Author Archives: RRDC Webmaster

AUGIE PABST – 1934-2024

Augie Pabst, Jr., who raced in the golden years of American sportscar racing’s late 1950s and early ‘60s, passed away Oct. 9 at age 90. He often teamed with close friends – Harry Heuer, Bill Wuesthoff and Don Devine; at other times with legends of the sport – Walt Hansgen and Roger Penske. A testimony […]

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DON KNOWLES’ WIFE BECKY PASSES

It with great sadness that we report that Rebecca “Becky” Knowles, wife of Don Knowles, passed away Oct. 8 at age 78 at their home in Pittsboro, N.C. due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. Don said that she passed quietly and with no pain. They had been married for 56 years and had a daughter […]

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ROCKY MORAN: 1950-2024

Rocky Moran passed away this week from cancer. He was 74. Moran was a versatile race driver, equally at home in a sports car on road courses and in an IndyCar at the Brickyard. He drove for Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt, Jr. After retirement, he had been an active participant in the career of […]

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ADRIAN NEWEY JOINS ASTON-MARTIN

In a not totally unexpected move, Adrian Newey has signed with Aston-Martin as managing technical partner. His package is reportedly worth £30m a year and includes a shareholder’s position. It’s no wonder that Lawrence Stroll, owner and chairperson of Aston-Martin, opened the coffers to sign the man considered the preeminent designer in motorsports history. Since […]

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RAOUL “SONNY” BALCAEN: 1936-2024

Raoul “Sonny” Balcaen III passed away unexpectedly after a short illness. He was 88. Raoul belonged to a generation of young men and women who made Southern California the epicenter of American and global car culture. In the 1950s, Raoul was a pioneer hot rodder and drag racer. As a teenager, he successfully competed with […]

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SAFEisFAST – TEAMMATE HAS BETTER MACHINERY?

Fellow racers, have you ever suspected that your teammate might have a slightly better engine or chassis than you?   While it’s rarely the intention of the team to slow you down, having unequal machinery is something that can happen and should be addressed so you can bring your best to the track. In our latest video, our guest editor – former […]

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JIM HALL TELLS HIS STORY

“TEXAS LEGEND: Jim Hall and his Chaparrals,” by George Levy, with Jim Hall, is now available. Jim Hall tells his entire story – his life and his cars – for the first time to award-winning author George Levy in this authorized biography.  One of the greatest drivers of his generation, Jim Hall is even better […]

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PARNELLI JONES: 1933-2024

Our sport has lost one of the greatest talents ever to sit behind the wheel of a racing car and one of the kindest and most humble of individuals. Rufus “Parnelli” Jones passed away peacefully Tuesday at the Torrance (CA) Medical Center at the age of 90 after years of suffering from Parkinson’s disease. His […]

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NUMBER 20 FOR THE CAPTAIN

Josef Newgarden nipped past Pato O’Ward starting the white flag lap and held off the Arrow-McLaren driver to win the 108th Indianapolis 500, his second consecu8tive victory in the Memorial Day classic and the record-extending 20th win for Team Penske. Owner and chairman of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Roger Penske launched the 500 with the […]

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DEMENTIA ACTION WEEK’S ONLINE AUCTION

In support of Dementia Action Week, the organization has launched an online Silent Auction which includes VIP Paddock passes to 2025 Monaco GP, plus a number of other sought-after experiences and signed memorabilia from Sir Jackie Stewart, Michael Schumacher, Charles LeClerc, George Russell, Lionel Messi, Usain Bolt and many more sports stars. Stewart founded The […]

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WALLY DALLENBACH, SR. – 1936-2024

IndyCar legend Wally Dallenbach, Sr., passed away in his sleep last Monday at age 87. Family and friends said he watched the IndyCar race at Barber on Sunday. After his successful driving career ended, the senior Dallenbach assumed the duties CART’s Chief Steward in 1980, shaping the IndyCar World Series into the motorsports dynamo it […]

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INDY 500 “WREATH LADY” HONORED

As Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s official ‘Wreath Lady’, Julie Vance is usually accustomed to making things to be presented to other people. But after 33 years and counting of making the BorgWarner Victory Lane Wreath for the Indianapolis 500, she found herself on the receiving end on Tuesday when her contributions were recognized with a special […]

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ADRIAN NEWEY STIRS UP THE F1 SILLY SEASON

For once, a major driver move is not the current talk of the Formula 1 “silly season”. It’s the announcement last week that Adrian Newey is departing Red Bull after 17 seasons. For the short term, Newey will be overseeing the pre-production details of the Red Bull Advanced Technologies hypercar – his brainchild, the RB17, […]

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LBGP EVENT PASSES FOR RRDC MEMBERS

RRDC members attending the April 18 RRDC Evening with Sir Jackie Stewart, have paid your 2024 dues, and would like to have event passes for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach for the weekend, please email Judy Stropus at jstropus@earthlink.net and let me know by April 10. You may pick up the passes at the dinner registration […]

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SPEEDTOUR ALL-STARS COMING TO LIME ROCK IN JULY

Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH) and Lime Rock Park are proud to announce the SpeedTour All-Star Race, which will bring together an unprecedented gathering of motorsports legends to race at the historic Connecticut circuit, July 19-20. Gathering icons from Formula 1, NASCAR, INDYCAR and IMSA, the SpeedTour All-Star Race will pair all-star drivers with competitors from […]

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WILSON FITTIPALDI – 1943-2024

Wilson Fittipaldi, Jr., the older brother and father of RRDC members Emerson and Christian, passed away following an illness precipitated by an eating incident over the holidays. A piece of meat lodged in this throat, and he suffered a cardiac arrest. He had been in poor health ever since. RACER.com was one of dozens of […]

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