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Post by Jason Fitch on Dec 31, 2020 4:47:46 GMT
Can-Am Legend, Founder of Auto World Hobby stores, and Co-founder of the Polish Racing Drivers Association, Oscar Kovaleski died Monday at age 88.
Tuesday night, John Paul, Jr. finally succumbed to his decades long battle with Huntington's Disease at age 60.
Oscar raced extensively in SCCA in the 50's, 60's, and 70's. In Can-Am he ran cars sponsored by Auto World. He along with Tony Adamowicz and Brad Niemcek co-founded the Polish Racing Drivers Association. Wherein they entered a number of Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash's.
John Paul, Jr. was the son of Notorious Driver/Owner John Paul. He entered IMSA in 1980 and won the first race he entered, he won again during his Rookie season and grabbed 3 2nd place finishes to finish 4th overall. In 1982 he won 4 of the first 6 races enroute to becoming the Youngest Series Champion in IMSA History. In 1984 he entered CART competition where he Won in just his 4th race at Michigan where he pulled off a huge last lap pass on Rick Mears. He also entered Trans-Am races wherein, again, he won his first race entered. His meteoric rise was cut short by his fathers Drug Trafficking. JP Jr, was sentenced to 5 years in Prison in 1985 for refusing to testify against his father. He was released in late 1988 and went back racing. He focused on IMSA full time where he put up really good results, however Jaguar, Nissan, and Toyota factory support had turned everyone else into also-rans. In CART he ran the 500 only from 1990 to 94, all of them in old obsolete equipment and in all of them he put up very respectable results, putting the cars up higher than it had any right to finish. His career gained a new lease on life in 1996 with the beginning of the IRL from 1997 through 1999 he competed in the IRL, where he picked up his second IndyCar victory in 1998 at Texas. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the 15+ years is the longest time between a persons first and second wins. In 1999 he drove for Corvette.
Junior retired in 2001 after a test session in a Corvette GT-1. He and the team noticed a massive discrepancy between what the onboard telemetry said he was doing versus what he thought he was doing. A subsequent medical evaluation resulted in a Huntington's disease diagnosis, and his dedication to helping to find a cure for the degenerative illness.
EDIT: Aldo Andretti, Mario's Twin Brother passed, either last night or early this morning, from Complications with COVID-19...he was 80.
Aldo started racing with brother Mario in Pennsylvania, before a huge crash sidelined him. He is probably best known by the fact that the Front Row picture for the 1969 500 has Aldo standing in for Mario as he had been burned a few days prior in a practice crash.
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Post by Bruno Pagiola on Dec 31, 2020 12:52:37 GMT
Relax in Peace!
I remember John Paul Jr at Indy Racing League at late 90s...
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Post by Richard Wilks on Dec 31, 2020 17:11:43 GMT
Junior was a real talent. Shame his career was stiffled by the US legal system (forcing a son to testify against his own father... not even here you can be forced to do it) and his desease when his career was taking off again.
Mr Kovaleski was another survivor of the golden age.
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Post by Bruno Pagiola on Jan 6, 2021 22:23:53 GMT
And we lost today Pat Patrick! Iconic Indycar team owner  |
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Post by Bruno Pagiola on Mar 13, 2021 18:57:16 GMT
And Today, We lost the iconic commentator Murray Walker! RIP |
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Post by Jonatan Acerclinth on Mar 13, 2021 20:27:02 GMT
Reading about Murray's passing is absolutely heartbreaking for me.
I first heard his voice on commentary on an old recording of a Bathurst race, I believe it would most likely have been the 1987 event when it was part of the world championship.
I later came to fall for his way of commentary watching the BTCC of the 90's. There may be many reasons why that was the case, but I think the main one was the fact that he, just like many of us watching motorsport, loved watching it and talking about what he was seeing. That enthusiasm was infectious, you could never watch a race and think it was boring when Murray was in the booth. It was never forced either, he was genuinly exciting for every little detail of motorsport. It certainly shaped my own love for motorsport.
Now I'm off to watch a few old BTCC races and giving Murray my thanks for providing me with so much joy while growing up.
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Post by David Jundt on Mar 13, 2021 21:06:07 GMT
Devastating.
I am also salty he was never knightened. They had the chance not long ago an didn't do it...
...but made some young bloke who's barely older than 1/3 of his age a sir, calling it for service in motorsport. Meh.
