Willy T. Ribbs
William "Willy" Theodore Ribbs, Jr. (born January 3, 1956 in San José , California ) is a former American racing driver . He was the first African American racing driver to test a Formula 1 car and to compete in the Indy Car World Series , the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series .
Career
Willy T. Ribb's father worked in the family's own plumbing shop and one of his hobbies was car racing. Ribbs grew up sheltered in San José on a five- acre estate with karts and motorbikes ready. He shouldn't get to know a ghetto until he was a teenager. As a child, he took part in races with his father. Ribbs was the only black student to attend James Lick High School in San José and began racing when he was in school. After graduating from high school in 1976, he refused to join the family business and instead pursued a career in motorsport. Supported by his parents with $ 25,000, the 21-year-old went to England in 1977 , where he initially had to pay $ 400 per start.
Ribbs competed in the Formula Ford Dunlop Championship and won the title in his first season. Ribbs then returned to North America and took part in three races each of the Atlantic Championship in 1981 and 1982 . In doing so, he reached a pole position . In 1986 he made his debut in NASCAR and took part in three races in the Winston Cup .
In January 1986 Ribbs took part in Formula 1 test drives for Brabham in Estoril . This made him the first black racing driver to drive a Formula 1 car. However, he never competed in a Grand Prix.
In 1990 Ribbs made his debut as the first black racing driver in the IndyCar World Series (ICWS) for Raynor Racing . He was supported financially with US $ 500,000 by US comedian Bill Cosby . He also received support from the actor and racing driver Paul Newman and the former world boxing champion Muhammad Ali , who was one of his friends. Ribbs competed in eight races and achieved a tenth place as the best result. He finished the championship in 26th place. He made sad headlines in Vancouver when he was involved in a collision in which a marshal was killed.
In 1991 Ribbs moved to Walker Racing and stayed with this team in the IndyCar World Series until 1994. In 1991 he competed in 9 of 17 races. At the Indianapolis 500 he was the first African American pilot to qualify. He got his best placement with a sixth place in Denver . He finished the season in 17th place overall. After Ribbs had only entered one race in 1992 , he went into the championship for the fourth race in 1993 and competed for the rest of the season. With a top 10 placement, he was 20th in the drivers' standings. In 1994 Ribbs got a full-time cockpit in the Indy Car World Series. Only at the Indianapolis 500 did he fail to qualify. With two top 10 placements, he finished the season in 22nd place overall.
In 1999 Ribbs returned to international motorsport and made his debut in the Indy Racing League (IRL). For McCormack Motorsports he took part in a race and was 47th in the championship. There was no further engagement in this series.
In 2000 he stepped instead in the Trans-Am series , which he finished with a podium finish on the seventh championship place. In 2001 Ribbs returned to NASCAR and started in the Craftsman Truck Series . He just did not take part in one race and finished the season in 16th place. Between 2002 and 2010 he was not active in any racing series.
In May 2011 , Ribbs announced that he was returning to motorsport with the Willy T. Ribbs Racing team as team principal in the Indy Lights . After Chase Austin competed in two races for the team and became the first black racer in the series, Ribbs announced he would make his comeback as a racing driver at the age of 55 and compete in an Indy Lights race. He retired from the race and finished 29th in the championship at the end of the season.
Private life
Willy T. Ribbs is divorced and raised his daughter and son alone. He is also dedicated to sport shooting .
statistics
Career stations
|
|
Sebring results
| year | team | vehicle | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 |
 All-American Racers
|
Toyota Celica Turbo |
Jerrill Rice
|
failure | Cylinder overheated |
| 1988 |
All-American Racers
|
Toyota Celica Turbo |
 Juan Manuel Fangio II
|
failure | Engine failure |
| 1990 |
All-American Racers
|
Eagle HF89 |
Rocky Moran
|
failure | suspension |
| 1991 |
All-American Racers
|
Eagle HF90 |
Juan Manuel Fangio II
|
failure | Engine failure |
Web links
- Official website of Willy T. Ribbs (English)
- Biography from Gale Contemporary Black Biography at answers.com (English)
- Career statistics from Willy T. Ribbs (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Weir, Tom: Ribbs pays dues but can't collect . In: USA Today , May 13, 1992, p. 3C.
- ↑ a b c Black Men: Challenging The Ordinary . In: Ebony , June 2001, p. 42.
- ^ A b Emmons, Mark: Hard Driving . In: San Jose Mercury News , Jun 3, 2001, p. 1D.
- ^ Gale Contemporary Black Biography entry at answers.com (accessed September 22, 2011).
- ↑ a b c d “Former IndyCar racer Willy T. Ribbs to race Indy Lights at Baltimore” (autosport.com on August 25, 2011)
- ↑ a b “First black Formula One driver…” (f1fanatic.co.uk on September 14, 2006)
- ^ Carlton, Chuck: Changing his course . In: The Dallas Morning News , May 23, 2006, p. 2C.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ribbs, Willy T. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ribbs, William Theodore Jr. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American racing driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 3, 1956 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Jose (California) , California , United States |