15 replies to this topic

[sramoa]

I found this news from 1928:
http://news.google.c.....=5303,2642147

I didn't read this article-because poor quality.
Somebody know the entry list and results this race?(and what was the race name?)

[Michael Ferner]

June 3, 1928, Wisconsin State Fair Park, West Allis/Milwaukee, 25-mile main event, promoter Mike Popp, sanction unknown (IMCA or unsanctioned) - I don't know the "official" name of the event, but it was the traditional spring date that would later become the "Rex Mays Memorial" but, of course, Mays hadn't even started racing yet!

1 Ernie Triplett (Guiberson/Gallivan), 19'31.0"
2 George Young (Clemons)
3 D. D. Morris (Talamont/Rajo?)
4 Dutch Baumann (Frontenac)
5 Artie Brach (Mattes/Frontenac)
6 Johnny Gerber (Gerber/Chevrolet)
etc.?
R Frank Brisko (Burbach/Frontenac), 19 laps, engine
R Gus Schrader (Schrader/Dodge)
etc.
DNS Carl Marchese (Miller), engine in heat 2
DNS Johnny Sawyer (Ford/McDowell?), accident in consy
etc.

Heat results:
10 laps: 1 Triplett 7'34.93", 2 Baumann, 3 Young, 4 Morris, etc.?
5 laps: 1 Triplett 3'50.53", 2 Brisko, 3 Young, 4 Gerber, R C. Marchese, etc.
5 laps: 1 Schrader 3'52.12", 2 Baumann, 3 Tudy Marchese (Marchese/Gallivan?), 4 Vic Felt (Felt/Gallivan?), etc.
5 laps: 1 Morris 3'55.21", 2 Cowboy Hardy (Krasek/Rajo?), 3 Austin Eisenmann, 4 Ward Downs (Marchese/Rajo?), etc.
5 laps: 1 Brach 4'03.65", 2 Al Kaminski, 3 Otto Brandes, 4 Tony Willman, R Sawyer, ? Shorty Sorenson, etc.

Also entered: Erv Kestings (accident?), Lloyd Axel, Joe Hietmof, etc.

Thanks for the link to the article, I will now be able to complete my entry for this race!

Edited by Michael Ferner, 02 May 2010 - 18:55.

[sramoa]

Thanks Michael these infos-I waiting for you

[Ivan Saxton]

[quote name='Michael Ferner' date='May 2 2010, 18:52' post='4320798']
June 3, 1928, Wisconsin State Fair Park, West Allis/Milwaukee, 25-mile main event, promoter Mike Popp, sanction unknown (IMCA or unsanctioned) - I don't know the "official" name of the event, but it was the traditional spring date that would later become the "Rex Mays Memorial" but, of course, Mays hadn't even started racing yet!

1 Ernie Triplett (Guiberson/Gallivan), 19'31.0"

Of course Rajo and Frontenac would refer to thus enhanced T Ford engines; and likely Gallivan also. If my understanding is correct from what I have read, there were very few Gallivan conversions, which were double OHC, beautifully and most expensively built, alledgedly on "foreign order". I have not encountered the name Guiberson other than the 9 cylinder radial air-cooled diesel engines that were an alternative in the Stuart Light M3 tanks. These had about 17 litre displacement, were not very heavy, and with only 14 to one CR, and incined valves in hemispherical head barrels, only put out 250 bhp at 2250 rpm. These would pull 2 gears higher than the Continental 7 cylinder petrol engine in the same tank. I still have a cam ring for one of these. Four ramps operate the nine injector pumps, and four lobes operate the eighteen valves!

[Michael Ferner]

Early Gallivans were Chevrolet conversions, but the engine in Triplett's car was a Ford, a Model A I believe, and yes, it was a DOHC. Johnny Gerber claims in his book to have bought the Chevy patterns from Jack Gallivan (who had his shop in Rantoul, IL afaik), and to have modified them to build his own SOHC Chevy conversion. Also, Joe Lencki used a Gallivan DO head on a block of his own for his first Indianapolis engine in 1934. Gallivans were not plentiful, but they usually ran well: apart from Triplett, Swede Smith and Ted Simpson won AAA main events, and Walt Higley, Chuck Bane, Karl Young, Fritz Benes and Dick Selt were amongst the winners in independent events.

The name Guiberson only refers to the chassis, which was a special built by Harvey Ward of California, afaik. Allen Guiberson was described as a "Texas oilman", who sponsored Ward's efforts ca. 1928-31. The team also built a couple of (marine) Miller specials, and one ran at Indy in 1930.

