RACER: Robin Miller on Roger Ward
Вставка
- Опубліковано 15 лют 2016
- RACER's Robin Miller recounts the life of Indy 500 winner Roger Ward, who was the benchmark for success during the 1960s.
Subscribe to The Racer Channel here:
ua-cam.com/users/theracerchanne...
Visit The RACER Channel for more video:
/ theracerchannel
Connect with RACER Online:
Visit RACER.com for daily racing news: www.racer.com
RACER on Facebook: / racermagazine
RACER on Twitter: / racermag - Авто та транспорт
Hi Robin My name is Dave Sclavi. You my know that name as my distant cousin Fred Sclavi had several Indy cars. The Bell Lines Trucking Special. I grew up and still live in the Trenton NJ area. As you certainly know there was a race track here. My dad and mom gave me a 8MM movie camera for Christmas in 1963. We lived less then a half mile from the track and I could hear when any cars were there running. I would jump on my bicycle and go over to the back stretch. You could climb the fence and view the race track it was that close. I have 8mm movies of Roger Ward testing the first rear engine Offy car. The film is over fifty years old. I will try and see if I can get it on video I would like to put some of my films of the Trenton Speedway up on you tube. I have enjoyed you videos immensely thanks for posting them.
Robin,
Thank you so much for featuring Roger !
As you correctly said,
Roger Ward may not have had the luxury to have today's media coverage, but one of the
ALL TIME GREATS !
I had the honor of getting to know Roger during my work with the
American IndyCar Series, and Bill Tempero I can honestly say, he was truly one of the finest gentleman I have ever met or worked with !
I was at the Hoosier Hundred in the early 90's. I had to be 10 or 12 or so & we were sitting in the stands & Roger was sitting a few rows in front of us. I asked for an autograph & a lady overheard me & says "I've got a camera I'll take your picture with him & mail it to you. So a forego the autograph for the picture & the lady never sends it. lol
I'm glad I got to meet him. He signed my pitpass at the Hut Hundred in '99.
I had the pleasure, and the lifelong memory, of watching the USAC Twin 50's at the Arizona State Fairgrounds one mile dirt track in Phoenix that Robin mentioned (just before the advent of Phoenix International Raceway One mile paved oval.) Every USAC Championship Dirt Racer was there. Rodger Ward won the first 50 mile heat over A.J. Foyt and was in command of the second 50 mile heat. A.J. eventually won that heat but it took A.J. using The Great "Pappy" Don Branson as a pick to get by Rodger. The two of my All Time Heroes going at it "hammer and tong" all afternoon was a thrill which if I close my eyes I can almost see them putting on a display of shear nerve and raw strength that I will never forget.
Thanks Miller! A lot of people overlook how good he was. When he posted career win #'s 24 and 25 in Sacramento and Phoenix at the end of 1963 he moved to the TOP of the All Time win list ahead of Ted Horn. It went largely un-noticed. The following season Foyt won 10 of 13 events and topped Ward with win number 26 at the Hoosier 100. Ward was a 2 Time National Champ and 2 Time 500 winner and in his prime one of the all time greats on the Championship Trail..... Cheers Rodger!! (RIP)
I can remember as a teenage watching Rodger and the other hot drivers of the early '60s in the 1st turn in the dirt at the Hoosier Hundred qualifying and the race. Rodger was by far the smoothest of all - no jerking of the steering wheel, holding steady rpm - and he was the fastest of the day. I don't recall the outcome, but I remember Rodger and AJ as the class of the field. By the way, when we went back to our car to leave the track, there were clods of clay the size of your fist on fans' cars a couple hundred feet outside of the turn. I have many fond memories growing up as a race fan and car nut in Indy in the late 50's and early 60's. It was the best. Guys who built cars in their garages could run with the well-funded teams of the day.
Love these biographies. I grew up in Trenton NJ about a mile from the track. Saw Ward's last win...got his autograph back in the day when you could go into the pits after the race...exhaust pipes still hot and the sweet smell of warm rubber and meth-alcohol in the air. Ahhh.... those really were the days
Rodger was a very talented man in his years of auto racing. His '65 Watson racer did have it's redeeming win after Rodger's terrible month of May that year by having Johnny Rutherford win his first Indy car win at Atlanta that summer.
Thanks for posting this! I remember meeting him at, of all places, a computer show in my home town (San Diego). I saw him sitting there, all alone, and made a beeline straight for him to say hello and shake his hand. I think he was a little bemused that a teenage computer geek knew who he was, but he was pretty jovial about it and gave me his autograph, which I still treasure today- carefully placed in the frontispiece of the same book you held up at the beginning of your video. I just wish I was a tad sharper and talked with him more- he seemed like a nice relaxed guy kicking it in a hawaiian shirt, but I was a little starstruck at the time.
I wish they filmed the 500 in '60 the way they film it today- I'd wager that duel Ward had with Rathmann would have put a lot of later races there to shame. That's one where you have to tip your hat to both drivers!
steevogrande what was Rodger Ward doing at a computer conventions?
Thanks, Robin for a great discussion about Rodger Ward. The first race I attended in person was the 1960 Indy 500 where he battled Jim Rathmann right to the end, exchanging the lead over a dozen times in the last half of the race. He immediately became and still is my favorite racing driver. Like you said, he and AJ ruled Indy car in the early '60's.
In 1961 my friends were all enthralled with Micky and Roger's home run battle with the Yankees.
NOT ME, I was paying attention to another Rodger and some guy named A.J. as they battled throughout the Midwest for USAC Supremecy. Rodger Ward has always been high on my list of Heroes.
Thanks. Great video
How did the duo of Foyt-Bignotti fare against Ward-Watson?
Mr.Ward's first name was spelled Rodger
Rodger Ward is still famous in Indy.
excellent
Mr. Miller: I am a fan of Jim Hurtibise( I can never remember how to spell his last name..) and would like to purchase a copy of the photograph that is behind you over your left shoulder. I was at the track for qualifying the year and have been trying to find a photo of that paint scheme. I hope that you can help[ me. Thank you in advance.
Please explain how Ford wouldn't let him run their engine in 1966? That was a big part in the story of his quitting the race and retiring. He only wanted to run the best equipment and here he was in this Lola-Offy and why risk your neck for maybe a top 10 finish when you won twice? Turned out that he very well could have won if he had just kept after it cause he was faster than Hill all month. I think he got so upset when he recognized that fact he said 'maybe I've been doing this too long'.
1964 was another one that got away and I know that his story about that race and Watson's never quite agreed. 1960 he did take blame for leaving his cars weight jacker set so that it wore his tire out too fast. I think he thought he should have been the first four time winner and agonized about the ones that got away for the rest of his life. I talked to him at the sprint car races at Perris, CA shortly before his death and he said in a low rough voice "I should have won then all!".
My mom dated him when he live down the street
Didn't Roger win a Formula Libre race in a dirt car with an in-and-out box?
Lime Rock road course showed up with a midget and beat every other imaginable race car there...……….
And yes
His first name is spelled
Rodger !
Oops, Darn it !
You can always use more likes, Miller.
It’s “Rodger,” not “Roger.”