Sonny Rabideau

Moran "Sonny" Rabideau, a Vermonter, actually raced more in New Hampshire than Vermont. He drove a car for Brattleboro car owner Frank "Stroker" Smith. The car was lower and more powerful than most of the rest of the field. He was awarded the first Vermont State Championship that C.J. Richards ever held, around 1964.

Rabideau and the Smith 311 were such a potent combination that, after Richards started allowing overhead valve V-8's, it was still the 311 that usually came out on top. When Smith got out of racing, Rabideau drove for a few owners, without much success. he was an accomplished machinist at Angell's Automotive.

Tim Allain Collection
via Ron Wetzler
A newer overhead V-8
car, probably belonging
to Sonny, himself.

Courtesy of NEAR Site

Courtesy of John Snarski

Courtesy of Ed Fabian
With Leo Vallaincouort's
#333 overhead V-8 car,
leading Vince Q.
at Devil's Bowl.

Courtesy of P. Zampieri
With owner Frank
Stroker Smith at Fairmont.

Courtesy of CJ Richards
At the 1962 Rutland fair
program, winning the
hazardous feature in front
of nearly 10,000 people.

Jerry King Collection
In the Vallaincourt 333
coupe, with Jerry King
in the 99, finishing up
a heat race. Check out
the Daredevil division
coming out next.

Courtesy of Ed Fabian
With Leo Vallaincourt's
#333 Falcon.

Courtesy of John Grady
Sonny did not like
pavement, but he did
race this coupe for
Vallaincourt at Malta
and Devil's Bowl.

Courtesy of Ed Fabian
Danny Rumpf flags off
another Rabideau / Smith
at Fairmont Spdwy.

Courtesy of Norm Vadnais
With starter Danny Rumpf
after the win. Sometimes,
it seemed like he'd never
lose another race there.

Terry Marks Photo
Rabideau with one of
the many Leo Vallaincourt
cars he drove

Courtesy of Racers Bored Site
Towing into some track
with Stroker Smith's cutdown
#311.

Courtesy of Norm Vadnais

Courtesy of Joe Crowley
Very early Rabideau racing. Here, ironically, he is leading his future ride, the Stroker Smith 311.
He has his brother's #7, which he said was easily the worst - handling car he ever drove. This is
at the Brattleboro Speedway, in West Brattleboro, VT.

Courtesy of Walt Ryan
A recently - discovered shot of Sonny [7] chasing the X of Joe Ryan at Cheshire fairgrounds.

Ken Robertson Photo
Work goes on on an early version of Frank Smith's 311 - near the track at
the Cheshire fairgrounds' Safford Park Speedway. This is post 1959.

Ken Robertson Photo
The last [and probably best ] of the Rabideau 7 is loaded on a flat bed
as a young admirer looks on. This is likely the car that, I am told, showed
up at Malletts Bay Raceway [or Colchester - Bayview Speedway] in 1959.