[Jim Thurman]

And would this also have been a rather early sojourn to the Midwest for "The Blonde Terror From Belvedere"?

[sramoa]

I don't read some drivers name this list.
Michael -or somebody who has got a good eyes-who are these drivers?

D.... C....-Milwaukee,Essex car(what was Essex car?) Between Triplett and Otto Brandes
Alvin D...(Milwaukee,Rajo car) and Clay Kah...(Milwaukee,Essex car) Between Axle and Harvey Safke(?)
Harold ......(Sheybogan,Rajo car)
L..... D.....(Detroit,Frontenac) and Ted P....(Chicago,Frontenac)-all three drivers between Ben Benfeldt and Bob Eckstrom
and the last driver:Russell Tridill(????) Milwaukee,Rajo

Thanks

[Michael Ferner]

And would this also have been a rather early sojourn to the Midwest for "The Blonde Terror From Belvedere"?

Yes! Ernie was just 21, and in his second year of racing! He had impressed many people with his performances on the coast in 1927 and early '28, and the Guiberson/Ward team must've thought very highly of him to send him east with what appears to have been a brand new car. According to what I have , this was his second race on this tour, he coming third at Cedar Rapids (IA) on Memorial Day, beaten only by the seasoned veterans Johnny Gerber and Gus Schrader. His performance at Milwaukee was extraordinary: it was not only his first time on that particular track, but his first event on any one-mile track as far as I can tell, and he broke the track record in qualifying, won both his heats and the main event to take home $1,100 - that was quite a bit of many in those days! All the hot shots of the independent tracks in the Midwest were there, including Dutch Baumann after a short stint with AAA. Triplett made a lot of fans that day, and during the rest of his stay in the Midwest - he departed after a similar show on the same track on September 1, during the Wisconsin State Fair, again winning every event in which he was entered including the time trials, and taking a cheque for $850 with him on his way to California, where he won a heat race at San Jose only a fortnight later. Over the winter, he joined AAA and became a genuine star, generally regarded as the yardstick for performance over the next five years until that sad day in El Centro/Imperial. Which reminds me, I should finally go ahead and finish the short bio I started on Ernie for OldRacing Cars...

[Michael Ferner]

Richard, I can read the names quite well, probably because I'm familiar with most of them. Here's the complete list, with a few notes on the drivers (and cars, if possible) - I will also correct the typos while I'm at it:

Johnny Sawyer, Milwaukee, Fronty
Sawyer was still at the beginning of a long career - I have him also starting out in 1927, but I may be missing some earlier races. He was 25, and a local boy, but full of promise. In my earlier post I had him in the Ford/McDowell which Lou Moore drove to many wins on the west coast, and I believe it was still the same car, but owner Roscoe Ford had put a new DO Frontenac engine (probably on a Model A block) into it for 1928. Sawyer did the same thing (but with opposite directions) to Triplett over the next winter, and went to California to race at Ascot and other west coast tracks, winning at San Jose and generally giving a very good account of himself. He returned to the independent tracks of the Midwest, and joined AAA full time in 1931, winning at least seven main events at such diverse places as San Jose, Milwaukee, Flemington (NJ), Concord (NC), Huron (SD), Allentown (PA) and Dayton (OH) in a career that spanned the whole decade. He ran in three Indy 500s 1933-35, helping Deacon Litz to an eighth place finish in the latter year, was fifth at the Elgin Road Race in '33 and dominated the 1934 National Championship race at the Illinois State Fair by leading 92 of the 100 laps before retiring. Sadly, he never finished in the top ten of a National Championship race, and his best results were two 11ths. He was 7th in points for the 1933 AAA Midwestern Circuit Championship.

Ernie Triplett, Hollywood, Calif., Gallivan
see above and http://www.oldracing...ernie_triplett/.

Dave Crawford, Milwaukee, Essex
A local man I know nothing about. The Essex was an "economy car" built by Hudson, and quite a few were used in racing. I'm not sure if this was one of the earlier F-head 4-cylinders, or a later flat-head six.

Otto Brandes, Milwaukee, Rajo
Another local man I know nothing about. The Rajo engine was built in nearby Racine (WI) by Joe Jagersberger, and it was quite popular in this area, but also in other parts of the country during the twenties. I'm sure there were different versions on the market, but generally Rajos were 8-valve overhead conversions on Model T blocks, recognizable by their left-hand exhausts.

