Sad day at Lime Rock

I knew he had cancer, and I've been resigned that it was just a question of waiting for the day that I read the obit, figuring he'd want to do it in his typical low attention style. I'm really glad to read this. The world can't possibly begin to pay him back for what he's done. I guess this trip was his "Hole in the wall Gang " wish.

I've been fortunate enough to actually work for him, and I wish all my clients were half as nice and a quarter as fun.

Heck, being "in the saddle" in his 70's was nothing to him, he won GT-1 races in that Vette when he was 84 (?)......in the RAIN! One of my favorite Lime Rock memories is being on the tower watching him make an outside pass in Big Bend for the lead of a GT1 race in the rain.

Incredible guy, and one who's legacy will live for a long long time. He's one of the few guys that has done so much for so many, and started out like the rest of us. A true role model for all generations.

 
Man I hate to hear this type of news. PLN is one of my early years movie heroes and later an inspiration for me to go to racing school in my late 40s. I am glad to see he is still able to do the things he loves as he battles the big c. That part of it is pretty important to me. Thanks PLN.
 
I don't see this as sad, I see this as a magnificent celebration of a wonderful life! We're all gonna die someday, kids, better enjoy it while you can.

Show me one person who hasn't enjoyed, celebrated, and regaled in life as one Paul Newman? And who hasn't given back as much to others? And is, probably this very moment, spending his last days on this Earth with friends, family, and acquaintances?

And what better way to call it quits than on his own terms? I can only hope to be in such a position when my time comes. Hey, you're all invited, and the beer's on me.

Go, Paul, go! We'll miss you, but we're not too far behind...!
 
OK, Here's my favorite PLN story. The year is 2001, the year after Paul drove one of his old cars at a vintage weekend at Lime Rock. Right after that, he decided to try for one more National Championship.

Skip forward to June, 2001 - OVR Nationsl at Mid-Ohio. The GT-1 practice session starts, and this GT-1 car blasts past us at Sound Control and pegs the meter at 112dBa! Needless to say, we get a couple of more readings at the same level. So, I made it a point to send the reports down right after the session, and told my wife to post the reports, and find the car, and talk to the team. Now, Sharon is not easily impressed, so when she got back to station, I asked her if she found the car, and did she talk to the team. She says 'Sure. They said they would work on the car.' I asked her who the driver was and she says, without batting an eye 'Paul Newman'. At lunch, we went back down to the paddock. Paul's crew chief that weekend was Mike Brockman, an old friend, fellow racer, and actor (appeared with Paul in at least one movie). Mike and I looked at the car and they tried several changes. Mike came out to Sound to get readings for the rest of the weekend. Paul made it through the weekend and went on for a couple more seasons.

Here's a shot I took that weekend. Drive on, friend!!!!
 

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Paul Newman had the best road racer line ever in Cool Hand Luke "What we have heah, is a failure to communicate" !!

I'm sure he will be coming up in everyone's mirror in the Celestial Road Racing series in the future.

"Heaven is watching almost any movie with Paul Newman in it. Hell is having to watch repeated reruns of Tom Cruise, as Cole Trickle in Days of Thunder".

Respectfully,

BruceG
 
He's truly a class act. I loved how he would come out and was always just one of the gang. Never any arrogance, just a damned good driver. It is sad, yes, but becoming aware of time passing and things changing always is.
Like Greg said: He's had one hell of a good run. And now he's on the grid waiting for the 5 minute warning for his next race. Hope he finds some awesome new roadcourses to compete on.
 
My favorite line of his is from the Movie 'Fat Man and Little Boy' where he plays Gen. Groves, who was in charge of building the first atomic bombs. After being dressed down by a higher ranking general, Groves turns to his aid and says. reflectively, 'Life is all about ass. You either lick it, or you kick it!' (pardon the language, please).
 
BruceG said:
Paul Newman had the best road racer line ever in Cool Hand Luke "What we have heah, is a failure to communicate" !!


Respectfully,

BruceG
Click to expand...
the line is from the movie, but did newman say it..or did the man with no eyes say it to newman's character......
 
The line was stated by neither Newman's character nor Morgan Woodward who played the man with no eyes, but by noted character actor Strother Martin who played the 'warden' of the prison camp.
 
Back in the late '70s early '80s my mom was busy volunteering as a registrar at a number of events at Mid-America Raceway while my dad was on the track. At one particular event, Paul Newman and his crew showed up late at the track on Saturday and they missed qualifying. My mom, being the detail-oriented woman she is, begins the process of having everyone in his group sign the necessary releases so that she can give them the pit passes to enter the track. Paul begins to cuss my mom out up one side and down the other saying they don't have time for this. Another registrar steps in to double the efforts and they got Paul and his crew on their way quickly.
In the end, he started at the back of the pack in his Canon AE-1 Datsun and ended up finishing first overall. My mom still adores the man to this day and blames his outburst on any number of things from jet lag to a bad breakfast, or a fight with Joanne.
I met him on a number of occasions when he was in St. Louis to race and he was one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet. A class act both on and off the track.
 
StephF said:
He's truly a class act. I loved how he would come out and was always just one of the gang. Never any arrogance, just a damned good driver. It is sad, yes, but becoming aware of time passing and things changing always is.
Like Greg said: He's had one hell of a good run. And now he's on the grid waiting for the 5 minute warning for his next race. Hope he finds some awesome new roadcourses to compete on.
Click to expand...

