Jim Liberman

Russell James Liberman (September 12, 1945 – September 9, 1977 ) was an American funny car drag racer, nicknamed "Jungle Jim." In 2001, he was named #17 on the list of the Top 50 NHRA drivers of all time.

Liberman was known for driving backwards at 100 mph after doing his burnout.

Liberman was a flamboyant showman who primarily toured the United States at drag racing match race events.

He began drag racing in the Stock division at Fremont Raceway in 1964 and made a jump up to funny cars in 1965, driving an injected Nova on nitromethane dubbed Hercules.

Later that year he started on the national scene as the driver of Lew Arrington's supercharged GTO Funny Car, Brutus.

He married Roberta Louise "Bobbi" Good on August 14, 1965, in Santa Clara, California.

In 1966, Liberman went out on his own in his first supercharged (steel-bodied) Chevy II, the first to wear the "Jungle Jim" name.

In 1967, he went on a tour that established him as a household name within drag racing circles across the country.

Despite making eight-second runs in his Chevy when other top dragracers in factory-sponsored cars made runs in the seven-second range, he gained a large fan following.

Liberman was more interesting.

He won the hearts of the spectators after he did wheelstands for the full length of the track in a two-race match race against Don Nicholson.

Liberman's success in 1967 prompted him to run a two-car team in 1968.

His choice as the first driver in his second car was Clare Sanders.

Others drivers using Liberman's cars included Ron Attebury, Jake Crimmins, Roy Harris, Russell Long, Pete Williams, and former partner Arrington.

The team went on to include a Steve Kanuika-owned and sponsored nine-second heads-up '69 Camaro and a Dutch Irrgang-driven '72 Vega Pro Stocker.

Super Stock & Drag Illustrated had a story idea that required the total disassembly of a Funny Car down to the last nut and bolt for a true exploded-view picture.

Nearly every leading driver in the category turned down the magazine's request.

Liberman complied, and the resulting publicity only added to his legend.

Another one of his strengths was that Liberman was the main Chevrolet banner carrier.

His sidekick was "Jungle Pam."

During his career, he averaged an estimated 100 events per year during the 1970s.

He refused to lift off the gas when a run was completely out of shape.

He was regarded by many as the "greatest showman the drag strip has ever experienced."

They divorced in October 1972 in Orange, California.

Liberman was born in Pennsylvania.

He dropped out of high school in his junior year and began racing when he moved to Northern California.

Liberman met 18-year-old Pamela Hardy two weeks before she graduated from high school in May 1972 when he spotted her walking while driving his yellow Corvette.

Hardy, who had been accepted to West Chester State, intended to major in business.

Instead, she became Liberman's girlfriend and toured with him for four years.

"I ditched the college that had accepted me, and it drove my mother nuts," she later recalled.

Liberman, eager to get fans' attention at the track, initially hired Hardy to stage his funny car on the line.

Hardy was well-endowed and was always braless.

She usually wore a tank top or skimpy halter and jean shorts with "zero-inch inseam".

Her enticing performance gathered a lot of attention.

Liberman and Hardy briefly appeared in Vrooom!, a 16-minute documentary directed by Ken Rudolph about a day at a drag race track.

They also were featured in several auto magazines with Hardy typically wearing go-go boots, short-shorts, and titillating tops.

She appeared on the February 1973 cover of Hot Rod magazine.

She earned the nickname "Jungle Pam" Hardy.

She not only staged the car and checked under the vehicle for fluid leaks before a run, but filled the block with water and eight quarts of 70W oil, packed parachutes after each run, and helped Liberman reposition his car on the line after his burnouts.

Her presence on the track was described as "a stroke of genius" and raised the profile of Liberman's team and Funny Car racing in general.