when people talk about the "greatest generation" they rarely point out why... their chances of making it through the war were low, and the opportunities for doing amazing things were everywhere. For example, Iron Man George Waltman
In WW2, he was a B 29 pilot in the Pacific... and that, as a teenager, is a life shaping experience that hasn't ever happened to very many people.
After the war he became an engineer for Jaguar-British Leyland and in that capacity dabbled in auto racing in the Bahamas, Sebring, Daytona, Bridgehampton, Lime Rock and Watkins Glen.
In 1968, at age 42, George Waltman took a car that a friend found at a police impound lot in the Bronx and drove it down to Florida for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
The Morgan Plus 4 was originally purchased by his friend and racing mechanic Ali Lugo. Waltman and Lugo made some minor tweaks before the race, such as adding an air scoop under the car to funnel more air to the engine, and outfitting the small auto with Michelin X radial tires.
Waltman set a Daytona International Speedway and sports-car record unlikely to be broken.
He is the only driver in Rolex 24 At Daytona history to run the entire race solo and take the checkered flag.
Waltman, who lived in Freeport, New York, was a �gentleman racer,� racing for fun, not profit. He began racing sports cars in 1954 and was a regular in races staged in Nassau, Bahamas. He took his game up a notch in 1960 when he entered and competed in the 12 Hours of Sebring.
The following year, he made a solo run at Sebring. During his career, he competed in 54 races, and scored one overall victory (1965 SCCA Regional) and four class wins. But Waltman�s biggest achievement was the 1968 Rolex 24, his only start in the Daytona race.
During mandatory rest periods, bathroom breaks and meals, he would park his Morgan in the pits and place an �Out To Lunch� sign on the seat.
As if driving a solo 24-hour race did not provide enough drama, Waltman�s car suffered some late mechanical issues. But the resourceful pilot had one more trick up his sleeve. �With less than one hour to go, part of the fan broke and a piece punctured the radiator. He had to pit,� Tara Waltman, 59, recalled.
�It took them a half of an hour to fix it � with chewing gum,� she said. �He had 10 sticks of chewing gum and he had everybody around him chew gum, lumped it together and plugged the hole in the radiator with it.
�He got back out with a half-hour to go and finished the race. He took the checkered flag, which is what he really wanted to do.�
George�s Morgan Plus 4 was one of the last race cars running when the checkered flag fell and he is listed as finishing 30th overall, 335 laps behind the winning Porsche Works Team 907. Even more amazing was that he was only five laps behind actor James Garner�s AIR team Corvette that had four drivers including the likes of Ed Leslie and Scooter Patrick.
Bill France Sr., who founded NASCAR and built the Speedway, was so impressed with Waltman�s effort that he congratulated him on pit road and gave him a lap around the track in the pace car.
After the 1968 Daytona 24 was over he posed for some photos, got himself cleaned up, changed the oil in the car, checked the tires and drove the car back home to New York
The Waltman family is currently searching for the Morgan Plus 4 raced in 1968. It has proven difficult to track down because the car had no paperwork when it was bought and driven off the police impound area half a century ago.
https://www.news-journalonline.com/sports/20180123/waltmans-incredible-racing-feat-50-years-ago-in-rolex-24
https://www.sportscardigest.com/remembering-george-waltman-1925-2013/
http://www.floridastockcars.com/gallery3/v/Daytona/Color+photo+of+George+Waltman+on+his+solo+driving+run+in+a+Morgan+Plus+4+in+the+1968+24+Hour+race___.jpg.html
what a cool piece of history to start the week with!
Comments
Post a Comment