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KC legend Masten Gregory's LeMans winning 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti sells for €34,880,000 EUR/$36,344,960
Age and Treachery's flower fund got outbid again ... ? ? -- Bob Storck KC MO USA |
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Re: California fires
Howie Idelson and Townsend Bell both lost houses in the Palisades. The Nethercutt Collection is within the Hurst fire zone and hope they're able to move or protect their iconic artifacts. A news crew discovered a sizable collection of American Classics burned out in the Eaton Fire in Altadena. ? A lot of danger is from organized criminals and looters, relying on blackouts and lack of distracted police in "safe" areas. Some seem to be setting more fires to aid in their efforts. ? -----Original Message-----
From: <[email protected]> Subject: [RH] California fires ? Do we know whether any of our RH colleagues? have been personally affected by the wildfires?? Do we know whether any places of racing significance have been affected??
I'm thinking about buildings like the Meyer Drake facility, Harry Miller's shop, Watson's shop, the home where Edgar Elder build his roadsters.? In asking this, I am of course showing my ignorance, because these buildings may be a long way from the fires or may been gone for many years.?
What about museums or collections?? Hopefully, the answer to all of these questions -- especially the first -- is no.
--
Bill Blaylock Dallas, TX -- Bob Storck KC MO USA |
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Re: Another sign of the Apocalypse ...
Yes, about that Dunlop Bridge at Le Mans. Behold a photograph taken by myself in the passenger seat of a racing Renault during a drivers school at Le Mans in December of 1982. I devoted 1-day of a 2-week vacation through central Europe to see how close I could get inside the track. It turns out Very Close!!! No advance planning, A drivers school was in progress. I found the drivers "Lounge", and was told to wait for the boss. When the "boss', or it may have been the Chief Instructor showed up, I politely asked for a lap around the Bugatti Course. He stood there with a unapproving face and said "Vou vant too take a ddrive with meee!!!???!!!" You could hear a pin drop in the room filled with drivers, wives, girlfriends, etc. In less than a nano-second I said "SURE!!!!" And off we went for 2-laps, me taking photos, and the best ones were around the "Ss" turn and the Dunlop Bridge. On the second lap the instructor really let it go. I'm guessing we got up to 140MPH.
Yes, we were close enough to touch the guardrail and yes, one turn to the left at speed scared the crap out of me. The whole experience is something I will Cherish forever.
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Thomas Luce Manhattan Beach CA USA |
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Re: Happy 90th Birthday A.J. Foyt.
I believe he started racing midgets in about '53 and had his first USAC win was in a midget at Olympic Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri on? Amazing to have won the Indy 500, Daytona 500 and LeMans ... he and Andretti can quibble over who did better, but if it comes to blows ... look out Mario!!! ? I find it remarkable as he's had serious crashes in Indy cars on ovals (at least 3 times), road courses, NASCAR and USAC stockers yet seems to be about the only survivor from that '50s era of racing. He also raced F1, CanAm, and of course, FIA endurance. -----Original Message-----?
Subject: Re: [RH] Happy Birthday A.J. Foyt. ? Thank you for reminding us of A.J.'s birthday.? What a remarkable individual.? I have?thought that I first saw him at the Pan American Speedway on November 20, 1959, when the USAC midgets ran the 1/4 mile pavement.? I was just a youngster, but I knew the name from Indy.? But now when I check the few box scores available, I do not see his name.? I wonder if it's me or the box scores.? Apart from relying on my memory, it makes sense that he ran there, since other USAC notables were there:? Bettenhausen (won the feature), Jimmy Davies, Bobby Grim, Lloyd Ruby, Bill Homeier, Don Branson, Bob Wente, Cotton Farmer, Jim Packard), and since Houston was fairly close by.? I can't think of where else he would? have run that weekend.
?
Anyway, we all know that a lot has been written (and filmed) of A.J. over the years ... but I sense that there is always an appetite for more.? I need to get his recent book.
?
