Thanks to "Classic Car Africa" magazine
Here follows Ken MacLeod's draft article on Dennis Woodhead:
One-time rival and close friend Jack Whitehead described Dennis Woodhead as "a tiger!"
That sums up the approach of the man who, in a meteoric career of just over three years, not only came to be regarded as South Africa's first, albeit unofficial, drivers champion but to be regarded by the overseas drivers against whom he competed as able to hold his own in any company in the world.
Woodhead began his career on motorcycles, but switched to cars in 1936 at age 22 years, making his debut at the wheel of his self-built single-seater Ford V8 Special in the Kimberley 100.
Less than three weeks later he came to the fore with a characteristically explosive if brief outing in the Nairobi-Rand road race in which he shared a Ford V8 with DM Egan. Starting last of 42 entries at Nairobi, they led on handicap at Dodoma, 455 miles from Nairobi, and there was media speculation that if they continued at that pace they could set a world long-distance record by the time they reached the finish. But they were not to reach the finish. With only one headlight working and blinded by the dust of a car they were following, they struck a tree stump they hadn't seen 65 miles north of Mbeya in Tanganyika (Tanzania).
Jack Whitehead and Jack McNicol (Ford V8) stopped and loaned them their spare front-axle assembly and went on their way. Woodhead and Egan were listed as missing and only arrived back in Johannesburg a month after the race. Woodhead may not have finished what must have been the toughest and most gruelling production saloon car race ever staged in Africa, but he had certainly made a name for himself.
Woodhead was entered in the Third South African Grand Prix at the Prince George circuit, East London, on New Year's Day 1937 in an MG Magnette Special. But he was a non-starter because, in the words of the Rand Daily Mail, "he crashed the previous evening in practice owing to a spectator's stupidity". Said spectator was driving on the track when he should not have been and Woodhead took avoiding action.
Woodhead went on to clinch the Silver Springbok series at the Lord Howe circuit outside Johannesburg that year. (See story in Classic Car Africa, July 2001.)
Driving the Magnette he started as one of the limit men in the Second Rand Grand Prix in December 1937 and the Second Grosvenor Grand Prix in January 1938, but failed to finish.
In the Bluff 75 of 1938, the first motor race to be held in Durban, Woodhead started from scratch in the single-seater Ford and had worked his way up to fourth place at the start of the last lap. But he lost a wheel on the last lap and in an incredible drive continued for five miles on three wheels before finishing eighth. But he still had fastest race time.
Then he put up fastest time of day at the Quaggapoort Hill climb in the same car in 48.0seconds. Incredibly the inimitable Mario Massacurati, driving a Cord in the stock-car class, put up second fastest time of day in 48.8 seconds!
When midget-car racing was introduced to South Africa at the South African Stadium at Malvern, Germiston, on October 1, 1938, Woodhead was among several top drivers and motorcyclists to try their hand at the new sport. It obviously suited his tigerish driving style because he not only broke several records but earned the Africa Cup for the best South African driver during the season which ended the following March.
In April 1939 he reappeared in the Talbot, now fitted with a 3.4-litre supercharged Graham engine. He won the Grand Challenge final at the Lord Howe circuit, then finished third in the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy race at the same circuit in August.
But tragedy was just around the corner. On New Year's Day 1940, the 24-year-old panel beater had covered just 300 metres in the Grand Challenge final at the Lord Howe circuit when a back wheel collapsed. His car stood on its nose and Woodhead was flung out as it rolled four times. He died in hospital of a fractured skull two days later.
THIS ADDED NOTE Originally
posted by Hieronymus The GOLDEN CITY OPEN HANDICAP RACES were
held on 1 Jan. 1940 at the Lord Howe Circuit near Johannesburg.
Joe Sarkis won. This was the race that killed probably the best
South African pre-WW2 driver, Dennis Woodhead. The Bluff Grand
Prix of 1940 in Durban was banned due to city council decision
on road safety.
-----> Look here for more Information
LINK TO -- Auto Union’s South African adventure
THIS ADDED by Derek Woodhead As I recall the Ford V8 was built by the three brothers Eric, Hylton and Dennis, Eric my father being the oldest and more experienced did the panel beating on the tail area and made the radiator grill from a Chevrolet grill that he cut down and shaped. Dad was also a wiz with tuning the motor.