Real name Mike Szalai. Mike's parents, his father Vincent and his mother, Ethel, were Hungarian born and bred, having moved to the United States in 1902. Initially Mike worked as a labourer, before becoming a salesman in the coal industry and a worker in an automobile factory. For 32 years, he worked for Bendix, a manufacturing and engineering company which made automotive brake shoes and systems. He raced from 1929 to 1951, initially in the South Bend races and from 1935 he competed successfully in the CSRA (Central/Consolidated States Racing Association) championship. After World War Two, he started to compete more seriously in AAA races, first with the more potent Wetteroth machines, then with his own design from the '30s with less success.

Biography last updated 28 Apr 2025