Sunday, November 25, 2018

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 radio operator in C47's 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.

The big difference between Waltman and others coming down for the event was that he then raced the 1964 Morgan Plus 4 street car, by himself, finished the race, took a side trip to Miami and then drove it back home to New York — all on the same set of 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

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!

See the comments for what his son Peter has to say, about setting the story straight about what a lousy dad he was

10 comments:

  1. While reading this I was wondering how you buy a car off the police impound lot? The last sentence explains it, slip someone some cash and drive away. lol

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    1. I think it was probably one of the timed out cars... once it's been there a specific number of months, it's probably just sold off direct, or in an auction. I know they have an annual police auction here in San Diego, and the airport has their lost and found auction annually, just to clear out the stuff that's been stored and never claimed.

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  2. awesome history, thanks for sharing!

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    1. you are welcome, I love cool history stories like this, and tag them 'Awesome' if you want to see others. https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/search/label/awesome

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    2. Sí Señor, you will have me in this space very often.
      I am a blogger too, for ten years now, and I will include you in my list, with no compromise.
      I am more in the subject of scale model cars, but I also include topics on racers, races, cars and other stories related to historical models.
      I am preparing a dossier on Waltman story, I may use some pictures, mentioning your link as source, of course.
      Needless to mention, I don't do it for money, I do not sell nor earn anything.
      Thank you.

      gauchomodels.blogspot.com.ar

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    3. Compliments on such a long blogging tenure!
      Use all that entertains you, with my compliments!
      I don't blog for money either, and I don't sell anything either.

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    4. Hey! I just noted you are "blog-older" than me!
      And without selling anything, that is superb!
      Congrats, my friend!
      And thank you a lot for allowing me to use your information.

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  3. George Waltman was My Father, many things in the write up are incorrect & are just a rehash of older articles, he was NEVER a Pilot in the Air force, & he never flew in B29's ! he was a radio operator in C47's behind the lines in the Pacific in the closing few months of the war, & 'The Family', is not looking for the car, My Sister Tara once wondered where it was, but no effort was ever made to look for it,... George wasn't 'The Gentleman' these articles make him out to be either, he abandoned his Wife (My Mother, Moya), my self (Peter) at the age of 2 & my two sisters , Lisa (5) & Tara (4) to live the playboy racing lifestyle, which he said we were a hinderance & an interference to, & spent the rest of the 60's & 70's chasing race track Groupies, I cannot take away the fact that he drove the 68 Daytona 24 hour race, but it was at the expense of his offspring who he did not support or finance in any way whatsoever, I get real annoyed at the way that people who didn't know him, or how he was like in real life, seem to think he was some great person, quite the opposite, today he would be called a 'Deadbeat Absent Parent' who did all to evade court-ordered child support obligations. for many years. I for once would like very much to see the incorrect information removed even if NOT replaced by the truth. Peter B Waltman,

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    1. thank you for taking the time to set the story straight, I corrected the B29 and the "looking for the car" statements.
      Of course this is a rehash of older articles, no one is making new articles about the 1960s races.
      The term "gentleman racer" isn't referring to character, it's referring to the difference between for profit racers, and for fun racers.
      I'm sorry you got a bum dad, so did I.
      The reason he is written about is that his racing accomplishments are amazing, not that his parenting was. His parenting is never ever brought up... this isn't a blog about parenting.
      Sorry to piss you off, but, his racing was very extra ordinary, and deserves this post.
      Thank you for your corrections, and the effort you made to let us know

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    2. Hi Peter, sorry about your story.
      I read your father story and I loved it. I thought that such commitment with racing car would hit in another aspect of his life but I could not meassure it.
      Anyway, he got great achievements, he lead the life that most of us would have craved. Men pay a high price for worthy life, it's the fate deal.
      Unfortunately, you were on the other side, sorry for that.
      Anyway, please try to focus on his positive side, you are the son of an ace; there are few people that can say that!

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