George Follmer to speak at the IMRRC Oct. 3, 2009

The International Motor Racing Research Center Open House -- traditionally held the first weekend of October (this year on October 3) -- is a means for the Research Center to show their appreciation to their supporters by providing an outstanding speaker as part of a special day at the facility. Open House speakers in recent years include Pete Lyons, Sam Posey, Denise McCluggage, Doug Nye, Leo Levine, and Michael Oliver. Admittance is free and the talk will begin at 1 P.M. Saturday, Oct. 3rd.

This year the IMRRC is pleased to announce that George Follmer will be the featured speaker. Born in 1934, American driver George Follmer has distinguished himself in every type of race car he ever drove -- and he drove just about everything. He was the USRRC Champion in 1965, Can-Am champion in 1972 and was twice Trans-Am champion -- 1972 and 1976. In addition to sports cars, sedans, and prototypes, George raced in USAC (3 Indy 500's from 1969 - 1971 / 1 win at Phoenix 1969, the first Championship Trail victory for a Chevrolet powered car), NASCAR, and Formula One. He scored a World Championship point for Shadow at the South African Grand Prix in their 1973 debut. In the Spanish Grand Prix he had a third place podium finish in only his second GP.

For any of us who used to attend the USGP at Watkins Glen, you know of the picturesque beauty of the Finger Lakes region in the Fall. This event would be a great venue for TNF members to meet.

I hope to attend as I write this and I encourage as many of you to join us for what should be a great time.

In the weeks leading up to the event, it would be great to see pictures and stories of George Follmer shared. Thanks in advance for your memories of this great driver and champion.

Brian Brown


George Follmer relaxes with the "Class of 1973" Grand Prix drivers before the South African round.

That is a great shot, sad to say to many of those drivers in the picture are gone such a short time after that pic!
Mike

The International Motor Racing Research Center Open House -- traditionally held the first weekend of October (this year on October 3) -- is a means for the Research Center to show their appreciation to their supporters by providing an outstanding speaker as part of a special day at the facility. Open House speakers in recent years include Pete Lyons, Sam Posey, Denise McCluggage, Doug Nye, Leo Levine, and Michael Oliver. Admittance is free and the talk will begin at 1 P.M. Saturday, Oct. 3rd.

This year the IMRRC is pleased to announce that George Follmer will be the featured speaker. Born in 1934, American driver George Follmer has distinguished himself in every type of race car he ever drove -- and he drove just about everything. He was the USRRC Champion in 1965, Can-Am champion in 1972 and was twice Trans-Am champion -- 1972 and 1976. In addition to sports cars, sedans, and prototypes, George raced in USAC (3 Indy 500's from 1969 - 1971 / 1 win at Phoenix 1969, the first Championship Trail victory for a Chevrolet powered car), NASCAR, and Formula One. He scored a World Championship point for Shadow at the South African Grand Prix in their 1973 debut. In the Spanish Grand Prix he had a third place podium finish in only his second GP.

For any of us who used to attend the USGP at Watkins Glen, you know of the picturesque beauty of the Finger Lakes region in the Fall. This event would be a great venue for TNF members to meet.

I hope to attend as I write this and I encourage as many of you to join us for what should be a great time.

In the weeks leading up to the event, it would be great to see pictures and stories of George Follmer shared. Thanks in advance for your memories of this great driver and champion.

Brian Brown


George Follmer relaxes with the "Class of 1973" Grand Prix drivers before the South African round.

Sounds like a good way to spend a fall weekend. I will jump in with a photo of Follmer exiting the pits at Road America. With some luck I'll make it to the Glen. Ron Nelson http://img38.imagesh...67/shadow96.jpg

Cool photo!

Let's see if I can name the drivers (most are obvious, of course)...

Ground (L-R): Hulme, Follmer, Peterson.

Standing (L-R): Revson(?), Stewart, Cevert, Fittipaldi, Lauda, Ganley, Pace(?), deAdamich, Regazzoni, Jarier(?) [barely visible - looking at Beltoise], Beltoise, and... don't know the guy on the far right...

Cool photo!

Let's see if I can name the drivers (most are obvious, of course)...

Ground (L-R): Hulme, Follmer, Peterson.

Standing (L-R): Revson(?), Stewart, Cevert, Fittipaldi, Lauda, Ganley, Pace(?), deAdamich, Regazzoni, Jarier(?) [barely visible - looking at Beltoise], Beltoise, and... don't know the guy on the far right...

looks like Wilson fittipaldi on the far right

looks like Wilson fittipaldi on the far right

I'd say you are right.

With reference to George Follmer writing in Autoweek back in the 1970s, I remember how appropriate I thought it was at the time that his column was titled, "The Verbal Fist".

