The Original Hot Rodder: Biography of Bill Waddill His History of Hot Rodding and the Genesee Gear Grinders - Paperback

by Kathy Anne Hanks Waddill Ridley (Author)

The Original Hot Rodder is a biography of Bill Waddill. He was born with the need for speed like his own father, Harry Hanks, who was killed in 1928 during a dirt-track race. Bill never knew his birth father, but Harry's racing legacy lived on when Bill became a pioneer of racing in the state of Michigan; went on to set a Bonneville land speed record and several national drag racing records. Bill Waddill was the first president of the local hot rod club called the Genesee Gear Grinders in 1948 and was an active member until 1963. He competed and was very successful in many kinds of racing including early Bonneville and drag racing, Reliability Runs, Gymkhanas, the Mexican Carerra Pan-Americana, sports car road racing and off-road racing in the Mint 400 and Baja 500. He also attended many early car shows and consistently won "Best Engineered" and top honors in his class. He counted Mickey Thompson, Wally Parks and Roger Huntington among his many racing friends.

Author Biography

Kathy A. Ridley lives in Swartz Creek, Michigan with her husband Art and her Brittney Spaniel named Lincoln. She is a licensed Interior Designer who is retired from a local architectural-engineering firm. She has several hobbies including genealogy, Civil War research, dollhouse miniatures, traveling, reading, golfing and her antique truck. Kathy has had articles published in "Nutshell News" magazine and was featured in "Dollhouse Miniatures" magazine and "The Minature Catalogue." She was also featured on "Michigan Magazine," a local television program. She hopes to write a cookbook and a biography about her great-great-grandfather who was a member of the very exclusive Civil War regiment called the Michigan Mechanics and Engineers that was with General Sherman during his march to the sea.