Paul Newman retiring from screen and race track
 

Read about it here:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=529&ncid=529&e=2&u=/ap/20050311/ap_en_mo/film_newman_at80

He'll race one more, then call it quits. I hope I will be able to say that when I'm 80.

Re: Paul Newman retiring from screen and race track
 

Hope it doesn't work out the way it did for Dale Earnhardt.

It's about time. The truly talented drivers don't race when they are 50, much less 80. :rolleyes:

The end of an era, in many ways. He was, and still is, a delight to see at work.

JoeA

All power to him. There are few public persona's with that much modesty that have achieved so much and contributed back to society at the same time.

I may not be a truly talented driver, but if I'm still having fun on the track at 80, what's wrong with that?

You would still not have JoAnne Woodward sitting next to you... and Bob Redford as a best friend!

JoeA

Eighty years old!? How many eighty year olds should be allowed on the freeways much less a race track!?

As long as you have an empty track to yourself, I guess it's fine. ;)

Paul Newman was not driving slowly around empty tracks in a DE, he was still participating in wheel-to-wheel racing in GT1/ALMS class cars until recently, if not mistaken. Big difference. But if the other drivers don't object and he can still qualify I guess it's all good. :cool:

I like to think of myself as a talented driver, but I'm still paying the bills for my lowly SCCA ITS 944. Nobody yet has offered to pay me to drive their car.

True, the only thing common to both DE and racing is that they both use race tracks.

I met a man in a 944 at the Bay Bottom Crawl autocross in the Florida keys.

His car # was 86 and it changes every year. It changes because his car # is his age. I was talking with another 944 owner about his 86 year old competitor, he winked at me and asked if I had seen his times yet. I was ecstatic to see he was right in the middle of the pack in his class, right there with the 30 year olds etc..

Dont laugh it off as a mear Autocross either, the Bay Bottom Crawl was by far the most trecherous race event I have ever done, I dont think and track can compare to the sheer rush of this race. I was seeing 130+MPH on a 24' wide abandoned road with mangroves and water at the edge of the pavement.
Here is my in car vid keep in mind it was my first time ever doing this and I waspretty intimidated I didn't push it too hard especially in the 4th gear right sweeper.
http://www.jims5543.com/videos/RX-7_Autocross_Vids/bbc2004.mpg