103 replies to this topic

[275 GTB-4]

Originally posted by Barry Lake
Only today have I first looked at this thread. When I saw the name Harry Firth (Australia) I assumed someone would already have answered, but a look through the responses indicates this is not so.

"H" is still alive and ornery. A local model car company (Biante Model Cars) has been making very accurate (Made in China) scale models of the touring cars of the era when Firth ran the Holden Dealer Team and Harry has been earning a nice dollar in royalties. He helps with information to ensure accuracy of such things as decals and minor details, and also contributes to the histories that are written to go with the models.

Harry also contributes information and does some proof reading of stories that are relevant to him for a magazine called Australian Muscle Car, which has some very detailed and accurate stories of Australian touring car racing history.

Harry could also possibly double listed under S....for Silver Fox

[KJJ]

If Reinhard is still able to update his list, Reid Railton died 1st September 1977 in California, source Who Was Who

[ReWind]

Originally posted by KJJ
If Reinhard is still able to update his list, Reid Railton died 1st September 1977 in California, source Who Was Who

Luckily I am ; thank you very much for that particular info .

[Adam F]

A further update:-

R.J.W. Appleton died on 6 October 1994

BTW Marcus Chambers and Mike Oliver are definitely still alive.

[ReWind]

Thank you, Adam, for those infos, too!

[Tomas Karlsson]

I am sorry to report that Helmer Alsed (Carlsson) passed away June 17th this year.
But Sven Andersson recently visited a historic race meeting at Karlskoga.

[Barry Lake]

Originally posted by KJJ
For some of the more unusual US names you could try searching the US Social Security Death Index here . I just did a search for Walter Sobraske, it gives a date of birth. 4/1/1901, but only the month of death Oct 1981.

Sorry to take so long to get around to this, but is this 4th of January, or 1st of April?

It really is dangerous to use this style of writing dates, given all the confusion and mistakes it has led to in the past.

Many thanks, however, to you and to all who post here, for the information provided. It never ceases to amaze me.

[Barry Lake]

Originally posted by Adam F
Some updates for British Drivers :-

Alister Baring died 21 January 1971

Just came across this, also.

I have:

21 January 1971, Thursday
Algarve Portugal
Archie Baring, racing driver died, aged 59. Alastair Archibald Baring, sometimes incorrectly referred to as Anthony Baring.
SOURCE: Alessandro Silva, The Nostalgia Forum, Atlas F1.

(Obviously from another thread)

[Barry Lake]

Originally posted by Richie Jenkins


2) From the following ones the dates of death are missing:

Red Shafer (1896) d. 29 Jan 1971, Des Moines, Iowa

Every time I try to quit and go to bed (1.34 am here) I find another one:

Richie, I know you go to original sources for your dates, but I thought I would show you this, just in case - and for your interest. If you can confirm the year of birth as 1896, I will change it once and for all.

I got this, some years ago now, from the Racing History forum, posted by Tom Saal:

"Phil Shafer (Red Shafer) obituary in the 11 February 1971 USAC News which said he died in Des Moines, Iowa on Friday, January 29 at age 79 and that his most notable win was at Syracuse 9/15/24, the race that took the life of Jimmy Murphy." Tom Saal

[KJJ]

Originally posted by Barry Lake


Sorry to take so long to get around to this, but is this 4th of January, or 1st of April?

It really is dangerous to use this style of writing dates, given all the confusion and mistakes it has led to in the past.

Yes, a very good point, this is 4th Jan 1901

[KJJ]

Originally posted by Barry Lake


Every time I try to quit and go to bed (1.34 am here) I find another one:

Richie, I know you go to original sources for your dates, but I thought I would show you this, just in case - and for your interest. If you can confirm the year of birth as 1896, I will change it once and for all.

