Don Wilson posing in Bob Olds Offy #62

[superstroke]

Don Wilson flashes those pearly whites of his in this photo shoot, which features one of Bob Olds dazzling midgets. I do not have much information on this car, other than it was powered by an Offy. So Mitch G or anyone else out there with statistics, please post your results. Thank you.

[Mitch G.]

This is off the top of my pointed head, but here goes. Bob Stroud a long time USAC midget owner bought this Edmunds built, midget in late 1968 or early 69. According to Bob Olds, Edmunds hated this car because it was a spring front car, he wanted all his cars to be 4 bar cars, no more spring fronts. Anyway, Stroud named this car "Honker II", and put midget legend Bob Tattersall in the car. Tattersall was a hard drinking, hard living old school racer. Together Stroud and "Tat" won tons of races, across the U.S. as well as in Australia and New Zealand.
Tattersall won the USAC National Midget Champioship in 1969 in this car, and died of stomach cancer shortly after that. Bob Olds of Denver bought the car from Stroud, and Jim Beckly, Gene Pastor, Sam Sauer, Bob Wente, Frank Mantello, Don Wilson, Gary Koster, all drove for Olds, and Doug Wolfgang took his first ever midget ride in the "Honker". Olds renamed the car "LuLu's Honker", Mantello, and Wilson won several main events in the car. This car was involved in the greatest racing upset in Colorado history. USAC had allowed the Offy engine to go to 135 cubic inches, as they just were not competitive with the 153 c.i. Sesco. The best drivers in the country show up at Englewood Speedway in 1973, Larry Rice, Gary Bettenhausen, Johnny Parsons Jr., Pancho Carter, you name it. Fully expecting to leave Denver with the money and trophy's, USAC's best stomp all over the Denver and RMMRA guys during qualifying and the heat races. But as the main event unfolds, Leo Tucker in the Norbert Goldman, ex Eddie Jackson, Lloyd Axel Kurtis Kraft #5, and Don Wilson in Bob Olds #62, start carving up the field. I'll never forget as Wilson passes Gary Bettenhausen in a brand new Edmunds 4 bar Sesco, down the back chute, Gary B. puts the squeeze on Wilson, and Don leaves a huge tire mark on the concrete wall as he passes. Now the crowd is in stunned disbelief! Tucker wins the main, with Wilson a close 2nd. Bear in mind Tucker is in a 27 year old Kurtis Kraft, and Wilson is in a spring front 4 year old Edmunds. USAC is so furious they tear down both Offies, check fuel, oil, Bob Olds told me they wanted to even check the air in the tires, but the cars both passed tech, in fact I think both Offies were under the cubic inch limit. LeRoy Byers now owns the "Honker", it's unrestored, but in great shape, just as it pulled off the track in it's last race in the late 1970's.
http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=343
Here's Bob Tattersall in the "Honker II" without a roll cage in 1969
http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=342
Tattersall again, same year, now the car has a cage on it.
http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=344
Frank Mantello in the now #93, "LuLu's Honker", maybe 1971?
http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=345
At Lakeside Speedway, with Don Wilson getting a main event trophy, Bob Olds is on the right. This may be 1972, or 73.

[webby]

This car was involved in the greatest racing upset in Colorado history. USAC had allowed the Offy engine to go to 135 cubic inches, as they just were not competitive with the 153 c.i. Sesco. The best drivers in the country show up at Englewood Speedway in 1973, Larry Rice, Gary Bettenhausen, Johnny Parsons Jr., Pancho Carter, you name it. Fully expecting to leave Denver with the money and trophy's, USAC's best stomp all over the Denver and RMMRA guys during qualifying and the heat races. But as the main event unfolds, Leo Tucker in the Norbert Goldman, ex Eddie Jackson, Lloyd Axel Kurtis Kraft #5, and Don Wilson in Bob Olds #62, start carving up the field. I'll never forget as Wilson passes Gary Bettenhausen in a brand new Edmunds 4 bar Sesco, down the back chute, Gary B. puts the squeeze on Wilson, and Don leaves a huge tire mark on the concrete wall as he passes. Now the crowd is in stunned disbelief! Tucker wins the main, with Wilson a close 2nd. Bear in mind Tucker is in a 27 year old Kurtis Kraft, and Wilson is in a spring front 4 year old Edmunds. USAC is so furious they tear down both Offies, check fuel, oil, Bob Olds told me they wanted to even check the air in the tires, but the cars both passed tech, in fact I think both Offies were under the cubic inch limit.That was the greatest night of racing ever! I will never forget it.

