VOLUME 59 ISSUE 31 AUGUST 2, 2022 P123
brought on by a revival of Indian
Motorcycles and the company's
entry into American Flat Track
racing. Hill and Bill Tuman were
surviving members of the last of
Indian's Wrecking Crew from the
mid-1950s before the original
Indian went bankrupt. Tuman
passed away late in 2020. He
was 99. Bill and Bobby were
Guests of Honor when Indian
unveiled its FTR750 race bike at
Sturgis in 2016.
"I think it's wonderful that the
new Indian remembered us," Hill
said. "It was a great feeling for
Bill and me to go to Sturgis and
see the appreciation we got from
the riders and all the fans. I've
got to tell you, it's tough just living
day to day at my age, so those
kinds of moments—to see that we
haven't been forgotten—well, it's
really something special."
Bobby bought his first motor-
cycle at 16, a shiny new 1938
Harley-Davidson WLD. It was a
rare machine. Only about 300
were made. He joined the local
Wheeling Roamers Motorcycle
Club and soon participated in
club meets. Hill grinned when
he told me about the Sunday
rides and hanging out with his
buddies in the club.
"There was a lot of bold
talk but very little action," he
said. "All my buddies bragged
about how fast they were and
how they were going to go
racing, but of all the guys in the
club, I was about the only one
who actually went through it."
Hill was a fan of racing before
he became a racer. He and his
buddies would ride to Ohio to
watch races, and Hill said he
became a big fan of Ed Kretz
Sr., Jimmy Chann, Billy Huber,
Chet Dykgraaf and Leo Anthony.
Some of those guys he'd never
seen race in person but only read
about. Little did he know at the
time that he'd be racing against
many of his heroes in a few years.
Hill started racing in 1940,
shortly before World War II
brought racing to a halt. After
serving in the Marines, Hill, like
many motorcyclists, was eager to
return to riding after the war. With
his racing experience before the
war, the AMA allowed him to be-
come an expert. Hill nearly won
his first pro race, the 1947 Day-
tona 200. Riding an Indian, he
gradually worked his way through
the field. With about 50 miles to
go, he was in second place.
Hill describes what happened
from there: "I could see Johnny
Spiegelhoff [the eventual winner]
ahead of me, and I was gaining.
I kept getting a pit signal from
my crew that read 'P2.' I thought
they were telling me I was in
second place. As it turns out, I
was really in the lead since we
started by rows back then five
seconds apart and were timed.
Even though Spiegelhoff was in
were made. He joined the local
Wheeling Roamers Motorcycle
talk but very little action," he
said. "All my buddies bragged
about how fast they were and
Hill won his first national in
1948 at Lakewood Park in
Atlanta but had to share the
victory with Billy Huber in
the only official tie in AMA
National racing history.
Hill won the AMA National
Championship twice in the early
1950s. Back then, the winner
of the Springfield Mile was
crowned national champ.
