Jan Opperman, The Original Racing “Outlaw" (Part One)

As with most racing legends, Jan Opperman had an interesting childhood.  It had all the ingredients for the creation of a great race car driver, including a generous helping of a vagabond family, a pinch of a reckless streak, and a great measure of the need for speed.   

Jan also was a natural athlete, excelling at many competitive sports, including football and boxing.

But Jan’s life also had a surprise ingredient, a break from all mainstream with a detour into the “hippie” world.  His early years would definitely shape the racing “outlaw” and legend that he became.

Opperman was born on Feb. 2, 1939, in Westwood, a suburb of Los Angeles.  Westwood was an interesting town, the home of UCLA and close to Beverly Hills.  He was the oldest son of Jim and June Opperman and older brother to Jay.

Jan’s father, Jim Opperman, was always on the move and, although happy in California, missed life in the country.  Both he and his wife had grown up in the state of Washington and loved the mountains and open space. So, they quickly moved their young family from California back to the country near the town of Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

Both of the Opperman brothers loved the outdoor life, especially fishing and hunting.  Jim got a job logging to support the family.  They were dirt-poor but life was simple and they enjoyed living off the land.

Eventually, however, the logging business sagged and it was time for another job, as well as another move.  The Oppermans then went to Mount Rainier in Washington, where Jan’s father began driving trucks across country for a living.

The love of this part of the country would stay with Jan into his adult life and would become a retreat for his own family.

But it was a move that was short-lived. When Jan was 16 and brother Jay was 13, the family returned again to California in search of a new job and better fortune.  This time around, they lived in the San Francisco area.

Jan definitely found himself in a whole different world from the calm mountain tranquility of Idaho and Washington State.  He was now a teenager from the hills in the middle of a tough, bustling city.  Both he and Jay were the frequent targets of the other “cooler” teens, in fact getting picked on regularly.

Jan was tough and always ready for a fight.  He was strong and muscled from his time in the country and he was not afraid to use his prowess to protect himself or his younger brother. 

In fact, in Washington, he had come close to winning the state’s Golden Glove title.  But he was becoming well known as a street fighter, a characteristic that definitely did not please his father.

Opperman then got into football and even played quarterback.  He was known as having one of the best arms around. 

Unfortunately, his football career was cut short by a devastating hit to his right shoulder.  Surgery was necessary and his most wonderful throwing arm was no longer, ending his football career.

It was about that time that the racing bug bit Jan Opperman.  Before graduating high school, he got into racing American Motorcycle Association (AMA) bikes all across the Pacific coast circuit.  His senior year was his best racing year, competing against some of the legends in AMA racing.

Motorcycle racing was a fierce and wonderful training ground for the young Opperman.  He learned how to run on the dirt, how to find the right racing grooves and to throw himself through the turns.  He also began to master how to compete, how to get the edge, and yes, how to win.

In the early 1960’s, Opperman took a break from motorcycle racing.  During this period, he fell in love twice.  His first love became racing cars, which had always been a dream of his.  Having lived out in the country, where young teens often had their own cars at an early age, Opperman had always loved to drive and race.

His father loved cars and speed as well, often taking him out “hot rodding.”  Opperman translated this love into racing Midget Cars in the Bay Cities Racing Association.

His second love at that time became a young woman named Mary Lou.  Jan had always been a bit of a “ladies man” growing up, but Mary Lou was different. 

She was serious and sophisticated.  They met on a blind date in 1965 and, although her parents were not crazy about this “thrill seeker,” Mary Lou was hooked and ultimately became Jan’s wife.

At this point, however, Jan Opperman took that slight detour and landed into the “hippie” world.  While he had the need for speed, he also longed for a more peaceful aspect to his life.

This yearning came right at the time in the nation when the “hippie” movement started, introducing many searching for deeper meaning into the world of communes, free love and new, interesting drugs.

Opperman in search of a deeper meaning to his life.  He embraced the drug culture and this “new” way of life.  He grew his hair long and dressed the part, in his baggy shirts and tattered jeans.  And he put away his boxing gloves and “rougher” side to his life.

But one thing that Jan did not put aside, even as he entered this new world of the sixties, was his love of racing. 

In 1967, he began racing Sprint cars.  Hank Hanestead gave him his first chance at racing the type of car in which he would eventually become famous.  And the best part was that he could continue to be just himself, the hippie and non-conformist, yes, the outlaw, that he was destined to be.

Jan Opperman was headed into the best times of his racing career.  Stay tuned for the second installment of his story, as Opperman moves into the Sprint car racing world and heads to his historic run during his Pennsylvania years.

Source and Picture from "Dialed In: The Jan Opperman Story" by John Sawyer.

Here is an Introduction: Jan Opperman—The Original Racing "Outlaw"