11 replies to this topic

[Muzza]

Dear Fellows,


TNF member Don Radbruch passed away yesterday at his home in Sagle, ID, United States after a long battle against cancer.

Don was a very active racer in the US West Coast between 1951 and 1967, and was the author of several books such as "Roaring Roadsters", "Roaring Roadsters 2" and "Dirt Track Auto Racing". More recently he was a contributor to National Speed Sport News, and was also one of the key members of the RacingHistory group at Yahoo Groups (that includes many TNFers too).

Don was one of the first persons to welcome me to the racing scene in the United States, and it was an honor to exchange correspondences with him since then. He sent a number of contributions to Motorsport Memorial along the years and was always doing his best to help people one way or another - making introductions, writing down his memories, sending old newspaper clips and in so many other ways.

It is sad that I never got to meet him in person. Just a few weeks ago I sent him a Holiday card wishing him "peace and good health in 2008". If not the latter, I hope he found the first.

Yours in racing,


Sal

[HDonaldCapps]

I am really crushed by this news.

Don and I had an on-going email correspondence -- with some snail mail letters and a few phone calls thrown in for good measure -- for some years. While I was in Southwest Asia, Don was always a frequent and regular contibutor to the reasons to check my email each day. He was always a source of interesting news and information, not necessarily racing-related. As with everyone who took the time to write, his messages were greatly appreciated.

I -- "we" is probably more accurate --knew his health was failing. Don had had some serious medical issues over the past several months. However, despite the foreboding and the resigned expectation that it was "only a matter of time," it still comes as both a shock and with a feeling of deep sadness to hear of his death.

Don was very, very helpful to me when it came to various aspects of racing. I truly appreciated the many insights and perceptions he shared with me over the years. They were certainly a part of my "continuing education" program. I benefited both from his books and his filling in those things that got "left out" of them. His knowledge was seemingly boundless and scarcely a fraction of it seems to have been recorded.

Above all else, Don was a true gentleman. I was very happy to be even a very small part of the fold that encircled his friends.

My heartfelt condolences to his family.

[fines]

I wish I could express my sentiments so eloquently like Don and Sal, but I can't. For one thing, I hardly knew the man, had only few contacts in research, reading his books or reading about his racing exploits. But this is a shock! A very, very sad thing to happen, and a big loss for our "community". I wish I had sought his advice more often, but it's too late now. The final checker's fallen.

Goodbye, Don - I still do recall fondly how you enquired about the German meaning of your family name. RIP, Mr. Broken Wheel

[Cris]

Don truly sought to educate and inform in everything he did. I emailed him out of the blue a few years ago and he was so forthcoming with information. I had no idea he was ill.
Godspeed, Don.

Cris

[JacnGille]

aaawwwwwwwwwwww

[bpratt]

Don's reach was definitely international. His books reflected that. He dug up track roadster racing all over the globe. I only know that he tried to race in Canada but couldn't afford the bond that was needed to be posted to bring his racer across the line. So he parked it in a Washington State gas station and visited Digney Speedway to watch the races. Probably a cheaper way to go as the payouts weren't going to be that great.

As I say he had contacts in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and who knows where else. He would take pity on me and send "care packages" of extra photos and photocopies of racing history stories he thought I should have and know about. He was doing this to the end sending, via email, his National Speed Sport News columns in raw form. He just thought us "young kids" should know this stuff. And we should.

He visited me once years ago and I pointed in the direction of various tracks that I'd researched (including Digney). (Of course, the research goes on.) After lunch we watched a video of sprint cars from the early 1960s (just outside of Don's interest -- that seemed to end at 1960. Anything past that was "modern".) He commented about A.J. Foyt on screen sitting up straight while driving a sprint car. Don's self-deprecating line after that was that he "slouched" while driving his sprint car. But Don did win the 1951 American Racing Association sprint car title. So he was no "slouch".

I'm very saddened by Don Radbruch's passing. He was a cheerleader, a teacher and a good friend.

[Barry Lake]

It was just five years ago that Don first informed me of his healh problem. He appeared to have been hanging in there so well since then I had begun to think he would be around forever.