Bill Blaylock
Dallas, TX
-- Bob Storck KC MO USA |
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Another sign of the Apocalypse ...
Yup ... vintage racing will require Sumitomo powder blue driving suits ... and then there's that bridge at LeMans ...
? News Release Issued: Jan 7, 2025 (9:00pm EST) To view this release online and get more information about Media | Goodyear Corporate visit: Goodyear Announces Sale of Dunlop Brand to Sumitomo Rubber IndustriesGross cash proceeds at closing of approximately $701 million Advances Goodyear Forward transformation plan, optimizes portfolio of brands Goodyear to supply Dunlop tires to Sumitomo Rubber Industries pursuant to a five-year Transition Offtake Agreement in Europe Goodyear to license back the Dunlop trademarks for use on commercial (truck) tires, and retains its rights to the Dunlop trademarks for use on motorcycle tires in Europe and Oceania AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 7, 2025 // -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT) ("Goodyear" or the "Company") today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell the Dunlop brand, comprising trademarks and intangible assets necessary for operations of the brand business in Europe, North America and Oceania for consumer, commercial and other specialty tires ("Dunlop Brand"), together with certain associated intellectual property, to Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (TYO: 5110) ("SRI"). The sale of the Dunlop Brand follows a previously announced strategic review of the brand in connection with the Company's Goodyear Forward transformation plan. Pursuant to the transaction terms, SRI will pay Goodyear cash proceeds at closing of approximately $701 million for the transfer of the Dunlop Brand across the relevant geographies, a "Transition Fee" for support in transitioning the Dunlop Brand to SRI, and the purchase of Dunlop tire inventory. The transaction also provides for additional ongoing offtake, licensing and other arrangements which are detailed below. "This is another important milestone as we continue to execute against our Goodyear Forward transformation plan. We are optimizing our portfolio and reducing leverage to drive sustainable and substantial shareholder value creation," said Mark Stewart, Goodyear Chief Executive Officer and President. "Not only does the transaction deliver significant value for our shareholders, it better positions Goodyear to enhance our focus on the growth of our core brands." "Our team conducted a comprehensive process focused on maximizing value for Goodyear through a divestment of our Dunlop Brand, and we are very pleased with the outcome achieved," said Christina Zamarro, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. "We are committed to working closely with SRI to ensure a smooth transition for customers of the Dunlop Brand." The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, other customary closing conditions and consultations and is expected to close by mid-2025. Goodyear intends to use transaction proceeds to reduce leverage and fund initiatives in connection with the Goodyear Forward transformation plan. Transaction Terms Goodyear will receive approximately $701 million of cash proceeds at closing from SRI, across three transaction components:
In addition, under the terms of a Transition License Agreement ("TLA"), Goodyear will continue to manufacture, sell and distribute Dunlop branded consumer tires in Europe through at least December 31, 2025 (subject to extension, as described below). Goodyear will pay a royalty to SRI during this period on Dunlop sales but will otherwise retain all profits from these sales. The term of the TLA will automatically extend for an additional year, through December 31, 2026, unless the parties mutually agree to an earlier termination. This transition period is intended to give SRI time to scale its organization in Europe to effectively absorb the Dunlop Brand and maintain service levels for existing Dunlop customers. Following the completion of the TLA, Goodyear will supply certain Dunlop branded tires to SRI in Europe for a five-year period under the terms of a Transition Offtake Agreement ("TOA"). The TOA stipulates minimum purchase quantities of 4.5 million tires per year for the five-year term, on a take-or-pay basis. SRI may terminate the TOA early after the third year, with twelve months' notice, subject to payment of a termination fee. The TOA provides Goodyear with an agreed markup to total costs (including raw materials) for each tire sold. Goodyear will license back the Dunlop trademarks from SRI for commercial (truck) tires in Europe on a long-term basis, subject to a royalty on sales. Goodyear can terminate this licensing agreement at any