RIP Phill Hill
F1 racing, despite it featuring the world’s best cars and having tracks that are more than banked left turns, has never really caught on in the United States. One reason has been that American drivers have rarely done well in the series, and most of the races are in Europe, so American auto-racing fans have never really had a reason to tune in. One great exception to the lousy tradition of American F1 racers was Phil Hill. The Times reports that he died today at 81.
Hill raced for Ferrari in the 60s, winning the Driver’s Championship in 1961. But he wasn’t just an F1 driver, he also won 24 Hours at Le Mans three times. A true American racing hero, and much more of an athlete or sportsman that those left turn jockies in NASCAR. Also, his championship car, the Ferrari 156, was one of the coolest race cars ever built.
[...] Hill Dies Please take the time to read this blog post on Phil Hill. Phil was one of the great drivers of the 20th [...]
Phil Hill Dies « Jim’s Garage
August 28, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Sad to see him go. He was one of my racing heroes. The guys from Phil’s era were some of the best drivers ever to sit in a cockpit.
Noel
August 29, 2008 at 7:36 am