So, as has been said by others, although knew this day would come, it still is a shock.

Don first contacted me after he bought a copy of my book "Half a Century of Speed" some time before that and we exchanged many email messages over the years, particularly when there was relevance between his US research and mine in Australia.

Prior to that, he told me, he had no idea there was so much motor racing history in Australia.

Don always was helpful and thorough and, above all, retained a wonderful enthusiasm for the sport he loved.

I came to think of him as a close friend, athough we never met in person.

I wish we had.

Rest in peace Don. You will be remembered.

Barry Lake

Might I take this opportunity to apologise to my many long-term TFN friends for lack of contact this past couple of years. I have been very busy.

These URLs might give some clues as to why:


http://www.dancespor...es/_0078087.htm


http://www.dancespor...es/_0078092.htm

[Robert Rampton]

I would also like to express my sorrow at the news of Don's passing. I never met Don face to face, but I have a file full of letters and e-mails I received from him over the years. It was always a treat to get an unexpected e-mail from Don asking what I knew about some auto racing topic. It was my honor to have contributed in a small way to several of his last articles. Brian Pratt called Don a cheerleader and he most certainly was that. Every letter or e-mail I ever got from him always contained an encouragement to continue with my writing and research. I hope I can be half as passionate about automotive history as Don was.

I feel like I have lost a great friend. Thanks Don.

Bob Rampton
Salt Lake City, UT

[fredeuce]

A sad loss.

I too shared his passion for those early days of dirt track racing. Enjoyed his publications immensely.

I also had come into contact with Don about 10 years ago. We swapped emails from time to time.

He kindly forwarded to me copies of plans of various dirt track racers published in the 30's and 40's for which I am truly greatful. He was only too ready to volunteer help and share his knowledge.

Will miss his contributions to matters historic.

[ReWind]

His obituary here:

Don Radbruch, a citizen of Sagle, Idaho, for 20 years, a World War II Veteran, Championship Sprint Car Racer, Avid Historian, and Noted Author passed away on 01/01/2008X after a long illness. Born on April 14, 1924, in San Francisco, the first of two sons of the late Anne and Walter Radbruch. He was preceded in death by his brother Les, in 1980. He is survived by his wife Naida, step children, Thomas, Allison and Kevin Poore, his two nieces, Nancy Radbruch and Diane Potratz and their children.

Don became ?hooked? on racing at a very early age, participating in Soap Box Derby Races and attending local races with his family. After serving for his country in WWII and graduating from San Francisco College, Don was able to really get into racing. In 1948 Don began his racing career in earnest, racing sprint cars, and by 1951 he had won the American Racing Association Championship. In 1954 Don switched his focus to the Midget Car races sponsored by the Bay Cities Racing Association and enjoyed that sport until 1967.

Born to be a historian and author, Don began as a teen, writing articles for several different racing publications. Don?s professional career as a Soil Engineer kept him quite busy until he retired in the mid 1980?s. He was then able to concentrate on documenting racing history. His interest and writing skills produced three books on the early history of auto racing. These books, Roaring Roadsters, Roaring Roadsters II and Dirt Track Racing preserve the history of an important part of our American culture that otherwise would have been totally lost. Again, several racing publications continued to benefit from Don?s research, including his weekly column to National Speed Sport News.

Don was able to actually enjoy racing once more when he became involved in the vintage midget/sprint car group, the Pacific Northwest based- Golden Wheels. Don?s interest and dedication to auto racing history continued until he took his final checkered flag.

A private memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made the National Sprint Car Museum Foundation for the development of an automobile racing history research library. You may contact the Foundation at 1-800-874-4488

[Nanni Dietrich]

Goodbye, Don.

[Jim Thurman]

This is long overdue, but I am sort of at a loss for words.

The posts by Don Capps and Brian Pratt sum it up nicely, other than the fact that unlike Brian, I never met Don. I too will miss his "care packages" and e-mails where he'd contact me seeking assistance trying to track down a good photo of a driver or asking which Southern California track a particular driver had started at. I also enjoyed getting Don's comments on tracks he raced at, some of them that literally only held one or two events...and he was there.

Don could not have been more helpful and more encouraging to me.