We are late in paying tribute to one of the esteemed motorsports writers who helped Speed News get off the ground in its early stages, but it is imperative to acknowledge and pay our respects to Don Alexander, who passed away in September in his hometown of Big Bear, Calif.
Don set a high bar for tackling technical subject matter, and we are saddened to learn of his death. The author of more than 20 books on high-performance, off road and racing, Alexander brought those years of expertise to the stories he wrote for Speed News between 2012 and 2020.
Early in his career, Don was an instructor at the Bondurant School of high-performance driving at what was then Riverside Raceway, and started his own school of high-performance driving at the Irwindale Raceway in the mid-1970s. Writing the training manuals for his school was what started him on the career path in writing and publishing. He was editor of Circle Track magazine, the de-facto bible of roundy-round racing. Don also edited other magazines and wrote for even more as a contributor, including Speed News. He also worked as a test driver for magazines, suspension and tire companies. After leaving Circle Track in 1995, Don conducted a national seminar series, based on his book “Think To Win,” with the legendary NASCAR crew chief and engine guru Smokey Yunick. The seminars toured nine cities.
One of the highlights of Don’s long and storied career was driving the Banks Engineering “Sidewinder” Dodge Dakota to a new diesel-powered pickup truck speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats in 2002. Powered by an extensively modified 5.9-liter Cummins six-cylinder diesel, the Banks Sidewinder reached the new speed record at the two-way average of 217 mph, with a best one-way speed of 222 mph. It was the first ever diesel-powered truck to break 200 mph, and still the fastest pickup truck of any kind. Not only did Don Alexander shatter the old record buy more than 50 mph, but the team’s efforts were all the more remarkable because they drove the truck to Bonneville Salt Flats from Southern California towing a trailer full of spares and tools, set the record, and then drove it home.
The accomplishments mentioned above are a fraction of what Don achieved during his lifetime. Later in his career, Don went on to instruct off-road driving at the business he founded, Trails 411 Adventure Experience in Big Bear, Calif.
“When I first became editor of Speed News, Don was an extraordinary asset,” said Speed News editor Brett Becker. “He contributed some of the best long-form features and technical stories we have ever published in Speed News. I still refer back to some of them. They are that good.
“We only met in person once, but when he was actively contributing to Speed News, we spoke by phone and emailed often. He was a solid writer who really knew his stuff,” Becker added. “Don was the kind of writer you hope to find, and we were lucky to have him contribute to Speed News as often and for as long as he did.”
Godspeed Don.