time during the licensing period. Dunlop consumer tire sales totaled $532 million in 2023. Dunlop commercial tire sales totaled $201 million in the same period. Other specialty Dunlop tire sales (excluding motorcycle) totaled $22 million. Goodyear will retain its rights to the Dunlop trademarks for its motorcycle tire businesses in Europe and Oceania. Goodyear does not expect the transaction to materially impact segment operating income through the term of the TLA. Thereafter, the Company expects the transaction to reduce segment operating income by approximately $65 million per year during the term of the TOA, before any potential actions the Company may take to improve its operating margin. This impact also does not take into consideration other financial benefits resulting from deployment of proceeds from the transaction, including interest expense savings associated with expected debt repayment and other ongoing actions under Goodyear Forward. Additional information on the transaction, including presentation materials, can be found on Goodyear's investor relations website: . Advisors Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. is acting as lead financial advisor, Barclays Capital Inc. is acting as financial advisor and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is acting as legal advisor to Goodyear.? About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 71,000 people and manufactures its products in 54 facilities in 21 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to . Forward-Looking Statements Certain information contained in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the proposed transaction, including statements regarding the benefits of the transaction and the anticipated timing of the transaction, and information regarding the businesses of Goodyear and SRI. There are a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control, that affect our operations, performance, business strategy and results and could cause our actual results and experience to differ materially from the assumptions, expectations and objectives expressed in any forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: our ability to implement successfully the Goodyear Forward plan and our other strategic initiatives, including the sale of the Dunlop Brand; risks relating to the ability to consummate the sale of the Dunlop Brand on a timely basis or at all, including failure to obtain the required regulatory approvals or to satisfy other conditions to closing; actions and initiatives taken by both current and potential competitors; increases in the prices paid for raw materials and energy; inflationary cost pressures; delays or disruptions in our supply chain or the provision of services to us; a prolonged economic downturn or period of economic uncertainty; deteriorating economic conditions or an inability to access capital markets; a labor strike, work stoppage, labor shortage or other similar event; financial difficulties, work stoppages, labor shortages or supply disruptions at our suppliers or customers; the adequacy of our capital expenditures; changes in tariffs, trade agreements or trade restrictions; foreign currency translation and transaction risks; our failure to comply with a material covenant in our debt obligations; potential adverse consequences of litigation involving the Company; as well as the effects of more general factors such as changes in general market, economic or political conditions or in legislation, regulation or public policy. Additional factors are discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent our estimates only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, even if our estimates change. MEDIA CONTACT:? ANALYST CONTACT: ? SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company ? To unsubscribe or change your settings click here: ? -- Bob Storck KC MO USA |
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Re: For Auld Lang Syne, 2024
Thank you Chris for this sad message, but so valuable to us to recall all the pleasure and excitement they provided. Your diligent efforts are greatly appreciated. ? So stand to your glasses steady, ? It's up to us to remember, retell and keep their legacy alive. ? Hoping everyone had the Merriest of Christmases, in the bosom of friends and family, and wishes for a Very Happy New Year, Bob in KCMO ? -----Original Message-----
From: <[email protected]> Sent: Dec 29, 2024 2:04 PM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: [RH] For Auld Lang Syne, 2024 ? For Auld Lang Syne, by Chris Romano
?For my racing friends, as the year winds down, let¡¯s not forget those we lost in the sport this year.? As ever, this is a labor of love and not so much journalism, so forgive any omissions.
