RIP Col. Joe Hauser

[Mike Unger]

I just learned that Col. Joe Hauser has passed away. Col. Joe was a class act and superb Datsun Roadster racer. Joe and his wife Lois were heros of mine. He was a gentleman and a great competitor and more than willing to pass on knowledge to others. Many have benefited from his write ups on roadster preparation. I loved watching him race his 1600 (now in the capable hands of Bill Wessel) at Summit Point. One time when Ellen and I visited Joe and Lois at their home in Maryland Lois asked Joe to let the cat out and I was amazed to see Joe take the cat out on a leash. I'd never seen that before and for some reason it really cracked me up and we had a good laugh. When Joe needed parts modified for his car he bought machines and taught himself how to do the work so he could make any modifications himself. I took that to heart and have tried to do the same. Something I learned from Col. Joe. RIP Col.


From the Production car racing site:

I just learned that Col Joe Hauser passed away early this morning. Joe won 4 G/p National championships in 1974, 76 and 1981,82. Col Joe was a B-26 bomber pilot in WW-2.. The Army needed him in the US as an instructor so he few his missions in Europe after D-day [June,1944]. There wasn't enough radar equipment to put in all the planes back then so only the lead planes called pathfinders had them, they guided the bomb groups to the targets and started the bomb drops. Joe was a pathfinder. Later he few in the Berlin air lift that took supplies into Berlin when the Soviets Union blockaded the city in 1948. Joe stayed in the Air Force and retired in the late1960s. Joe started racing a Sprite in the 1960s too and won his 1st championship with it in 1974. That's when I got to know Joe. He was the man to beat in G-p so when I got my Nat license I went to run with him as soon as I could at Watkins Glen. I say run, not race because I saw him for parts of 3 laps as he left me behind. After the race in impound he came up to me, seeing I had finished 2nd, and said I had done good, that I had done what you needed to do on days when you don't win, that is to drive within your abilities, stay on the track and finish as well as you could. It was his way of giving a new driver a little confidence and his advice that day I have used ever since. Joe won his next 3 Championships in a Datsun in a way that I always thought was great. Sometime in the mid 1970s SCCA, over Joe's objections, moved the 1600 Datsun from F-P to G-P. He said the car was wrong for the class and if they did he would buy one and prove it. So he did and won 3 more times in G-P.



After he retired from racing I went to see him in Maryland many times. We went sheet shooting and ate crab cakes. All the while with me asking him about the war until he would say, "you ask a lot of questions" and then we would go back to his favorite topics, politics and racing. To me Col Joe was a war hero, a great race driver and a mentor. I will miss having him to talk too.



Rick Haynes

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[spl310]

The Roadster world is a little lesser place now. Rest in Peace Col. Hauser.

[dbrick]

Never had the pleasure of meeting him, wish I had. He's from that WWII generation, the men of which that I don't think we'll see anything close to again.

[Gregs672000]

Wow yes, I first saw his name in a Nissan Comp catelog many years back in the Roadster section. RIP Mr Hauser, thanks for your service to the Country, and to Roadsters.

[gpdatsun]

As a Datsun roadster guy, I looked up to Col. Joe. I had my own roadster that I raced, but was looking for a National car and who better to turn to than Joe. I tracked down his number (pre-internet days) called him and asked if he knew of any cars for sale. “Well…mine”, he said. And that is how I came to run Joe’s car and meet Joe and Lois.

Joe sold me the car “with NO repeat NO warranty of any kind. You race it, you break it, it’s yours.” But verbal advice he gave freely, and we would talk and he’d answer all my questions. “I wish I’d kept better notes”, he’d say. But he did give me great notes, parts, and tips and tools for me to learn to build my own engines and run the car just as hard as he had.

I remember fondly that weekend with Joe and Lois, picking up the car and him showing me some of his memorabilia and trophies from his race wins, his new hobby of shooting and packing his own shot, and sharing a simple hot dog dinner at their table.

They were like proud parents in the paddock after my first Runoffs race at Mid Ohio in 2001. And Joe was there to share the champagne with me at the podium when I placed third in 2004. He followed my races over the internet, with his email being geepea47. Funny, when I asked him if I could use the number 47 (which I didn’t for the first few seasons), his reply was “I don’t know why you ever changed it?!” It meant a lot to me to keep the car as Joe had, same Wimbleton white, with blue numbers. And almost every race someone would come by and ask “is that Joe Hauser’s car?” and then share their story of seeing Joe race or having raced with him.

I last spoke with Joe a few months ago. We talked about the car, of course. He enjoyed the card from the 50th Runoffs. He also talked of his birthday; he would be 95 this year.

He was a mentor, a friend and one of my heroes. I salute you, Col. Joe. You will be missed by many….

[notoptoy]

Awesome honoring of a good friend Bill! Well done!

[Linda]

Sounds like he had a good life knowing he accomplished worthy things and had some fun too.

Linda

[FairladySPL]

Bill that's a nice tribute to Col. Joe, not only what you've written, but while he was still around to see his car in capable hands.

You and I haven't met, I don't believe, but we've got lots of friends in common.

Best wishes and take good care.

[RC240z]

Bill, That is really heart felt, and you have done so well with his old steed, well done Sir, Well Said!

Col. Joe RIP! God Speed!

R