Phil Hill has died today

[URY914]

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080828/FREE/808289987/1531/FREE

Phil Hill died Aug. 28 in a Monterey, Calif., hospital as a result of respiratory problems complicated by Parkinson's disease. He was 81.

Whenever I say that my friend Phil Hill was one of the most underrated drivers of his time, I get disbelief. "But he was the only native-born American to be world champion! He was one of the best endurance sports-car drivers ever. He won Le Mans, Sebring and Argentina three times each."

All true, but I think Phil's real greatness, like Wordsworth's "flower by a mossy stone," was half hidden, obscured by circumstances and his own moderate assessment of himself.

Before the Grand Prix of Italy at Monza, the last race of his championship season, he led by only one point. Shooting off the line, he claimed a lead he never lost. But his good friend, teammate and rival Wolfgang von Trips crashed on the second lap, rushing to make up for a botched start, and died. Thus, some dismiss Phil's championship as the result of tragic happenstance.

From early childhood, he would loudly identify every passing car. He got his first car, a Model T, at age 12. At a time when American racing was hardly considered a sport and European road racing had cult status, Phil read everything available on the subject and became a student of world racing history. When he was actually competing with some of his heroes, such as Juan Manual Fangio and Stirling Moss, he felt "horribly inferior." Should they appear behind him, he said, "I'd just get out of the way." Although he gained confidence with repeated successes, he was never his own best advocate.

Phil was a driver's driver, known for his ability to overcome agonizing driving conditions-biblical rains and oven-hot cars-and for his general kindness to machinery. His mechanic's sensibilities enabled him to nurse ailing cars to a finish. Alas, that ability did not boost his reputation with the general public. Colleagues, when confronted with a car going sour while leading, might hold their pace. If the car died, it was the car's failure. Phil would baby his car and drift back in the field. The public better understood dramatic DNFs.

Phil's talents also were evident in the absence of disaster. In an era in which driver deaths were perhaps a weekly occurrence, Phil was never seriously injured and scored only three minor "events" in his entire career.

For someone who judged both social gatherings and business meetings by how "tension-free" they were, driving for the Ferrari team was a masochist's delight. He survived that, too. He also drove Jaguar, Ford, Chaparral, Cooper and MG. He won his very first race in his MG TC (1947) and his very last (1967) in a Chaparral at Brands Hatch.

Beyond racing, Phil Hill was one of the most complicated, interesting and entertaining people one could know. His interests ranged from old-car restoration, player pianos and opera to the absurdities of human behavior, and he brought to each a unique perspective.

By DENISE MCCLUGGAGE

This article was last updated on: 08/28/08, 15:20 et

[MattKellett]

Sad news

RIP Phil

[David]

A sad day indeed

[pwd72s]

A great one passes...He and Mario are the only two USA drivers to have won F-1 world championships.

[MattKellett]

Lets rejoice his life !!!!

I'll post some photos later. He was always a pleasure to meet and he always had time for enthusiasts. I think there's going to be a big reunion in heaven tonight, maybe we can smell the Castrol R and the burning of Dunlop Racing Tires as Phil storms off to another victory

Matt

[Z-man]

RIP Mr. Hill - may all your laps in heaven be perfect...

-Z

[Noah930]

Wow. Truly a sad day in the motorsports world. One of the people I have always wanted to meet.

[Zeke]

For a race car driver from his era, he did live a good life. He was well off and well respected. He stayed active in the racing community and drove historic races up until fairly recently, as I recall.

I should do a quarter as well to be satisfied. RIP Sir Hill (for had he been British, surely he would have been knighted).

[MattKellett]

You can sign a condolence book here on his website.

http://www.philhill.com/remember_2.html


Matt

[rouxroux]

Sad day indeed. I remember in grade school drawing pictures of his cars and the other "heroes" we'd watched the previous weekend on ABC's "Wide World of Sports" (in black & white, of course). Plus the models we'd assemble, admire & daydream about.

It was so much simpler before we grew up and discovered girls.

[masraum]

Wow. I suspect his path to the pearly gates will be long and smooth with lots of curves.

[Nine17]

A super-nice guy and one of the great American sportsmen of the 20th Century. Still the only American-born Formula 1 World Champion. Once at the Historics at Laguna Phil noticed me puzzling over the brakes of his Alfa 3000CS and took it upon himself to walk over and spend the next 30 minutes yelling into my ear all the fascinating details of the quirky engineering of the car. He was in his seventies and still PASSIONATE about this stuff!

[strupgolf]

A great driver in anything. RIP

[tchanson]

Godspeed, Phil.













Tim

[Hugh R]

Laguna Seca in 89 the featured car was Aston Martin. I got Roy Salvitori, Sterling Moss, Phil Hill and David Brown (Owner of Aston then, as in DB4) to sign my entrance ticket. I still have it. Sterling was a ***** about it. The rest were great. David Brown was in a wheel chair and as old as dirt.

[jwhcars]

It truly is a sad day...........R.I.P.

[Normy]

Driving is something you do.

Driving fast is an art-

A great artist has died. His art can't be viewed on a canvas- it can only be remembered. There are videos to be watched, but they won't really convey the feel of what this man did.

It's funny; when I see an aerobatic airplane performing a routine, I almost feel my hands moving along with the pilots' hands. I almost feel myself doing the same maneuvers, feeling the G forces, adding the rudder where it is necessary...et cetra. The same happens when I watch videos of Mark Anderson of 928 International race his car; I can almost feel myself becoming part of the video. That is art.

Phil Hill did that to me as well. I like to think that right now, he's on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western North Carolina, and he's in a perfectly sorted 928; there are NO cops in existence. He can ring the car out for as long as he wishes....and nobody will mess with him.

Heaven-

N

[jim72911t]

Originally Posted by Z-man

RIP Mr. Hill - may all your laps in heaven be perfect...

-Z

Well said, Z.

I had the opportunity to see him drive at the Historics in 1994 when Ferrari was the featured marque, and it was truly wonderful to watch.

Rest in Peace

[artplumber]

Can anyone stop time please, or temporarily reverse?

[Tobra]

another one gone, shame, glad we had him as long as we did