Peace
http://alex62.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/07/16/newman77.jpg # 14437 Daytona Comp 5th at Daytona 24 hrs in '77 sharing with Milt Minter and EFR http://www.ferrariblog.net/ferrari-lifestyle/paul-newman-tests-the-ferrari-599-gtb at Fiorano 2 yrs ago "He got a lot of opportunities to drive some really nice cars and won his class at the Daytona 24 Hours at the age of 70."That was Paul. A great guy who was always ready to have a good time in racing as well as trying to do everything he could do to help kids and everyone around him." Sebastien Bourdais
In the months leading up to his passing, there had been much discussion about his life and his accomplishments as it became evident that his battle with cancer was going to cost him his life. I thought that one of the nicest things I heard said was a comment on another web forum that said "you know, I've never heard anyone say anything bad about him." That, and he rented out Lime Rock a month or so ago for a last batch of hot laps. Farewell, Paul- you were a class act for as long as you graced us with your presence. Gio P
Paul Newman wanted to be a great athlete - he just never found a sport in which he could excel. Then, while filming the movie "Winning" in 1969 at age 43, he discovered auto racing. "I was never a very graceful person. The only time I ever really feel coordinated is when I dance with Joanne," he once told The Associated Press, referring to his wife, Joanne Woodward. "And that's not my doing. But when I'm behind the wheel of race car, I feel competent and in charge. It's something I really enjoy." Paul Newman (1925-2008) Photos: Paul Newman was a fixture in the racing world as both an owner and driver. Look back at his career at the track. Newman, an Oscar-winning actor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, activist and race car driver, died of cancer Friday at his farmhouse near Westport, Conn., publicist Jeff Sanderson said. "Paul Newman, a real American hero," NASCAR team owner Jack Roush said. Newman spoke of his passion for racing during a 1995 interview with the AP shortly after he was part of the winning team in the Daytona 24-Hours sports car endurance race. He was 70 years old at the time. No one remotely close to that age had ever won in that event. Newman could be terse and distant in his rare interviews, but he would light up when he talked about his favorite sport. "I don't like talking about acting because that's business and pretty boring," Newman told the AP another time. "And politics can get you in trouble. But I'll always talk about racing because the people are interesting and fun, the sport is a lot more exciting than anything else I do, and nobody cares that I'm an actor. I wish I could spend all my time at the racetrack." When Newman decided to get into racing, it was more than just being in the cockpit that interested him. He became a car owner in the Can-Am Series, campaigning cars for a number of top drivers, including Indianapolis 500 winners Al Unser, Danny Sullivan and Bobby Rahal, as well as Formula One champion Keke Rosberg. After competing against team owner Carl Haas in Can-Am, Newman formed a partnership with the Chicago businessman, starting Newman/Haas Racing in 1983 and joining the CART series. With Mario Andretti hired as its first driver, the team was an instant success. Throughout the last 26 years, the team - now known as Newman/Haas/Lanigan and part of the IndyCar Series - has won 107 races and eight series championships with drivers like Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Cristiano da Matta, Paul Tracy and Sebastien Bourdais. "He was just a great guy and truly loved everything about racing," Michael Andretti said. Despite a heavy schedule, Newman came to the track as often as possible. He tried without much success to keep a low profile as he roamed pit lane on his motor scooter or sat at the team's pit box, his baseball cap pulled low over those famous blue eyes, a pair of reading glasses - used for reading the timing and scoring monitor - dangling from a string around his neck. "Paul and I have been partners for 26 years and I have come to know his passion, humor and, above all, his generosity," Haas said. "Not just economic generosity, but generosity of spirit. His support of the team's drivers, crew and the racing industry is legendary. His pure joy at winning a pole position or winning a race exemplified the spirit he brought to his life and to all those that knew him." Newman's many charitable works extended to racing. Kyle Petty and his wife founded a camp for chronically ill children in North Carolina, modeled on Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang camps. "He was dedicated to giving back to those less fortunate and with each child we see, we honor his spirit and vision," Petty said. Two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart competed against Newman in several sports car races. "He set the bar, not only with his giving, but in how he gave. ... Paul did it right, and he did it with class," Stewart said. After playing the role of an Indy 500 driver in "Winning," Newman found he couldn't get the driving bug out of his system. And he found he had a real talent for the sport. Newman began racing sports cars in amateur divisions and won his first race in 1972 at Thompson, Conn., in a Lotus Elan. He earned the first of four SCCA National title in 1976 in