Post by administrator on Jul 16, 2011 8:24:55 GMT 1
--- In oldtimespeedway@yahoogroups.com, John Hyam <john.hyam1@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> > From: John Hyam <speedstox12@...>
> > Date: 15 July 2011 20:14:03 GMT+01:00
> > To: "john.hyam1@..." <john.hyam1@...>
> > Subject: Fw: Brian Dillon remembered
> > Reply-To: John Hyam <speedstox12@...>
> >
> >
> > ----- Forwarded Message -----
> > From: Stephen Magro <stvmagro@...>
> > Sent: Friday, 15 July 2011, 14:34
> > Subject: Brian Dillon remembered
> >
> > Brian Dillion was an excellent race car driver and engineer. He was a good bloke too.
> > Brian passed away last week after being struck down with cancer and his funeral, held this week in Brisbane, was well attended by former champions and promoters, relations and a multitude of friends.
> >
> > I've enclosed 6 photos of 'Dillo', one of them taken by me at Liverpool City Raceway with him leaning over his car on the infield in 1978. I was 16 when I took it, I didn't know Brian then but then two decades later I moved to Brisbane and Brian and I became firm friends. He'd even accepted an invitation to attend my recent wedding, but only weeks later he'd had the bad news that he didn't have much time with us.
> >
> > In the recently published book celebrating Liverpool, by Tony Loxley, Brian wrote an entertaining piece on one of his favourite tracks, including:
> > "It wasn't long before my Edmunds Sesco was lapping as competitively as the best of the locals...Liverpool was really
> > something to look forward to and I did laps of that track on my pillow every night....I would drive the track in my mind,
> > lapping faster and faster, analysing what changes I would need to make tomorrow or back in the pits"
> >
> > I snapped another more recent photo of Brian too, alongside fellow champions Bob Morgan and Blair Shepherd, having a beer at North Brisbane Speedway.
> >
> > As a tribute to Brian the following shows a few paragraphs which show just how good he was on the speedway track. An ace of aces when it came to being an engineer and tutor, he was a super human being too. He was a fair dinkum nice guy. God speed, Brian Dillon.
> > Steve Magro
> >
> > "....well known professional International drivers Brian has competed against are: Indianapolis drivers Larry Rice, Johnny Rutherford, Mel Kenyon, A.J Foyt and Johnny Parsons Jnr and sprintcar identity the late Gary Patterson as well as Ron "Sleepy" Tripp.
> >
> > "Brian raced against, started behind, and defeated the American Indianapolis Legend A. J. Foyt in five out of seven events at Liverpool’s 100 MPH 1/4 mile high banked pavement speedway in Sydney in 1975.
> > "After winning the Queensland State Final in 1974, Brian came second in the Craven Filter National Speedcar Championship Final in Melbourne. Likewise, in 1977 he had to settle for second place in the Castrol Challenge National State Final held at the Sydney Showground track.
> > "All of Brian’s successes were made possible by having a reliable car and the most powerful engine that was still running strongly at the chequered flag. Part of this lasting ability is in the fine adjustments and tuning techniques........In all those years of engine building, no engine in his sole care for both tuning and assembly, ever had a major failure or breakage."
> > For 20 years Brian raced competitively in most cities in Australia with some major firsts to his credit, including:
> > * The World Speedway Cup at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground (1974), against a field of the best overseas and interstate stars including Americans Hank Butcher and Larry Rice, Australian Champions George Tatnell and Ronald McKay.
> > * Speedcar 40 lap Feature Event - Darwin (1974)
> > * Bob Tattersall Memorial Race, 40 laps - Liverpool City Raceway, Sydney (1974) on the100 mile per hour quarter-miler pavement raceway where he led home Australian touring car identity Johnny Harvey
> > * STP "Little Indy" 100 lap marathon, Brisbane Exhibition Ground (1975).
> > For more info go to: www.dilloncarclinic.com.au/brian.html