12 replies to this topic

[Vitesse2]

Not unexpected, as he'd been unwell - on and off - for some years, but the veteran IndyCar journalist and broadcaster Robin Miller has died.

 

https://racer.com/20...ller-1949-2021/

 

Possibly not particularly well-known to most non-Americans, but he was up there with 'The Donald' as an authority on IndyCar. One of those lucky enthusiasts who managed to 'live the dream'.

 

Farewell, Robin.

[F1matt]

RIP Robin. US racing has lost a great character. 

[sstiel]

Sad news. An extraordinary life. Sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and fans.

[d j fox]

Very sad news Will sorely miss his no holds barred INDYCAR insights as well as his tremendous feel for the history of US Open wheel racing RIP

[SKL]

Not unexpected but a lot sooner than I had hoped.  Actually got an email from him a few weeks after sending him a note, thru racer.com, hoping for an improvement in his status. 

 

One of a kind- had always hoped he'd write a book about his experiences, but I guess it wasn't meant to be unfortunately.   Always enjoyed running into him at various indycar races over the years... 

[JacnGille]

Sad News

[DogEarred]

After discovering Racer.com only a few years ago, I would invariably go to his ‘Mailbag’ first.

You would have to respect his inside & knowledge.

One of the better journalists.

[Michael Ferner]

He was quite an accomplished racer, too, hence his 'inside' knowledge. Never afraid to voice his opinion, and to change it when appropriate - virtues not at all that common, whether in journalism or in all walks of life. He will be missed.

[Nigel Beresford]

It is difficult to imagine a character like Robin being able to exist anywhere else in all of motorsport apart from American open wheel racing. He was never shy to skewer anyone if he thought they deserved it, from Roger Penske through "The Great Brian Barnhart" via Tony George, Foyt and various presidents of CART, and he was equally ready to defend or praise those same people (except perhaps TGBB) when it was merited. I personally never heard a bad word about him - probably because he made people laugh and was such a fixture around Gasoline Alley and all the paddocks we visited. He probably wouldn't have been tolerated in Formula One, where people take themselves far too seriously, but he really found his metier with his irreverent journalism and the Americans didn't get huffy. Always amusing, always interesting and an irreplaceable character. He seemed to be very much a product of the '70s and we were  the richer for that. There really was no one else like him.

Edited by Nigel Beresford, 26 August 2021 - 08:53.

[Jahn1234567890]

Very sad news. A great character who spoke his mind and was not afraid to say it "how it was". I always enjoyed reading and listening to his stories. Deservedly got inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame. And great that he did when he was still alive. He will be sorely missed. 

 

Here he is in his own words only a week ago or so at IMS.

 

[Jack-the-Lad]

It is difficult to imagine a character like Robin being able to exist anywhere else in all of motorsport apart from American open wheel racing. He was never shy to skewer anyone if he thought they deserved it, from Roger Penske through "The Great Brian Barnhart" via Tony George, Foyt and various presidents of CART, and he was equally ready to defend or praise those same people (except perhaps TGBB) when it was merited. I personally never heard a bad word about him - probably because he made people laugh and was such a fixture around Gasoline Alley and all the paddocks we visited. He probably wouldn't have been tolerated in Formula One, where people take themselves far too seriously, but he really found his metier with his irreverent journalism and the Americans didn't get huffy. Always amusing, always interesting and an irreplaceable character. He seemed to be very much a product of the '70s and we were  the richer for that. There really was no one else like him.

Amen.

[DCapps]

He was quite an accomplished racer, too, hence his 'inside' knowledge. Never afraid to voice his opinion, and to change it when appropriate - virtues not at all that common, whether in journalism or in all walks of life. He will be missed.

 

On the several occasions that I managed to usually almost literally be run into by Robin Miller given that he always seemed to be motion, I found him to be exactly what you saw on the screen and what he wrote.

 

On one such occasion, I managed to remember to ask him about a certain A.N. Other (A.K.A. "Buford" here...) and after maybe a second or two he launched into a quick few stories about John. Then he asked how in the world (it was actually, "How in the ****!") did I happen to know John? 

 

One of things that I liked about Robin Miller was that while he certainly had opinions, whether you liked them or not, they tended to based upon a wry view of the world that he covered. An informed view of that world, I should add. 

 

Nigel is correct that Miller would never be tolerated in the F1 world, and the same would apply to that of the NASCAR universe, where passing a sycophancy test  is apparently a requirement for press credentials -- and ditto for F1, for that matter. 

[SKL]

racer.com has been doing a "rewind" of his articles all this week following the bad news we all heard on Wednesday morning, including the Rocket (Rick Mears, one of my all time favourites) and today the Big Eagle...  hope they keep doing it.