Running 2023 Motorsports thread

And I think Alex Zanardi's in the same state after his second traumatic crash.

 

Wow. 2003 Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran dies of an apparent heart attack while racing with his son at a private south Florida road course.

https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...hampion-gil-de-ferran-dies-at-56/72063214007/

 

That stinks for anyone but especially for someone his age.
There is a whole enclave of Brazilian open wheel racers living in Florida.

 

NHRA legend Roland Leong, RIP.
Cale Yarborough, too. Sad day for motor racing.

 

I could list 100 Cale stories, but four instances stand out for me:

1. Watching him fly over the guardrail during the 1965 Southern 500 after tangling with Sam McQuagg. That was in the Wide World of Sports intro for years.

2. Being at the 1979 Daytona 500 with my father on a cold and dreary February afternoon. While Dad and I were watching Richard, Darrell and A.J. battle for the victory on that last lap, not realizing until the TV highlights that Cale and Donnie (and Bobby) were swinging fists and helmets in the mud over in Turn 1.

3. Cale's continued run-ins with D.W., finally ending with the "Jaws" comment, which Humpy Wheeler promoted like crazy at Charlotte.

4. Cale running a qualifying lap at over 200 mph at Daytona in 1983, then flipping upside down and landing square on the roof the next time by. Thank goodness he had no neck because that hit would have broken the necks of most drivers of the day.

RIP to a legend.

 

RIP Hawaiian

 

On the other thread I mentioned qualifying at Talladega, but I guess it was Daytona. My bad.
Either way, he did some good Hardee's commercials.