It was one reason the feisty Foyt and Unser competed together in the 1987 24 Hours of Daytona, finishing fourth, and why Foyt, the first four-time Indy winner, helped Unser make the first of his 27 career 500 starts by providing him with a Ford-Lola in 1965. His racing craft was as smart as it gets.”įoyt and Mario Andretti, Michael’s father, concurred. I learned a lot racing against him in my early years. “So sad to hear about the passing of Al Unser SR,” Michael Andretti wrote on Twitter. Bobby Unser died in May.Īl Unser’s quiet, affable personality led to lifelong friendships in the racing community - even with those he beat en route to 39 career victories.
Even his more outspoken older brother, Bobby, a three-time 500 winner, developed his own fan following before going into broadcasting.
While fans revered the sometimes heated Ind圜ar rivalries of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Unser found a way to carve out his own niche amid Foyt’s flamboyance and Andretti’s popularity. He was very astute about what he needed to do in racing and everybody admired for him it.” “He knew when to be patient, when he had to be patient and everyone was falling by the wayside. “Parnelli (Jones) always used to say Al knew how to be aggressive and patient at the same time, which was really important in those days because of the reliability of the equipment,” Andretti told The Associated Press, referring to the team owner who paired Unser and himself as teammates in the 1970s. To giants of the sport, such as Andretti and Foyt, Unser’s trademark style was what set him apart during the series’ greatest generation. Unser, one of only four drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 four times and one of the most successful drivers in Ind圜ar history, died early Friday at his home in New Mexico. Andretti and Foyt, the two biggest rivals in Ind圜ar history, each respected Unser for another reason - his ability to race hard, fair and smart.
0 kommentar(er)
