Johnny Ritter
His racing and life with
photos and printed material
By
Tom Avenengo
Part One
Due to the size of this
article, I’ve had to break it down into five parts.
If you’re reading this, then
you’re probably a race fan. And, if
you’re a race fan, over time, you more than likely had one major favorite
driver. Mine was Johnny Ritter.
I first saw him race at
Hinchliffe Stadium in
What follows are photos from
his racing career, mostly in order from the beginning, back in the ‘30’s, and
up to close to the end of his racing, in 1948.
Some of the photos were sent to me by various people, including his
daughter, Sharyn. Some I found on the
Internet. Hopefully, I’m not infringing
on any particular photographer!
Also, towards the end, is a
record of his race wins, a tribute to him by the late Nat Kleinfield, articles
of that fateful day when he was fatally injured, while changing a tire on his
race car and Hall of Fame information from the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of
Fame, along with the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.
Prior to coming East, Johnny
raced in the
Johnny in a # 28 Outboard at
Johnny in the Peterson # 2 Outboard at
From back in the ‘30’s – Johnny in his # 23 Outboard at
Not sure, but from the looks in this photo, he must have just won a race. That’s Charlie Miller in the dark jacket and helmet.
Continued