Like carroll shelby, john fitch had plans for a lowproduction, factorybacked sports car. Jan 30, 2007 an example of how the fitch barriers work in racing was seen in 1996 when a spec racer ford hit them in an scca club race. American racing driver john cooper fitch has died at the age of 95. This is a virtual cemetery for those some time forgotten heroes. A p51 pilot in world war ii, fitch was one of the first americans to shoot down a german fighter jet. John fitch was not only a great race car driver he was also a great inventor john fitch was the only american on the mercedesbenz racing team, he later served as the first manager for the corvette racing team and he was the first. Oct 19, 2018 driving john fitch s heritage car in italys mille miglia in a mercedesbenz 300 sl gives you a deep appreciation for the iconic rally race and the man who won his class 60 years ago. John fitch was more than a race car driver he did so much in his life. Fitch was one of americas first international drivers. Profile for racing driver john fitch from united states. John fitch, who piloted some of the marques earliest factory racers, including the corvette ss and the sting ray racer, passed away on. Fitch was present at the creation of american sports car racing, driving in the earliest races at longlost places like bridgehampton and in the.
It was the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history, and it. John cooper fitch was part of the team who founded lime rock park. Fitch, john sports cars 2007 inductees hall of fame. The worst crash in racing history compelled a racing. Click on the site to see john fitchs career results at that track glossary. Also in 1955, fitch was paired with driver pierre levegh for the 24 hours of le. He was a race car driver, an inventor and a war hero. An afternoon with john fitch daniel strohl on sep 22nd.
Hes been a bluewater sailor, a fighter pilot, a test pilot, a professional racing driver, a team manager, race course director, prolific inventor, highway safety expert, automaker, entrepreneur and dreamer. Fitch finished 4th overall and 3rd in class at linden on august 21, 1949. John fitch a tribute to the legendary race car driver. Road racing drivers whose names begin with e,f,g barcboys. Driver gary marquart was coming out of turn 11, trying to pass another car and he ran out of racing room.
As a talented engineer, he envisioned a lightweight sports car with his name on the hood, so he contacted chevrolet for support. At first, gm was interested, so fitch decided to use the corvair as a base for his conversion. Fitch phoenix john fitch was an american race driver and friend of carroll shelby. Fitchs prose is complimented with course diagrams, posters and a large number of photographs, many from the daimlerchrysler archives. John fitch is well acquainted with the fine line between adventure and danger.
Mercedesbenz here pays its respects to his life a life spent devoted to the automobile and to motorsport. Johns descriptions of the 1952 mexican road race along with the 1955 season mille miglia, le mans, the tourist trophy and the targa florio are fascinating. Nov 19, 2012 johns new girlfriend, elizabeth huntley, was also his pit crew. His goal was to win the worlds most demanding endurance race with an american. The amazing life of john cooper fitch hotrod hotline. Apr 01, 20 legendary corvette race driver john fitch remembered. Sebring 12hour race in 1953, and in the same year was declared driver of the year by. The following year, at sebring, fitch paired phil walters and captured an overall victory in a cunningham cr4r. Click on the site to see john fitch s career results at that track.
John cooper fitch 4 august 1917 in indianapolis, indiana 31 october 2012 was an american racing driver and inventor. Fitch lived with his wife, the former elizabeth huntley, in an apartment. The man many believe to be the worlds greatest living racing driver has spent the last halfcentury regaling his fans with stories of a golden decade of speed. He raced competitively for the next 15 years, after what he. John fitch has led a life that would beggar a scriptwriter. Nov 16, 2017 fitch paired up with george viola in a chryslerpowered c4r but did not finish the race. Pictorial remembrance or retrospective about john fitch, inventor and the first american to race automobiles successfully in europe in the postwar era. Johns new girlfriend, elizabeth huntley, was also his pit crew. Its difficult to sum up john fitchs life without leaving something important out, just as its difficult to find any one highlight to his life, considering that his whole life was one almost endless highlight reel. Sebring, nassau, watkins glen and the rest of them, if john was not a race winner on the rare weekend, at least he was a championship gentleman born in indianapolis with a blue chip genealogy, he drove in the first race at the lime rock park track built practically in his back yard and was the tracks general. May 28, 2014 like carroll shelby, john fitch had plans for a lowproduction, factorybacked sports car. John fitch is well known as a true pioneer in corvette racing, and is. The amazing life of john cooper fitch is his latest work.
John fitch a tribute to the legendary race car driver, war. Legendary corvette race driver john fitch remembered. Just how horrifying was the worst crash in motorsports, le. The american driver john fitch, who has died aged 95, first made his mark by winning the 1951 buenos aires grand prix for sports cars. Many, many racing drivers have lost their lives, often whilst at the wheel.
The corvair sprint by fitch an original lost and found. Rather than hit the other car, he went to the pit wall end. Fitch passed away on october 31, 2012 at his home near lime rock park, connecticutusa. John cooper fitch stuffed a lot of living into his nine decades on this earth, including u. Army air corps bomber and p51 pilot during world war ii, racing at le mans in the early 1950s, acting as a chevrolet corvette test driver, to inventing the fitch inertial safety barrier that is now in widespread use on american freeways. He pulled up next to a truck outside the lime rock park gates and asked the driver whether the design looked dated.