the D-Production class and also won championships in the 1979 C-Production category, as well as taking the GT-1 championship in 1985 and 1986. His first professional victory came in the rain at an SCCA trans-Am race at Brainerd, Minn., in 1982. When Newman arrived in the media center at Brainerd for the winner's interview, a bottle of champagne in hand and a huge smile on his face, he found just two writers waiting for him. "Where is everybody? I guess I'll have to win something a little bigger than this to get any attention," he said. Newman added another Trans-Am win at his home track in Lime Rock, Conn., in 1986. He often said one of the things that attracted him most to racing was the camaraderie in the pits and paddock. And Newman loved a good practical joke, even when it was played on him. During a race in Elkhart Lake, Wis., several drivers conspired to pull a fast one on him. They hired a bus and sent it to a home for the aged, telling the residents that actor Paul Newman had invited them for lunch and a day at the track. About 40 women jumped at the offer. Newman was at the track when a crewman came in and said, "Paul, there's a bunch of people out here who say they're supposed to have lunch with you." Newman came out of his motor coach smiling and played the role of gracious host at a hastily arranged lunch for the adoring ladies. Get up to speedLooking for the latest news from the world of motorsports? Check out FOXSports.com's NASCAR, Formula One and Motor sections. When the Indy Racing League was formed, Newman/Haas stuck with CART and Newman tried numerous times during the 12-year split to broker a deal to get the rival organizations back under one banner. Once, when a deal appeared close in the late 1990s, Newman summoned a writer to his motor coach at Portland, Ore., and demanded: "Write about this now and we'll put some pressure on these people to get this done," he said, with a profanity tossed in to underline his point. It finally did get done, but not until this past February. Newman was thrilled by the unification, even though it was the IRL's IndyCar Series that wound up the winner of the internecine warfare. "It's about time," Newman said. "Now, we can tell potential sponsors we have a future and mean it, and we can develop great, young drivers that will attract new fans to the sport. The future looks much brighter now." As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand. He managed to combine acting with racing by providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, "Cars." Newman drove his last race as a professional in the 2005 Daytona 24-Hours and even ran some hot laps around his beloved Lime Rock Park in August. As the years went on, people kept asking him when he was going to quit racing. His reply was standard. "That's what Joanne keeps asking me," he said.
"From time to time there appear on the face of the earth men of rare and consummate excellence, who dazzle us by their virtue, and whose outstanding qualities shed a stupendous light. Like those extraordinary stars of whose origins we are ignorant, and of whose fate, once they have vanished, we know even less, such men have neither forebears nor descendants: they are the whole of their race" Jean de La Bruyère Paul Newman was without a doubt one of those incredible individuals that stands as a pillar to what the human spirit can achieve. On a personal note I mark it as one of the high points of my life to have spent some time with the man and to have been able to learn from his wisdom. For him to have been so kind to a total stranger spoke volumes to me and it is with great sadness that I learn of his passing. To his family I wish them my greatest condolonces as we have lost a great human being. RIP Mr. Newman Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ron, where did that appear/do you have the "by line"? Saw a quote (I think in the NY Times) today, "nobody should ever be asked to not like Paul Newman". In many ways we lost a national treasure today, and I think the outpouring of emotion over his passing says more about the quality of his heart than the quality of his accomplishments.
Formula One's McLaren chief Ron Dennis has paid tribute to American legend Paul Newman, who passed away last night at the age of 83. In a statement issued by Dennis at Singapore today, the Briton said: "Paul Newman was one of those very few people for whom the term 'megastar' was no exaggeration: truly, he was a legend of the silver screen. "However, he was also a fine driver, who was famous in Hollywood for doing his own stunt driving as often as not. But his driving was in fact no mere stunt. "I met him quite a few times, and liked him a lot. In fact I arranged a secret test for him in a Procar many years ago, and he acquitted himself pretty well. He competed in quite a few races, in fact, and the highlight of his competition-driving career was a fine second place in the Le Mans 24 Hours race of 1979. "Along with all my McLaren Group and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes colleagues, I extend my sympathy at this very sad time to this great man's grieving family and friends." Newman attended several Formula One Grands Prix - his last visit to the paddock in the 2000 Canadian GP at Montreal. A year ago, at the age of 82, he took a ride in the Minardi F1x2 car, with F1 champion Mario Andretti - who also drove for Newman in Champ Car - at the wheel.
