January 1, 2024
This past year has pretty much sucked around our house here with my right kidney being removed, an infection that had a tooth removed and my wife having surgery as well. We are ready for a much better and healthier 2024 for everyone.
Also, we have lost a lot of musicians and racing folks including Gil de Ferran on December 29th and NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough yesterday.
Gil de Ferran was an amazing racer who won the Indy 500 in 2003 and two Indy Car championships in 2000 and 2001.
He was born in France but moved with his parents to Brazil before he was one year old.
Then he started moving up the ladder to try for Formula 1 but he really focused on Indy Car and CART from 1995 to 2003.
Starting in 1995 with Jim Hall's racing team and then on to Derrick Walker's racing team in 1997 before getting with Team Penske from 1999 through 2003.
The fastest lap EVER in an Indy Car was done by Gil at California Speedway in 2000 qualifying at 241.428mph! That's crazy fast and probably will never be beaten.
Gil became a bit of a friend through the years as we talked at the Milwaukee Mile and Road America. I have a photo of him at the Milwaukee Mile with a thumbs up in the cockpit of his Penske Indy Car. He signed a large print for me and I gave him a copy.
He also had some history in my state of Wisconsin for a semester in high school. Before he went to school for that semester he had to milk the cows!!
I heard the very sad news that he passed away of cardiac arrest at an event at the Concours Club in Opa locha, Florida on December 29th in a car in pit lane. His son was also with him that day and it just broke my heart that Gil is gone at 56 years old.
Prayers for Gil and his family and all the racing community that knew him. I still can't believe that he is really gone...
Thank you for the friendship Gil and as Rick Mears says and I always sign my blogs with,
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
Gil de Ferran racing Indy Cars at the Milwaukee Mile and Road America 1995 through 2003.
February 20, 2016
Last week I had some photos of Willy T. Ribbs at Elkhart Lake's Road America for my blog. This week, we look at Walker Racing and Willy T. Ribbs with his teammates, Scott Goodyear and Hiro Matsushita.
These were the good days of CART racing. I miss those high powered Indy cars!
A couple of these photos are from the team photo session on Sunday morning of the race weekend.
Enjoy and have a good week.
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
September 1, 2014
First, thank you to everyone who wished me Happy Birthday on Saturday, August 30th when I turned 60!!! That was a big one and a great day thanks to all of you and my wife Claudia.
So, life goes on and we have a new IRL champ after the race last night in Fontana, California.
I was pulling for Helio Castroneves to win the championship. He has not won one yet and he has been trying for many years to become the IRL champion.
Helio, did not become the IRL champion, but one of his teammate's with team Penske, Will Power, did. Congratulations to Will. He too has been trying for many years to get the championship.
Here we look at some photographs of Will Power that I took in 2007, 2008 and 2014.
Enjoy and have a great week.
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