Open Wheel
?Rick Ferkel, 84, was a member of the Sprint Car Hall of Fame and lived up to his nickname of the Ohio Traveler routinely running over 70 races per year, mainly with the World of Outlaws. ¡°Doc¡± Simpson was the track physician at midget and Sprint Car tracks in Colorado and eventually at IRP and Belleville, among others.? He was a member of the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame.? Jeff Nuckles, 66, raced midgets in the Midwest until a 1984 crash at Eldora left him paralyzed from the chest down.? He went to work at his family¡¯s Columbus Motor Speedway proving that a wheelchair was no handicap to a race director.? Sean Vardell was a regular at Millbridge Speedway in NC and started the Carolina 305 Sprint Car tour. Mark Schuck was a long time USAC Silver Crown owner.? Dean Billings, 68, raced with the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association for much of his career before suffering a traumatic brain injury 25 years ago.? He was a two time Dairyland Midget Ass¡¯n champion and track champion at Wilmot. Rocky Moran, 74, got a chance to drive at Indy with his hero Dan Gurney and then got two more shots with A.J. Foyt.? Out of money and opportunity with Indy Cars he turned to a successful sports car career running for Gurney¡¯s Toyota team with his day of days coming in 1993 with a win in the Daytona 24 Hours.? Rick Baty founded the United Rebel Sprint Series and this year was inducted into the Belleville High Banks Hall of Fame.? Wild Willie Stutzman, 92, was a supermodified legend.? Gary Irvin, 81, raced in the three major USAC divisions from 1968 to 1999.
?Central Pennsylvania Sprint Cars lost owner Joe Harz, who scored 169 wins along with Williams Grove championships with Lance Dewease and Fred Rahmer.? Walt Dyer, 90, fielded the #461 ¡°brick mobile¡± for over 30 years and was a member of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.? Lynn Paxton, 80 was a Hall of Famer who amassed over 200 Sprint Car feature wins mostly in Central Pennsylvania in addition to numerous track championships.? Clyde Swartz raced Sprint Cars in the Mid-Atlantic states.
?Parnelli Jones, 90, won in everything he ever drove, including an Indy 500 win in 1963.? He had the good sense to retire from open wheel racing after almost winning the 500 again in 1967 but turned his attention to winning a Trans Am championship in 1970 and raced the Baja before he stopped for good.? He wasn¡¯t a stranger to Indy wins, however, as with partner Vel Miletich he won the 500 twice in a row with Al Unser, Sr.?
?Paul Goldsmith began his career on bikes, winning on the beach at Daytona.? He raced six times at Indy with a best finish of third in 1960.? He turned his attention to stock cars and won a USAC championship and nine NASCAR events, including the very last race on the beach, before retiring in 1969.? He was 98 years old.
?Emily Vogler, 93, lost a husband and son the sport.? She also founded the Rich Vogler Memorial Scholarship Foundation, raising over $400,000.? A profile in grace and courage.
Lost Speedways
?This year we lost I-64 Motorplex drag strip in Kentucky, East Bay Raceway Park in Florida, and Battlefield Dragstrip in Mississippi.? South Bend Motor Speedway in Indiana closed after almost 78 years. ?State Park Speedway in Wisconsin closed after 71 years. Humberstone Speedway in Ontario lost their lease, ending a 50 year run.? Star crossed Irwindale Speedway and dragstrip closed after a difficult 20 year history.? Eastside Speedway drag strip in Waynesboro, VA closed its doors and will be taken over by a solar farm.
?Northeast
?Lloyd D. Hutchins, Jr., 86, helped build Thunder Road in Vermont and was involved with the track for much of his life.? John Petty was a long time supporter of Supermodifieds at Oswego, serving as crew chief and track crew after a brief driving career.? Ralph Clark was an Oswego regular in Supermodifieds and 350 Supermodifieds.? Vinnie ¡°Who¡± Annarummo, 74, was a six time Pro Stock champion at Seekonk Speedway, where he raced Modifieds as well.? Art Bennett, 92 won the Oswego Classic in 1961 and the track championship in 1962.? Paul Aldrich was a member of the New England Racing Museum¡¯s Board of Directors and a restorer of early drag racing cars.? Anthony ¡°Jap¡± Membrino, 90, was a Plainville Speedway legend and plied his trade in a Modified throughout southern New England.? Gil Coraine was a board member of the New England Racing Museum, a former head of public relations for New England Dragway and the owner of a Lifetime Achievement award by the NHRA.? Big Mike Daignault was a Daredevil division champion in 1973 and a fixture at the Speedbowl in the early 70¡¯s.? Don Collins, 93, was a five time Waterford Speedbowl Champion, winning 23 features alone in 1960.? Fred Luchesi, 93, won championships at Waterford, Seekonk, Lonsdale, Westboro and Norwood between 1954 and 1956 and was a NEAR Hall of Famer.? John Cook drove the Osetek supermodified at Oswego and was a long time member of Joe Gosek¡¯s crew.? Barefoot Bob McCreadie, 74, was Mr. Dirt, winning multiple track championships, DIRT championships, and Super Dirt Week. George Speck, 98, was the 1955 Willams Grove track champion.? Fast Eddie Freeland, 78, was a fixture at Hudson Speedway. Jon Manafort raced at Plainville Stadium and was a long time supporter of racing in the Northeast.? Howard ¡°Jiggs¡± Beetham was a long time racer at Waterford and the successful car owner for Bob Potter at Stafford.