You should make a separate thread just for that topic.

[TPF]

The Bob olds offy was the prittyest midget on the track TPF

[Terry Von Tilius]

My dad built that Offy. The RMMRA had no restrictions on the Offy (at that time) as far as fuel, compression etc. They figured, an Offy couldn't run with the VWs, so they let them run what ever they wanted.

He built it with 11:1 compression. The thing would not run without nitro. Once they put in the right amount of nitro... It flew!!!

I got to sit in that car, quite a bit, when it was in Bob's show room on West Alameda. Pretty, pretty car.

[Mitch G.]

Terry, what is your relation to Walt "The Count" Von Tilius? Bob Olds told me that the engine met USAC's strict cubic inch limit, and fuel test, mainly because Gary Bettenhausen was USAC's darling driver. Gary B. was driving for Penske, and always up front in the Indy 500, and he was decent at NASCAR also. Anyway, the thought of 2 local stock car drivers, one in a 20+ year old Kurits, beating their (USAC's) golden boy, was more than they could stand. USAC went over those two cars with a fine tooth comb, and found totally legal, a great story.

[Terry Von Tilius]

"The Count" was my dad. The car was legal. I think he just played with the heads to get all that compression. To my understanding, (I was only 12 at the time) there was something in the rules that allowed the Offys to run as much nitro in the fuel as they wanted. USAC figured they would just blow up before they could touch the VWs. That is what I remember.

I can still see the smile on Dad's and Bob's faces after that one.

[Mitch G.]

Terry, your Dad was one of the legends of the midget "Golden Era", for sure. Have you seen the posts on here from Joe Kouba? I'm sure you and your dad have many memories Earl Kouba. And have you seen the restored midgets that the Kouba's own? Your dad would surely be impressed. If you get a chance wright a short bio about your father, I'd love to know more about him.

[JRKracer]

To clear up a few things--- Offies do not have heads rather a block casted of steel with a heim type dome . Midgets blocks had two different blocks styles, one center fire, meaning the spark plug was centered between the exhaust and intake valves and the newer block which the plugs were offset to the rear of the dome. These were stronger. The compression in an offy is changed buy changing the distance from the rist pin to the top of the piston. The further the distance the more material thus the closer to the top of the dome so the more compression. Earl's engines always had 15 to 1. He built one that was 16.5 to 1 once . I have the pistones still. At Lakeside and other small track, this allowed more engine braking and less ware and tear on the old shoe brakes and usually made moe hp.. as for the nitro---- The very most I ever heard any offy running was a 30% load. it took the mains out in 20 laps at Sun Praire WI. Any more would simply blow the bottom end out as they had only 3 main bearings. I ran against that Little Honker in '73 at lakeside. It was a hot Offy .

[Terry Von Tilius]

Like I said, I was only 12 at the time. so I don;t know how an Offy was put together etc. I just remember Dad's joy when Bob told him "it will never run". Bob was "the chassis man". Dad was "The engine man". That night it all came together.

[JRKracer]

Nothing intended to insult just information for the conversation. Earl spoke very highly of "The Count". The masterminds of makeing the Offy run hard usually received very little credit. Walt was a good Offy man.

[Terry Von Tilius]

No insult taken... Thanks for the nice words.
I remember a story when he had to bake an Offy block in the oven in our kitchen, to get it to expand, so the crank would fit.

Worked fine until... Mom found it! "Walterrrr!!!"

[bobnmerri]

We are having a Bob Tattersall Classic race in Morris, IL next weekend.
For the newspaper article, we would like to use the pictures of Tattersall that you have with him standing next to the car.

Would you allow us to do this by emailing us the JPG ?

[Mitch G.]

PM me your email and I'll send you anything you need.