Gary Banks Flip

[racevw112]

I'm trying to find the picture that was on this page a few months back, that showed the Gary Banks flip at Pan American, where the car is on fire, and he is crawling out. Does anyone know the post that it was posted?

 

Thanks,

 

Lyle

[see86go]

I posted the photo. I know I have a couple of others, one as he started to filp and one after the fire - I just need to figure out where they are. I will post those when I locate them.

 

[racevw112]

Thanks for the quick reply. I have someone visiting for the Holidays, and wanted to show them the picture.

[hgparkjr]

What year did this Happen? I know Pan Am has been Idle for a few years? Just curious?

[txtom]

hq,

This happened about '75 or '76.

I was standing in the infield X about 50 or 75 feet away from this as this pic was taken. Banks was not injured, but they cancelled the rest of the night's racing due to concerns about damage to the asphalt.

The cause of the fire was the gas filler cap being knocked off during the flip, and there was no safety valve on the tank. At this time, most of these cars had very basic fuel cells, if they had one at all.

[NickHolt]

That was a scary sight. We all thought Gary would end up toast but he crawled out even before anyone got to him with a fire extinguisher.

 

Gary's Mazda had the loudest rotary engine I've ever heard. He called the car the "Hummmmdinger" as I recall. He used a huge BBQ pit-sized barrel as a muffler. All it did was make the noise even louder but with a slight echo effect that would tingle your eardrums.. LOL

 

I miss those Pan American days.

 

I believe Bruce Mabrito was driving our Vega in that race. That Vega ended up breaking a RF hub going into turn one at Highway 16 Raceway and met the crusher at Newell Salvage not long thereafter.

 

Nick Holt

[Budman]

The more I look at that photo, the more facinated I become with it. Stare at it for a minute or two. Use your imagination.......................... Doesn't that look like the "FIRE DEMON" standing in front of the car, with arms slightly extended, ready to engulf car and driver, as Gary escapes "unseen" by the Demon from the opposite side window? That's a GREAT photo!

 

Does anyone else see this in the photo?

[txtom]

he crawled out even before anyone got to him with a fire extinguisher.

 

I was staring straight at him as he was sliding upside down. Before the car stopped, he had already unhooked, and in the time it took me to run there, and Caulfield to get his truck with the extinguishers over there, he was out and standing near the car. From the time he hit the backstretch wall, flipped, and the car stopped was only about 4 or 5 seconds, and the fire was completely out in less than 30 seconds.

The thing I still can't believe happened was after Caulfield got the flame away from the fuel filler, I stuffed rags in the neck to stop the flow until all the flame was out, and we had a chance to roll the car back over. If the flame had come back, no telling what would have happened to my hand and arm, as they were soaked in gasoline.

The things we do without thinking first...............

We had a long talk about fire safety with Ware after that, as neither Caulfield or myself really knew much more than the basics of fighting fires. What we knew was OK for a quick response to a carburator or wheel bearing fire or something small like that, not a flipped car with no spill valve in it.

 

Nick,

Do you remember watching that car, and the exhaust glowed bright red from the exhaust port to about the first quarter of that barrell muffler?

I later saw him run that car with a big weight to cubic inch disadvantage in the hobby stock class at Austin, and I think he ran 2nd in their series points one year in the late 70's.

[thrss1]

from what i remember the hummdinger would shoot flames out the side of it that equaled the noise.the fire balls t wade puts out in that 13 car have nothing on the dinger. nick what class was it that it ran in. i rember the car but not much of the racing, i was rather young then.

[thrss1]

txtom i think you are right about the hobby stocks. i was thinking the same thing but did not want to say it. my brother and i have argued over this for 15 years.

[txtom]

SS1, (DALE?)

 

During this time, Mini Stocks were one of the three classes regularly run at Pan American. We would also watch Bruce Mabrito in the Vega him and the Nickster had together, along with Johnny Ivy, Neal McCorvey was in that fast yellow Beetle, Ricci Ware JR in a Karman Gia, Robin McCall in a Pinto, and others. You could see all manner of 4 cylinder cars out there.

 

It reminds me a lot of the current Pro Sedan class with the variety of cars.

 

 

my brother and i have argued over this for 15 years./QUOTE]

I have a vivid recollection of Banks and Danny Stewart wanting to get after each other over something that happened on-track when they were racing. I think Stewart won the Hobby Championship, and Banks was second, although I don't remember the specific year.

[Budman]

Tom,

 

This goes back a ways. In the 50's and early 60's I remember watching Dick Caulfield race at tracks in San Antonio and Austin. In your description above, you mention the name Caulfield. Any relation?

[arts22]

The more I look at that photo, the more facinated I become with it. Stare at it for a minute or two. Use your imagination.......................... Doesn't that look like the "FIRE DEMON" standing in front of the car, with arms slightly extended, ready to engulf car and driver, as Gary escapes "unseen" by the Demon from the opposite side window? That's a GREAT photo!

 

Does anyone else see this in the photo?

It really does, looks like his mouth is open or he's roaring or something....... Thats wicked. When I looked at the pic what caught my attention was the driver..... As soon as I read your reply I scrolled up and seen it plain as day....... GOOD EYE!!!!!!!

[txtom]

Buddy,

Dick (actually Charles) Caulfield raced with Bob York back then. Usually ran a car #82.

The Caulfield I referred to is Bobby, who was Dick's son. Bobby is a couple years older than myself, but we went to high school at Schertz Clemens together, and that orange Studebaker truck in the Pan American infield was his daily driver. This is how I got involved with being more than just a fan. Bobby is also a distant cousin of my wife, and I initially met her when she hung out with the oldest of Bobby's 3 sisters.

Bobby raced himself for awhile in various classes, but never really did much with it.

