To blow the dust out of the office dictionary and search for “hero,” the definition is: “A person who is admired or idealized for courage, excellence, or noble qualities.” In this case, we believe that with respect to that Hit the topic of the annual RACER Heroes edition.
Six decades have passed since AJ Foyt’s first Indianapolis 500 win in 1961, and to celebrate, RACER’s internal hero Robin Miller recalls the early years of Super Tex on the speedway and on the dirt and tarmac of the National Championship USAC.
Fortunately, Robin also brings us some personal memories of Bobby Unser, who passed away on May 2nd. “Uncle Bobby” had an opinion on everything and everyone and did not hesitate to say it. But the three-time Indy 500 winner and Pikes Peak legend didn’t just talk. As Mario Andretti says: “Life goes on, but our gang has lost a big one.”
Keeping on the Indy theme, we caught up with Dario Franchitti to look back on three consecutive titles in the Scot’s IndyCar series between 2009 and ’11. At a time when pretty much every rule and regulation is aimed at preventing such dominance, that’s an achievement. But throw in a 2010 Indy 500 win – after a 2007 Indy 500 / championship double, of course – and it definitely hits the hero box.
There was a time when it came down to who would join the club of four-time Indy 500 winners first, Dario or Helio Castroneves. As the season progressed, the answer seemed to be going in the direction of “none,” but our cover star Helio’s win last month was well deserved, if a bit of a surprise, to pretty much everyone but Helio himself.
This unwavering belief in oneself is one of the qualities that make great racing drivers; ditto, single-minded focus and determination. So when Robert Wickens says he wants to return to the elite level of motorsport, it is not even questioned. Read about his recent return to a racing car and appreciate another true hero.
And a packed RACER No. 310 doesn’t stop there. Interviews with Yamaha’s MotoGP riddle Maverick Vinales and Formula DRIFT champion Vaughn Gittin Jr., a look back at the opening event of the all-electric off-road Extreme E-series and insights into the return of the Pro class to the SRO GT World Challenge America spread the word Network wide.
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RACER No. 310
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