Home
70s Funny Cars - Round 1
70s Funny Cars - Round 2
70s Funny Cars - Round 3
70s Funny Cars - Round 4
70s Funny Cars - Round 5
70s Funny Cars - Round 6
70s Funny Cars - Round 7
70s Funny Cars - Round 8
70s Funny Cars - Round 9
70s Funny Cars - Round 10
70s Funny Cars - Round 11
70s Funny Cars - Round 12
70s Funny Cars - Round 13
70s Funny Cars - Round 14
70s Funny Cars - Round 15
70s Funny Cars - Round 16
70s Funny Cars - Round 17
70s Funny Cars - Round 18
70s Funny Cars - Round 19
70s Funny Cars - Round 20
70s Funny Cars - Round 21
70s Funny Cars - Round 22
70s Funny Cars - Round 23
70s Funny Cars - Round 24
70s Funny Cars - Round 25
70s Funny Cars - Round 26
70s Funny Cars - Round 27
70s Funny Cars - Round 28
70s Funny Cars - Round 29
70s Funny Cars - Round 30
70s Funny Cars - Round 31
70s Funny Cars - Round 32
70s Funny Cars - Round 33
70s Funny Cars - Round 34
70s Funny Cars - Round 35
70s Funny Cars - Round 36
70s Funny Cars - Round 37
70s Funny Cars - Round 38
70s Funny Cars - Round 39
70s Funny Cars - Round 40
70s Funny Cars - Round 41
70s Funny Cars - Round 42
70s Funny Cars - Round 43
70s Funny Cars - Round 44
70s Funny Cars - Round 45
70s Funny Cars - Round 46
70s Funny Cars - Round 47
70s Funny Cars - Round 48
70s Funny Cars - Round 49
70s Funny Cars - Round 50
70s Funny Cars - Round 51
70s Funny Cars - Round 52
70s Funny Cars - Round 53
70s Funny Cars - Round 54
70s Funny Cars - Round 55
Previous Cars 1
Previous Cars 2
Previous Cars 3
Previous Cars 4
Remember When?
Where Are They Now?
Lost & Found FCs
Forgotten FCs
Berserko & JJ
Contacts
FC Links
Sitemap

"Berserko Bob" Remembers...

Photos & Info courtesy of "Berserko Bob" Doerrer (except as noted)

berserkobob@earthlink.net


Photo By Bob Plumer @ Drag Racing Memories


How did Bob's Berserko Lounge and its close ties to Jungle Jim come about...  After returning home from Viet-Nam (USMC 1st Battalion, 1st Marines) in 1968 I started working weekends at Englishtown, worked my up from laying numbers on windshields to announcing. I don't remember when I was given the name Berserko, about 1969 I'd guess. I called the house I lived in the Lounge, so it became "Bob's Berserko Lounge". I made up some T-shirts and stickers, started distributing them and racers from stock to Top Fuel would put them on their cars. The touring funny cars in those days would run the weekend events then come to E-Town to camp out until the legendary Wednesday night shows that E-Town was famous for. That's when I met Jungle. He was working on his car in the pits one afternoon, I stopped by and started talking to him. He asked me where was a good place to eat, I suggested the legendary Cantore's (a very popular after the races Bar & Grill). 

We (Jungle, his wife at the time Bobbi, and crewman, Peter White and me) hopped in my car and went to eat. We returned to the track and spent the afternoon working on the racecar. JJ ran that Wednesday night and after the race asked me if I'd be interested in going on the road with him for a couple of races. I packed my stuff and took off with the Jungle Jim Show. I ended up spending a couple of winters on the west coast with JJ and our friendship flourished. When Jungle moved to West Chester, I introduced him to Bob Gerdes and "Mr. J" from Circus Custom Paint. They started painting and lettering Jungles cars which bought JJ to NJ a lot. From then until September of 1977 when JJ died, we were the best of friends and probably talked at least 3 times a week.


JJ boiling the tires at Aquasco, Maryland in the 1972 Camaro. Both Briggs Chevrolet and Revell came aboard as sponsors that year. Bob Gerdes at Circus Custom Paints added the flames to make Revell stand out a little better, and the little man in the loop of the J in Jungle was done by "Mr. J" who also did all the lettering. This was one of Jungle's favorite cars... the car debuted at E-Town in March of 72 with just flames on the hood. Refer to the photo with the tow car below for reference.


According to former Circus Paints employee Franklin Amiano this is why the 72 Camaro pictured above was one of Jungle's favorites... the Al Graeber chassis! (Ad from May 72 Drag Times)

"Jungle Pam" joined JJ's team in 72. Story has it JJ spied Pam on the streets of their hometown of West Chester, Pa., one day while chasing down parts for the funny car. Arguably, Pam cemented Jungle's Elvis like cult status among the funny car faithful... JJ enlisted Pam to get his flopper safely back from it's burnouts and to give the car a visual "once over" prior to launching. A celebrity in her own right, Pam graced the cover of the Feb 73 issue of Hot Rod magazine posing with Jungle's new Vega flopper. (Photo at left courtesy of Charles Gilchrist; visit his drag racing photo website at CharlesGilchrist.com. Photo at right from "Jungle Jim & Pam" poster courtesy of Steve Reyes. To purchase a copy of the Jungle poster contact Steve at reyesontour@juno.com)