I got this, some years ago now, from the Racing History forum, posted by Tom Saal:

"Phil Shafer (Red Shafer) obituary in the 11 February 1971 USAC News which said he died in Des Moines, Iowa on Friday, January 29 at age 79 and that his most notable win was at Syracuse 9/15/24, the race that took the life of Jimmy Murphy." Tom Saal

The US Social Security death index for the Phil Shafer who died in Des Moines in January 1971 gives a date of birth of 13th November 1891, which would indeed make him 79.

[ReWind]

Originally posted by Barry Lake
Richie, I know you go to original sources for your dates, but I thought I would show you this, just in case - and for your interest. If you can confirm the year of birth as 1896, I will change it once and for all.

Put the blame on me, Barry! It was my fault. On WATN Richie gives 1891 as Shafer's year of birth.

BTW: I'm delighted to see this thread awakened to new life.

[Barry Lake]

Originally posted by KJJ


Yes, a very good point, this is 4th Jan 1901

KJJ

If you have checked the social security listing I would assume your date of 4th January 1901 is correct. However, just to give you the opportunity to confirm this and also as a reminder to any who, as I did, recorded this earlier posting on another TNF thread, this is what I have:

1st January 1901, Friday
West Virginia, USA
Walter Sobraske was born. Machinist for Miller, Schofield, Offenhauser, Meyer & Drake (later workshop foreman for Meyer & Drake).
SOURCE: "rdrcr" The Nostalgia Forum, Atlas F1.

Would it be too much to ask for posters here to add a few words to describe who/what the person mentioned was/did? There are often names here that are not familiar to me.

Place of birth and death would be good, also.

[Barry Lake]

This has absolutely nothing to do with motor racing, except that I noticed it when checking on Red Shafer's birth date. I add it here just as a reminder to people not to believe everything they read.

If you think about it, you can see how this mistake was made.

1861.11.06, Wednesday
Canada
The inventor of basketball, James Naismith, was born.
The History of Today website.

1891.11.06, Friday
Canada
James Naismith, Canadian teacher who invented basketball, was born.
Signposts, The Sydney Morning Herald

1891.12.15, Tuesday
Springfield, Massachusets, USA
Basketball was invented at Springfield College by James E Naismith.
InfoPlease website This Day in History


Signposts (a "what happened this day" type column in The Sydney Morning Herald) some years ago used to be written by a very well known and highly paid journalist. It appeared to me that he used some inexperienced underling to do the research, he would turn it into his brilliant words and add his by-line. I suppose it is possible he did the careless research/note taking himself. Using the "let's do it the easy way" method, the above incorrect date was included in the column not once, but in two different years. I put together a few of the more outrageous bloopers and sent them to the SMH, asking that, please, if they were going to do a column like this, could they get the facts right.

I didn't get any reply but, coincidence or not, soon thereafter, the column became both more interesting and accurate, and still is to this day - but there is no by-line for the person now doing the job properly. Probably no high salary either. Such is the way the world works.

I still have some of the outrageous bloopers somewhere on my computer hard drive. If I find them and they look interesting or amusing enough, I will post them, as a further reminder to always beware.

[Barry Lake]

Originally posted by theunions
Dana Carter - per the '83 Hungness 500 Yearbook, May 5 of that year.

Did he and Dick Ferguson ever resolve their feud?

Sorry, I'm back again.

In the book "Dirt!" by Roger Karban and Virginia Dowling, Dana Carter's date of death is listed as 6th May.

It might be one of those cases in which he has died "last night", which could have been before or after midnight.

But does anyone have a definitive answer?



I also have a note to myself to query Edgar Dören/Doren/Doeren, although I can not now find him in this thread.

I think the query was on his age at death. I have two entries for the same date, 1st April 2004, from ReWind and from Jesper O Hansen, both on The Nostalgia Forum. The former has age 61, the latter has age 62.

Now I have found a date of birth, from "Automobile History Day by Day", which says he was born in Wuppertal, Germany, 6th October 1942. If correct, this would make his age at death 61.

