16 replies to this topic

[Maindrian Pace]

The name Bob Olthoff has popped up several times in the classic mags over the last few months. I realise that he was pretty handy in Cobras and Cortinas, but can anyone tell me more about this South African talent?

[Racecar]

Bobby used to make his living chicken farming while he was racing Cobras over here.



Remind you of anybody?

[jorism]

"Olthoff" is a typical Dutch name............

[MCS]

His racing career saw him end up in Formula 5000 - a McLaren M10B - I think.

He then (again, I think) retired from active participation and started to "tune" the F5000 engines and then... ...no idea.

Mark

[WGD706]

BOB OLTHOFF
1937 – 2004
R I P

Bob Olthoff, well known in international motor sport circles and the winningest race car driver in South African track racing history, passed away in North Carolina, USA, after a brief but fierce fight against cancer.

Beloved husband, father, and friend of so many in South Africa and in his adopted country, he passed away Sunday morning, April 18th, 2004 at Rowan Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, NC.

Bob, his wife Baby and son Dennis emigrated to the USA in 1997. Together they opened the Southeastern distributorship for Superformance, the US distributors of replica sports cars manufactured by Jim Price’s Hi-Tech Automotive in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Born in Pretoria, he attended Krugersdorp High School. He began racing early and achieved considerable success in his native South Africa. His skill caught the attention of local promoters and he was encouraged to move to Europe. He successfully raced the MGA and Austin-Healy in both Europe and the United States and landed a spot developing and racing the legendary Cobras with the John Willment team.

After the Cobras won the World Manufacturers Championship, Bob returned to South Africa with a stable of Willment cars including two Cobras and a Holman-Moody prepared 427 Galaxie, with which he won the Saloon Car Championship. He won the Sports Car Championship in 1966 and 1967, the Formula 5000 Championship in 1970, and set the South African land speed record at 178 mph on a closed public road in a McLaren-Elva that Bob personally owned, developed, and drove.

In his long and successful career, Bob earned over 140 victories making him the most successful racer in South African history. His skills were not limited to the tracks. He also enjoyed considerable success as an off-road racer and in airplane racing with his Tiger Moth and other aircraft.

Bob and Dennis, a talented and successful race driver in his own right, have successfully raced the Superformance machines throughout the United States, adding considerably to their string of victories. Not only did his expertise in technical development and driving contribute considerably in establishing Superformance in the United States, but Bob was a friend and mentor to many who wanted to own and skillfully drive a high performance sports car.

Bob is survived by his wife Baby of Mt. Ulla, their son Dennis Olthoff of Salisbury and wife Alison and son Emery, and their daughter Cheryl Pogson of Hermanus, South African and her husband Merlin and children Kaylyn and Aiden.

The memorial service was Wednesday, April 21, 2004 at 11:00 AM at Tyatira Presbyterian Church, 220 White Road, Mill Bridge, NC.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in memory of Bob Olthoff to Rowan Regional Hospice, 825-A Henderson St. Salisbury, NC 28144.



http://www.secondstr.../BobOlthoff.htm

[Hieronymus]

Bob made his debut in racing in 1957 at Grand Central in a Citroën Light 15. The next year he switched to a home-built Norton Special in which he failed to finish a race. His next battleship was a MGA Twin Cam.

In 1959 Olthoff won two national championship races (on handicap). Tony Maggs suggested to Bob that he must go overseas, since he was wasting his time racing in South Africa. Bob replied that there was no way that he could do say, to which Tony replied: "Then find a way!"

Bob set off for Britain soon afterwards, where he found a job as mechanic (think it was at the MG factory in Abingdon). His racing career took off.

He was the first South African to compete in a World Championship race, when he and John Whitmore shared a works MGA Twin Cam at the 1961 Nürburgring 1000km race. Bobby had fond memories of the Ring - a circuit he loved. He told the story where he and Whitmore tried to learn the circuit in Whitmore's Land Rover. Bobby had the following to say:

"The secret there is to learn the track slowly. Denis Jenkinson was sitting in the Karussel looking through the viewfinder of his camera, after a Ferrari had just come past, and the next moment two idiots with crash helmets came past in a Land Rover."

