If you happen to run into Tryon resident Warren Board at one of his favorite hangouts in downtown Tryon, you might think, “Now theres a guy who knows how to take it easy.” Other than a quick sense of humor, the retired college president appears to enjoy taking the time to smell the roses.
Beneath that easy-going veneer, however, beats the heart of a die-hard racer who is finally fulfilling his lifelong dream on a local racing team called “Blitzen Benz.”
“Ive always been interested in motor sports racing, mostly with motorcycles, says Board who grew up west of Boise, Idaho and worked in academia before purchasing a home in Tryon in 2001 to retire and enjoy life with his wife, writer Jeri Fitzgerald Board.
Looking for a local mechanic for his Mercedes-Benz, he was referred to Gallaher Restorations between Tryon and Landrum owned by Asheville resident, Ned Gallaher. A nationally known exotic car specialist and racing enthusiast, Gallaher invited 68 year-old Board to join a team of drivers to compete in 24-hour LeMons endurance races.
A parody on the LeMans cars, the objective of the race is to take a junker worth $500 or less and make it as light, powerful and rigid as possible so it hugs the road and maintains a high speed for up to 24 hours per event. Conceived in California by Jay Lamm, a San Francisco Bay Area automotive journalist in 2006, there are now about 20 LeMons national competitions each year.
“LeMons racing is an inexpensive, fun and safe way to get into racing,” says Gallaher who saw his first LeMons race while testing a car at the Carolina Motorsports Park a couple of years ago. It looked like so much fun, he started building his first car the next day from an abandoned diesel and formed a LeMons race team with his partner Rusty Tredinnick as the crew chief.
The first team car was a Mercedes-Benz called “Blitzen (German for lightening) Benz,” named after a record setting race car in 1915. According to Tredinnick, it took only one race to convince them that they needed to build a faster car. “We needed more speed in the straights, so we built a V-8 Mercedes 300E,” says Tredinnick.
The next car they built, “Son of a Blitzen,” was included as one of the top 40 all-time LeMons competitors. The team is now racing its third converted junk heap called “Baby Blitzen,” which is their fastest car yet.
“It appears we have the only diesel car on the track so far,” says Tredinnick.
Racing cars is expensive so, to help to defray the cost of competing, the Blitzen Benz team has several local sponsors, including Royalty Foods, SELCO-USA, and Aster Hobby. Another local fan, Alan Warner will occasionally buy the crew lunch. The team drivers all chip in to pay the entry fees.
“We see ourselves as investors,” says Board who also helps the group with strategic planning to develop the team. “None of us is wealthy but together we can make it happen.”
Since endurance racing not only tests the durability of the vehicle but the stamina of the participants, the team needs multiple drivers to relieve one another as they drive in each 24-hour event. In addition to Board and Gallaher, regular drivers on the team include Tryon residents, Peter Mayrhofer, Donat Mayrhofer and Nickey Pierce; and Hans Huwyler from Columbus.
Originally from Switzerland, Huwyler is an avid racer who took a job offer and moved to the U.S. in 1970 after racing had been banned in his country. In the states, he raced vintage sports cars and participated in the Carolina Trophy Rally and other events until the mid 90s.
“Racing is a gift. You have to have the feel for it,” says Huwyler who joined the team after meeting Gallaher three years ago when he was testing a sports car. He says, “I feel safe driving any car that Ned prepares for a race. It is like they are bullet proof because he is not only a great artist/mechanic, but he knows what it takes to race.”
At 20-years old, UNC-Charlotte student Mayrhofer grew up around motor sports, going to all types of car and motorcycle races with his father. He met Gallaher while racing bicycles and, when he saw the race cars he was building, decided to join the team and has competed in five races since August 2009.
A sponsor for the local motor sports team through his company SELCO-USA, Donat Mayrhofer recently joined his son as a member of the team. “Sponsoring the team is a worthy investment. The car is well prepared and has a win coming in the near future,” he said
The owner of Pierce Tire and Service Center, Pierce is an occasional driver. He also supplies tires for the cars and helps with transportation to the races.
The team recently transitioned into ChumpCar World Series racing because the LeMons competition was more about fun and not as serious about racing. The judges, for instance, would penalize an illegal move with a black flag that took the car off the track and then make the team do silly things like write “I will not pass on a yellow light” a hundred times on the rear hood of the car. One time, when Gallaher swerved off the road to avoid hitting another car, he and his teammates were forced to wear a gold-painted brake rotor around their necks and parade around for an hour.
An offshoot of LeMons, ChumpCar race judges do not pull those kinds of stunts. Instead, if they suspect a car cheated and was not originally worth $500, they buy it for $1,500 and auction it off for as little as $1,750 which means the owners can buy it back for a $250 penalty and the proceeds GO to charities. The first race was at the Portland International Raceway with 40 ChumpCar teams. Today, over 500 teams have run or are entered in future events.
The team recently entered Baby Blitzen in the first 24-hour endurance race in the 53-year history of the Virginia International Raceway, held in Danville, Virginia on April 3-4. Thirty cars started the race, representing eight states and Ontario, Canada. Twenty cars finished with the top-placing car traveling over 1,500 miles in 24 hours through tens of thousands of gear changes, hard braking, accelerating, cornering, etc. all at very high speeds, which is grueling mechanical punishment.
Unfortunately, after leading for most of 14 hours, the Tryon team had to pull out of the competition after a transmission failure. “Thats why its called racing instead of winning,” quipped Board who agreed with Greg Pressley, a pit crew member with over 30 years of stock car racing experience when he said, “Racing will break your heart.”
Baby Blitzen, however, attracted crowds of onlookers in the pits at the recent event. When they werent on the track driving, the team was barraged with questions about the car and complimented on the performance of both the car and its drivers.
“Blitzen was dialed-in and quick,” says John Condren, CEO of ChumpCar. “The team developed a Mercedes-Benz 190E from a pile of scrap into a very fast, well-handling and potentially winning race car. Additionally, the team has some great driving talent — very capable guys with a better than average shot at the podium, based on passion and talent.”
The Blitzen Benz team continues to be impressed by the quality and professionalism of everyone associated with the ChumpCar World Series as well. Although they have not won yet, the Blitzen Benz team keeps getting better and better and the team cars are well-known on the LeMons and ChumpCar racetracks.
“Race sanctioning bodies and other teams are impressed by the preparation of our cars and our age,” says Board.
For Board, hooking up with racing again after 30 years was like getting back on a bike that he hadnt ridden in awhile. Although he is the oldest driver in the group, he stays in shape by vigorous exercise and walking for an hour each day.
“So long as I am physically able, I am going to do what Ive always done, and develop as many new skills as possible, especially now that I have more time,” says Board.