Who remembers Ironman George Waltman ? | FerrariChat
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Who remembers Ironman George Waltman ?

Discussion in 'Other Racing' started by william, Nov 30, 2024.

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  1. william

    william Two Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2006
    27,541
    #1 william, Nov 30, 2024
    Who remembers Ironman George Waltman ?

    In 1968 he drove his Morgan +4 all the way from New York to race solo in the 24 Hours of Daytona.
    As he had no pit crew. he did all his own fueling and repairs.
    Since there was no co-driver, he would stop and take a rest every four hours per FIA rules.
    He finished 30th overall among 64 participants, 338 laps down from the winning Porsche.
    After the race,he changed the oil and drove back home.
    In 1963, he had already done the 12 Hours of Sebring alone with his Triumph TR4.
    The epitome of an amateur driver. I wish we had more of them.
     
    tritone, hlfuzzball, 250GTE and 2 others like this.
  2. DeSoto

    DeSoto F1 Veteran

    Nov 26, 2003
    7,772
    #2 DeSoto, Dec 2, 2024
    And probably he had a lot of fun.

    Anyway, that was rudimentary even for 1960s standards.
     
  3. 3POINT8

    3POINT8 F1 Veteran
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    Jan 23, 2014
    5,236
    #3 3POINT8, Dec 2, 2024
    I googled him. great read. thanks for sharing!
     
  4. RobertMorgan

    RobertMorgan Rookie

    Feb 17, 2013
    7
    #4 RobertMorgan, Dec 4, 2024

    I first met George in 1970 when I purchased a 1967 Morgan +4 Dropped Coupe in BRG and was recommended by another Morgan owner that I use him as my mechanic. His shop, Scuderia Auto Sport, located at 38 Northern Blvd in Great Neck,NY became a place I visited on a regular basis, not only to have work done on my car but to "hang out" with George as he was such an interesting gentleman. I helped him pull the motor out of that car 2X as the clutch pin broke off within the canister (which was like a Coke Can) and because it twisted and we had to drill out the pin. I remember the 2nd time we pulled the motor, he felt so bad, that he did not charge me for any of the work. Over the years as our friendship grew, one year he invited me to Watkins Glen for one of the vintage car races. At that race he drove his Fiat Zagato (https://dempseymotorsports.com/1947-fiat-zagato-750-daniela-testadoro/). The 24 hours of Daytona story that you talk about with his Morgan was truly amazing. He also owned a 1952 Frazer Nash LeMans Replica which was one of the coolest vintage cars I had ever seen. George was truly one of kind!
     
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