Loyal
Katskee of Omaha, driving a 4.4 litre Ferrari, staved off a last-lap challenge
by Don White to win the 100-mile Missouri International. M.C. Ervin, the
Missouri State Fair secretary, is making the trophy presentation.
Sedalia, Mo. (August 24, 1958) – Loyal Katskee, Omaha, Neb., drove his 4.4 litre Ferrari to a couple of world records for the dirt one-mile over the fast Missouri State Fair oval Sunday and staved off a last-lap bid by Don White of Keokuk, Iowa, to win by a car’s length.
The thrilling finish was before a capacity crowd of 22,000, the largest crowd to view an outdoor attraction at the State Fair in numerous years.
White pulled his 1958 Ford into the pits with 17 laps remaining to correct a rubbing fender, and although he was only in for a few seconds, Katskee sent his flame-red Ferrari past to go into a permanent lead.
The pit stop plus five crucial laps under yellow – 89 to 94 – when Ernie Derr of Keokuk, Iowa, went into the second turn fence, cost White the race. The IMCA points leader had led the field since the 36th lap.
White gained rapidly on the Omaha driver of the former Jim Kimberly Ferrari when the green bunting flew but was never able too get in front.
The race was a crowd thriller all the way, with White battling it out with Katskee, Derr, Bob Burdick of Omaha, and Les Snow, the USAC regular from Bloomington, Ill., through the first 36 laps.
Katskee, Burdick and Snow continued to battle it out for second, third and fourth after Derr lost ground due to an unscheduled pit stop. Katskee moved into the permanent position of runner-up spot on lap 57 and three laps later, Snow spun out while attempting to get by Burdick to drop him into eventual fourth place behind the Omaha youngster.
In time trials, Katskee sped around the one-mile dirt oval in 45.58 seconds, clipping a fifth of a second off of Burdick’s old record set last summer. Katskee had a world record qualifying time and his second International Motor Contest Association world record of 1 hour, 20 minutes and 24.15 seconds in the 100-lap feature, eclipsing that mark set by E.G. “Shorty” Ebert of Avondale, Mo., from two years ago.
Derr’s plunge into the pickets and a sideways rollover by Captain Jack Whatley of Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., in a 1954 Austin Healy on the 18th lap were the only serious accidents. Neither driver was injured.
Results –
1. Loyal Katskee, Omaha, Neb.
2. Don White, Keokuk, Iowa
3. Bob Burdick, Omaha, Neb.
4. Frank Lies, Wichita, Kan.
5. Les Snow, Bloomington, Ill.
6. Eddie Martin, Pell City, Ala.
7. Jim Winter, Moline, Ill.
8. R.G. Ebert, Avondale
9. Ramo Stott, Keokuk, Iowa
10.Bob Short, Des Moines
11.Russ Hibbard, Marshall, Mo.
12.Henderson Tonnies, Maryville
13.Bud Super, Omaha, Neb.
14.Jack McCoy, Ashland, Ore.
15.Howard Minor, Des Moines
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