R.I.P. Murray
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Post by Jason White on Mar 13, 2021 21:26:43 GMT
Murray was the greatest racing play-by-play man of all time. You can tell by this visit to the Indycar booth how others in his profession looked to him as the gold standard. Go to 0:40
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Post by Bruno Pagiola on Mar 13, 2021 22:25:13 GMT
I just discovered about the F1 backstages just when web allows well access the whole content about, and most of F1 old races videos I saw by pair Walker and Hunt by BBC Broadcasting, but the best in my pointview content involving Mr. Walker was his interview with Commendadore Enzo Ferrari done in 1987, one year before his death at Maranello headquerters.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Obituary
Mar 13, 2021 23:23:24 GMT
via mobile
Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2021 23:23:24 GMT
To sum him up imho:
appreciative
collected
respectful
committed
as a fan, believer, enthusiast and an avid follower of motorsport just....
as everybody listening and watching him.
A voice for the enchanted folks who love racing.
Damn - we all get older.
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Obituary
Mar 17, 2021 11:44:34 GMT
via mobile
Post by Michael Drechsler on Mar 17, 2021 11:44:34 GMT
Just got word that Sabine Schmitz, two-time winner of the Nürburgring 24h, succumbed to cancer last night at age 51.
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Post by Alberto Ibañez on Mar 17, 2021 11:56:52 GMT
Sad to hear, so young! Rest in peace, racer  I changed the thread name to "Obituary" so we can post here the passing away of any motorsport related people and pay our respects. Thanks to Fitch for opening it, good call. |
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Post by Jonatan Acerclinth on Mar 17, 2021 13:18:27 GMT
Really sorry to hear of Sabines passing. Feels like just last year I heard her name in the USCC in an all-female line-up in the GT-class.
She seemed so full of life and happiness whenever I saw her, be it on motorsport broadcasts or in her cameos in mid-old Top Gear...
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Post by Michael Drechsler on Mar 17, 2021 15:46:34 GMT
I knew she had been battling cancer for a few years now, but two years ago, she said she defeated it, was in good spirit and promised to be back on track soon, must have been last fall she wrote it was back again.
Not only she knew the way around the Nordschleife like barely anyone else, which lead to some other interesting stories (you certainly all know the legendary episode of Top Gear with the Ford Transit van), she was a truly heartwarming direct and honest person. As bland as the N24 became over the years, Sabine in the broadcast booth was always the highlight of the race for me. On one hand, there was the knowledge, the insight, and then it was her part of it telling it in a way you couldn't help but have a huge grin on your face. A one of a kind character in times, where drivers are usually phrasemonger automates.
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Post by Michael Drechsler on Mar 17, 2021 22:10:02 GMT
And if it just wasn't enough, Manfred Kremer, co-founder of Kremer Racing, left us, too. |
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Post by Juha Bos on Mar 22, 2021 16:44:11 GMT
Johnny Dumfries has passed away after a short illness, aged 62.
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Post by Alberto Ibañez on Mar 22, 2021 16:48:15 GMT
Oh wow that one I did not see coming at all |
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Post by Bruno Pagiola on Mar 22, 2021 16:59:16 GMT
Johnny Dumfries has passed away after a short illness, aged 62. Oh, my God!! |
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Post by Jason Fitch on Apr 26, 2021 1:58:01 GMT
Bill Whittington one of IMSA's famed Whittington brother's died yesterday in a plane crash in Winslow, AZ. He was 71.
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Post by Jason White on May 23, 2021 15:57:45 GMT
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Post by Jason Fitch on May 24, 2021 17:29:16 GMT
Max Mosley has died at 81 from Cancer.
As much as I hated the sheer stupidity with which he seemed to be running the FIA with in the 2000's, I can't deny the fact that he was an integral part of one of my favorite Formula 1 constructors of the 70's.
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Post by Richard Coxon on May 24, 2021 17:39:39 GMT
Max Mosley has died at 81 from Cancer.
As much as I hated the sheer stupidity with which he seemed to be running the FIA with in the 2000's, I can't deny the fact that he was an integral part of one of my favorite Formula 1 constructors of the 70's.
He also had the tough job of fighting the teams to make cars slower in the wake of Senna's accident. Many teams were massively against the changes. He may of had flaws but he got the job done when needed. |
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Post by Bruno Pagiola on Jul 7, 2021 17:30:33 GMT
Former F1 Driver Carlos Reutemann passed away today in Argentina 😢
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Post by Brian Janik on Jul 9, 2021 15:18:38 GMT
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Post by David Sabre on Aug 4, 2021 14:19:56 GMT
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