Hannes "Hans" Pedersen – June 18, 1949 – November 24, 2019
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With a heavy heart, unfortunately, I am here to report that Hans Pedersen from Federal Way, WA passed away a few weeks ago due to a brain cancer tumor that kept spreading. The cancer was found in late August of this year and came on very sudden. It was too far down inside his brain that they could not operate on it. It is very sad and we are all going to miss him very much. He was a great friend. We talked through email every day for about 6 years. We enjoyed visiting at his house talking about his GT350 and his racing days. We enjoyed going to races together such as the Portland Historics, Pacific Raceway (Kent/SIR) Historics, Laguna Seca in 2015 for 50 years of GT350 and several swap meets around the northwest.
Hans lived a full life with race gas in his veins. He was Shelby crazy. A school teacher by day, but a race car driver at heart and on the weekends. Hans lived and breathed everything Shelby and High Performance Ford related. Hans also devoted his life to racing. He raced his 1966 GT350 in the late 70's and 80's. Along with a Mustang Coupe and a 1968 MGB that he built into race cars. Hans spent a lot of time at Westwood, SIR, PIR and occasionally Laguna Seca. He would travel up and down the west coast attending races as a participant and then later in the years as a corner worker or as a spectator. SCCA, Trans-Am racing and Vintage racing was Hans' passion.
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A Pedersen family friend who acted like an Uncle to Hans, exposed Hans to auto racing at a young age. Hans remembers the July 20, 21 1963 SCCA race in Kent, WA as one of his first races he attended. Hans told me stories of seeing Dave MacDonald, Ken Miles and Bob Holbert in the Cobras race around SIR in force(which is the 3 Championship Poster photo taken by Pete Biro)!! He would attend many races with his "Uncle" during his pre-driving age. This interest grew and Hans's desire for a GT350 grew as well. Hans wrote to Shelby American Inc. in 1965 asking for more information and they sent him letters back with promotional items in response to his desire for a GT350. By 1969 Hans was 20 years old. He attended the Trans-Am SCCA race in Kent, WA and that is where it all changed. Hans met Captain Stephen Smith who owned a beautiful Sapphire Blue 1966 GT350. The car was perfect for Hans and he knew he wanted it. Hans struck a conversation with Captain Smith and they agreed to a deal. Captain Smith said he would sell the GT350 if Hans gave him enough money to go buy a new Dodge Polara with air conditioning. Hans worked his tail off and made the deal happen. Hans purchased SFM6S2339 by February 1970. 2339 was Hans's daily transportation for several years and then became his race car. Hans drove it to the first SAAC convention and many races over the years. The race Hans was most proud he was able to compete in with the GT350 was the Tacoma Grand Prix in 1986. Always driving his cars to the track, racing for the day and then driving them home at the end of the day. It is safe to say if there was a race happening in the Pacific Northwest from the late 70's through this past summer Hans was there either racing, working as a corner worker or spectating from the top of the grandstands.
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Hans became friends with many of the drivers and car owners at all the races he attended. Along with the racing, Hans was very active in showing his cars. Hans displayed the GT350 and MGB in concours events in the early 80's, The World of Wheels shows and hundreds of local cruise-ins. Local people would see him regularly parked at Griot's Garage for Cars and Coffee as long as it wasn't raining. Hans also donated a large amount of his time volunteering at the Lemay Museum in Tacoma, WA. Hans was very passionate about anything to do with Shelby American and you could easily tell by his conversations as well as his attire always wearing either a hat or t-shirt with Shelby on it.
We are going to miss Hans dearly. Rest in peace friend.
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If you knew Hans, please comment below with your stories and share any photos. I think it would be fun to hear. Hans was a member of SAAC for many years.
Sorry to hear of the loss of another Shelby lover. I did not know Hans, but that is a very nice tribute.
Thanks for sharing.
Condolences to family and friends and the Shelby family, sounds a really great person. a well written remembrance.
Mike
Have known Hans since 1971.....Great guy...Shelby fanatic his entire life...one of the original WASAAC Members......for those who have a Registry go to ..6S2339...interesting history about Hans's car...RIP Buddy!!