At the end of 1961 he finished third in the Autosport Championship for GT cars. Early in '62 he teamed up with David Dixon to drive his Austin Healey. He and Whitmore was up in 7th place at the Le Mans 24H in that year. Bob mentioned that he clocked 155 mph down the Mulsanne, the highest speed attained by an Austin-Healey. He also won the Leinster Trophy Formula Libre handicap at Dunboyne, Northen Ireland. With Maggs they came second at the Kyalami 9 Hour. Also raced a Formula Junior Brabham.

In 1963 he shared a Lola Ford GT coupé with Maggs at the Ring and an Austin-Healey sprite with Whitmore at Le Mans. Bob wrote the car off at White House after he spun in the mist and was T-boned by a fellow competitor. He received several broken bones in this accident.

While recovering from his injuries, he agreed to drive for John Willment in an AC Cobra, 7 litre Galaxie and a Cortina GT. Bob and Jack Sears won the Marlboro 12 Hour race at Maryland in the Cortina and also the one hour race at Brands Hatch in the Galaxie. At Kyalami he and Frank Gardner were second overall in the 9 Hour race in the AC Cobra.

The year 1964 was Bob's last, but most successful year overseas. Driving a Lotus Cortina and a Cortina GT, he was fourth overall in the British saloon (touring) car championship.

Back in South Africa in 1965, he set up his own garage. He won the SA Saloon car championship that year at the wheel of a Galaxie. After that he raced for two years in a Mclaren Elva Mk1, that used to belong to David Prophet. Early in 1968, Bob and Doug Serrurier launched Formula 5000 racing in South Africa. Bob competing in a McLaren M3A for two years. In 1970 he was racing a McLaren M10A and clinched the title. He bowed out of F5000 at the end of 1971.

During these years Bob also raced a Ford Fairlane and Basil Greene's Ford Cortina Perana fiited with a V8 engine. After he quit racing for a few years, he returned in 1976 to do some off-road racing until the early 1980's.

[MCS]

Originally posted by MCS
His racing career saw him end up in Formula 5000 - a McLaren M10B - I think.

He then (again, I think) retired from active participation and started to "tune" the F5000 engines and then... ...no idea.

Mark

Don't know why, but think I may have goofed here...

Wasn't there a George Bolthoff???

Was he the Chevy engine tuner???

Mark

[Maindrian Pace]

Thanks for the info guys, it sounds like Mr Olthoff was an underated talent.

[Hieronymus]

Some more stories that Bob told:

One concerns the Willment AC Cobra,

"I was going to race it at Le Mans, but I had a personal contract with Esso Oil at the time that prevented me from driving. Anyway, I tested this thing up the M1 and some idiot phoned the police, saying that they have timed me at nearly 200 mph on the highway, or something rudiculous. The next day it hit the Sunday newspapers and all kinds of hell broke loose.

Willment quickly shipped me to Portugal for a saloon car race and they maintained they couldn't get to the bottom who was driving the car. They blamed Jack Sears, who said he was on his farm and there was even cartoons about it in AUTOSPORT."

Another one,

"John Whitmore had a farm near Southend. There was a marsh across the farm and John bought the ex-Works Triumph scramblers to play around. We all use to go out there on weekends to play - Dan Gurney, Paul Hawkins, Frank Gardner and Masten Gregory.

We were playing there one afternoon when Jimmy Clark arrived. He'd never been on a motorcycle in his life and we had to teach him how to change gear. It was so slippery, it was unreal in the marsh, there was no way you could get through without putting your feet down, although we tried. Jimmy got on his bike and just went straight through. He was just one of those blokes. Incredible sense of balance."

[WGD706]

Originally posted by MCS

Wasn't there a George Bolthoff???

Was he the Chevy engine tuner???

