Willie Young

[RShaw]

This is a followup to my post in the "New Member" forum.
The photo below was taken in August of 1953, at the first Lookout Mountain Hillclimb up the Lariat Trail in Golden. The car is a modified MG TC, probably a '47 or '48, driven to 5th place in class, behind 4 Jaguar XK120s, by Willie Young. My question is, which of the fellows in the photo is Willie Young?

RonS.


http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/ronzi_photos/WillieYoungMGTCpit2.jpg
William Martinez Photo, from The Martinez Archive

[Wayne Arner]

Willie Young is the guy in the Hawaiian shirt leaning on the left rear fender. The guy on the far left is Myron E. "Ozzie" Osborne, Lakeside Midget Race car owner, and Willie's partner in many pranks and jokes played upon the Denver Oval Track fraternity. It has always amazed me that he, (Willie Young) was able to drive anything at all, especially when he was as severely handicapped as he was!

[RShaw]

Many thanks for identifying Willie Young for me. Not being familiar with his story, could you explain the nature of his handicap(s)?
Any idea who the fellow with the crew cut might be?

RonS.

[lakeside #29]

Willie Young was one of the original Colorado Automobile Racing Club charter members when the club incorporated in 1946. They ran "Roaring Roadsters" in those days. They laid a good foundation for a club that stills exists today.
Mr. Young also drove the famed Kenz & Leslie Wynn's Friction Proofing 777 streamliner at the Bonneville salt flats in the '50's. The cars started out as "The Odd Rod", a machine with front and rear Ford flathead engines with a '34 Ford pickup body in between. Later the pickup body was removed in favor of a streamliner body with the same configuration, with the driver in between the engines in an open cockpit. Later versions moved the driver to the rear in slingshot fashion under a canopy incoporated in the tail fin. A third flathead was installed in the center. The car eventually ran, I believe 270 mph.

[VintageBuzz]

Willie Young was one of the original Colorado Automobile Racing Club charter members when the club incorporated in 1946. They ran "Roaring Roadsters" in those days. They laid a good foundation for a club that stills exists today.
Mr. Young also drove the famed Kenz & Leslie Wynn's Friction Proofing 777 streamliner at the Bonneville salt flats in the '50's. The cars started out as "The Odd Rod", a machine with front and rear Ford flathead engines with a '34 Ford pickup body in between. Later the pickup body was removed in favor of a streamliner body with the same configuration, with the driver in between the engines in an open cockpit. Later versions moved the driver to the rear in slingshot fashion under a canopy incoporated in the tail fin. A third flathead was installed in the center. The car eventually ran, I believe 270 mph.

My dad and Bill Kenz were good friends and both frequented the salt flats during those same early years. ~VB
Some of Lou's photos: http://autoracingmemories.com/forums/album.php?albumid=378