Five-time Great Race champion Wayne Bell has passed away at his home in Las Vegas after a lengthy illness, his wife Suzie has informed us. Wayne, who compete in more than 30 Great Races through the years, won the event in 1989, 1990, 1992, 2000 and 2003 as a navigator, all with Dick Burdick as the driver. Most recently Wayne was the navigator for 1995 Grand Champion Curtis Graf in a 1932 Ford Roadster. Wayne retired after the 2019 Great Race that finished in Tacoma, Wash. Wayne was the driving force behind the Timewise speedometer that all Great Racers have used since the early 2000s. “Wayne’s impact on the Great Race was tremendous, but most people didn’t know because of his quiet demeanor,” Great Race Director Jeff Stumb said. “When I first started competing in the Great Race in 1994, Wayne had already won the event three times,” Stumb said. “And a little known fact is he won in three different vehicles – a 1924 Bentley Speedster, a 1916 Hudson Speedster and a 1934 Ford Bohnalite Special. That’s an amazing ability to compete at such a high level in three very different cars.”
When I think of the “Legends” of Great Race, Wayne Bell will be amongst the greatest. Beyond his competitive skill was a true gentleman, who willingly and gracefully shared his expertise with those who wanted to reach the top.
With fond memories, I send sincere condolences to the Bell family and to his larger Great Race family who shared his love of the Great Race.
Brian “MotorMouth” Goudge
Wayne’s favorite part of Great Race was exchanging information & sharing their teams daily experiences at the end of each leg. With Great Race he was in his element.
Wayne Bell was Dick Burdick’s Navigator in all 11 of my Great Races except my first one
in 1984. Both he and Dick Burdick were fierce competitors, but alwas gentelmen.
He and Dick won many championships together in many different cars. A real pleasure to know both of them. Like many of the early racers when cars had to be 1936 or older,
the montra was, “To Finish is to Win” which applied to all of us. I miss all those fellow racers, but the memories last in my mind.