| Willie Borsch | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Birth Place: | February 19, 1930 |
| Death Date: | October 1, 1991 |
| Last Series: | Altered |
| Awards: | International Motorsports Hall of Fame |
Willie Borsch (February 19, 1930 – October 1, 1991[1]), nicknamed "Wild Willie", was an American AA/FA and funny car drag racer.
Borsch started racing in Altereds in 1960 with Winged Express, built by Borsch and partner Al "Mousie" Marcellus,[2] assisted by Howard Johansen (of Howard's Cams), Don Reynolds, Phil Johnson, Dale Young, and Jerry Hyatt.[3] The car's 392 hemi was built by Jim Harrell (of Jim's Auto Parts).[3]
He raced Winged Express for ten years, winning AA/FA (supercharged A-category Fuel Altered) at the NHRA Winternationals in 1967 and 1968.[2] Since AA/FA was not recognized as a class by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) until 1967, Borsch was never credited with a national title.[2]
On 28 September 1967 at Irwindale, Borsch turned in the first 200mph pass in an Altered, at 7.91 seconds and 200.44mph.[4]
Borsch qualified for the 1968 NHRA Winternationals, a 32-car field in Top Fuel, setting an AA/FA record elapsed time of 7.29 seconds. The rest of the field refused to race him, for fear of the ill-handling Altered. It turned out they were right: in round one of Super Eliminator, Borsch went from guardrail to centerline in a wild ride, which was photographed by Bob McClurg; it "became one of the most famous drag racing photos of all time."[2]
After getting a deal with model kit maker Revell for royalties,[5] Borsch took the wheel of the new Wild Man Dodge Charger funny car. Because he had become famous for driving Winged Express one-handed, using his other arm to brace himself against the body of the car, he created a dummy arm and attached it to the left window of the new funny car. This was included as a feature of the Revell kit.[6] The Revell deal, and the partnership with Marcellus, fell apart after the independent-minded Borsch refused to wear a sponsor teeshirt for a publicity event.[7]
Borsch died in October 1991 at age 61.[2]
He was named to Car Craft magazine's All-Star Drag Racing team six years in a row, starting in 1967.[6] He was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1992.[2] He was also rated as one of NHRA's 50 greatest drivers.[2]