?Dave Simard, 70, was a Super Modified fixture in New Hampshire and a two time winner of the Star Classic and one of the nicest guys in racing.? Dennis Krupski,53, raced Modifieds at Riverhead. Joe Liquori, Jr, 60, passed away suddenly after suffering a medical event at New Egypt Speedway, where he was general manager for ten years.? Rich Vasseur, 60, was a regular at Riverside Park.? Dale Planck was an accomplished Dirt Modified racer in New York.? Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Famer Bobby Botcher was 85.? Jim Liccardi, 71, co-founded the Eagles Fan Club and was a member of the Oswego Speedway Hall of Fame. Joe Bowen, 93, raced with NEMA, was their PR man and helped create the first NEMA yearbooks.
It was a tough year for Modifieds.? Long time crew chief Greg Narducci left us all too soon.? Greg was at the helm of many Modified wins with car owner Brad LaFontaine.? Veteran crew member Wayne Anastasia, 65, died of injuries sustained in an accident in the garage area at Martinsville.? Billy ¡°Bear¡± Calicchio, 62, was a fixture in the Modified world as an owner and crew chief to stars like Ted Christopher.
?Bugs Stevens, 90, was, quite simply, a redwood in Modified racing taking numerous track championships and three NASCAR championships on the trot from 1967 to 1969.? After winding down his Modified career he took a Pro Stock championship at Seekonk.? Legend is not too strong a word.
?Across the Pond
?Rene Metge, 82, was a three time Dakar Rally Champion.? Alberto Colombo, 77, was an Italian Formula Three champion and after several years in Formula Two and three brief attempts at Formula One retired to run the San Remo Formula Two Team.? ?John Webb, 92, ran Brands Hatch for decades when it hosted the British Grand Prix, eventually branching out to run several other British circuits during his career.? Jan de Rooy won the Dakar Rally in 1987 in the Truck division and went on to contest the event for several more years.? Pietro Corradini, 77, joined Ferrari in 1970 and served as a mechanic to the stars for the next thirty years.? Wilson Fittipaldi, 80, followed his brother Emerson to Formula One in Europe but never had the opportunities his younger brother enjoyed.? Undeterred he formed Copersucar in 1975, Brazil¡¯s only Formula One Team, and convinced Emerson to join the following year.? His day of days came when Emmo finished second at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1978.? Hugh Chamberlain, 82, was a perennial British entrant in national events and a 26 time entrant at Le Mans.? Kenjiro Shinozuka, 75,? won the Dakar rally in 1997.? Ted Toleman, 86, founded his eponymous Formula One Team after winning a Formula Two Championship with Brian Henton.? In 1984 Ayrton Senna made his Formula One debut with the team.? John Walker, 79, won the Australian Driver¡¯s Championship for Formula 5000 cars in 1979. Indu Chandhok, 93, was the godfather of motorsports in India, leading several organizations.? Tommy Robb was a five time winner of the North West 200 bike race.? Dave Brodie raced touring cars in Great Britain and Europe for ages and had a stint as director at Williams Grand Prix.
