LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Bobby Unser’s lofty racing goal as a youth was to win the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb in his native Colorado, which he accomplished at age of 22 in 1956.
Among his ambitions then was to break his Uncle Louis’ record of nine overall victories in the “Race to the Clouds.”
The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race wasn’t an ambition per say as it was his career destiny.
“I really didn’t have a desire to go to Indianapolis. Then Parnelli (Jones), who was the boy wonder of all racing in the United States, came to Pikes Peak and we instantly became good friends. Then one day he said, ‘You really need to go run Indianapolis.’ I said that I didn’t think I was good enough to go there. I was having fun running sprint cars and midgets and anything to make a buck.
“He didn’t say anything about it, and it wasn’t too long later that I got a phone call from Parnelli, who said, ‘I got your car to run Indianapolis.’ I thought, ‘What am I going to do now?’ I’ a little boy from Albuquerque. It doesn’t usually work out.”
In this instance, it did. Unser’s career expansion included three Indianapolis 500 Mile Race wins and two Indy car championships.
Unser was the guest of honor April 16 during the rollicking Road Racing Drivers Club Evening with Bobby Unser Presented by Firestone. The event, hosted by RRDC president Bobby Rahal and laden with on- and off-track stories that usually began with "there was this one time ..." is an annual fundraiser for the organization’s young driver initiatives.
“I look at the names that were honored before me and they were either my bosses, good friends that raced me on the track or my heroes -- (Dan) Gurney, (Roger) Penske, (Jim) Hall, (Brian) Redman, Mario (Andretti) and, of course, the man that helped me get my first ride at Indianapolis in 1963, Parnelli Jones.
“Good chance without Rufus' help at Indy that year you’d never have heard of Bobby Unser at the Speedway.”
Unser won the Indianapolis 500 in 1968, 1975 and 1981, and was the first to surpass the 180 mph and 190 mph markers in qualifications. He is tied with three-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon for fifth on the all-time Indy car victory list with 35, and is third on the career pole winners list with 49. Unser won the USAC Indy car title in 1968 and ’74, and retired from Indy car competition in 1982.
But he wasn’t finished racing, and in 1986 – after a 12-year absence from the Pike’s Peak event – broke a tie with his uncle with his 10th overall victory. He totaled 13 wins on the 14,000-foot Colorado mountain, including two stock car class victories (1969, 1974) and a sports car class win (1963).
Have we seen that car before?
Unser's 1968 Indy 500-winning Offenhauser, which was the backdrop of his chat with Rahal, was driven by Paul Newman in the 1969 feature film "Winning."
Concurrently with the RRDC event was the premiere of the documentary "Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman" in Los Angeles.
De Ferran accepts global ambassador role
Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time CART champion Gil de Ferran has been named the global ambassador for SAFEisFAST.com, the online driver development program of the Road Racing Drivers Club.
He will help promote SAFEisFAST.com at races and events across the world and participate in online tutorials. The initiative is designed to empower aspiring racing drivers to improve their skills and safety levels through educational materials, such as videos on handling techniques, driver fitness and cockpit safety. De Ferran takes over from fellow Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti.
Special show on NBCSN
NBCSN's coverage of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach begins with a live edition of "IndyCar Countdown" at 5 p.m. (ET) April 17.
The network also will telecast the three rounds of qualifications at 6 p.m. (ET) April 18. Additionally, NBCSN will telecast of the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires race at 3 p.m. (ET) April 19, immediately preceding live coverage of the Verizon IndyCar Series race.
Two decades of Indy Lights races at Long Beach
This weekend will mark the 20th time that Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire series (and its predecessors) will compete on the streets of Long Beach.
Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Townsend Bell, JR Hildebrand, James Hinchcliffe, Carlos Munoz and Gabby Chaves are current Verizon IndyCar Series drivers who have won the Indy Lights race. Others include Conor Daly, Paul Tracy and Greg Moore.
Of note
Indy car driver Alex Tagliani and his wife Bronte welcomed their first child, Eva-Rose, into the world April 16. Mother and child are doing well. Father is smiling ear to ear. ... Tony Kanaan and Chip Ganassi Racing Teams teammate Sage Karam were in the audience of "American Idol" on April 15 as guests of Big Machine Records founder Scott Borchetta. ... The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation announced that former INDYCAR senior technical director Phil Casey and Hulman & Company chairman of the board of directors Mari Hulman George will be inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame on May 21. ... Actor Dak Shepard was among the passengers early April 17 in an Indy Racing Experience two-seater on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn circuit.