Drag Illustrated Issue 149, October 2019 | Page 28
Dirt
GEORGE BRYCE
28 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
recall the conditions of that race, the setup on
the bike, the opponents, and probably most im-
portant of all, his tune-up.
“I see everything it took to win those trophies,”
he says. “But I also see the losses we had by one
inch; I see the red lights; I see the late lights; I
see the chains that broke; I see the bad tune-
ups.” This is significant, as Bryce also admits to
storing most of his vast motorcycle engineering,
fabricating and tuning knowledge nowhere but
within the confines of his mind.
“As racers we’re so hungry for an advantage
that when we work hard or buy something that
works or we develop something better, we really
are programmed to keep it secret. It created a
lifestyle of keeping the recipe close to the heart,
to not sharing,” Bryce says.
“So that means it’s not written down any-
where, which I think is one of my biggest and
worst downfalls now. The trophies have the in-
formation stored in a chapter in my mind, but
nothing is really recorded. If I was to start again
today, knowing what I know now about all these
electronic devices, I think I would have a nice
racing engine handbook instead of trophy en-
cyclopedias.”
The sprawling Star Racing shop, which once
teemed with 15 full-time crew members, engine
builders and technicians, now sees only Bryce
and longtime employees Randall Welsh, Ron
Reese and Monica Andrews reporting to work
each day. Even Jackie has given up the Star life
to return to the teaching career she put on hold
for 38 years and daughter Julie recently married,
moved to Nashville, and has absolutely no interest
in Bryce’s racing mementos, never mind taking
over the family business.
“I asked Julie, what do you want me to do with
all this stuff? And she said, ‘Oh Daddy, I don’t
want it. I mean, the memories are awesome, but I
don’t need that stuff.’ Then I said, what about all
these Wallys, and she answered, ‘Sell them, give
them away, put them in a museum, but please
don’t leave them to me because I can’t use them.’
Then she told me, ‘You know I love racing. I love
the people in racing, but please don’t ask me to
be in racing.’”
Despite no family member ready, willing or
able to take over and no employee young enough
Issue 149