An old soldier is gone

[Michael Rand]

One of our North American stars of open wheel racing going back to the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's and well into the 1980's and maybe beyond has gone.
Charles "Charlie" " Chuck" Dietrich left us all Last Sunday night July 7.
From Elva Formula Juniors through F5000 honkers and Can Am Lolas for Carl Haas Chuck drove everything and anything.
Personally I raced with Chuck in the early 1970's in FB cars [predecessors of F Atlantic] and never raced anyone who could make his car any wider than him.
Charlie and Dan Carmichael were the Frick and Frack twins of CenDiv FA racing for years, Dan well over 6' and Charlie barely making 5'6", always together on and off track.
My bride Tracy got a call from Janie Dietrich last night with the news and unfortunately this is one of those that is a relief to all involved, Charlie included, as he had battled for years and years and had reached the point of no return.
No details at this point but cards will reach Janie at 2910 Timber Lane, Sandusky, OH, 44870.
Near the end of Chucks driving career he made sporadic appearances in Elva Juniors and as the factory driver for Frank Nichols and the Elva "factory" back in the day.
A true pioneer of our particular motor sports persuasion in it's formative post WWII years into the '80's he was always a quiet polite guy off track and a bloody minded tiger on..........
Banging wheels with Chuck in 1974 at whatever turn 3 at Nelson is called with us both spinning , he in his ex-Rondel Brabham, me in one of the actual Rondel cars, will be one of my enduring memories of my time in FB in that time......
Go fast Chuck, you never knew any other way, you'll be missed.

[glenn cooper]

Nice eulogy, Mike.

[veefan]

God Bess, RIP


http://www.fantasyjunction.com/cars/...Lotus%20Twin..

In North America, the McLaren Mk. 4B and Brabham BT-21s and BT-29s absolutely dominated in Formula B. This particular chassis was delivered new to Chuck Dietrich who won 10 of 11 races during the 1967 SCCA National championship season,

[lucky13]

Nice words about a good man. I met Chuck in the late 70s and early 80s through some friends who had raced with him. Regards to Chuck's family from me and your old friend Russ.

Matt

[racerdad2]

A truly fine man who drove some very cool cars ! Godspeed !

[kea]

When I moved from F/Ford to a Ralt RT-1 F/S-Vee, Chuck and Dan were the first to come over and welcome me to the field of "big bore" formula cars. (IRP in 1982)
They really came over because they thought I was another Ralt RT-1 F/A, and seemed more inviting once they discovered what my car class really was. But from that day on, when I saw Chuck (Dan too), it was like we had been friends for years before that day.
I will fondly remember the times we shared racing the tracks of Cen-Div together.

[Paddy O'Brien]

Chuck raced a Martini Supervee as late as October 2001 when I chatted with him at impound at Mid-Ohio. He said to me "I raced against Jimmy Clark" as if to say "look how far I have fallen!". Chucks SCCA # was 412!!! I believe he had a very successful sportscar/racecar store in Columbus Ohio for many years.

[Robert J. Alder]

And before the "Big Bore" formula cars, Chuck raced and won in small displacement sports racers. Below from Road & Track, circa 1963

[kea]

Another one of Chuck's cars.
Early 1970's @ MIS

[Steve Demeter]

Another of the great people to race with and hang out with has left our midst.

Vaya con Dios our friend

[efoxfield]

I haven't seen Chuck in many year but, I remember him like it was yesterday. If I remember correctly he had SCCA racing license #1. I also remember he was a VW dealer at one time.
An all around great guy.
Ed Midgley

[bill gillespie]

Hey Mike,

I first met Chuck at a FA race at MidOhio.....It was raining hard and he sat on the hot grid with nose plugs and a scuba snorkel coming out of his helmet......looked crazy, but he had the only fog-free visor around !

Regards,
Bill

[dereklola]

I knew Chuck briefly in the mid 90s because I nearly bought one of his Atlantics for vintage racing. He and Janie became instant friends and invited us to visit and dine wth them several times. He also came to run a vintage race at Mid-Ohio. We walked through the garages and paddock together with me stupidly thinking I would introduce him to some of the folks there - no need - instant recognition and "Hi Chuck how are you, long time no see" was heard from many who had raced with him a couple of decades earlier. Guess he didn't fancy vintage because he bought the Martini and stayed with "real" racing.

I'm honored and happy to have known him.

[dereklola]

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/obituary/4265961

[DanW]

Hey Mike,

I first met Chuck at a FA race at MidOhio.....It was raining hard and he sat on the hot grid with nose plugs and a scuba snorkel coming out of his helmet......looked crazy, but he had the only fog-free visor around !

Regards,
Bill

I recall a story by Denise McCluggage (Competition Press?) from long ago about a driver who used a snorkel on the hot grid in the rain. She said it was also about intimidating the others on grid that he was willing to go swimming if that's what it took to be through Turn 1 first.

I think she reprised that story in her book "By Brooks Too Broad for Leaping".

[bill gillespie]

I recall a story by Denise McCluggage (Competition Press?) from long ago about a driver who used a snorkel on the hot grid in the rain. She said it was also about intimidating the others on grid that he was willing to go swimming if that's what it took to be through Turn 1 first.

I think she reprised that story in her book "By Brooks Too Broad for Leaping".

Hey Dan,

I don't remember what car Chuck was driving, But Dan Carmichael and I both had RT4s, and Cliff Ebben had his March 81a , I think.......Chuck actually had the snorkel....don't know if Denise was referring to him in her book.

Regards,
Bill

[Fred Amey]

For those of Chuck's colleagues who weren't around in the 60's and may be interested, I will try to post a few images from the middle years of his amazingly long racing career. RIP.

[Fred Amey]

The black and white image was I believe taken at the first Dietrich Motors garage. Chuck raced both the Porsche, and the Ferrari (SWB #3327). I recall seeing film footage of him in that spyder looking smoother and faster than anything else on the reel, I think at Cumberland sometime early 60's. The other ones are from the Amey-Dietrich racing years, with an Elva-BMW Mk VII and a McLaren - Trojan FB car (SCCA National Champions '67, runner up '68).

[Fred Amey]

A few more from the '60's

[Fred Amey]

Another of Chuck's race cars, the Lola T-460 he ran in the 1980's