1979 – Former Racing Great, Johnny Gerber, Dies

 

By Larry Sullivan

Thomson, Ill. (April 11, 1979) – Auto racing lost one of its greatest all-time dirt track drivers and race car builders Wednesday when John Gerber of Davenport, was called to the “Golden Speedway”.

Born in West Morganville, Kan., in 1896, he moved to Meriden, Kan., at an early age where he lived until moving to Stanwood, Iowa, in 1928. He lived there for several years before moving to Davenport, Iowa, in 1935. Mechanically minded at a young age, while attending college in Texas, and working at garages in Oklahoma and Kansas, Gerber built himself up a Chevy speedster.

Johnny and a “buddy” went to a county fair auto race in the fall of 1921 in Missouri and after viewing the race car field, John commented, “If these are race cars, so is mine.” He found the promoter and was allowed to compete in the races. He finished second in the feature event and collected $500 in his try.

In 1922-23, Johnny, with his 490 Chevy, with reworked heads, campaigned the independent dirt tracks of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, and during the winter of 1923-24 reworked a four-port Oldsmobile rocker arm head for his 490 Chevy block which ran up until the mid-season of 1928 when he changed to an Art Chevrolet R.A. head for a 490 Chevy block. This head not being satisfactory, Gerber obtained some obsolete rocker arm patterns from Jack Gallivan and reworked them to Gerber’s specifications cast and machined new heads which were used through 1929 to 1931 with great success on Midwestern dirt tracks.

Gerber next obtained some single overhead cam patterns that were once Jack Gallivan’s, reworked and changed, built and machined new heads and came out with a brand-new Gerber Special in mid-summer of 1932 which now made him two cars. To Johnny Gerber and this writer, the “Golden Years of Auto Racing” were in the 20’s and 30’s when garage mechanics built their own various types of machines with an assortment of different cylinder heads and motor blocks.

Gerber’s new second machine was driven by the legendary Maynard “Hungry” Clark of Milan, Ill., who had driven for Johnny for four years through 1935. In 1932, Johnny and Maynard ran independent with a few IMCA races sprinkled in there throughout the Midwest and gave a great account of themselves, winning numerous feature events, including a few 100-milers.

In 1933, Clark and Gerber invaded the Eastern dirt tracks such as Woodbridge, N.J., Langhorne, Penn., and Flemington, N.J., and the Hankinson Fair circuit running AAA at many county and state fairs with their two Gerber Specials competing against factory-built Millers, Offys, D.O. Cragars, D.O. Hals, and D.O. McDowells.

When Gerber and Clark first invaded the East, the two drivers had their tents set up in the Woodbridge infield and had as mascots, two pigs and were known as the “Two Iowa Farmers”, a publicity stunt set up by promoter Jack Curley. Johnny himself retired as an active driver at the end of the 1933 racing season.

During 1934 and through the winter of 1934-35, Gerber built up two complete motors of his own design, casting his own block, how own crankshaft, connecting rods, etc. One block as a “220” and the other was a “246”. He also built another complete new car to start the 1935 season.

Gerber, after retiring from driving himself at one time or another had these star drivers as his chauffeurs. The listing looks like a “Who’s Who” in racing – Maynard Clark, Ken Fowler, “Buster” Warke, “Buddy” Rusch, Billy DeVore, Tommie Hinnershitz, Otis Stine, and Cecil Burnaugh. Also, Jimmie Snyder, Bill Winn, Rex Mays, Ronnie Householder, Frankie Bailey, Bob Sall, Floyd Davis, Paul Russo, Dave Randolph, and Freddie Winai.

The Gerber cars were last raced in Davenport, Iowa, in June of 1942, just before the closing of racing due to World War II. The #15 Gerber O.H.C. is still owned by the Gerber household and is one of the few all-original race cars in the country today. The #14 Gerber Special, the “246” was sold to a California sportsman in 1948 and ran West coast tracks for several years and is now owned by Joe Gesma and is one of the most beautifully restored sprint cars in the country.

So, as I write this, I am wondering who has the pole position for the 50-lap feature event on the “Golden Speedway” with the line-up of Gus Schrader, Johnny Gerber, “Dutch” Baumann, Bert Ficken, George Souders, Sam Hoffman, Glenn Heitt, Johnnie Krieger, Vern McCombs, Pat Cunningham, Leonard Krebs, and “Howdy” Wilcox, all driving stars of yesteryear with whom Johnny competed against and who have gone on before.

To his loving wife Rose and two sons, Jim and John Jr., this writer, and all of the racing fraternity offer their condolences.