PIKE GREEN 1996 INDUCTEE

Born in Victoria in 1923, Harry C. “Pike” Green became interested in auto racing at a young age with his early racing heros including 1992 “Victoria Auto Racing Hall of Fame” inductee, Jack Smith.

Following a move to Seattle, Pike started driving at Langford Speedway in 1946, competing in Stu Pringle’s sprint car. In his very first race, he qualified in the top 4 and wound up in the helmet dash (later called the “trophy dash”). The highlight of this, his rookie year, was winning the first-ever 50-lap main event at Langford in which he competed against over 40 cars entered from all over the West Coast. Pike ended that season by earning second spot in the point standings.

Early in 1947, he drove the #25 sprint car for Tacoma’s Chuck House. This was a very good car and Pike did very well with it, which included coming 1^st in a 40-lap main event at Seattle’s “Aurora Stadium” (also known as “Playland”). During 1947 and 1948, he won many times at different tracks throughout the Pacific Northwest which included five or six main events at Langford Speedway. His rides included the Samco-powered sprint car owned by Johnny Dalby and one named the “Li’l Stinker”, which derived its name from an oil company sponsor. He delighted in winning with this particular car as it had a small 110 cu. in. engine, competing against larger-engined racers on the quarter-mile tracks.

Pike and his racing brother Bud were referred to as “The Brothers” by many famous racing personalities such as Seattle racing announcer Ted Bell, unlimited hydroplane driver Bill Muncie, Victoria’s race car builder Grant King and a host of others.

With Langford Speedway’s closure in 1950, Pike moved, along with many of his fellow racers, to running at Duncan’s “Shearing Speedway” with his 1^st appearance there seeing him win the main event.

Pike quit active racing in 1960, but then got involved in hydroplane racing until 1970 which included him winning the “Seafair Trophy” for limited hydroplanes in July of 1964.

In the 1970’s, he became involved with many public relations activities for the sport of auto racing. He wrote numerous historical newspaper articles, including his weekly “Yesterday’s Wheels” column which appeared in Gary Sterner’s West Coast paper, “Racing Wheels” and in addition, kept statistical information, newspaper clippings and race results. In 1975, Pike was a founding father in the formation of “Golden Wheels”, a fraternity of retired West Coast auto racers and held it’s Seattle chapter’s “President” position for a time. This club also fielded a number of vintage sprint cars which appeared at various West Coast tracks with Pike driving his restored “Li’l Stinker”.

He attended an “Old Timer’s Nite” at Western in August of 1976 and drove a ’56 Ford “Hobby Stock” in one of 3 races that were held for former drivers. He was a pit crew member on cars in the “Indy 500” in the 1977, ’80, ’81 and ’84 races. As well as his participation in auto and hydroplane racing, he was also an accomplished pilot, entering major Western airshows, including the “Abbotsford World Internationals”, from 1971 until 1980.

Like many of his fellow auto racers, Pike’s daily job involved wheels, 18 of them in fact, as he was a long-haul trucker.

Pike passed in January of 2005.