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I hadn’t seen anything posted on Rennlist and wanted to share this…..
Bruce was a passionate Porsche guy and a racer at heart but he was so much more than just that, while the racing and driving event forum seemed a natural place to put this it could easily be shared in just about any of the forums as his interests touched all of them.
For those not familiar with racing legacy, if you were a fan of IMSA racing in the 70’s and 80’s he was Bayside Disposal racing. He campaigned a series of Porsches in various series beginning with a 911RSR, 914/6, 934, 935’s, 924GTR’s and 962’s. He even led his team into CART competition in the early 90’s but his heart was always in sports cars. I asked him once about a rumor that he used to drive his 935 on the street and he pointed to his immaculate 935 we were standing by and confirmed it was the car that he did that with. When he retired the car from competition they pulled the spool out of it, put in a differential and he proceeded to terrorize the highways and byways in the area…..
After hanging up his competition in Pro racing he was drawn back to racing in the vintage ranks and campaigned some of the trick’est “vintage” Corvette’s that you’d ever dream of (Smokey Yunick would have approved of some of his creations….. a big block corvette coupe that used a carbon fiber body instead of fiberglass). He attended the various Rennsport Reunions and was issued credentials with “Legend” stamped on it (which he always seemed a bit embarrassed about). If you had a chance to meet and speak with him I’m betting it was a memorable conversation, he had that way about him.
A group of Porsche enthusiasts up here in the Northwest that gather for Sunday breakfast just happened across Bruce purely by chance one morning and for some mysterious reason he started joining us every Sunday. That became a routine that lasted nearly 5 years and during that time he shared not only his stories and adventures but also his disappointments and few failures. He provided us with guidance, with advice and an appreciation for things that many of us didn’t even know existed. He also gave us a healthy respect for the creative use of four letter verbs. RIP Bruce, we’re going to miss you as you were definitely 1 of 1!
I was lucky enough to watch Bruce in his prime during IMSA's heyday. The Bayside Disposal cars were a fixture on the IMSA trail year after year.
Here's a picture I took of Bruce and his 935/80 (long tail) before the start of the 1982 Daytona Pepsi 24 hr. His co drivers were Hurley Haywood
and Al Holbert. I don't remember the details surrounding this picture anymore, but I'm guessing it was either a presser or possibly repositioning
the car since he's in street clothes and carrying a passenger.
Seems like he led quite a full life. Now he's tracking in G-ds country. Gonna be lots of competition for him up there. Gonna be one hell of a race.
RIP..
Thanks for sharing. Bruce would periodically show up with one of his custom cars at our local Exotics@RTC (Redmond Town Center). Last time I chatted with him was earlier this year when he drove his unique and well-done Porsche 914. RIP Bruce.
I had the pleasure of meeting Bruce on several occasions around here. And in 2011, I took some photos of Bruce and his cars at Rennsport Reunion. He was an unforgettable personality, and obviously a force to be reckoned with in days of old. Note the license plate "Garbage" on his slant-nose 930 to commemorate how he earned his wealth.
I had the good fortune to meet Bruce a few months before his passing. He's a great guy, very friendly - He took the time to show me his collections (both Porsche, other cars, and sporting). Always had some cool cars around.
Bruce was a great friend and as Karmx7 states, our sunday morning breakfast was something we always looked forward to and a routine non of us including bruce dared to miss...even on Xmas day. We had great laughs, learned a lot from the godfather. While Bruce does have an amazing legacy in motorsports, business, art and a host of other vices.... the legacy he leaves for me is one should always live life to the fullest, never be satisfied and create your own vision and make life a journey. Bruce did just that. I hope in some small way, I do the same. RIP my friend, you will be missed...your chair will be waiting for you at breakfast.
I was also one of the Sunday morning breakfast club participants in the Seattle area with Bruce Leven. He was full of stories and we relished in the nuances of prepping a car for qualifying versus endurance racing. We got to see his car collection of 2 962’s , 935 and many others. One of his last cars was a 51 Ford which can be seen on jay leno’s garage on you tube. He was proud of that car. He is already missed.
See this about Bruce Leven's charitable bequest: he left $60 million to Seattle Children's Hospital to cover medical care for for those who can't afford it. What a magnificent legacy!
09-26-2017, 02:24 PM
Final lap, #86 Bruce Leven