Dick passed away many years ago, too much hard living.

Bobby lives around Johnson City, and has two boys that are heavy into baseball. Bobby played varsity baseball at Clemens.

[Budman]

Yeah Tom,

 

I remember those red and white 82 cars of York's very well. Wish there were some photos of those cars somewhere.

[see86go]

I have located another photo of the crash. The back of the photo is dated "April 1976." It is enhanced somewhat to bring out the details, as was the first photo of the fire. I believe the #91 is Pete Wright.

 

I was in the stands that night, and I remember seeing a small fire moving toward the car in a stream of fuel behind the Mazda. It reached the car, and that little flame became a huge fire.

 

 

I have one other photo of the Mazda after the crash. It is buried in my collection somewhere, and I will post it when I find it.

[PAPA]

The wall looks like its been involved in several wrecks.

[txtom]

Gerald, if you remember my "Pan Am 2005" post in this forum, it had this pic of the concrete section they put in the backstretch wall. It was designed to eliminate cars turning upside down like Banks did.

Besides Banks, I remember Billy Constable getting upside down in his #77 Chevy II Hobby Stock, as well as Bobby Caulfield in Robin McCall's Pinto. He drove it a couple times before Robin took the wheel. Bobby, however, flipped the Pinto after the concrete wall was already there.

[xcellracing]

Is he even wearing a fire suit, kinda looks like a grey t-shirt. very hard to tell. the fire demon is definatly present glad he escaped.

[NickHolt]

As I recall, Gary was wearing a tee-shirt and jeans at the time.

 

There were a number of drivers who didn't have firesuits in those days.

 

Nick Holt

[Budman]

A "cropped" version of the photo .............. "Gary and the Firedemon".

[racinghia50]

Hey this is Randy Larsen #53 in the Texas Pro Sedans,(I used to have the red #50 karmann ghia)I was wondering if anyone has more pictures of the 4 cylinder cars that used to race at Pan American,or the early days of the Pro Sedans???My parents used to drop me and my buddies off at Pan American Speedway(we lived 4 miles from the track) back when I was around 11 yrs old with $20 and what a night we would have,since I have always been a big vw fan my favorite car was the yellow superbettle driven by Neil McCorvy and most of the photos I would buy at the track were of his yellow bug,I have none of these picture anymore and have not been able to locate Mr. McCorvy.I would greatly appreciate any photos anyone has of "any" of the 4 bangers that have raced over the years,to decorate my race shop with.I didnt even realise that ricci ware jr. drove a karmann ghia,and I would also like some further information on the ministock driver Joe Schweiss that was killed at Pan American(I vaguely remember this before the track closed)I even have on display in the window of my garage a peice of the asphalt from Pan American in case one day it is completely gone.I am building a vw bug(old style) for the 2006 Pro Sedan season,that will sport the #53..........lets go racing in 06' Randy

[racevw112]

Talked with Pete Wright today, and confirmed that was him in the 91 car. He said that wall was really bad, until they finally fixed it.

He has built him a VW Truck to run on the dirt tracks this year.

[txtom]

Randy,

There is a car lot in Universal City called "McCorvey Motors", and it is on Pat Booker Road immediately behind the old HEB location which was at the corner of Pat Booker and Kitty Hawk.

I believe this is part of his family, and they can give you more information. Don't have the number, but call information for the (210) area code.

 

As for info on the Schweiss car, it was a Karmann Ghia originally built by Dub Hamilton who owned a car shop in Universal City. I don't remember who all may have drove it before Schweiss bought it. As you may or may not know, Schweiss died after the cage collapsed in on him after a door shot by another car. The accident happened around 9PM, he died later that night. He lived on the same street in Schertz that my parents still live on after 30 years.

Now, just my opinion, but if the car had been properly constructed, it was a very surviveable accident. Schweiss bounced off the turn 2 wall, and into the path of the other car. The other car had already slowed enough that the only damage should have been a little wrinkled sheet metal.

But, as you may have previously heard, the door bars were exhaust pipe tubing. I was involved with getting him out, and we used an ordinary wood saw to cut one end of the bars, and then pulled them off him.

Even more disturbing is the fact that Dub Hamilton was acting as Tech Inspector that year, and was allowing the car to run. And yes, Schweiss knew about the bars.

That was a nail in the coffin. K & K Insurance went nuts about that, and the US Army got involved, as Schweiss was a Soldier at that time.

Damn sad chain of events there.

 

As for Ricci Ware; there is a car show at the Live Oak Civic Center this coming weekend, and since he displayed his track roadster there last year, I kinda think he will again this year. I will ask him about some more of this, as well as what he is gonna do with the picture archives he has. He has possession of the entire picture collection of Ted Hood, who was the photographer. The Banks pic in this thread is one of Hood"s.

If you go to the Civic Centre car Show, and he is there, it is a great looking Red Roadster, and he has a neat display that has part of Pan Am in it. I myself will probably be there Sunday.

[Randy Larsen]

Thank you txtom for the info,I originally started racing at San Antonio Speedway in a chevy nova,in the charger division,when Ricci Ware jr.,and Trey Ware used to host the sunday morning show called S.A. Speed,and crashed more than I raced,but soon found the Texas Pro Sedans(originally The T.I.D.A. Pro Sedans)and have enjoyed racing with them ever since,I do like finding out about the history of racing in Texas and alot about the four cylinder classes.That is very sad about Joe Schweiss, and I am a big advocate of safety features on my cars.Is there any pictures of his wreck or the car he drove that you know of???I actually worked for Don Dewees at import cars and parts in San Antonio for about a year and a half,and I will be checking with him about any pictures or info on some of the old 4-bangers.Did you work at Pan American????.........Randy