?Dave Walker won the Monaco Formula 3 support race along with a British F3 championship which led to a number two seat with the Lotus F1 team in 1971, but it wasn¡¯t easy being number two to Emerson Fittipaldi.? He did eleven Grands Prix with Lotus before returning to F2 and F5000.
?Peter Procter started racing bicycles but switched to cars in the 50¡¯s racing on the British club circuit. He brought the Ford Mustang a class win at the Tour de France in 1964, and ran the Monte Carlo rally eight times and Le Mans on four occasions, along with Formula Two, usually racing for Alan Mann Racing.? In 1965 a horrendous accident at Goodwood left him with burns over 65% of his body, but he managed to survive and become a tireless advocate for fireproof driving suits in an era where drivers still raced in cotton uniforms.? He remained a member of the British Racing Driver¡¯s Club for decades, and left us this year at age 94.
?Alan Rees, 86, raced in the lower formulas in the 1960¡¯s achieving some wins in Formula Two, but will be best remembered as one of the founders of March cars in 1969, a company that manufactured everything from Formula 1 to Indy Cars, to sports cars and a host of lower formula cars.
?Rupert Keegan, 69, was billed as the next James Hunt, and he certainly lived up to expectations off the track.? On track Rupert was the 1976 British Formula Three champion but never quite could get a decent ride in Formula One.? He did well in the Aurora FX F1 series in Britain, claiming the 1979 championship.?
?Stock Car
?Tim Steele, 55, was a three time ARCA champion.? Johnny Bryant, 82, was a southern Modified legend and won the ill-fated race at Martinsville in 1985 when Richie Evans was killed in practice.? Ryan Pemberton, 54, was a fixture in the NASCAR garages as a crew chief and most recently as competition for JR Motorsports Xfinity team.? Greg Moore, 67, son of Bud Moore managed the Moore family NASCAR team for a number of years.? Zach Brewer, 44, won in the Goody¡¯s Dash Series and in Modifieds? at Bowman Gray.? Blackie Wangerin, 89, was a part time ARCA and NASCAR driver who concentrated mainly on making Daytona and Talladega from the late 70¡¯s until the early 90¡¯s.? Bob Labonte, 90, was patriarch of the family that produced two NASCAR Cup champions.? Duke Bare was a fixture at Wythe Raceway on the dirt in western Virginia.? Scott Gafforni, 57, was the winningest driver at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a seven time Super Pro/Late Model champion.? Big Jim Massengill was the tech man at County Line Speedway in NC for many years.? Philip Walker won Late Model championships at Orange County and Wake County Speedways in NC over a 20 year career.? Bob Jeffrey, 65, was a spotter for Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart in their NASCAR championship years before moving to IndyCar to work with Danica Patrick and Pato O¡¯Ward, among others.? Roy Hendrick carried on his dad¡¯s legacy in the short tracks of Virginia, and was just as an accomplished racer.? Dink Widenhouse, 92, raced successfully on dirt tracks throughout the south in the early days of NASCAR. ?Jason Shephard was a long time crew chief on the Whelen Modified Tour. Les Westerfield, 67, won the 1984 All American 400 and went on to help guide the series through it¡¯s NASCAR transition to the K&N Series.
?Bobby Gill, 65, won four Hooters Cup championships, two Snowball Derby¡¯s and The All American 400 at Nashville in a long Late Model career.?
?Scott Bloomquist won pretty much everything there was to win in Dirt Late Models, and was a helluva car builder as well.? He marched to his own drum, might show up on any given night, might not.? Lost all too soon at age 60 in a plane crash.
?Bobby Allison, 86, once said the sport gave him everything, and then took it away.? A NASCAR champion and three time winner of the Daytona 500, Allison suffered through the loss of sons Clifford and Davey, respectively in racing related accidents, and his own devastating crash at Pocono in 1988.
?Fast Freddy Lorenzen, 89, was a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and a winner at Daytona in 1965.? He finished second at Daytona in 1967 to teammate Mario Andretti and retired a few months later.? He always said he retired too soon, and resumed racing in 1970, hanging it up for good in 1972.
