SIGNATURE PROFILES
© 1999-2001 Dwight Drum
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SIGNATURE PROFILES
© 1999-2001 Dwight Drum
Story and questions by Dwight Drum
Photos © by Gary Larsen and Dwight Drum
In an industrial city like Buffalo, New York, Millwrights (precision mechanics) keep production up to level. Fred Hahn didn't arrive at the race track with calipers ready, but this precision mechanic by trade and a champion drag racer by choice provided answers to my questions without any delay for calculation. Fred's mind seems to shift as fast as the gears in his Pro Mod Corvette. You don't have to be a super mechanic or champion driver to read about Fred Hahn, but you will have to get to this starting line, and launch your eyes beyond this paragraph.
DOB: 8-15-52
Birth Town: West Seneca, New York
Home Town: West Seneca, New York
"The desire to do good and win."
What's most important?"Competing."
Do you have a nickname?"Fast Fred."
Who are your Heroes?"Dale Earnhardt, Kenny Bernstein, and Don Garlits."
Are you pleased with life?"Very."
What could please you more?"Win another championship."
When driving a car, do you always wear a seatbelt?"No. Not when they are telling me I have to."
Is racing your full-time occupation?"No I'm a millwright (machinist) I work sixty hours a week at that and sixty hours a week at the shop. I sleep somewhere in between."
Do you have time for a hobby?"No."
What vehicle do you drive on the street?"Ford Taurus."
Do you work out?"No time for it."
Name one other sport, you feel you could master or be competitive?""Stock car racing."
If you could make one part of your body stronger, what part would that be?"My brain."
Do you have pets?"I had dogs for years and years, but they passed away. My daughter has pets."
Do you have a special diet?"Pizza and chicken wings."
What quality do you admire most in other people?"Honesty I like people who aren't two-faced, and say what they mean, whether I like to hear it or not."
When frustrated. What do you do first?"All three of the above. It depends on the situation."
What mental routine prepares you for each run?"I have a tendency to pace myself, and get into my own world. I don't talk to anyone there."
"The first pass of the year in a brand new car."
Jim Oddy..owner,crew chief
"I don't think I'll ever unwind."
If you could change one thing about drag racing, what would you change?"Politics."
When asleep do you ever dream you are racing?"I dream about what goes on here all the time, the stress part of it."
Where do you find the most peace in your life?"At home with my wife and kids."
You're a skilled racer… On public highways, what's different about you and other drivers?"I very rarely get into aggressive situations, because I don't get mad. I'm courteous. I give people a break. I feel for that old lady that can't see over the steering wheel."
What do you worry about the most?"You could write all day on that…my family, performing well at racing, keeping the sponsors happy. On any given day they change."
Can you describe the G-forces at the tree…the launch?"To the average person…the initial hit is like sitting at a stop light and having someone hit you from behind at forty or fifty miles per hour."
What does your fastest speed feel like?"Feels good. I set the record at 234 mph, the car felt like it wasn't on the ground."
Most people learn something from mistakes. What mistake caused you to learn the most?"If you start feeling infallible, the car will give you an attitude adjustment. Cars demand respect. If you cross that fine line no matter how good you think you are, the car will show you. There's not whole lot of you can do about that."
Who means the most to you?"My wife and kids."
If you could acquire three traits from three people, what traits would you take from whom?" Sometimes I'd like to be laid back and not so intense, but I don't know who I'd steal that from."
How did you get started in drag racing?"As a kid I worked in a local gas station. The guy I worked for ran Mopar."
What do you fear?"Anything happening to my kids."
In a few words, how would you sum up…yourself?"Intense…way too intense. I'd like to get rid of some of that, but it's there for some reason."
Additional Comments?"I've been drag racing since I was a teenager. I never had a summer without a race car. I have a racing commitment. Weddings and fishing trips go by the wayside. I'm really happy with my life and I wouldn't change. Fans are great. Sponsors are great. It's been good to Jim Oddy and me. We have numerous records. It's been a good ride."
FINAL WORDAfter about a hundred interviews it has become my responsibility and tradition to choose a final word for every driver I interview. That task was easier when I had only interviewed about ten riders, as so many words were available. Still, looking into their personalities some traits always stand above others. Those traits are what make us a little different from each other. Fred Hahn describes himself well, and when it came to fitting a final word to his personality, I chose the word he chooses to describe himself. It's a word that goes well with champion accomplishments. Gary Larsen agreed, Fred Hahn is…
