Internet find. Old-schoolers check this out. Hanley/Beiderman

[Shadowracer]

Amazing what you stumble across sometimes, aint it? Old footage of a Jr. Hanley/ Don Beiderman duel.

These guys were Delaware heroes, so I'm putting it here, but the clip is actually from Mt Clemens circa approx 1982. Not a "classic" Hanley Beiderman dustup, but still not bad. Might remember a few of the other names too.

PS, note the car count in the feature...then tell me again about how huge the fields were in the old days. 

race[/url]

Pt 1[/url]

Pt 2[/url]




Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=9684.msg67479#msg67479

[wattie1]

That was a fantastic video I could watch that stuff all day long. That is why Jr. was the best in his time did you see how easy he went around everyone even Beiderman who was running up to the wall so if you blocked him high he just went low and vice versa. He was definetly the best at passing on the outside I 've seen.

Brian

Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=9684.msg67480#msg67480

[ShortTrackFan]

Not many tracks run the "Australian Pursuit" style race anymore shown in the first clip. Thanks for the videos.


My 2009 Race Count: 13

My 2009 Track Count: 8 - East Bay Raceway(FL), New Smyrna (FL), Volusia (FL), Bristol (TN), Flamboro (ON), Delaware (ON), Sunset (ON), Merrittville (ON)

Next Up: Ohsweken (ON) and Lancaster (NY)

Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=9684.msg67481#msg67481

[3-Wide]

awesome videos!  sometimes I wish I lived threw thoese days haha

Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=9684.msg67482#msg67482

[Shadowracer]

Not many tracks run the "Australian Pursuit" style race anymore shown in the first clip. Thanks for the videos.

heh...oldschooler alert. Use of the term "Australian" pursuit is a dead giveaway.
 

Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=9684.msg67483#msg67483

[#9Chris]

cool video's.

Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=9684.msg67488#msg67488

[Statsman]

Cool video, nice to see CASCAR co-champ Larry Lemay in his #23 as well.

I've got a DVD that has a Mt Clemons race on it from around the same time and Mark Martin was there that night in his ASA title winning orange #2 Camaro. Hanley wheeled around him just as easily as the guys in this video and Biederman got by Martin as well.

The same DVD has a race from either Toledo or Flat Rock and it is joined after the race starts. Hanley and Biederman are both outside the top 10 and at least a half-lap behind. Hanley catches up and wins the race without benefit of a caution. 

I also remember seeing him run at Sunset one time where the ease-of-passing was a result of significantly outhandling the other guys on the straights. He was almost coming to a complete stop in the turns that night. Not to say there weren't lots of times when he had the whole package working as well.

My recollection is that the roles reversed over the course of the 70s. When Hanley first came up from Nova Scota Biederman was the better bet and that lasted a few seasons but later on (around the time of the big match race at Delaware in 1978 attended by 125% of Ontario race fans of the day including me ), Hanley would generally come out on top of head to head battles.

Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=9684.msg67490#msg67490

[Dusty]

I remember, at Flamboro. Jr and Don were gettin into it. Don took Jr up into the turn 3 wall. He had damaged his car worse than Jr, and was being towed off the track. The hood was slipping off the roof, and Don (being Don) hit the brakes of the car trying to stop the tow truck. Well I guess the truck driver wasn't havin a great day eather. They stopped on the front stretch,and exchanged words. Don climbed from the car and took a swing at this grizzly bear that was operating said tow truck. The bear grabbed Don, put him down on the grass, and rubbed his face in the dirt. As much as I was a big fan and Friend, I found much humor in his antics. God Bless him, but he could not pick his fights LOL

Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=9684.msg67499#msg67499

[Shadowracer]

My recollection is that the roles reversed over the course of the 70s. When Hanley first came up from Nova Scota Biederman was the better bet and that lasted a few seasons but later on (around the time of the big match race at Delaware in 1978 attended by 125% of Ontario race fans of the day including me ), Hanley would generally come out on top of head to head battles.

That sounds about right. I think Beider did most of his winning in the 70's. Most notably for me was him in that old beat up looking Nova taking both halves of the Maple Leaf 250 at Cayuga in 1977. I was there and remember that....even though I was a lad of 9 at the time. (I also remember someone having a pretty horrific fire on the backchute the same day....might have been Terry Kitchen.) Anyways, Hanley was doing well by that time, but didn't really start to acheive the utter dominance he had until the very early 80s. By that time, according to old Wheelspin magazines and stuff, Beiderman was starting to make noises about quitting, unless he could find a ride with someone else footing the bill. Then along came the Thompson Movers ride that kept him in business a while longer. Him and Hanley got to carry on their "feud" a little longer after that, but Jr was doing the lion's share of the winning by that point.

One thing Beider was good for for sure was a quote, and in the ballyhoo in the London Free Press before a big race at Delaware usually included some kind of quote from Don. (I often wonder if he made more money from 'appearance money" than race winnings.)  Somewhere I read a short interview with him before the "duel" (which we didn't go to  ) They asked him who he thought was going to win.

His response, "The promoter".

And I think he was right. There are no records to support it, but legend has it it was the first and last time that Delaware ever truly cracked 10,000 fans.

I remember, at Flamboro. Jr and Don were gettin into it. Don took Jr up into the turn 3 wall. He had damaged his car worse than Jr, and was being towed off the track. The hood was slipping off the roof, and Don (being Don) hit the brakes of the car trying to stop the tow truck. Well I guess the truck driver wasn't havin a great day eather. They stopped on the front stretch,and exchanged words. Don climbed from the car and took a swing at this grizzly bear that was operating said tow truck. The bear grabbed Don, put him down on the grass, and rubbed his face in the dirt. As much as I was a big fan and Friend, I found much humor in his antics. God Bless him, but he could not pick his fights LOL

Heh...good story. I heard another one about Beiderman's antics from Flammy, and it fits into the "If it aint true, it oughta be" category. Apparently Beiderman had gone through the pit area before the heats one night and offered a crisp 100 dollar bill up for anyone that would wreck Jr in his heat race. The story went that one of the drivers was definitely interested. (might have been Zardo) Once the race rolled out onto the track, apparently Don duct taped that 100 dollar bill onto the end of a hockey stick, and when the cars came around, he just leaned over the pit wall and dangled the money out over the racetrack as a reminder.

But...these stories DO have a way of getting better over time don't they?

Many times I wondered, and still do, if it was all for real. Truthfully, they were mercenary race drivers that were equally capable of being jerks. (Don was just better at making the role of Villain work for him)  But the both of them always managed to be able to tap the promoters for appearance money...so I'd guess there was probably a bit of embellishment going on from time to time as well. I couldn't say for sure, but that's what my gut tells me. They may not have liked each other, but they knew what side their bread was buttered on.

Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=9684.msg67508#msg67508