This is the first Revell designed paint scheme...  featured Jungle & Pam...  when Jungle got the Revell deal they worked with Bob Gerdes at Circus Custom Paint to come up with this design. Camaro was run concurrent with the Vega in late 72, early 73...  won York US 30's F/C Nationals in early 73 where this photo was taken...  as far as where this car is now, who knows? Franklin Amiano reports "He flipped this car at Englishtown and walked away, not a scratch. That car is out there somewhere with a Vega body on it." (Photo courtesy of Bob Plumer at Drag Racing Memories)



Here's a couple of early ones, 1971 I believe... That's me on the right in white and "Jungle Bobbi" Jungle's first wife on the left picking the winner of a "Jungle Jim" replica go-kart on the starting line of Englishtown. The other photo is Fall of 1971, Jungle made an appearance at Brigg's Chevrolet. That's me with the mike, Jungle facing right and Ovar Kovoleski, one of Brigg's Motorsports drivers, giving away prizes.


This is a deal I put together for Jungle with Briggs Chevrolet. I talked Danny Zack, the owner, into giving Jungle (and this was a big deal back then) $2,000 and a identically painted Camaro tow car for his name on the back quarter panel. Circus did the paint on both cars (note no Revell on the front quarter that came mid-season). I had many opportunities to drive it on the street and it was a blast! After the season Briggs took the car back and it sat in their showroom for a while, I believe that Zack still has it in his personal collection.


Jungle's name appeared on several non-funny car projects including a Top Fuel car campaigned for a period by NorCal's Ron Attebury and this Pro Stock Vega Wagon in 72ish. It was built and driven by Dutch "The Clutch" Irrgang who was a former crewmember for Bill Jenkins and also worked at SRD. Dutch built the chassis at, I believe, S&W, then finished up at Jungle's shop under the house... small block Vega was campaigned in match races and at the Divisional level. (Picture from Jun 72 Hot Rod, used with permission)


I think again 1972. Waiting in the lanes at Maple Grove. From left: Jungle Pam, Jungle, unknown girl, Peter White (known as WhitePeter) Berserko Bob (with hat) and the infamous "Leaky Karen". I spent most of this Summer on the road with JJ.


From Aquasco...  This was 73 or 74 I think. This shot was used on Jungle's give-away photos that Quaker State printed for him. According to Bob Gerdes from Circus this car was referred to as "Bits & Pieces" because that's how Jungle built it... from bits and pieces he had lying around!


In 1970 JJ's red Camaro was added to Fleer's AHRA Official Drag Champs series of baseball card sized trading cards. Back side of card stated "Jim Liberman earned the nickname "Jungle Jim" when he was handling the wild, early Funny Cars since driving them was like taming a wild animal...  Always a showman, Jim puts down some of the best smoke filled burnouts around and performances to match." Amen to that!!! (Card courtesy of the Attic Collection, photo by Jon Asher)


Here's Jungle's brand spanking new 1972 Camaro fresh from Circus Custom Paints in Frank Marrietta's (spelling?) the owner/operator of Conn. Dragway (now defunct) winter car show he held to promote his up-coming season. From here the car went to Florida to race at Miami-Hollywood, then to Englishtown where it debuted with it's matching tow car...  


Jungle's popularity, even as early as 1969, was such that he was chosen to grace the cover of the first Funny Car Pictorial published by Car Craft, Hot Rod and Rod & Custom magazines. Pictured is one of the two Novas that comprised the first of JJ's many multi-car teams that was to take him into the 70s. Clare Sander's driven, Steve Kanuika sponsored version of the pictured car captured the very first NHRA F/C crown at the 69 Winternationals. (Photo from 69 Funny Car Pictorial cover, used with permission)


Immortalized in plastic...  model box from 1976


And fans have their JJ stories too... according to Jim White (no, not that Jim White... or that one either!) "The Jungle Jim B&W Handout is from 1969... that's what I got paid plus some food for helping JJ out at the OCIR Manufactures meet. He showed up all bye himself and at the time I was working for Gary "Mr. C" Cochran. I wanted to go to this meet...  we heard Tommy Grove was running something called hydrazine (rocket fuel) this I had to see! So anyway JJ had no one there yet when he rolled in, so me and my friend watched his car while he made some phone calls and waited for his help to show up... we helped him unload the car, he bought some chow and as we walked away he said thanks reached into the glove box of the truck and said here and gave me the handout."


Jungle in 1976 (I think) with his car in front of Jerry Lewis' house (Yes, that Jerry Lewis). Jungle was tied in with 7-11 and their MD program and this photo was used as a publicity shot for the Labor Day telethon.


This was the Orange car that Jungle built mid-77. This shot was taken during one of Jungle's last appearances at Raceway Park before he was killed in September of 77. Car was later campaigned during the 78 season by Jungle's brother with east coast F/C veteran Carl Ruth at the helm. (Photo courtesy of Dave Milcarek)


Here's Jungle, August of 1971, Englishtown, New Jersey, with his new car before leaving for the West Coast with the legendary Peter "WhitePeter" White signaling "JJ" to hit it...  


Today, Jungle Jim's house on Route 202 between West Chester and Wilmington is being used as an antique store...  when asked about the previous occupant, current owner replied he thought some guy name "King Jim" owned the house, but knew little else. (JW Last Photo)


Back ] Home ] Next ]

60s Funny Cars   80s Funny Cars   Draglist.com   Drag Blog   Drag Photos

Copyright 2005-2023 by Bilden Enterprises. All rights reserved.