Bill Stroppe was my hero then; he remains my hero today!
Shortly before he passed away, I sent him a letter, telling him just how much he meant to me and asked if I could take his nickname "Baja Bill from Signal Hill" and his secretary wrote back that not only did tears come to his eyes, he gave the "go ahead" to take the "Baja Bill" nickname and run with it!
Bill Stroppe was a simple man, easy to get along with, and he let me warm up the "Big Oly" Bronco before a couple of races as a mere teen; his preparation and fabrication; his creativity and ability to fashion all kinds of features in to all kinds of Ford - and later Dodge - vehicles for racing was second to none!
"If it can be welded down instead of bolted; we weld it!" he told me.Another one of his saying did not apply to fabrication; but arguably to "preparation": "Women and gasoline don't mix."
I keep in touch with a few of the sons of famous off-road racers; Willie Stroppe, Patrick Martinez (Jamie Martinez' son) and Joel Silverstein, who used to race with Willie in a Bronco called "The Stove" - a propane fueled vehicle that was very dependable.
I never got the chance to race a four-wheeler in off-road racing but I did race on two-wheels (Class 22 - Open Pro) and then went to college, only to return to racing and become involved in the former/old HDRA and SCORE in the mid-1980s. I remain somewhat active today - especially during the Baja 1000 Peninsula runs when I go up in the airplane and interpret (Spanish) for Bob "Weatherman" Steinberger (SCORE 21).
If you ever have any questions that I might answer, feel free to contact me!
