RACER: Robin Miller on George Follmer
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- Опубліковано 24 січ 2016
- If it had four wheels and ran on pavement, George Follmer drove it. During a 10-year span in the 1960s-1970s, Follmer compete in Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, Can-Am, Trans-Am, Formula 500, IMSA and he world endurance series. He won his only IndyCar race at Phoenix as a rookie with a stock-block engine, captured a pair of Trans-Am titles and won the 1972 Can-Am championship for Roger Penske as a substitute driver. He finished sixth in his F1 debut at the age of 39. As Parnelli Jones says, Follmer was one of the best of his era.
Thanks to Pete Biro for the photos used in this video.
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One of the greats! That no one knows about. Truly one of the greatest
Thanks Robin !
I'm 58yrs. old, never gave George the credit he was due !
Your piece gives me a whole new application for his accomplishments in our sport !
Thumbs up my friend,
great work again !
I enjoy all of these features.
Robin was a gem, and we miss him.
George Follmer raced in an era when drivers had to be versitle.You can add Donohue,Revson,Bondurant,Andretti,Foyt,and many others in this group.God bless George Follmer.
Follmer should go down as one of the all time greats.
George is ONE of the all time GREATS !
1972 was his best year.He won The Trans-Am and Can-Am titles in the same year(It's never been duplicated).He was called "George-Am."
What a stupid name.
The 1972 Can Am/Trans Am double title is amazing. Competition was fierce.
It's also worth mentioning that Follmer came out of retirement to run the 1986 24 Hours of Le Mans in the second Joest Racing Porsche 956B and, alongside fellow American co-drivers John Morton and Kenper Miller, finished on the podium 3rd overall behind only the Rothmans Porsche 962C and Brun Motorsport Porsche 962C. 1986 was his second and final attempt at Le Mans, the first of which ending in engine failure after just nine laps in 1966.
George Follmer is a absolute hero in my book, but to say that no one every had more success in Formula One at that age (39) is ridiculous. All 5 of Fangio's championships were won when he was in his forties. Follmer's accomplishments speak for themselves, and don't need embellishment to make the point that his talents are all too often underappreciated.
Fangio was almost 50 when he had the best drive in F1 history. The 1957 German GP
So Robin was right. At that age, 39.
I saw George Follmer drive the Shadow F1 car at practice for the Dutch Grand Prix in 1973. But did not go to the actual 1973 race, and I'm glad I didn't go ...
He let me in Gasoline Alley in '69 ....Great guy
time trials
I've always had the greatest respect for George Follmer. He would honestly drive anything. He drove the original UOP Shadow CanAm car, which was really nothing more than a gokart powered by a big-block Chevy. If you have ever seen a picture of him sitting in the thing, you would see how exposed he was to serious injury if there was a crash. He must have clanged when he walked to drive something like that.
Great video. Thanks
I remember him in BMW's at Laguna Seca. He kicked azz.
When's Robin going to do a profile on Lloyd Ruby?
I watched Follmer race Trans-Am and Can-Am at Laguna Seca. I always thought Follmer was an excellent driver.
A question:Out of all of the drivers that Penske's had race for him over the years,where does Follmer Rank?
Catch George on a good day when he's got time to talk and in the mood, you will get stories you won't believe. He's seen it all. Ask him about the 917, great stuff. He does know Laguna Seca like the back of his hand. Very fast there in any car. Thanks for the nod to guys like George.
He won the Heavyweight Championship. He beat Muhammad Ali!
Nope, check your facts Sir!…. he slept Tyson 37seconds into round 1 to capture the combined heavyweight title in 97’ !!
G.O.A.T.