8 replies to this topic

[Mac Lark]

Duff and Clement won Le Mans in 1924. Clement went on to win it again but what became of the man who was, in many ways, the catalyst for the Bentley Boys?

He was Bentley's London agent. What became of him after Bentley Motors got sold to R-R?

[Vitesse2]

All sorts of things ....

http://forums.atlasf...&highlight=Duff

[fines]

He hade quite a bit of an Indy Car career afterwards, taking ninth at the 1926 "500" and third at the Altoona 250 board track event two weeks later. Unfortunately, he was seriously injured (iirc) three weeks later in an accident at the Rockingham board track in Salem, NH.

[scags]

looks like he stayed pretty busy after Le Mans!

[Don Capps]

Here is what was in the program for the Independence Day Sweepstakes at the Rockingham Motor Speedway at Salem, New Hampshire:

24. John Duff, Indianapolis El Car Spec. 8 90.3 cu. in.

John Duff
Driving an Elcar

This boy is a new comer to the game and has done very good work indeed. He finished in the money at Indianapolis and 3rd at Altoona recently. This is the car that was wrecked at Indianapolis in practice and the driver Jones was killed. However, the car has been fixed. Duff drives an Elcar and comes from Indianapolis.

Just below the item is an advertsiement for....

ELCAR
A well built car
Eights, Sixes and Fours

Can be seen at the judges stand

by Haskell-Bouchard Company
918 Commonwealth Ave., Boston

Eastern Massachusetts Distributors


W.A. Robb, Wholesale New England Distributor
10 Francis Rd., Wellesley

In the technical report of the event in the Official Bulletin of the AAA Contest Board, No. 13 dated July 12, 1926, Duff is listed wrecking on lap 64. He qualified 18th with a time of 36 3/5 seconds, 123 mph.

[Mac Lark]

You guys are truly amazing.

Thank you very much



MAC

[m.tanney]

Originally posted by fines
Unfortunately, he was seriously injured (iirc) three weeks later in an accident at the Rockingham board track in Salem, NH.

  A local reporter visited Duff in hospital after the Salem crash. According to Duff, he wasn't all that badly injured, and thought that he would soon be back on the AAA circuit.

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by Don Capps
In the technical report of the event in the Official Bulletin of the AAA Contest Board, No. 13 dated July 12, 1926, Duff is listed wrecking on lap 64. He qualified 18th with a time of 36 3/5 seconds, 123 mph.

Thanks to Ancestry.com:

One accident marred the event. John Duff of Indianapolis crashed through the top rail and dropped clear of the track after his racer swerved on the turn nearest the grandstands. He suffered a broken collarbone.

Ironwood Daily Globe, Ironwood MI. July 6th 1926, page 8.

[m.tanney]

  Found it! From the Lawrence (Mass.) Eagle of July 7, 1926:

..... Duff fancied himself figuring in the July 17 sweepstakes at Atlantic City, and in the event that he is unable to compete in that race he will surely be entered in the race which is to be staged on August 17 at Charlotte, N.C..... The harrowing mishap of the Rockingham event has left Duff with a bruised head and burned hands. Otherwise he is O.K.... The physician reported yesterday that his temperature and pulse were fine. He described all injuries as superficial and said that the captain will be able to be about shortly".

  I have been interested in Duff for some time and have become quite used to this sort of contradiction. In the past, I have read that his 1924 LeMans winner was "painted black in honour of his fallen comrades in the Royal Flying Corps", and that he was a captain in the Royal Navy. According to the Eagle article, Duff was promoted from the ranks while serving with the Royal Berkshire Regiment. There is no mention of the Navy or the Flying Corps. The Eagle article also says that Duff was a graduate of the University of Toronto, which he was not. So it's hard to tell just what one should believe about Captain John Duff.