Best known around the world as legendary movie star, Paul Newman was equally famous in the motorsport community as both a leading IndyCar team owner and a highly successful sportscar driver, whose competitive career lasted over 30 years. Newman's involvement in motor racing began via his film career, when he played the role of an Indycar driver in the 1968 film Winning. The part fired his enthusiasm for the sport, and it didn't take long for Newman to add real life racing endeavours to his fictional exploits, as he made his competitive debut in 1972 in a Lotus Elan in a sportscar event in Connecticut. Although his film career always took priority, he continued to compete regularly - primarily in sportscars - for most of the rest of his life, and with great success. His finest achievement was at the 1979 Le Mans 24 Hours, where he finished second in ****** Barbour Racing Porsche 935, alongside team owner Barbour and Rolf Stommelen. He was also a regular competitor in the Daytona 24 Hours, taking fifth place overall in 1977, and winning the GT1 class in 1995 at the age of 70. Newman also claimed several championship titles in American domestic series, starting with an SCCA D-Production class crown in 1976, adding further championship in the C-Production class in 1979, and back-to-back GT1 titles in 1985 and 1986. By that time he was firmly established in a second motorsport career - this time as a team owner. He had created Newman Racing as a Can-Am operation in 1978, with his driver line-up including future Formula One world champion Keke Rosberg plus US legends such as Al Unser Sr. When the Can-Am series folded in 1983, Newman switched to open-wheel racing and joined forces with former arch-rival team owner Carl Haas to create Newman/Haas Racing. This now-legendary team signed former world champion Mario Andretti for their first season in what was then known as the CART Indycar World Series, taking the first of many wins just six races into the season, and then claiming their maiden title only one year later. Newman/Haas would be a dominant force in CART/Champ Car for much of the next two decades, eventually taking eight championships, four of them with Sebastien Bourdais in the final four years of the series. He was also instrumental in Nigel Mansell's 1993 CART success, which paved the way for the explosion of international interest in the championship in the mid-1990s. Newman had been bitterly opposed to Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George's rival Indy Racing League and was a vocal opponent of the breakaway championship in the early years of the split. But as Champ Car struggled in the 2000s, Newman pushed hard to reunite the warring series, and was delighted by this year's merger - making a symbolic return to Indianapolis in May this year. Although his role in the Newman/Haas team was Newman's highest profile motorsport involvement in recent years, he continued racing into his 80s, regularly contesting the Daytona 24 Hours, and winning SCCA GT races as recently as 2003. Away from the track, Newman was much-admired for his charitable work, and he used his motorsport connections to promote many good causes - most recently his Hole in the Wall Camps for children facing serious illnesses.
RIP PLN. An Icon. One of my favorite models is the Newman Daytona Comp. I still remember when they were first released several years ago, I was so excited to get it. So sad that's he's gone.
was only last nite watching the movie cars........... only worked out half way through the movie he was one of the voices....... RIP
i watched the mckee wedge in action this weekend. paul newman's name on the side made me sad but in the end brought a smile. this was his movie car in "winning". my connection to him was as a driver but my admiration for him was a result of he being such a humanitarian. r.i.p. pln. you are missed and never to be replaced nor forgotten. pcb
While Paul Newman performed countless roles, he will always (fondly) be Reg Dunlop to me. "Hey Hanrahan... Suzanne ***** *****!" Rest in peace. Image Unavailable, Please Login
This really sucks, I've always thought highly of Paul Newman. He lived an awesome life, and the way he lived will be remembered and thought of fondly, by many.
' ....Newman was popular in the paddock , though other entrants were hesitant of approaching the star. " At Pocono National in 1976, Jim Nealon's TR4 got a leaking wheel cylinder in practice," recalls mechanic Jack Freehoff. " As we looked for a kit in the paddock , Newman walked past. I was awestruck and speechless , but to my surprise I heard Jim, who had a mild stutter, say; ' Hey, P-P-Paul, you got a minute?' Newman stopped and stared for a moment before Jim asked if he had a rebuild kit. 'You're the guy with the red TR4, right ?' said Newman. He then told his mechanic to give us whatever we needed. When Jim tried to pay, Newman just laughed, saying he might need to borrow something from us one day. I'll never forget his generosity."