If this can be confirmed, perhaps Jesper's entry on TNF should be amended to avoid perpetuating the error. It appears to be the obvious mistake, subtracting year of birth from year of death, when day and month are not available.

[KJJ]

o

Originally posted by Barry Lake



KJJ

If you have checked the social security listing I would assume your date of 4th January 1901 is correct. However, just to give you the opportunity to confirm this and also as a reminder to any who, as I did, recorded this earlier posting on another TNF thread, this is what I have:

1st January 1901, Friday
West Virginia, USA
Walter Sobraske was born. Machinist for Miller, Schofield, Offenhauser, Meyer & Drake (later workshop foreman for Meyer & Drake).
SOURCE: "rdrcr" The Nostalgia Forum, Atlas F1.

Would it be too much to ask for posters here to add a few words to describe who/what the person mentioned was/did? There are often names here that are not familiar to me.

Place of birth and death would be good, also.

Barry

When I posted that dob for Walter Sobraske it was just to illustrate the usefulness of the US Social Security Death Index as a source of information. As it happens, for me, Walter Sobraske is just a name on Reinhard's list.

Yes, 4 Jan 1901 is the date of birth on the Death Index although of course even government records can be wrong!

If you look at my posts on this thread and elsewhere you will see that I normally give my source. It is then open to anyone to check the accuracy of the information. The Death Index can be checked by opening the link above. Other entries are from various newspaper obituaries and records such as Who Was Who and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. I guess most public libraries have access to records such as these, the Times Digital Index for example which allows you to read any article published in the Times newspaper between 1785 and 1985. In some cases you can access such resources from your home computer via your local library card number, its worth checking.

[ReWind]

I just learned that Berwyn Baxter died recently.

[Nanni Dietrich]

Originally posted by Jim Thurman
And to help those keeping more detailed records...

...

Jim Cook (Nov 26 1983) - murdered. I still have no info confirming exactly where Jim Cook was living at the time, which is why I had trouble finding anything on him. I did recall the sad news of him being murdered by a drifter who broke into his apartment. He had been wheelchair bound since his terrible accident in the NASCAR GN race at Riverside in January 1970. Another long time Stock Car racer on the West Coast, successful both on Southern California short tracks and on the NASCAR PCLM circuit.

Jim, perhaps they happen to have the same name: I have an other Jim Cook, 48 y.o. who died on Saturday 03 August 1985 at Sears Point circuit, during practice for the IMSA Camel GT race, for heart attack. Owner of the Morrison-Cook Racing Team, probably Canadian.

Who knows?

[Jim Thurman]

Originally posted by Nanni Dietrich


Jim, perhaps they happen to have the same name: I have an other Jim Cook, 48 y.o. who died on Saturday 03 August 1985 at Sears Point circuit, during practice for the IMSA Camel GT race, for heart attack. Owner of the Morrison-Cook Racing Team, probably Canadian.

Who knows?

Nanni,

Yes...actually three different drivers named Jim Cook.

James Edwin Cook, b. May 28, 1939, d. Aug. 3, 1985 - the IMSA driver, listed as being born in Texas, not Canadian (not to confuse even further, but IMSA driver Ralph Kent Cooke - son of sports team owner Jack Kent Cooke - likely was born in Canada as Jack Kent was Canadian). Died of a heart attack at Sears Point while practicing.

James Preston Cook, b. Oct. 10, 1921. d. Nov. 26, 1983 - Stock Car driver, raced NASCAR on the West Coast and Southern California short tracks, though he also made NASCAR starts at Charlotte, Daytona and Richmond. Murdered by a drifter that broke into his apartment, was wheelchair bound after accident in January 1970 NASCAR Grand National 'Motor Trend 500' at Riverside.

The Jim V. Cook, is a third driver, a NASCAR driver from North Carolina that made a single start in NASCAR Grand National in 1950 (!). I'm afraid I don't know anything about him.

