Art Fredenburgh

 

Vintage flat tracker Art Fredenburgh, passed away on November 2nd. Art was was injured while practicing for an oval race at Lancaster, California on September 6th. Our friendship grew this year as I made a few road trips to northern California with Art and Tom Horton. Tom knew Art from their Ascot days in the late 60's when they were both novices. Art lived in Phoenix and traveled to Ascot for the friday night oval races and the monthly TT's on saturday. They both evolved to Shell Thuet's Yamaha  team in the Early 70's. Later, Art  raced sprint cars in the Phoenix area before moving to Southern California. Art's interest in vintage flat track was partly caused by old friend Gary Davis' involvement and a Shell framed, 750 OW Yamaha that was available. Art and Toms constant banter was fueled this summer by Arts one and only victory over Tom. It was the Vet race at the Indy Mile and it didn't matter that Tom rode his mild motored Yamaha TT bike in the Vet class. Art won!  I happened to take a picture of Art leading Tom at the finish line. Art planned to sent Tom a copy of this momentous event every day for a month. Art was some what of a free spirit type racer, left over from the sixties. I learned a lot about flat track racing in the glory years from these two men on those road trips. Junior racing in the midwest in summer, indoors on the west coast in winter, the Astrodome, Ascot before hay bales. They saw quite a few riders maimed or killed during flat tracks heydays. But now they were racing for fun, not money or glory, just fun. Godspeed Art.

                                                                                                                                                 dennis vft

 


 


Art, Tom, and Mr. and Mrs. Shell Thuet with OW Yamaha
 


Art on the  Indy Mile
 


Art, Tom, John Lundgren, and Gary Davis with hardware at Indy
 


Gary, Art, Tom, and  Shell at 1998 AHRMA banquet
 


Art and Shell at Perris
 


Art and Tom chase Jim Rosa in Vintage Main at Perris
 


Vintage Class - 3rd Art - 1st  Jeff Johnson - 2nd Jim Rosa
 


Eddie Mulder and Art at Vegas VDTRA
 


 
 


Art's prize Honda.
 



Gene Romero's tribute to Art.