76-YEAR-OLD RACE CAR DRIVER FROM BURBANK KILLED IN CRASH.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry and Sharline Chiang Daily News Staff Writers

Bruce Johnston's lifetime love affair with speed ended tragically on a dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert this weekend when the 76-year-old man died in a crash at a reunion of longtime racers.

The Burbank man was attempting to reach 200 mph on the lake bed Saturday during the Return to Muroc Reunion time trials, when he lost control and his homemade car was thrown into the air.

``This is the way he would have wanted to go - in his race car, doing what he loved most,'' said Sarah Helen Johnston, his widow.

``Racing was his life,'' she said. ``He had raced for most of his life.''

She said his love of racing worried her, especially after some of his friends died in accidents.

``That's why I didn't always go with him, especially in the desert, like this time, although he had never had any problems. He was always a safe driver,'' she said.

Race officials said the time trial had just begun when Bruce Johnston entered the raceway at 9:05 a.m. in his self-built aluminum Lakester.

Officials were unsure Sunday exactly what caused his car to veer to one side and go into the air, where it spun several times before hitting the ground.

``The vehicle veered and his tires hooked up,'' said Ed ``Doc'' Harding, of Newport Beach, who watched the accident. ``The car overturned several times, very violently.''

``It was a very tragic way to start the trials with the death of a dry lake warrior,'' said Kathy Hickey, an Orange County woman who was working as a mechanic at the event. ``He was one of the first to race out here 50 years ago.''

After an on-scene ambulance crew removed him from his vehicle, Johnston was transported to the Edwards Air Force Base hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:02 a.m. of massive head and chest injuries.

Johnston's home in Burbank was filled with photos of his racing career, as well as his wife's large collection of teddy bears.

The two met in 1960 on a blind date and were married two years later, both for the second time.

Sarah Johnston said that in between her husband's racing and working on cars they enjoyed water-skiing and dining out.

The widow said Sunday she vividly remembered talking with him right before he left to race the car he had just built.

``The last thing I said was, `Don't break it (the car) too soon.''

The raceway was shut down for three to four hours Saturday as officials conducted an investigation and decided whether to allow the trials to continue.

``He was one of the original old-timers,'' Hickey said. ``In his memory, he would want the races to continue.''

During the night, the El Mirage Dry Lake Bed Ladies Auxiliary made blue ribbons and distributed them Sunday to attendees as the group began raising money for his widow.

Before races started Sunday morning, attendees said a prayer and shared stories about the veteran race car driver.

``We're very saddened by this,'' said Mike Cook, president of the Southern California Timing Association.

The time trials were brought back to Rogers Dry Lake bed, formerly known as Muroc Dry Lake bed, in 1996 as a result of the Southern California Trial Association's desire to revisit its heritage. They had not taken place there since 1941.

The event originated in the 1930s when groups of racers converged at the lake bed to race.

The fastest motorcycle speed recorded over the weekend was 190 miles per hour. The fastest automobile speed was 270 mph.

``We know the dangers,'' Cook said. ``Unfortunately, it's our sport.''

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Photo: (Ran in Valley Edition only) JOHNSTON