George Young, Milwaukee, Clemons
At about 25 years of age, Young was one of the hottest newcomers on the scene, and driving for Skinny Clemons in one of the top independent teams of the whole Midwest. He was the "defending winner" for this event, having won a 30-miler at the State Fair Park on June 5, 1927. Quite a prolific winner of independent events, he joined AAA in the summer of 1930 and had one start in a National Championship event at the New York State Fair that year, then went to California for the winter racing season, where he did well until perishing in an accident at Ascot Speedway on January 25 in 1931.

Carl Marchese, Milwaukee, Miller
The younger brother of racing official and future State Fair Park promoter Tom Marchese, Carl was only 22, but already racing for several years. He had just purchased an 8-cylinder Miller (the identity of which I'm still not 100 % clear on ), and was a particular favourite of the "Italian colony" in Milwaukee. He had already participated in a few AAA events in late 1926/early '27, finishing 6th in a 100-miler at Hawthorne/Chicago, but generally competed only in independent events, winning some and generally placing well. In 1929, he bought another Miller (the 1923 ex-Durant Special/ex-Wade Special) and finished a sensational fourth at Indy with it, then went "outlaw" again only to get seriously hurt at the Illinois State Fair later that summer. He retired from driving, but ran a racing team until the early fifties.

Tudy Marchese, Milwaukee, Gallivan
The youngest of the Marchese brothers, Salvatore "Tudy" was only about 20, but also already a veteran of the racing game! Generally speaking, he was hamstrung by having to race Carl's hand-me-downs, but he showed promise and appeared to have a great future in the sport before retiring from driving following Carl's accident in 1929. He was later also involved with the Marchese Brothers racing team.

Ward Downs, Milwaukee, Rajo
Apparently, Downs took over the third Marchese Brothers entry after the purchase of the Miller for Carl, and appeared with it several times over the next couple of years. Other than that, I know nothing about him.

Harvey Benson, Turtle Lake, Fronty
No info.

Tony Willman, Milwaukee, Chevrolet
At 21, this is Tony's first appearance in my records. He was to be a regular of the midwestern independent ranks until 1932, but in between he managed one surprise AAA main event win on the Altoona borad track on July 4, 1931. He joined AAA full-time in 1933, and became one of the major stars in the latter half of the decade, winning a minimum of thirty-one AAA main events and the prestigious Hankinson Circuit Championship in 1936. He also starred in the Midgets, which were to be his undoing when he crashed fatally on October 12 in 1941 in Connecticut.

Al Kaminski, Milwaukee, Rajo
Drove in several independent events in Wisconsin in the late twenties, no other info.

Johnny Radtke, Milwaukee, Simplex
Local man, crashed in two of the three races I have him in.

Frank Brisko, Milwaukee, Burbach Special
A regular "outlaw" winner in the Northern Midwest since the mid-twenties, Brisko was a real "home boy", living just a stone's throw from the State Fair Park. After trying AAA for a short period in 1926/7, he had returned to the independent ranks again, but at 27 years of age he was in the midst of launching another try: his long-time car owner and sponsor, Eddie Burbach was already negotiating with Deacon Litz about purchasing the ex-Shattuc Miller, and with that deal done a fortnight later Frank would win several races that summer, and finally join AAA for good in 1929. Brisko didn't win many AAA main events, perhaps only two, but he was second in at least five 100-mile dirt track races, including three National Championship events, and also second in at least three 50-milers. In addition to that, he placed 8th twice in National Championship points, 1934 and '40, and 9th in 1929. Always interested in engineering developments, he owned and built several racing cars over the years, and drove them himself until the age of 48. The Burbach Special was a DO Fronty.

Vic Felt, Deer Trail, Col., Felt Special
Felt had a long career, both as a driver and a car owner, and he was pretty successful, too. In the fall of 1928, he joined AAA and stayed around until 1931, mostly competing on the Pacific Coast, with a 2nd place finish at Ascot as a highlight. When the competition on the coast got too hot (and expensive!), Vic returned to the independent ranks and did well there, too.

Lloyd Axel, Deer Trail, Col., Gallivan
This is also Axel's first appearance in my records, at age 22. He was a protégé of Vic Felt until about 1931, by which time he was racing AAA full-time and getting some fair results. He continued to run AAA events on and off until the mid-fifties, and had a couple of main event wins to go along with success in independent racing. Also a strong Midget competitor, and another candidate for "most misspelled name in racing history"!

Alvin Disch, Milwaukee, Rajo
No info.

Clay Kohne, Milwaukee, Essex
No info.

Harvey Stark, Milwaukee, Fronty
Ran in a number of State Fair Park events, winning one heat race in 1927.

