Monday, August 16, 2021

1962 – Leep Wins at North Iowa Fair


Harold Leep



Mason City, Iowa (August 16, 1962) - Harold Leep of Wichita, Kan., won the feature race of the speedway races Thursday night at the big closing event of the North Iowa Fair before a crowd of 2,400. He had a creditable time of 6 minutes and 23 seconds for the 15-lap affair, the first time a main event had been held at that distance.

Actually, he won the affair in easy fashion. Russ Long of Yucaipa, Calif., driving an Offenhauser owned by Mason City's Leon DeRock, had led through the first five laps. Leep took the lead and Long had to quit when a connecting rod on his car broke. Then Leep had the field to himself. Roger Lane of Kansas City finished in second place.

Bill Horstmeyer of Stoughton, Wis., the big winner at Cedar Rapids last Sunday, wasn't around for the feature as a clutch went out of his car. It was a thin night. Only 10 cars were on hand and as many had been “washed out” through wrecks and mechanical failures in races this past week.

Leep had the fastest time trial and Long was second. Leep finished second in the first heat race behind Jerry Richert of Forest Lake, Minn., and Leep also won the invitational dash.

Long put on the big show of the night when he breezed away from the field to take the second heat race. He went, from fifth position to first on the first turn as he skirted the outside of the field. It was easy going from that point and the result was a 7-lap track record of 3 minutes and 3 seconds. This snapped the former mark by nearly four seconds. That figure stood at 3 minutes and 7 seconds set by Jack Rounds at the 1958 Fair.

The drivers didn't have an easy time under the lights. The track was extremely rough and somewhat slick in spots.

Results –

Heat #1 – Jerry Richert, Forest Lake, Minn.
Heat #2 – Russ Long, Yucaipa, Calif.
Invitational dash – Harold Leep
Feature –
1. Harold Leep
2. Roger Lane, Blue Springs, Mo.
3. Jerry Richert
4. Gordon Herring, Denver, Colo.
5. Don O’Riley, Los Angeles
6. Harry Kern, St. Paul, Minn.
7. Glen Anderson, Owatonna, Minn.

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