?US sports cars/road racing.
?Ramin Abdolvahabi, 58, a nationally renowned neurosurgeon and racer in the IMSA Pilot Challenge? died of pancreatic cancer.? Billy Dingman, 78, found success in IMSA with the Dingman Brothers Racing Team, winning at Miami twice.? He later fielded cars in NASCAR and drag racing.? Bob Riley, 93, started out designing winning Indy Cars for A.J. Foyt and Pat Patrick, but it was in IMSA sports cars that his talent shown brightest, designing multiple winners.
?Fatalities.
?Andrew Kessel 37, was killed in the crash of his Rush SR car at Willow Springs Raceway in CA.? Drag racing veteran William Janke was killed in the crash of his Top Sportsman car at Lebanon Valley Dragway.? James Belay, 67, was killed at Roebling Road in Georgia during an SCCA Formula Continental race.? James Fox, 33, suffered a medical emergency while on track at Southern Raceway in Florida and died in the subsequent crash of his dirt car.? Gordon Welch died of a medical event after completing the Pro Truck race at Toccoa Raceway in Georgia.? Per Lunn, 15, died in a karting crash in Norway¡¯s Andebu circuit. Lisandro Boxler, 37, died in the crash of his Ford Escort at a touring race at Autodromo Los Toboganes in Argentina.? ?Ond?ej Chytil, 32, lost control of his Martini-BMW Formula 2 car and crashed into a tree at high speed at a historic hillclimb event in Czechoslovaka.? Chris Gee, 47, suffered a medical incident resulting in a crash at Mid-Michigan Motorplex drag strip. ?Alfredo Picardi, 48, died in the crash of his Fiat at the La Plata autodrome in Argentina.? Ralph Willhite, 65, was struck in the infield by an out of control Sprint Car at Jacksonville Raceway in Illinois.? Jean-Pierre Gaillard, 74, died in the crash of his Porsche 996 at a historics event at Nogaro in France.? Andrew Rhodes-Anderson, 61, was killed in a touring car crash at Phillip Island in Australia.? Alvaro Guerreros, 39, was killed in the crash of his kart at the Kartodromo Luis Pedro Serra in Uruguay.? Tony Hucks, 74, suffered a heart attack while racing in the Riverland Championship at the Loxton Kart Club track in South Australia.
?Seventeen drivers, co-drivers and spectators were killed in regional rallying accidents while bike fatalities numbered twelve.? Eight marshals and spectators were killed in an accident at the Fox Hill Supercross Track in Sri Lanka.
?Drag Racing
?Nathan Garrett VanBeek, 34, co-founder of the Carolina Xtreme Pro Mod Series, was killed in a work accident.? Joe Bucci was a veteran drag racer who won his class at the Streetcar Takeover a week before he died.? George Burch was a long time drag racer at Coastal Plains.? Larry Clayton, 77, was the long time owner of Maryland International Raceway.? Harold Denton, 85, was a veteran drag racer who set a Pro Stock record on 198mph at the US Nationals in 1991.? Chris Miller was from a drag racing family in Maryland that owned Maryland International Raceway and co-owned Extreme Dragbike Association and the World Cup Finals.? Larry Dixon Sr., 84, was a Southern California drag racing legend from the 1960s to the 1980s.? John Bowser, 81, was president of the Famoso Dragstrip.? Chris ¡°Big Crusher¡± Jones was a fixture in Carolina drag racing.? Ron Hope, 80, was the driver of the famous AA Fuel Altered ¡°Rat Trap.? George Poteet, 75, set many SCTA land speed records at Bonneville.? Between 1988 and 2014. ?Scott Richardson, 54, tallied 39 NHRA national event titles across six eliminators categories, and went on to win in the IHRA and in big money bracket racing.? Pro Mod Racer Terry Coyle, 61, died in a traffic accident.? Gary McKee raced Corvettes with the IHRA and later the CCRA.? ¡°General¡± Lee Edwards was a pioneer in Mountain Motor Pro Stock.? Michael Franks, 61, built and operated US 36 Raceway in Missouri.