Johnny Gerber, Meridian, Kan., Whippet Special
A regular winner of independent events in the Northwest Central and Tex-Okie regions since the mid-twenties, at 31 Gerber was just beginning to broaden his horizon by starting east of the Mississippi. He was always racing his own cars, with hot-rodded Chevy engines at first, and later with his own SOHC conversion jobs - "Whippet" was only a sponsor, in the form of a free paint job and radiator, complete with shell! In 1933, Gerber joined AAA full-time, winning several races and finishing 6th in Eastern Circuit Championship points, but at the end of the year he retired from driving and ran his team very successfully until the early forties.

Gus Schrader, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dodge Special
Starting by racing motorcycles after WW1, and cars soon after, Schrader was a regular winner of independent events in the Midwest, and had raced two half-seasons on the Pacific Coast in 1924. He was already 33, but didn't join AAA until 1931, winning at least five main events in three years. He spent the rest of his career in IMCA "show biz", except for one 7th place finish in a CSRA 100-miler at Altoona in 1938, and died October 22 in 1941 "racing" at the Louisiana State Fair. Car was Schrader's second Dodge special, built in 1927.

Erv Kesting, Milwaukee, Nowicki Special
Local man, driving in many independent events in the Northern Midwest during the twenties and thirties, with fair success. Car was owned by Stanley "Stag" Nowicki, and formerly driven by Frank Brisko.

Cowboy Hardy, Chicago, Frontenac
George "Cowboy" Hardy was about 25, and a regular of various independent clubs in the Midwest. Drove mostly (or even exclusively) for car owner Leo Krasek, and won his fair share of main events. Krasek went on to have a significant career in AAA.

Benny Benefiel, Indianapolis, Ind., Fronty
Yet another name to appear for the first time in my records, George "Benny" Benefiel was 21 at the time, and starting out on a career that would last the best part of a decade. Modestly successful, and competing exclusively in the Northeast-Central region, he ran AAA events during 1931 and '32. Another strong contender for "most misspelled name"!

Ted Tetterton, Chicago, Fronty
Very early entry for this local Midget star of the late thirties and forties, who ran Big Cars every now and then, with decent success.

Harold or Elmer Gildner, Sheboygan, Rajo
Local driver in a couple of Milwaukee events, possibly the same man or two brothers??

Austin Eisenmann, Sheboygan, Rajo
Racing with many local sanctioning bodies, but rarely outside of Wisconsin, Eisenmann did quite well over a number of years. This is his last appearance in my records.

Howdy Wilcox, Chicago, Rajo
23 years old, Howdy was actually from Indianapolis, but was probably driving a car from Chicago here. He had been driving and winning since the mid-twenties, and putting in a surprising amount of travel, compared to most of his local rivals. Joining AAA in 1931, he would be one of the shooting stars of the early part of the decade, his career coming to a grinding halt due to medical reasons in 1933. He did make a short comeback in CSRA competition a few years later, and died as a racing official in an on-track accident in 1946.

Louis Davis, Detroit, Mich., Fronty
No info.

Dutch Baumann, Indianapolis, Ind., Duesenberg
A regular "outlaw" winner in a "works" Frontenac during the mid-twenties in the Northern Midwest, at 32 Charles "Dutch" Baumann was just returning to the independent ranks after a 21-month spell in AAA, and winning at least six main events during that time. Having wrecked a Duesenberg at Indianapolis May 30, he appears to have hoped to race that very car at Milwaukee, but the deal apparently fell through and Dutch ran a Fronty, presumably a "works" car again. Over the next two years, he would continue to rack up independent wins driving for Art Chevrolet, until he was fatally injured on August 16 in 1930 in Illinois.

Ralph Eckstrom, Indianapolis, Fronty
Usually listed as being from Chicago, Eckstrom raced (ex-?) "works" Frontenacs during much of the late twenties, including a spell in AAA 1926/7. A better than fair driver, but not quite of the stuff to make it to the big time.

Artie Brach, Milwaukee, Fronty
A fairly successful local driver, also frequently competing in Illinois. Tried AAA in late 1926, but didn't stick around. Car was described as the one in which Jack Mattes died in 1927.

George Anderson, Milwaukee, Chevrolet
Anderson raced only locally, in fact I have him racing only at the State Fair Park over a period of seven years. He did fairly well, however, including a 4th place finish in a 100-miler on July 4 in 1928.

Russell Trudell, Milwaukee, Rajo
State Fair Park regular of the late twenties, with decent success. About 35 years old.

[RA Historian]

I have to hand it to Michael. I live three miles from the Milwaukee track and Michael, who lives in Germany, knows a heck of a lot more about it than I do! Well done, Michael.
Tom

[matbrach]

I have to hand it to Michael. I live three miles from the Milwaukee track and Michael, who lives in Germany, knows a heck of a lot more about it than I do! Well done, Michael.
Tom

That is impressive.