I correct myself, I thought ReWind was asking about Jim P. Cook or was confusing the IMSA driver and the NASCAR driver, when it turns out he was asking about James V. Cook.

So, I can't help with ReWind's original, but cleared up the other two.

[ReWind]

I just found out that Bob Estes (b. 1913) passed away in December 2001.

Obituary

[Richard Jenkins]

Max Sailer d. 5th February 1964.

[ReWind]

Originally posted by Richie Jenkins in „Happy Birthday“ thread on 25 Nov 2004
I think I can find Sailer […] info in a little while.

Originally posted by Richie Jenkins here 490 days later
Max Sailer d. 5th February 1964.

Great, Richie! Many thanks!

[Richard Jenkins]

Originally posted by ReWind
Great, Richie! Many thanks!

Better late than never, eh, Reinhard?

For me, in this driver dates research game, 490 days can sometimes be considered quick!

[Sofia]

1) Are the following people still alive?
(Year of birth in brackets)

FINLAND:
Helge Hallman (1906)

Helge was my Grandfather, he passed away at the age of 94 the 14th of February 2001. Up to old age he still loved cars and driving and was driving to the age of 91, still both well and fast!

Would you need any other information as well?

[Tomas Karlsson]

I am interested in more information about your grandfather. Watch out for questions in your mailbox.

BTW I saw that SWEDEN'S Gunnar Wahlberg's death date was missing. It was May 13th 1956.

[ReWind]

Originally posted by Sofia
Helge Hallman (1906)

Helge was my Grandfather, he passed away at the age of 94 the 14th of February 2001. Up to old age he still loved cars and driving and was driving to the age of 91, still both well and fast!

Would you need any other information as well?

Welcome and thanks for your contribution.

I'm pretty sure Leif Snellman would be grateful for further infos in order to enhance these.

[Richard Jenkins]

BTW Marcus Chambers and Mike Oliver are definitely still alive.

Marcus Chambers died recently - it was in today's Autosport.

http://www.brdc.co.u...MARCUS-CHAMBERS

[LOLE]

Siegfried Seifert (Germany) is still alive and kicking!
He's in fact Kurt Ahrens Jr's father-in-law.
Here you can see Siegfried Seifert (left) and Kurt Ahrens during the Hockenheim Historic weekend in April 2009.

[ReWind]

Here you can see Siegfried Seifert (left) during the Hockenheim Historic weekend in April 2009.

... which means the picture was taken just before his 88th birthday. You would not have guessed, I think.

[M bennett]

John Fisher died on June 28th 2003. I spent a day with John on 26th April 1994. An true gentleman, Mayor of Portsmouth in 1982, he raced in IOM TT some 15 times, raced Keifts, Lotus and Coopers from 1955 to 1967. Close friend of Lord Mountbatten and Prince Charles he was a motorcycle agent who imported the first Honda bikes into the UK. He became good friends with Soichiro Honda and stayed with him during visits to Japan. John was a frequent purchaser of Lotus cars, buying two Lotus 12, a Lotus 16, and a Lotus Eleven. He felt he often assisted with Lotus' cashflow by the frequent purchase of cars. His mechanics were Wally Varley and Denis "Toby" Tobin ex Lotus. His drivers included Bruce Halford, Les Leston, Maurice Michy and Maria Theresa de Filippis. John also ran a fleet of six aircraft on shuttle services to and from the Channel Islands. He was a life member of BRDC in 1957. At one stage he drove a D type as a road car having acquired it through the motor trade for GBP2000.
His race car transporter was a converted Green Line London bus. An amazing man who lead life to the full.

[ReWind]

Thank you very much for the recent contributions!

A special case is John Banks.

According to AUTOSPORT Anniversaries from 15 years ago (18 August 1994 issue, p.94) he was born on 22 August 1909.

But in motor racing the only one with this name I know is a Canadian who competed in NASCAR races in the mid 1970s.

Does anyone know who this guy (whose 100th birthday is just around the corner) is/was?

