Ralph Vick remembered as a humble man who kick-started speedway success in Warrnambool

Ralph Vick, who died on January 13 aged 88, was a 1958 founding member of the Premier Speedway Club.

His passion and commitment to the sport paved the way for future generations, including current-day drivers chasing Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic success.

Longtime friend Geoff ‘Cob’ Owen, who spoke at his mate’s funeral, said Vick would leave a lasting legacy.

“I said to them ‘I’ve changed my attitude towards Ralph over the years because when he started he spread this terrible disease around the district and it was called speedway’,” he reflected.

“And there was no known cure for it and it’s definitely got out of hand and there’s no cure in sight yet.”

Owen traced Vick’s speedway involvement in Warrnambool back to its infancy at the racecourse and highlighted the major role he played in the development of the current-day Premier Speedway track.

He regarded his friend as competitive on the track and a respectful man off it.

“Over the years I reckon Ralph won more races than anybody else out there and he probably deserved it,” Owen said.

“He put the time in and was very fastidious with his preparation. I never heard him swear and he didn’t lose his temper.”

Vick’s son Jeff considered his Dad his best friend, describing the father-of-four as a modest man who played down his role in speedway’s rise in the south-west.

“Growing up as a kid, he always made me go-karts,” he said. “We used to have little ball-bearing go-karts and would race them around the neighbourhood. “He built me this really slick looking go-kart powered by an electric motor. It was pretty cool.”

Jeff said his father, who is also survived by his wife of 66 years June and daughters Judith, Wendy and Barbara, took great pride in his work and sporting pursuits.

“Growing up, even at 14 years of age, he was a self-made man. He used to catch rabbits and cart wood in his little T-Model Ford truck that he bought himself,” he said.

“He raced a lot of cars over the years. His last car was a ‘66 Mustang and when we brought it out it was high-tech, it should have been in a showroom. He raced it but his presentation was second-to-none. Even his road cars (were well presented). There was a joke going around (at Tuesday’s funeral) that you used to know when he was going to Melbourne... he’d have to get the car out the night before and give it a wash.”