Great Race Champion Wayne Bell has Passed Away

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.”