almost was not, and mechanics squeezed everything possible from the fact that the proposed new regulations.
In the context of the changed requirements and progress that in the first half of the eighties is not standing still, at the Glidden not come out so seamlessly to the finish line first in all that had four wheels and eight cylinders, and in 1983 Lee Shepherd for the third time with confidence earns the title. On the one hand, Glidden was at that time the most decorated pilot in races on the Quarter in the world and a vast collection of all sorts of booty was enough to with a clear conscience to retire at the height of his career. But Bob was a completely different personality warehouse. And the joy of the Shepherd of his fourth title in 1984, was badly marred by the fact that his dregster ceased to be the fastest in the country. I think you have already guessed who was the author of new records.
Finally, Ford was able to build a machine worthy champion. In 1985, Glidden consistently led on points throughout the season, and became the sixth time in the first, scoring five wins on the stages of the national championship. Confident enough to return to fight for the highest regalia immediately put an end to all arguments in the spirit of «Glidden is not the same.» The most that neither is he and he came back to win.
Season 1986 started for the rider is not the best way, Glidden was eliminated at the beginning of the knockout rounds at the Winternationals and Gatornationals. And in April, the Southern Nationals, he hit the terrible accident in his career. After a victorious finish in the semi-open the parachute caught a strong gust of wind and blown dregster on the next track, and then bump. The car overturned nearly six times. The first thing Bob did as he could get out of the wreckage, he covered his motor jacket to competitors sketched the design of the intake manifold. It seems inteyka secrecy — is the only thing the pilot thought the celebrated until the car breaks into pieces, tumbling on the Strip. Glidden himself remained unscathed thanks largely to the fact that the NHRA changed requirements in respect of the safety cage. Frame welded in accordance with the previous regulations, is unlikely to be sustained following a meeting with the striker.
Later in the interview Glidden comment on his action as follows: «We are all squeezed out of the engine, allowing the technology of the time, the only way to get more power parish were experimenting with the intake manifold. We created them by hand and tried about seventy options. Each took about three days. And that's not counting the test. We did not have dyno, each time had to be dragged to strip and rebuild everything in the field. It is a titanic work, and to show our competitors inteyk was just a luxury. » This once again characterizes him as a person fully involved in the process, as a person who is entirely devoted to his cause, and not as a pilot, who repeatedly gets in the cockpit just to work out the fee.
Until July Mile-High Nationals Gliddenu never managed to climb to the highest step of the podium, but the end of the season he spent in the best tradition, having won six of the seven remaining the events. Score more than enough for a seventh world title. The victorious march continued, and in 1987, without any reservations to change the rules, bad luck and technique which sometimes still fail. Eight wins, five of which went to Bob one by one and 14 first places in qualifying became the guarantor of the next championship.
Season 1988 was a similar scenario: a bad start and triumphant conclusion with five victories in the last seven stages of the series. By the end of the national championship was replaced Glidden brought him 19 wins on the Thunderbird Ford Probe, which at the end of the championship set a new record time — 7,277 seconds and won the ninth title. The following year Bob has dominated more than ever in the eighties: won nine in a row have left's Event rivals no chance and brought Gliddenu tenth anniversary title. «You know what the most incredible and at the same time sad? — The pilot will say later. — It was, by far, the best season for my team. But we somehow did not notice it, or we just do not have time to enjoy the success. » It was the last, most vivid and loud chord in the career of the most victorious rider in the history of drag racing at the time. Between 1990 and 1995, Glidden won nine victories, the last of which was the 85th in a row at the Mopar Parts Nationals in 1995. The year before it was included in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
Later Glidden repeatedly returned to the strip as a pilot, a mechanic and mentor in the various teams, but about any full-fledged return to professional sport was not even the question. Having survived a heart attack in 1994, is now Bob plays a lot of golf and said he feels better than he is supposed to age.