Well Said !!!
 
Sorry to spoil your Paul Newman chronology but he repeated that line back to Strother Martin in the movie.

BruceG
 
Never met Paul, although he did cruise by me on a bicycle a few years ago in the CART paddock at MidOhio.
Yet I've heard countless stories from those in the racing field who had the chance to meet him. All said that he was as down to earth as they come. He wanted no special treatment, no b.s. of that sort. Must have been an amazing guy, what with his accomplishments both in cinema, racing and life.
Yes, I'll miss him as one of the true icons of our sport. There will never again be another Paul Newman...
 
Although I have never met the man, my wife did on unusual circumstances. About 1990, when the RunOffs were still at Road Atlanta and PLN was always that first paddock space past the garages on the left and the paddock levels went down hill from there. My wife had sprained her ankle about 2 weeks before the RunOffs that year and was not going to be stopped from going to the RunOffs. There were always good parties and fun at Road Atlanta. Anyway, one afternoon she had to go to the "real" restrooms, the ones located at the garages way uphill from where we were paddocked. She grabbed her crutches and headed that way. She got to PLN's paddock space and took a break. Going uphill with crutches can be very tiring. One of PLN's mechanics came over to see if she was ok or if she needed anything or help. She didn't but they continued to chat. Somehow during the chat, she lost her balance and began to fall backward. Someone caught her...PLN. Needless to say, when she came back to our paddock, she was all giggly and excited and we had a difficult time keeping her calm that day.
 
He was quite a guy

I raced against him a number of times back in the mid-70, he was always a regular guy, and us young snot nose racers would always be trying desperately to keep up with him in our Datsun 240Z's. He always had perfectly prepared equipment and the half a dozen of us young guys with home built racers never had a chance to keep up, but we tried like hell.

I remember one day he had gone off the track in a race so he fell back behind all of us who now "were beating him" so he comes ripping through the field picking us off one by one (probably chuckling at each pass), he comes up on me (I was now in second and he’s not gonna beat me), and we go head to head into turn one, and I held him off (until turn 2 ……) then he blows by like a freight train.

I happily finished third (he wins), I’m in impound all proud and happy, Paul walks up to me and gives me a smile and said “Son you got a lot of balls, I’ll give you that”, I was sort of stunned that he even cared, then he asked me a few questions about who prepared my car and all that (I proudly said I did it all myself etc) then he calmly said “You know instead of stomping on the gas and the brake pedal like you do, just try and squeeze them, you’ll be a whole lot faster” and then calmly walked back to his trailer.

I was so surprised that he would actually offer some words of advice and even notice the seemly little mistakes I made (all the while I was trying cut him off in the corner) and encourage me to try harder.

I’ll never forget that incident, and wish him the best as he faces the next challenge. He was quite a guy and truly a man’s man.



The-Best.jpg
 
Sorry, I don't see this as a "sad" day, I see is as a celebration of life.

80+ years old, been there and done that, was humble about it.

Yes when "Big C" takes the last breath we shall mourn.

But then we'll laugh at all the old stories and be smiling thru the tears.

In the name of Frankie, he did it his way. A true hero.
 
I posted this over at RRAX, so sorry if you've read this already, feel free to skip, but, since we're telling tales, I'd like to make 3 points.

When I was working for him at his house, he was often around. In fact, one day he came back from a run and went straight for the fridge, walked back with two beers (Buds, of course), and handed me one..."It's Friday, why not?" he said. I know it's gehy, but that can is in my mementos collection. (One of a million he probably gave out over the years, but the first one he gave me, LOL)

Another time, he was sitting behind me while I worked, BS-ing, and out of the blue says, "I hear you're a racer".
(I start sweating!) "Yea, SCCA Club stuff".
Him: "Cool, what class and car?".
I tell him, and try to downplay it.
He says, (And I never could believe this), "Don't you live right around the corner?"
"Sure..." I say, "....just about a block away".
And he then suggests, "Why don't you bring it over Friday? Cops will never know". (My first IT car)

So, on Friday, he comes out kicks the tires so to speak, asks questions and listens patiently. He points out I could stand a little more roll cage on the right, and I reply that I would but since I drive it to the track, my girlfriend would have no place to sit if I added a bar. He gets a huge grin, and says, "You drive it to the track???? THAT's the way to go racing!"

He is just that nice...

Somebody somewhere mentioned how cool it would have been to be at Lime Rock to watch his laps Wed. I was talking with a friend on the phone about that last night, and we both agreed that we were kinda glad we missed it. I know there is no way I would have been able to see a thing through my tear filled eyes. How his crew guys (who he's known for years) strapped him in for the last session, I'll never know.

He is just that much of a hero to us all.

(And I'm sure he responded to any tears at that point with a wise crack like, "C'mon, hurry it up here, I'm not going to live forever!".......)

He's just that cool....
 
Though he doesn't know it, Paul Newman is responsible for me becoming a scca club racer. In 2002 I went to Road Atlanta to work a corner. I was working turn 6 when my instructor pointed to a car that went by. He said see that car? That's Paul Newman. As the car came around the second time, he said see that number ? 78 Thats his age. I remarked to my trainer, "if a man 78 can drive surely a man of 59 can." I went home and began building a car.

Chuck
ITA Pontiac Fiero #34
 
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