Bruce
Van Dyke was one of those owner-drivers who was very innovative and not
a person to follow the norm. His first love was flying - however he gave
that up and pursued a new hobby - the new sport of Stock Car Racing.
Bruce
got his start at Stock Car Racing in 1952 - the year that Merrittville
opened. In 1954 Bruce raced at both Ancaster and Merrittville, winning
his first trophy at the Thorold oval that year in a 1937 Ford Coupe sponsored
by Ontario Auto Supply.
Bruce and his wife Ruth lived at #7 Court Street in St. Catharines
were he continued to rework and improve his Ford flat head racers. Bruce
continued with much success as a front runner - racing flat head Fords
through the 1957 season in a 1937 Ford sponsored by Henley Motors.
During 1958 Bruce was one of the first pilots to move up
to the 272 cu. in. Ford overhead valve V8, driving a 1938 Ford Coupe in
the blue and yellow colors of Taylers Sunoco.
During 1959 Bruce not only moved his family to Merritton
but also started to experiment with unconventional cars - realizing that
horsepower wasn't the only key to winning. In 1959 Bruce built the #88
1949 Ford Club Coupe full bodied stock car. This car started out with
a conventional suspension but Bruce started to design his own suspension
utilizing coil springs. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. This
car was successful against the coupes of it's day and even ran against
the bugs on the dirt at Lancaster Speedway.
During 1960 Bruce would again move his family to Stoney Creek
and continues to formulate and innovate with his racers and in 1959 and
1960 he even went to the first two Daytona Races as a spectator. However,
during 1961, a spectator no longer he built a 1953 Studebaker low boy
modified with a 430 Lincoln Engine with six carburetors. They towed the
new car all the way from their new home in Stoney Creek to Daytona and
was fast enough to start 10th - however with him not being a NASCAR regular
he had to start 31st. The first 30 spots were 'reserved' for NASCAR regulars.
The Modified flew around the 2 1/2 mile oval - an experience
that Bruce will never forget - however with two laps to go the car broke
and didn't complete the event. Bruce proved that he could race on the
high banks and towed the car home - never to be raced again.
By the way - that was the same year that Cam Gagliardi from
Lockport NY also ran the race.
Bruce came home and concentrated on his career as a dirt
track racer and in 1962 built his first offset chassis. From the outside
it was a 1962 Ford Galaxie but from the inside it was probably one of
the most radical designs of an offset dirt sportsmen. The car had the
engine mounted in the left where the driver would sit and Bruce sat directly
to the right of the engine The whole driveline was offset to the right
for better weight distribution. The body on the car was salvaged from
a 4 door New York City taxi and this made for one large and fast racer.
Bruce's working career as a construction engineer was definitely
showing and by 1966 he unveiled - in my mind - his most memorable racer.
This car was a long wheel-based 1966 Ford Galaxie Coupe mounted
on the refined offset chassis of the previous car with many improvements
to the chassis, cooling and horsepower.
The engine to the left - this time a 427 cu. In. Ford (room
for 2 power plants if rules allowed), and Bruce to the right. The No.
88 Stock Car with all new Ford Sheet Metal sponsored by Lincoln Motors
Ltd. of St. Catharines gave many of the coupe pilots fits. Bruce was a
firm believer in performance being a function of weight distribution and
not horsepower. The weight distribution allowed Bruce to get on and off
the throttle quicker in the corners and be extremely competitive against
the conventional coupes of the day. At times he ran a basically stock
392 cu. in. Ford in the car and out-ran the competition. The only weak
link in the car was the short axle which would take a lot of the torque
and thus break - but Bruce was working on a solution. With many new ideas
and his own designs and labour the cost of this most innovative racer
totaled $2,500.00.
Bruce was always a Ford pilot - long after the others drivers
moved to Chevrolet. He stated that "Any idiot can run a Chevrolet
... it takes a fool to run a Ford."
During 1966 and 1967 the Galaxie ran all over the US and
Canada - both at Speedway Park and Merrittville as well as Humberstone
with invitationals at Salem, Indiana; Langhorne, PA; and Syracuse, New
York. Bruce even raced one rough dusty Sunday afternoon in the clay at
Cayuga Speedway in 1966.
During 1968 Bruce could see the writing on the wall and rather
than change his car he built an asphalt chassis since the offset dirt
cars were being banned in the US and the Super Stock division was introduced
in Ontario. Bruce would run the #08 at Flamborough, Nilestown, Delaware,
Lancaster and Holland with some success. One of his prettiest cars was
the light yellow Torino fastback - a more conventional car that won a
100 lap championship at Flamborough. This car was conventional as far
as a chassis and engine placement go but Bruce was one of the first short
track drivers and builders to use a 'big block Ford.'
From 1970 on Bruce continued to build and experiment with
designs and thus abandoned his role as driver - putting Terry Kitchen
in the seat. Again costs started to escalate but Bruce could keep his
costs down by building and fabricating many of his own parts.
By 1973 the costs of a first class race team escalated close
to $50,000 for asphalt and Ford racing parts were hard to find since Ford
was officially out of racing. After a blown engine at Flamborough one
Saturday he loaded the Mustang racer one last time , headed for home and
announced to his wife Ruth that they were out of racing at 2:30 AM. This
occurred during the third week of September - 1973.
Rather than switch to Chevrolets the Van Dykes decided to
retire their team since their whole career had been based on Fords - one
of the few to stay loyal to the brand.
The Van Dykes continued to prosper in Stoney Creek where
Bruce continued his engineering career while he and his wife raised their
daughter Linda who now resides near Bismarck, Ontario.
A recent visit to their home made me realize just how precise
and innovative Bruce Van Dyke the racer was. He was never one to look
back - but always to his next technical challenge.
Many of us remember the night at Merrittville when a gas
tank off of Denny Deagle's racer became trapped under Bruce's car. Immediately
Bruce's car erupted into flames with a trail of flames left around the
oval. Again this is only a memory to Bruce - a scary one - but nothing
to dwell upon ... he cleaned up the car in the pits and tried to finish
the night.
Bruce spent the last 10 years of employment in the engineering
department of Dofasco until retiring in 1991. His family's passion since
retiring as a race driver has been snowmobiling. He and his family have
spent many years of trial riding and he continues to ride his Yamaha today
looking forward to the snow. He is a present member of the Mount Forest
Snowmobile Club and spends at least one day a week riding a variety of
trails two hours from home. Not bad for a man soon to enter his 68th year!
When it's not snowing Bruce an Ruth head for many different
locales - via their motor home - with over 200,00 miles on it, it definitely
doesn't sit in the driveway.
Here's to the Van Dykes - 'May you continue to enjoy many
more years of trail riding - both snowmobile and motor home and THANKS
for your hospitality!" |
