Cliff Gullett Passes

[t russell]

Goodspeed,Family in our prayers.
terry

[Bville701]

This is a huge tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with Cliff's family and team.

Godspeed Cliff.   

[V4F STR 60]

Godspeed from your friends in Bozeman, Montana.  Thanks for facilitating my entry into the sport of LSR.  You will be missed.

[DCarr511]

I am another one who was never fortunet enough to meet Mr. Gullett, I have been able to watch him make a few passes during the last 2 years at least.

God Speed Cliff and my thoughts are with his Family and Friends at this time.

[tricktom1]

R.I.P.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Louise Ann Noeth (a/k/a Landspeed Louise) just sent this photo and asked that I post it.  It was taken this year -- don't know at which meet, but it shows the #7070 liner being pushed off the line.

[mtkawboy]

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/09/05/news/local/18-record.txt  nice article on Cliff in Billings Gazette

[hotrodladycrusr]

My condolences to Cliff's family and legions of friends.  RIP

[DahMurf]

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/09/05/news/local/18-record.txt  nice article on Cliff in Billings Gazette

That was a great article! This was interesting and admirable;

Gullett was attracting a lot of attention racing conventional motorcycles early in his career, Tesinsky said, enough that Costella, a man with more than 35 land speed records, sought him out. Other racers would have given anything to race a Costella machine, but Gullett almost turned the offer down after Costella announced that no children or women would be allowed in his impound.

Gullett's son, Casey, had always been a part of the racer's pit crew. If racing with Costella meant excluding Casey, Gullet was ready to stay small time.

"Cliff put his hand out to Jack and said, 'It's been nice knowing you, but my family comes first,' " Tesinsky recalled.

So how did that get worked out? Was the family able to continue to be on the crew as is common in our sport?

Debbie

[fredvance]

Talk about coincidence, I am a uhaul dealer and today I checked in a trailer that came from Bozeman.

[landracing]

So how did that get worked out? Was the family able to continue to be on the crew as is common in our sport?

Debbie

Debbie,

Im sure it all worked out. Cliff's son Casey was just an outstanding young lad. The family was part of the crew, it was hard to find Cliff around without son Casey.  Also doesn't hold true for the 5050 liner with Erin being part of the crew. So it was just something that was said but held no true meaning. Jack had some bad experiences in the past with kids (not his) and girlfriends (not his) but crew members when he was running Neb III.

Jon

[RichFox]

So how did that get worked out? Was the family able to continue to be on the crew as is common in our sport?

Debbie  I don/t know about this. Jack has had a female rider at El Mirage. His wife Kekio used to come to the races until she got tired of it. I don't know about kids, but I find it very hard to believe Jack said no women in the pit.
[/quote]

[McRat]

My condolences to the family and friends of Cliff.   

[DahMurf]

Thanks for the clarification guys! I can certainly understand not wanting out of control kids or ditsy chicks in the pits! Heck sometimes I don't want my own family in my pits!  Sounds like it worked out in the best possible way and I bet they both learned a lot from it. It's encouraging to hear he held his family in such high regard as to walk away, albeight temporarily, from the opportunity of a lifetime! I can't even imagine the pain the family will endure over this but it would have been worse had there been disdain over the racing arrangement. I can't help but think of the phrase "only the good die young". I never had the chance to meet him but its clear he was one of the good ones!

Lets all keep the good stories and anecdotes rolling! It really does help to add a smile here in there throughout the grieving process and I bet the family would love to continue to hear how many lives Cliff touched in such a positive way even if a lot of us didn't get to meet him!

Debbie

[PorkPie]

Jack has nothing against kids....it was just so, so as Jon wrote....that in his own NT III time he had some "bad" experience with kids playing in and around the car.

The current situation means for him that he had to take care for 3 or 4 racers to the same time.....

To Casey I have to say, he is a right guy, like his father.....I wouldn't be surprise when would see him in some years himself on the starting line....following his late father.

Last year I gave Casey a small photo album which I had with me to show some people picture from the SW 07.....as a memory for his 2007 time at the salt......sometimes so things starts a virus.....which called Salt Flats.

Casey was for Jack never a problem.....Jack's problem was always when kids start to use the racer as there play ground.

By the way, Keiko, Jack's wonderful wife.........she had to stay away from the salt by health issues....otherwise she would be still at the salt. If you be on Keiko's and Jack's place in San Jose....the hospitality from Keiko is out of earth.

I couldn't stay long with not increasing my weight by a pound per day......

Also I have to say that it was Keiko, who all the years support Jack doing his racing activities...with out her I don't know what we had seen from Jack....may be never NT IV (Yellow Submarine).......so as she said to me one day at her place.... when I send Jack in the workshop he stays young........

I hope Jack is doing ok after the tragedy with Cliff.........it would be a desaster if he would step back now.....Jack, I like to see you at the WoS or at the WF....be back at the place where you belong.....