The passing of an American Racing Icon:
Phil Hill, 1907/2008:
Phil Hill the first American Formula One Champion passed away today from complications of Parkinson’s disease.
I only saw Phil drive two times, both at the Nurburgring in 1961. The race that I remember most was the German Grand Prix at the “ring” in 1961. During this race one of the guys that I went to the track with and I had gone to an area along the so-called straight before the start/finish and when the German police were not looking we ducked under a wire separating us from the hedge that lined the track. We dove into the base of the hedge and stuck our heads out onto the track. At this point the cars were coming to our side of the track so that they could set up for a very fast left before the start/finish and the pits. The drivers were able to see us and they pulled a little to their left and did not come close to us. Stirling Moss had built up a fair lead and was not really being challenged by the Ferrari’s of Phil Hill and Wolfgang Von Tripps. Phil on the other hand was in a nip and tuck battle with his teammate Von Trips for the championship of Formula 1. My buddy was using an 8mm movie camera and I had a 35 mm film camera. He was up the track from me and I had to duck out of the hedge to place a new roll of film in my camera when along came Von Trips followed by Phil. Von Trips pulled slightly to the left but Phil was doing everything he could to catch the flying Von Trips did not give an inch. He held his line and just barely missed the camera. I cannot for the life of me remember his name but I did see his film and it was great. Your first saw a red dot in the distance pull toward the center of the road and then it passed and another red dot appeared and it just got bigger and bigger and did not budge an inch. He later told me that as he was watching through the view finder and as Phil’s car got closer he looked up and said “Oh Shit” and ducked his head and body back into the hedge but kept his hand in the movie camera. He thought he could take my hand not my head. It was a pretty good piece of 8mm movie making.
Phil placed third in that race less than one second behind Von Trips and after 2 hours and 18 minutes over the most difficult race track in the world only 22.5 seconds behind Stirling Moss the winner of the race.
I consider it a great moment in my life to have witnessed these great drivers at the greatest racetrack in the world.
Phil Hill had the distinction of winning his very first race and also his very last race the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch in 1967.
Phil leaves behind his wife Alma, a son and two daughters.
Phil Hill, 1907/2008:
Phil Hill the first American Formula One Champion passed away today from complications of Parkinson’s disease.
I only saw Phil drive two times, both at the Nurburgring in 1961. The race that I remember most was the German Grand Prix at the “ring” in 1961. During this race one of the guys that I went to the track with and I had gone to an area along the so-called straight before the start/finish and when the German police were not looking we ducked under a wire separating us from the hedge that lined the track. We dove into the base of the hedge and stuck our heads out onto the track. At this point the cars were coming to our side of the track so that they could set up for a very fast left before the start/finish and the pits. The drivers were able to see us and they pulled a little to their left and did not come close to us. Stirling Moss had built up a fair lead and was not really being challenged by the Ferrari’s of Phil Hill and Wolfgang Von Tripps. Phil on the other hand was in a nip and tuck battle with his teammate Von Trips for the championship of Formula 1. My buddy was using an 8mm movie camera and I had a 35 mm film camera. He was up the track from me and I had to duck out of the hedge to place a new roll of film in my camera when along came Von Trips followed by Phil. Von Trips pulled slightly to the left but Phil was doing everything he could to catch the flying Von Trips did not give an inch. He held his line and just barely missed the camera. I cannot for the life of me remember his name but I did see his film and it was great. Your first saw a red dot in the distance pull toward the center of the road and then it passed and another red dot appeared and it just got bigger and bigger and did not budge an inch. He later told me that as he was watching through the view finder and as Phil’s car got closer he looked up and said “Oh Shit” and ducked his head and body back into the hedge but kept his hand in the movie camera. He thought he could take my hand not my head. It was a pretty good piece of 8mm movie making.
Phil placed third in that race less than one second behind Von Trips and after 2 hours and 18 minutes over the most difficult race track in the world only 22.5 seconds behind Stirling Moss the winner of the race.
I consider it a great moment in my life to have witnessed these great drivers at the greatest racetrack in the world.
Phil Hill had the distinction of winning his very first race and also his very last race the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch in 1967.
Phil leaves behind his wife Alma, a son and two daughters.
Phil you will be missed but not forgotten.
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