who have you been lucky enough to meet "face to face"

In 1967 I met Dan Gurney at Green Valley Raceway just outside of Dallas Texas, where he and Parnelli Jones were racing Team Cougars in the Trans Am series. I was 15, and asked him how to get started in racing. He spent 10 minutes with me, and could not have been nicer. Has been a hero of mine ever since. I received this picture when I joined his All American Racers club a few years later.
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Mandy Reimart, Mike Louli...

 

I met and chatted with him during his guest appearance at a FCA dinner in the Wine Country a year or so ago. He was recovering from an illness which left his hands very shaky, but said that if I would mail my copy of his book _Ferrari: A Champion's View_ to him at his home, he would be pleased to inscribe it and send it back when he felt better. I did, he did, and the book is a great memento of a hero and gentleman.

 

I met IRL driver Tony Kanaan at the Homestead FXX / 430 Challenge event. Talked to him for a few minutes. He was a very approachable and friendly person. I can't imagine the nerve it takes to drive at those speeds in open wheel racing.
BT

 

I got to meet Andre Ribeiro, and Jackie Stewart, and that's about it.

It was awesome to meet Jackie - you don't get to shake the hand of a triple World Champion too often!

 

I spent some time including eating dinner with Phil Hill about 10 years ago when he came to the Italian Festival in Birmingham Alabama...he was a very nice guy...we even watched a F1 race in the hotel bar the last day of the event on early Sunday morning... he was the guest of Mr. Barber the owner of the new Barber Race Track in Birmingham.

 

Had a great conversation with Mario Andretti at a CART race a few years back. Also met Michael. (also met Unser Jr, Montoya, and a bunch of other Champ Car drivers)

Have met many Celeberty types.

Have spoken with 3 U.S. Presidents. And countless political types.

Had a great conversation with Rush Limbaugh about football and Rugby many years ago. He was very knowledgable and funny.

John

 

I met Emerson Fittipaldi at the 2001 US GP. It was at a SAP party. He was very nice. It was a big thrill to meet him.

 

does a schumi autograph count... (from 1995)???

 

Schumi, Massa, Todt, Piero Ferrari and standing a few feet away from Luca. Oh and Dan Gurney Not really meet, just autographs and hand shakes kinda stuff.

 

At the opening of the Wynn dealership, I met Roger Penske, along with Sam Hornish, Jr. and Helio Castroneves. Roger was a real gentleman.

I met and chatted with Derek Daly at the opening of Lamborghini LV.

At the RM Auction in AZ last January, I finally met Skip Barber, 20+ years after attending his racing school.

And when at that school at Lime Rock, I met Paul Newman. He was filming a commercial there, and spent a lot of time talking with the students between "takes".

Finally, my original interest in sports cars was fueled by a neighbor when I was in my younger teens, a retired British driver named John Gordon Bennett.

 

Fangio, Sterling Moss, Jackie Stuart, Phil Hill, Luigi Chinetti, Skip Barber, Jim Hall...Enzo Ferrari....

Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H. Bush,....

Henry Fonda, Elizabeth Taylor, Robin Williams....

GJ

 

Rob Walker............he was standing next to sterling moss........just wanted to meet the man who owned the 250swb I've always lusted over

 

Let's see: The ones I can think of off the top of my head are Dan Gurney Mark Donahue Parnelli Jones Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Jeff Andretti John Andretti Jimmy Vasser Scott Pruet Emerson Fittipaldi Wilson Fittipaldi Christian Fittipaldi Phil Hill Jack Brabham Vic Elford Derek Bell Bob Holbert Al Holbert Bob Sharp Bob Tullius and had a burger with Paul Newman once at Summit Point. I live only an hour from Watkins Glen. I went to my first race there when I was Five. Now I am Fifty and have missed very few races since. Also raced myself all over the Northeast United States during the late Seventies and Eighties. It is great to have met these Guys which most in my opinion are legends.

 

Piero Ferrari

 

Dennis Rodman... Richard Losse... Robin Williams... StackHouse (aka PimpDaddy)... Rudi Giuliani... George Bush (both of em)... Karl Malone... Michael Jordan... David Beckham... Ruud van Nistelrooy... John Wooden.

 

F1 related: Jensen Button, Ross Brawn

But way more importantly, Carbon McCoy!

 

Maranelloman.....WGAF after that?

 

Phil Hill, Carroll Shelby, Dan Gurney and a bunch more I dont remember names. They were all at Monterey Historics over the years. My bro-in-law worked for Shelby so I allways was introduced to the people hanging around Carroll.

All the SpeedTV announcers. We just met them at the hotel bar in Indy.

 

I would have to say by far of all the people i have meet Carbon takes the cake, and I have meet alot of people

 

Automotive related... John Surtees, Brian Redman, Bobby Rahal, David Hobbs, Peter Klute, over the years at the BRIC at RA

 

I've been an F-1 & racing fan all my life, so I have met a bunch ...

Fittipaldi - Wilson, Emmerson , & Christan, Clay Reggazoni, Cevert, Hulme, Brabham, Surtees, Lauda, Stewart - about a dozen times... Senna, Prost, Cheever, Sullivan, Berger, Piquet, Dumfries, Alboreto, Arnoux, Laffite, De Ceaseris, Ecclestone, Paddy McNally, Dennis Jekinson, Jabby Chrombac, Colin Chapman, Mario Andretti, Gordon Murry, Gilles Villeneuve, Alain Prost, Phill Hill, JP Beltois, Piero Lardi Ferrari, Patrick Tambay, Alan Jones, Carlos Pace, Reutemann, ... all kinds of mechanics... and in 1990, I got to meet Prince Rainer, Princess's Caroline, and Stephanie at the GP party ... that was a highlight...same weekend talked with Mansell about the USA for over an hour...

met lots of them either for an autograph, picture or just happen on them .... in Detroit I saw Senna out at 1 AM with two very buxom girls the night before Friday practice... I recgonized him in a crowd in Greek town... he looked at me and winked... next day in the paddock I saw him again, and he winked again and motioned to me to come over... got a "thanks" autograph, and have the whole episode on tape! I think he won that race in the yellow Lotus.... got tons of storys....

 

#1 race related person to meet & chat with has been John Surtees (Autosport in January); Michael at Owner's F1 Test Day April 2005 in Maranello; Ross Brawn; DC - couple times; Paul Stoddart; Eddie Jordan; Jackie Stewart; Christian Horner; Ron Fellows, Mika Salo; Tomas Enge; Alex Yoong; David Hobbs, Steve Varsha; Jody Scheckter; Louise Goodman (ITV - a bit astounded that as a female and from US I was knowledgable about F1 racing);Murray Walker; Clint Field -several occasions; Liz Halliday -several occasions; James Weaver; many more over the years - also Dindo Capello and best of all my friend Allan McNish from whom I received two big hugs after the recent race in Canada (said I was his good luck charm - he won the LMP1 championship . . . Go Audi !). (The thread title "face-to-face" literally applies to my last comment also).

Carol

 

Phil Hill, Brian Redman, Filipe Massa, David Coulthard, Alan McNish, David Brabham, Mad Max, Steve Earle, Michele Alboreto (RIP), Tom Christiansen, Martin Brundel, Andy Wallace, Butch Leitzinger, Didier Theys, James Weaver, Emanuele Pirro, Stefan Johansson, Wayne Taylor, Andy Pilgrim, Lucas Luhr, Ron Fellows, Boris Said, Hans Stuck, Bill Auberlen...

Any countless others (including Gerhard Berger when he was trying to get a girl's phone number...).