Tom

Never met George Follmer, but I saw him walking through the paddock at the Can-Am race at Mid-Ohio in 1974. I wanted to get his autograph, but his scowl gave me pause... No autograph.

looks like Wilson fittipaldi on the far right

Wilson was somewhat taller than his brother, wasn't he?

Wilson was somewhat taller than his brother, wasn't he?

As were most people. I got to chat with Emerson at a cocktail party in 1985 and was surprised in that he was shorter than I had imagined.

I also seem to recall that one of Wilson's sponsors was Bardahl.

Tom

Edited by RA Historian, 24 September 2009 - 18:19.

If any TNF member has the chance to speak with George Follmer, perhaps they could ask couple of questions from the "Continental Divide Trans Am, 1967" thread. Was he at the event? Did he drive the Camaro? Could not ask for a better source.

George Follmer and his Indy car racing teammate the great Jim Clark
This is from Riverside and the Indy car race held there called the Rex Mays race.

photo- Gil Munz
scanned for site Ike Smith

I sincerely hope someone will go against the grain and ask George about NASCAR's "Follmer Rule".

Road racers like Follmer, Jerry Titus and Ron Grable were entering the special Late Model Sportsman races (sponsored by Permatex) at Riverside and Stardust. The answer NASCAR came up with was to require a minimum number of starts at NASCAR sanctioned short track ovals in order to be eligible for the road race events. So, George got a car and towed it to San Gabriel Valley Speedway, a 1/2 mile paved oval located a few miles from his home in Arcadia.

Any memories of his brief foray into short track racing (the track, fellow competitors - how about the legendary Ivan Baldwin?) would be welcome. For that matter, he won the first stock car event at Ontario Motor Speedway, a Late Model Sportsman race held the day before the inaugural NASCAR Grand National event...and he won it by a nose. I imagine he has some interesting, and untold, stories from those experiences.

I sincerely hope someone will go against the grain and ask George about NASCAR's "Follmer Rule".

Road racers like Follmer, Jerry Titus and Ron Grable were entering the special Late Model Sportsman races (sponsored by Permatex) at Riverside and Stardust. The answer NASCAR came up with was to require a minimum number of starts at NASCAR sanctioned short track ovals in order to be eligible for the road race events.

Ah, yes, good ole' nascar, always open to expanding horizons, getting new drivers, and being fair to newcomers. Some things never change. Never let some outsider come in and upset the status quo of the good old boys.
Tom

If any TNF member has the chance to speak with George Follmer, perhaps they could ask couple of questions from the "Continental Divide Trans Am, 1967" thread. Was he at the event? Did he drive the Camaro? Could not ask for a better source.

There is a post on the CDR thread relating a phone call I made to George Follmer and I asked him those very questions, and followed up by sending him a copy of the Gas Can Man photo. George told me he did not remember being there at all, and was unable to identify the Gas Can Man photo as himself, nor did he know who it could be. He guessed Sam Posey or Ron Bucknum, but neither fits Gas Can Man.

Subsequently, Jon posted a Competition Press article written by Jerry Titus in which he noted the presence of Follmer in the Penske pits that weekend, verifying that he was there.

In Follmer's defense, since he did not drive in the race there is no particular reason for that weekend to be indelibly stamped in his memory, especially since he did not drive the Camaro again that season.

RonS.

Ah, yes, good ole' nascar, always open to expanding horizons, getting new drivers, and being fair to newcomers. Some things never change. Never let some outsider come in and upset the status quo of the good old boys.

No one is more critical of NASCAR's provincial and often puzzling rules and regulations than me - well, other than you Tom , but...in this case, I can see their point. They wanted to avoid "cherry picking" of these big events that were set up to give local drivers a larger purse and gain experience. The fact that the rules did not allow for use of their short track cars and necessitated building separate cars for these events probably played an even larger role in the decision.

Edited by Jim Thurman, 03 October 2009 - 07:23.

No one - well, other than you Tom , is more critical of NASCAR's provincial and often puzzling rules and regulations,

You are probably right, Jim! My dislike for all things nascar has been well documented here; just think what an earfull my friends get from me!
Tom

You are probably right, Jim! My dislike for all things nascar has been well documented here; just think what an earfull my friends get from me!

I completely botched my first sentence and have re-edited it. I was attempting to write - "No one is more critical of NASCAR's provincial and often puzzling rules and regulations than me - well, other than you Tom "

IIRC, the rule was only 3 to 5 starts at a NASCAR sanctioned track, so it was reasonable for the circumstances. Follmer made the effort, so it could be done. Unreasonable would have been requiring something like a minimum of 20 starts.