CN
III ARCHIVES
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
J
ohnny Spiegelhoff was a leading racer of the
1940s. The rider, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
won the Daytona 200 in 1947 aboard a prewar
Indian Sport Scout. Spiegelhoff also won the
Langhorne 100 in 1946 and numerous regional
and state championships during his 12-year racing
career. Like many racers of his era, Spiegelhoff's
career was cut in half due to the four-year stop of
national racing during World War II.
One accomplishment Spiegelhoff is lesser
known for might just be his biggest legacy. In
1938 "Pappy" Hoel brought the well-known pro in
to be the featured rider at a rally he was starting
in Sturgis, South Dakota. Fans flocked to see the
big Indian star race against the locals. Spiegelhoff
would become a fixture at Sturgis the rest of his
racing career and in retrospect, his presence
gave the upstart rally a star to promote and is
likely one of the key reasons Sturgis really took
off almost from the start.
Spiegelhoff was born on April 17, 1915. He
began riding motorcycles during the Depression
of the 1930s. His love for motorcycles grew out
living near Milwaukee, the home of the Harley-
Davidson factory, and living in close proximity
to a Harley dealership, where he hung out, did
light mechanic work, and caged rides. He later
worked in the Harley-Davidson factory, and was
assisted in the early years of his racing career by
the factory and area Harley-Davidson dealers.
His racing career began in 1934, riding in club
events and area races. He won the Canadian
THE RACER WHO MADE STURGIS
P110
Pride of Indian: Johnny Spiegelhoff