Mark

While winning an NHRA national event proved to be an elusive task for George Bolthoff during his lengthy career, he did manage to win 160 other Top Gas titles in his time, which made him one of the most respected campaigners of his era. Among Bolthoff's more memorable accomplishments was his win at the 1965 World Series of Drag Racing race in Cordova, Ill., a pair of runner-up finishes at the Bakersfield March Meet, and several AHRA national event wins.

Bolthoff began drag racing his street-driven '32 Ford at Santa Ana in 1951, then drove several stockers, including a Super Stock '57 Chevy that was converted to a C/Gas entry in 1959. Bolthoff later placed the injected engine into a B/A chassis that won class honors at the NHRA Nationals in 1960. The same engine was later used in a Kent Fuller chassis to begin Bolthoff's Top Gas career. Though the entry was competitive, concern over having to push the diminutive engine too hard prompted him to replace it with a larger Chrysler Hemi.

The engine switch quickly established Bolthoff as a major Top Gas contender, and he won regularly against the likes of Danny Ongais, Gordon Collett, Pete Robinson, Hirata & Hobbs, Ron Colson, and John Reed. After finishing as the runner-up at Bakersfield in 1964, he repeated the feat in 1965 with a close final-round loss to Robinson and went on to win the Cordova extravaganza.

Though many of his peers switched to Top Fuel when the NHRA nitro ban was lifted, Bolthoff stuck to his roots, citing that the expense and challenge of running in Top Gas were more than enough for him.

Financial considerations ended Bolthoff's driving career at the end of 1966, but he went on to work for Traco Engineering, where his clients included Roger Penske and Dan Gurney. He joined McLaren in 1967 to work on the aluminum big block Chevy engines for Can Am competition and Indy 500 Turbo Offys. In 1970, Bolthoff opened his own engine shop to build engines for NASCAR short-track cars, Formula 500 vehicles, and marine applications. Since 1980, he has worked at Beckman Instruments as a computer programmer.

[MCS]

Thanks for this clarification WGD706

Very much appreciated. The Traco bit now rings a bell.

Thanks again.

Mark

P.S. I love your "Central Florida" location on your TNF Profile.

Just how close to Sebring are you ?! (if you don't mind my asking)...

[WGD706]

Originally posted by MCS
Thanks for this clarification WGD706

Very much appreciated. The Traco bit now rings a bell.

Thanks again.

Mark

P.S. I love your "Central Florida" location on your TNF Profile.

Just how close to Sebring are you ?! (if you don't mind my asking)...

Mark
I live just west of Orlando, about half-way between Daytona and Tampa. Sebring is a bit south of me.
Warren

[Hieronymus]

...back to Bob Olthoff.

When Bob started in club racing in the UK, he found that progress on racing was solely based on merit and that one's entry was accepted on the basis of results achieved. Although he had had some success in club racing, he had not yet had an entry accepted for bigger meetings.

He then wrote a letter to AUTOSPORT magazine claiming a record for having his entries rejected and suggested it might be becauese "he did not go drinking in certain clubs." Bob found the atmosphere among drivers totally different than in South Africa. In the UK there was a definite class distinction, with the top drivers not associating with the drivers lower down the field. In fact, one top driver did not talk to him until Bob beat him in a scratch race.

The letter to AUTOSPORT must have had some effect, because his entries began to be accepted. Perhaps the fact that he worked for MG was the reason...

[ZA Perana]

I was fortunate enough to meet Bob a year or so before he passed away and what a nice guy, down to earth and friendly. Spend around 45 min talking despite the fact he had to sort out some handling problems on the Cobra Coupe he was driving.

Have an autographed shirt.

[zahistorics]

With reference to the AC Cobra on the M1 motorway - this means Bob is the man responsible for Britain getting the 70 mph limit - which was a direct result of that test drive.

[D-Type]

It was coming anyway - the Cobra just gave the government an excuse.

[Doug Nye]

And just look at what a Government can do when presented with an excuse... And that includes motor sport's Government.

DCN