[molestrangler]

Anyone know if Tommy Sopwith is still with us.

[ReWind]

Three years ago obviously he was.

[Martin Pfundner]

This is a spin-off of Falcadore’s „Happy Birthday“ thread or in fact of my lists therein.

AUSTRIA:
Adolf Kern (1914), Kurt Zuegg (1924)

It would be nice if some of the gaps could be filled in this thread.

Über Adolf Kern weiß ich leider nichts, aber Kurt Zuegg lebt nach wie vor in Osttirol. Ich habe mit ihm Kontakt und wir hatten vor zwei Jahren ein Mittagessen in Wien.

Martin Pfundner

[YankeeRacer]

Nick Fornoro Sr. passed away in 2007. Nofri S. Fornoro, (October 23, 1920 - September 27, 2007).

[ReWind]

I know. Therefore I made his name pale in the opening post.

[LotusElise]

Three years ago obviously he was.

That was his son. Tommy Senior died in 1989.

Sorry to hijack, but does anyone know whether Simone des Forest is still with us? If she is, she must be the last of the 30s lady racers left. In The Bugatti Queen, she is interviewed and apparently alive and well, but the research for that book was done a considerable time ago now.

[ReWind]

That was his son. Tommy Senior died in 1989.

His son (b. 15 November 1932) is the one we are interested in in motor racing terms.

[LotusElise]

His son (b. 15 November 1932) is the one we are interested in in motor racing terms.

Sorry, I didn't know.

Tommy Senior was also a racer, I thought we were talking about him.

[David McKinney]

Tommy Senior was also a racer

Boats and planes, but not cars AFAIK

[962C]

That was his son. Tommy Senior died in 1989.

Sorry to hijack, but does anyone know whether Simone des Forest is still with us? If she is, she must be the last of the 30s lady racers left. In The Bugatti Queen, she is interviewed and apparently alive and well, but the research for that book was done a considerable time ago now.

Jean-François Bouzanquet's book "Femmes Pilotes de Course 1888-1970" (or "Fast Ladies: Female Racing Drivers 1888 to 1970" for the English version), published in 2007, doesn't mention a death date for her. Neither does her wikipedia page (not the most reliable of sources I know)

[ReWind]

I use this old thread for a question regarding Alan Brinton.

 

This well-known writer was born on 26 January 1920 and obviously died in 1996 at age 76.

Has someone a more exact date of his passing?

[dgs]

I use this old thread for a question regarding Alan Brinton.

 

This well-known writer was born on 26 January 1920 and obviously died in 1996 at age 76.

Has someone a more exact date of his passing?

 

Alan Brinton used to write for "Goodyear Racing - Eagle Formula 1 Facts" and an obituiary for him was in Round 10 British Grand Prix issue. It reads 'Alan Brinton (1920-1996) date of death June 26th.

[ReWind]

Many thanks. Much appreciated.

[Lee Nicolle]

Harry could also possibly double listed under S....for Silver Fox

Unfortunatly Harry has died in recent times at very old!

Like so much on the net, accurate when written but often not fairly soon after. 

Though just looking this was written 9 years ago!

[ReWind]

Recently I stumbled over the passing of Ian Scott in November 2009. He was the designer and manufacturer of the Megapin single-seater cars from Carlisle, Cumbria.

I have an Ian Scott in my birthday list of whom I do not know who he is. That man was born in July 1948.

Are they one and the same?

[ReWind]

Where have all the knowledgeable ones gone?

[Richard Jenkins]

Have you tried a PM to Derwent Motorsport re. Scott?

[GMACKIE]

Where have all the knowledgeable ones gone?

Here, perhaps ?

 

http://forums.autosp...otten-reloaded/

Edited by GMACKIE, 29 May 2015 - 23:26.

[ReWind]

Have you tried a PM to Derwent Motorsport re. Scott?

Yes, on your suggestion I did.

But after one week it is still unread.