Byrd Man
03-02-2007, 08:17 PM
Ralph Gabbard owner of Mt. Orab Ford and Mercury passed. Ralph has raced since the 50's and knew racing as well if not better than anyone. He especially always knew what his car would do in any condition. My buddy Geoff and me always helped Ralph at the track. We would go to the dealership. Ralph would give us the keys to usually a new truck. Hook up the trailer and head to the track and get the car ready for when Ralph would arrive. In the past year it was pretty much Geoff helping and I would work on my own car. Everytime at the track Ralph would rattle of numbers so fast and disecting the quarter mile. One pass at a time in his full tube chassis Fox bodied GT. At times he would talk about his crashes. Racing in West Virginia and the car taking off like a jet and clipping trees at 100' in the air. Or the time the car fliiped upside down on the big end, in the air, upside down, and watching the other car come right at him and yet they missed. Ralph's car landed on it's roof just after the other car passed, but so close. In December he was so excited when I went to the dealership. Wanting to know everything about our Cobra and planning trips down South until warmer weather got here. He was like a little kid, so joyful that day. I wish he could have seen our car. I know he would have enjoyed it.
Five months ago Ralph thought he had a ear ache. That's what the Doctors told him. Mulitple time he would go back and the Doctors kept prescribing him medine to cure his ear ache. He had good days and bad days. But as time went on more bad days than good. Doctors kept dignosing the same thing even as it got worse. Ralph was getting dizzy and losing his balance. He would fill sick. Yet the Doctors never gave him a CT scan. A month ago he went to Florida and got very sick and the sickness got the better of Ralph. Jeane his loving wife who always went to the track, Got Ralph to the hospital back in Cincinnati. He was in and out of several hospitals with none able to find out what was wrong with Ralph until the end of last week. Ralph was digonsed with "Jacobs Disease" or Mad -Cow Disease. Yesterday morning @ 1:oo A.M. the world lost another great man, great sportsman and great racer. Ralph was a older gentleman. But he was as big of a Mustang enthusiast as any of us. It turned him back in time and you could tell by listening to him talk. Ralph and I have talked a few times about having a Ford / Mustang raceday this year for all of us to go have fun. I wish he had more time to make it happen. Seeing the joy in his face and excitment in his voice talking about a all Mustang race was motivation for me.
Godspeed Ralph Gabbard.
Five months ago Ralph thought he had a ear ache. That's what the Doctors told him. Mulitple time he would go back and the Doctors kept prescribing him medine to cure his ear ache. He had good days and bad days. But as time went on more bad days than good. Doctors kept dignosing the same thing even as it got worse. Ralph was getting dizzy and losing his balance. He would fill sick. Yet the Doctors never gave him a CT scan. A month ago he went to Florida and got very sick and the sickness got the better of Ralph. Jeane his loving wife who always went to the track, Got Ralph to the hospital back in Cincinnati. He was in and out of several hospitals with none able to find out what was wrong with Ralph until the end of last week. Ralph was digonsed with "Jacobs Disease" or Mad -Cow Disease. Yesterday morning @ 1:oo A.M. the world lost another great man, great sportsman and great racer. Ralph was a older gentleman. But he was as big of a Mustang enthusiast as any of us. It turned him back in time and you could tell by listening to him talk. Ralph and I have talked a few times about having a Ford / Mustang raceday this year for all of us to go have fun. I wish he had more time to make it happen. Seeing the joy in his face and excitment in his voice talking about a all Mustang race was motivation for me.
Godspeed Ralph Gabbard.