Walt Wurzbach -SEDiv

[phantomjock]

This just arrived form our Gulf Coast Region Director, thought I share with the FF Community:

Walt Wurzbach was a well known leader of the Gulf Coast Region as well as Club Racing, Solo 1, and Solo 2 events to name a few.

The memorial for Walter O Wurzbach will be Saturday, April 27 at 10am. Guest admitting at 9am. The service will be held at:
Mack Funeral Home, 22154 AL-59, Robertsdale, Al 36567

Thank you Topper Jones for this wonderful tribute to Walt:

On April 14, 2019 we lost a great man and a great friend with the unexpected passing of Walter O Wurzbach. Walt leaves behind his two sons, Walter F. Wurzbach, and Robert H Wurzbach. He was preceded in death by his lovely wife Ann earlier this year. [/q
Who was Walt?

He was born in NY to German parents who went back to Germany at the wrong time. As a child he remembered escaping the nazi’s on a freighter for a trip back to America. As a young adult he had a passion for anything fast and the skill and guts to try almost anything. He started racing cars at a very young age and shortly after joining the military someone noticed his abilities and asked him if he wanted to fly. In an amazingly short time he was flying fighter jets. In Vietnam he somehow returned from a mission in a jet that that was missing so many parts and had so many holes in it that he truly should have ejected. When a visiting superior office saw him walking away from the wadded up plane on the end of the the runway and ordered him to move it he told the superior to, well I’ll let you guess that part but he somehow got by with it.

After Nam while stationed in Germany he became rather famous as a race car driver traveling all over Europe racing Formula Ford’s. The Stars and Stripes paper trailed Walt and his beautiful wife Ann all over as they raced and made America look good by representing us so well.
Walt was also a fantastic instructor and helped many racers get their start in Formula Cars. Most notably he put Arie Luyendyk Sr in his first open wheel. Arie went on to win the Indianapolis 500 in 1990 and 1997. Without Walt’s friendship, help, and guidance Marianne Jones and I would not have been able to own and race Formula Cars.

Almost anyone who has raced in the SCCA in the last 50 years has known who Walt was especially if they ever raced in a Solo I or Time Trial. He instructed many 100’s of Racers so that that they could obtain their Competition licenses. The Southeast Division of the SCCA has for many years given out a Wurzbach award and it is highly coveted.

Marianne Jones and I loved this man dearly and we are not alone in that. Many, many people loved this man who was a father, friend, mentor, tremendous competitor, and a much bigger than life all around good guy.

Walt has taken his final checkered flag on earth but I’m sure he and his wife Ann are celebrating in heaven today.

[RussMcB]

Thanks for posting. I only knew a tiny slice about Walt's life, and glad to learn more from your post.

[BURKY]

Sad to hear. Walt was my instructor many years ago, and I will always remember the advice he gave me. Godspeed Walt.

[Phil Creighton]

Maybe not too many folks on Apexspeed knew Walt but I came into contact with him as one of my customers and through his tireless efforts behind the scenes to help and promote time trials and solo in the SE. Great guy and a mentor to many - another character moved on up
Phil

[Farrout48]

For those people who never got the opportunity to know Walt and Ann, they definitely missed out. Walt and Ann were of the old school. They both loved the sport and did everything they could to promote it. More importantly, they preached safety, they taught safety, and they practiced safety. There are many of us in the SEDIV TT/SOLO1 program who learned from them and are forever grateful to them for that training. Walt and Ann were mentors to a lot of us and their dedication will live on with us.