[kach22i]

Apr 29, 2020
Bill Simpson Lit Himself on Fire to Protect Racers Worldwide
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/profiles/a30905622/bill-simpson-the-burning-man-march-2020/

The ad that brought Bill Simpson to fame was a perfect visual for the man.

Set ablaze for a publicity stunt in the early Seventies while wearing his company’s flameproof racing gear, the safety pioneer, who died last December at 79, burned shades of bright red. Then the fire was put out. The colors matched his temperament. In that ad, the human torch sat inside Turn 1 at Indianapolis as waves of heat furled skyward. By demonstrating his willingness to be set alight inside the very Nomex he sold, Simpson launched his company to prominence. Simpson Racing Products stole the march within America’s burgeoning driver-safety market.