| Bill Pollack -- 1
Bill made his reputation in the early
1950s winning many main events in Tom Carstens' black #14 Allard powered
by a 6-liter Cadillac V8. He later raced other cars, including one
of the "Baldwin Specials", and had a
long and successful career in California sports car racing. Bill
recounts his experiences in his new book: "Red
Wheels and Whitewalls, Confessions of an Allard Racer".
 |
| An amazing photo from Pebble Beach in
1951. It catches the moment when Bill, in Tom Carstens' black #14
Allard, passes Phil Hill in the ex-Tommy Lee Alfa Romeo 8C2900B.
Pollack won the event, while Hill faded to finish fourth.
(Photo by Dr. John K. Skivington) |
| On Phil Hill's Alfa Romeo:
"Although the Alfa Romeo 8C2900B had
been built before the war, it was faster than almost all postwar sports
cars. Frank Griswold had won the first Watkins Glen race in one,
and Phil Hill bought the ex-Tommy Lee car in hopes of advancing his career.
Pictured at Pebble Beach in 1951, Hill won the preliminary Del Monte Handicap,
but could only finish fourth in the main. The car was too heavy and
too complicated for the conditions of early California racing, and Hill
moved on to a Ferrari."
From "American
Sports Car Racing in the 1950s" by Michael T. Lynch, William Edgar,
and Ron Parravano, pg.47. |
 |
| In this photo by
Don Meacham; Bill, in Tom Carstens' HWM-Chevrolet "Stovebolt" leads
out of Turn 4 at the 7th Pebble Beach races, April 22, 1956. Following
are Ernie McAfee in Bill Doheny's Ferrari 121LM, Phil Hill in John von
Neumann's Ferrari 860 Monza, Carroll Shelby in Dick Hall's Ferrari 750
Monza, Pete Woods in his D-Type Jaguar, and Bob "Gus" Wittke in his
Austin Healey.
McAfee's fatal accident in this event
ended sports car racing on the Pebble Beach course. Bill was running fourth
at the time of McAfee's accident and finished sixth after the restart.
If you missed the reference at the top
of the page, Bill recounts his racing experiences in his new book:
"Red Wheels
and Whitewalls, Confessions of an Allard Racer". |
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Bill
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