What a great tribute. Thanks for sharing
Condolences and rest in peace.
Richard E.
Brian,
That was a great tribute to a wonderful man who had a really nice looking Shelby.
Thanks for sharing with us,
Kieth
I will miss Hans. I thoroughly enjoyed drag racing Hans down the small airport strip in making of the movie trailer Carrera, now about eight years ago. Hans is in the blue GT350 and I in the white. We made about six passes with the camera crew at different positions on the track. The airport was closed, but not all the small airplane owners checked. During one run the camera crew started jumping up and down, waving at us to come back while Hans and I were at the far end of the field when a small plane was making its approach to land. All was fine.
Here is the Youtube Link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb7lSZK2w3Y
Some behind the scenes footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODdNWi0-9c0
Rest in peace Hans.
Cory
Simply wonderful tribute. You are a true friend and Hans sounds like a guy I would have loved to know.
Thank You Brian...I know Hans is smiling down right about now !!
Ah Hans, One of the first people I met when we formed WASAAC for the second time. He had as much enthusiasm for Shelby American products than anyone have run across, I am sorry I never got you a copy of the Ford vs Ferrari movie before you left us, I tried. I'll always having the memories of meeting up with you in the paddock of Laguna Seca, Portland, SIR/Kent, Portland, Westwood, California Speedway etc. Too bad you never made it to Road America, but I bet you are seeing all those places now that you have some free time and you have the record for watching the Ford vs Ferrari movie more times than anyone else up there. He was a great supporter of the Sovren Vintage racing club and Children's Hospital as well. We will all miss you Hans, physically gone from here, but never forgotten. We will make sure you will go back to SIR in the summer, in more ways than one. Godspeed Hans. Hov
RIP
Hans 2 more times!!
Thank you Brian for the amazing , heartfelt tribute.
Hans was a real character and will be greatly missed. As has already been mentioned, Hans was so "into" Shelby American cars and history I'm not sure he ever thought of much else. When he started racing 6S2339 he became friends with Jim Baker, who was racing 6S1757 which was also painted blue at the time. The two cars looked almost identical and at least once Jim's brother tossed his helmet into 2339 thinking it was 1757.
Rest In Peace Hans....
Dave
Just a wonderful tribute to Hans, thank you Brian for sharing this with the guys here on the Forum. Denny
Some more pics of Hans. Circa 2001.
1) At Roundup, 2001
2) Checking out the Griffith
3) His car and Covey's GT350H
4) Never before seen pic of Hans without sunglasses.
Rest in Peace, Hans
I came across several of Hans's photo albums recently. A lot to look at. Here are a few highlights. Here are some from the the Seattle World of Wheels show in the early 80's.
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Hans at the 1986 Tacoma Grand Prix.
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A few photos at SIR.
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Rest Easy Hans. My condolences. May God grant the family peace.
-Keith
I was just sitting here and thought of Hans, I went looking and found this post. So sad to hear of his passing, we had become friends recently and were just getting to know each other. I spent a wonderful sunny day with Hans at the Renton Vocational Technical School in May of 2019. We walked around looking at all the cars discussing each one. We both liked the same cars for the same reasons and voted for a '67 GTO as our favorite. The attached picture is our cars parked together at the show.To find out now that this was one of his last shows makes me sad. I wish I had met Hans and his Shelby many years sooner. He and the Shelby were both priceless relics to be cherished! RIP my friend!
The passing of someone who had a lot of enthusiasm for the early GT350's and history of everything Shelby American is always a tough thing to go through.
On the other side of this loss is that perhaps Hans found some peace knowing a friend of his would take care of his GT350 and also drive it whenever possible. The car is alive, well, and looking great as someone can post the latest cover of The Shelby American. It was good to see the car land in the hands of someone who knew Hans and will continue to keep Hans' feelings for the car strong into the future. It is for this reason, it was nice to see it not end up with someone who would just flip the car for a profit.
Here is the cover...
RIP old friend.... :'(