My great-grandfather was Artie Brach. He gave up racing, as the story goes, when his wife Laura told him to stop because a kid was on the way.

I know very little about 1920's racing - when it says he was in a Mattes Frondelac - what does that mean? (Is that referring to Jack Mattes?)

Anyone have links to pictures of that type of car, or to a chalmers special which he also liked to race.

Any help with more information/pictures/where to look would be sincerely appreciated.

My grandfather passed away, and with him most links to what his dad did.

Thanks,

Mat

[Jim Thurman]

Yes! Ernie was just 21, and in his second year of racing! He had impressed many people with his performances on the coast in 1927 and early '28, and the Guiberson/Ward team must've thought very highly of him to send him east with what appears to have been a brand new car. According to what I have , this was his second race on this tour, he coming third at Cedar Rapids (IA) on Memorial Day, beaten only by the seasoned veterans Johnny Gerber and Gus Schrader.

I knew this had to be one of his first races "back east". The previous 4th of July, Ernie won at Banning, California.

One thing though, Michael, "Hollywood" was promoter claptrap, a much more exciting "hometown". Ernie was usually listed as Belvedere Gardens, California - part of East Los Angeles. The other side of town.

[Michael Ferner]

Perfectly understood, Jim - the listing of hometowns came straight from the newspaper blurb.

Welcome, Mat! Yes, the "Mattes/Frontenac" bit was a reference to Jack Mattes. The car was simply called "Fronty" in the entry list, and my general aim is to identify cars more meaningfully, though I'll readily admit that with the Frontenacs it's a bit of a wild goose chase! Those cars were quite literally built in hundreds, and sold as anything from complete car to, say, steering wheel only! Many, many specials were built from ordinary Model T Ford stock parts with special Fronty equipment added on. For several years, Frontenac published catalogues from which you could mail order any part you needed to turn your Tin Lizzy into a racer. I do not have any information on Artie Brach's car here, except for the reference to Jack Mattes, and I do not even know if Mattes built the car himself, or if it had an even earlier history. It's just a bit of a clumsy way to avoid calling the car simply Frontenac special. Unfortunately, I have no picture of Artie's car, but if you put "Fronty Ford" into a Google picture search you'll find many photos to give you an idea about how the car looked.

[matbrach]

Perfectly understood, Jim - the listing of hometowns came straight from the newspaper blurb.

Welcome, Mat! Yes, the "Mattes/Frontenac" bit was a reference to Jack Mattes. The car was simply called "Fronty" in the entry list, and my general aim is to identify cars more meaningfully, though I'll readily admit that with the Frontenacs it's a bit of a wild goose chase! Those cars were quite literally built in hundreds, and sold as anything from complete car to, say, steering wheel only! Many, many specials were built from ordinary Model T Ford stock parts with special Fronty equipment added on. For several years, Frontenac published catalogues from which you could mail order any part you needed to turn your Tin Lizzy into a racer. I do not have any information on Artie Brach's car here, except for the reference to Jack Mattes, and I do not even know if Mattes built the car himself, or if it had an even earlier history. It's just a bit of a clumsy way to avoid calling the car simply Frontenac special. Unfortunately, I have no picture of Artie's car, but if you put "Fronty Ford" into a Google picture search you'll find many photos to give you an idea about how the car looked.

Great! Thanks Michael.

I saw a picture of Jack Mattes in a car with his child. So sad to see that within 2 years of Jack's death, his child died as well.

Thanks Again!

Here are some links I found to Artie

http://news.google.c.....=4484,2453006

http://news.google.c.....=6482,1418286

http://news.google.c.....=6482,1418286

http://news.google.c.....=6482,1418286

One mentions his coach as E. J. Uhl.

[Michael Ferner]

Great links, thank you!

Interesting note about E. J. Uhl, though I couldn't find it in the links. Edwin J. Uhl appears to have been a prominent car owner from the Milwaukee area; he even entered a car at the Indy 500 in 1938, but driver Johnny Sawyer did not qualify.

[matbrach]

Great links, thank you!

Interesting note about E. J. Uhl, though I couldn't find it in the links. Edwin J. Uhl appears to have been a prominent car owner from the Milwaukee area; he even entered a car at the Indy 500 in 1938, but driver Johnny Sawyer did not qualify.

Oops, my cut and paste mistake - many of the links were redundant.

This is the link with E.J. Uhl

http://news.google.c.....=5175,2359217