?Rosalee Noble, 82, founded DRAW, Drag Racing Ass¡¯n of Women to provide financial support for those competitors suffering injuries on track.? She and her husband were members of the Int¡¯l Drag Racing Hall of Fame.? She was also a three time champion at Coles County Dragway in Illinois.
?Lizzy Musi wasn¡¯t just the daughter of her famous engine builder father Pat, she was a badass fast Pro Mod driver who became a reality TV Star on Street Outlaws who proved time and time again she could run with and beat anyone. She lost a valiant fight with breast cancer at just 33.
?Fourth Estate
?Maude Sammons, 95, was the first lady of Area Auto Racing News helping to found the legendary racing paper with her husband Lenny.? Lloyd Collins, 66, was an accomplished mid-West dirt track photographer.? Becky White, 80, founded Quick Times Racing News to report on her local track, Farmington Dragway and was a board member at the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of fame.? Duane Cory was a long time videographer at Oswego.? Roger Richards was the Director of Photography for Competition Plus and a legend among drag racing photographers.? Evan Canfield, 29, an EMPA award winning photographer left us far too early.? Bill York, 91, managed the media center at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for fifty years.? Ken Simon, 79 was a long time photographer for Speed Sport News concentrating mainly on Midwest Sprint Cars.? Chuck Lynn, 71, sold the Indianapolis Star at the Speedway in May for decades.? He never let his cerebral palsy hinder him and quite likely was the most beloved man in the paddock.? Jim Viviano carved out a stellar career shooting Sprint Cars.? Phil Rider, 82, shot midgets at Grundy County Speedway among many, many other sites in the Midwest.
?Other notable passings
?Eddie Gossage, 65, made his bones at Charlotte Motor Speedway before becoming the GM at Texas Motor Speedway.? He learned his promoting craft from Humpy Wheeler and spent 32 years with Speedway Motorsports, planting TMS firmly as one of the crown jewels of the company. Jerry Gappens, 63, spent 23 years with Speedway Motorsports, including a stint as GM of NHMS, and was the GM of Eldora Speedway at the time of his death.? ?Juanita ¡°Lightnin¡± Epton, 103, worked the ticket booth for every Daytona 500.? Eloy Gutierrez, 75, co-created a timing and scoring system for the World of Outlaws in the late 90¡¯s.? Chad McQueen, 63, followed his movie star dad Steve¡¯s passion for racing, participating in sports car events until a crash in practice for the 2006 Daytona 24 Hours left him in a coma for almost a month.? He retired from driving but not from his love of cars, forming a company that built classic replicas and worked with many Hollywood studios.? Maurice Schnitter was a track commissioner for many years at the Circuit Anneau du Rhin, just north of my beloved Colmar in France.? Malcolm Smith, 83, won the Baja 1000 six times on his motorcycle.? ¡°Motorcycle Mary¡± McGee, 87 was the first woman to compete in the Baja 1000 and the only woman to finish the Baja 500 solo.? She was a member of the AMA Hall of Fame.
?And what will we do without Brian Cleveland and Chuck Welling?? A friend to all in the Northeast Midget Ass¡¯n pits, Brian drove midgets and could always be found helping brother Doug in his midget efforts.? It was impossible not to find Brian with that Hollywood smile and positive attitude.? At 63, he left us far too soon.? Chuck left us too soon as well, at age 60.? A fixture in the NEMA pits Chuck was another one with a quick smile for everyone, and a talented fabricator and driver.? Both good guys.
?As ever, while we shed a tear over their passing, let us not forget that oh, how they lived, and raise a glass to them all for Auld Lang Syne.
?Bon Annee, Joyeux Noel.
?Chris Romano
New Bern, NC
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-- Chris Romano New Bern NC USA ? -- Bob Storck KC MO USA |
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Bob Storck
sramoa