John fitch was not only a great race car driver he was also a great inventor john fitch was the only american on the mercedesbenz racing team, he later served as the first manager for the corvette racing team and he was the first general manager of the lime rock park race track. The cars of celebrated driver john fitch get their own celebration at. Click on the number of races to see individual races for that year. This short film marks the high points of the long, respected and multifaceted career of race driver john fitch, who died at his connecticut country home october 31, 2012. John cooper fitch, 95, racing car driver and adventurer john cooper fitch, 95, racing car driver and adventurer. Fitch was a great driver in the golden age of sports car racing and he is a true hero. Driving john fitchs heritage car in italys mille miglia in a mercedesbenz 300 sl gives you a deep appreciation for the iconic rally race and the man who won his class 60 years ago. Only one prototype was made before the nader affair killed the rearengined oddity. John fitch, the racer whose life would have been entirely unbelievable had he not lived it, has died at the age of 95. In the course of a driving career which spanned 18 years, fitch won such notable sports car races as the. Its difficult to sum up john fitch s life without leaving something important out, just as its difficult to find any one highlight to his life, considering that his whole life was one almost endless highlight reel. John fitch racing driver wikimili, the best wikipedia.
He was chosen by mercedes to be a factory driver in the 300sls. At the age of 91, legendary race car driver john fitch is still racing, most recently at the bonneville salt flats. John cooper fitch born august 4 1917 was a racecar driver born in indianapolis, indiana. Driver john fitch 1955 formula one results racingreference. John fitch racing 2000 corvette hall of fame national. John cooper fitch was already a decorated world war ii fighter and bomber pilot, and expow, when he started racing after world war ii. You should definitely spend your quarantined time learning more about him.
Briggs cunningham, phil hill, john fitch and phil walters also known as ted tappet. He was the sports car club of americas first national champion, in 1951. An example of how the fitch barriers work in racing was seen in 1996 when a spec racer ford hit them in an scca club race. Art evans has written many books on road course racing, especially during the height of american sports car racing in the 1950s. Do you think it would appeal to sports car buyers today. Fitch lived with his wife, the former elizabeth huntley, in an apartment in paris, a villa in northern italy and a house in switzerland. Nov 19, 2012 pictorial remembrance or retrospective about john fitch, inventor and the first american to race automobiles successfully in europe in the postwar era. Just how horrifying was the worst crash in motorsports, le mans 55. Racing driver who survived a major crash during the le mans 24hour race and later created a lifesaving road safety system. John fitch, legendary race car driver and an influential figure in developing professional road racing, was born in indianapolis, indiana on august 4, 1917. John fitch and john walters after winning the sebring 12 hours in 1953.
One of americas leading drivers in europe during the 1950s, the young john fitch was introduced to the sport by his stepfather george spinder who worked as sales manager at stutz. Fitch lived with his wife, the former elizabeth huntley, in. Formula one racer, motorsport racer, racing driver. Racing across italy in the mille miglia in a 1955 mercedes. A major crash caused large fragments of debris to fly into the crowd, killing 83 spectators and french driver pierre bouillin who raced under the name pierre levegh and injuring nearly 180 more. Hes been a bluewater sailor, a fighter pilot, a test pilot, a professional racing driver, a team manager. Mercedesbenz remembers legendary race car driver john fitch. He was the first american to race automobiles successfully in europe in the postwar era. Mercedes driver john fitch explained just how little the drivers knew. Mercedes were leading and might well have won the race, but they won a much larger event that. He was a works driver for hwm, healey, cunningham and frazer. John cooper fitch, 95, racing car driver and adventurer.
John cooper fitch august 4 1917 october 31 2012 was a united states racecar driver and inventor. Speed age magazine named him sports car driver of 1953. He invented the fitch barriersthose yellow impactabsorbing barrels on the highway that lessen the severity of collision with imovable objects. John cooper fitch was an american racing driver and inventor. John fitch, the racer whose life would have been entirely. Fitch was a true gentleman and an outstanding driver, mercedesbenz spokesman geoff day said in a statement. Fitch won the second 12hour endurance race in sebring, fla.
His service took him to north africa, where he flew the a20 havoc and then on to england. Nov 02, 2012 this short film marks the high points of the long, respected and multifaceted career of race driver john fitch, who died at his connecticut country home october 31, 2012. For over 44 years, racer, safety engineer and inventor john fitch has been involved with the myriad aspects of motorsports safety. The cars of celebrated driver john fitch get their own. John fitch only built one phoenix prototype, and its for sale.
The worst crash in racing history compelled a racing driver. Nov 03, 2012 fitch was a true gentleman and an outstanding driver, mercedesbenz spokesman geoff day said in a statement. Click on the year to see the standings for that year. During world war ii, he volunteered to become a pilot for the united states army air corps. After obtaining an engineering degree from lehigh university, he began racing in europe. Even if john fitch had never sat in a racing car, his extraordinary life would. Any wish to race had to wait until after world war ii during which fitch served in the united states air force with distinction but he ended the conflict as. He seemed bathed in golden sunlight, this john cooper fitch, who put on goggles and a polo helmet and drove racing cars as fast as anybody in the world, including his sometime partner, stirling moss. Find out more about his contributions to safety, including the fitch safety barrier, driver capsule, displaceable guardrail and more automotive safety innovations. John fitch a pictorial rememberance sports car digest. Fitch paired up with george viola in a chryslerpowered c4r but did not finish the race. John cooper fitch august 4, 1917 in indianapolis, indiana october 31, 2012 was an american racing driver and inventor. He knew just about everybody there was to know in international racings glory years, he drove with some of the best and most notorious race car drivers. Nov 03, 2012 john cooper fitch, 95, racing car driver and adventurer john cooper fitch, 95, racing car driver and adventurer.