http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-hill29-2008aug29,0,1758007.story

Quote :

"Phil Hill, a reserved Californian who became a gifted race car driver and the only American-born driver to win the Formula One international auto-racing championship, died today He was 81. Hill died at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula of complications from Parkinson's disease, according to John Lamm, a close friend who is also editor-at-large of Road & Track magazine. Photos: Phil Hill | 1927-2008 "It's a sad day," said Carroll Shelby, a close friend of Hill's who became a celebrated sports car builder after retiring from racing. "Phil was an excellent race car driver with a unique feel for the car, and his real expertise was in long-distance racing." Hill won the Formula One title for Ferrari in 1961. He also was the first American to win the 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans, France, -- a race he would win twice again -- and he won the Sebring 12-hour race three times, among many other victories. "Phil set the standard" for other American drivers who competed overseas, such as Dan Gurney and Mario Andretti, wrote Shav Glick, the longtime motor sports writer for The Times, in 2006. (The Italian-born Andretti, whose family emigrated to the United States when he was a teenager, won the Formula One title in 1978.) Hill "also was a great representative of the sport," Glick wrote, adding that he was "quiet and not given to self-promotion. A very gracious man." Shelby, who won Le Mans in 1959, recalled Hill as a man with "multiple talents." "Phil tuned pianos, he could take anything apart and put it back together, and he loved opera," Shelby told The Times. Gurney, another friend of Hill's, said Hill "had pride in his accomplishments and abilities, but he didn't overwhelm you with it. He also loved the history and the allure of the automobile." Hill won his Formula One championship in the season's penultimate race in Monza, Italy, after he had swapped the series lead all year with his Ferrari teammate Wolfgang von Trips of Germany. In the same race, Trips died in a crash that also killed 14 spectators. As a result, Ferrari did not participate in the season's final race at Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Hill was unable to celebrate his championship in his home country. Hill, despite driving with safety gear that paled by today's standards, never suffered a serious injury in his career. He retired from driving in 1967 at 39."

8/28/2008 11:23:17 PM

so we all would agree.....




















































HE WAS KING OF THE HILL.

8/28/2008 11:42:25 PM

I just found this out while watching the Indy race on ABC. I was away on the 28th when he passed. A great driver (and man) has left this world


And seriously, WTF people!?!? Nobody else in this forum thinks enough of this man to even post something?!

F'ing kids these days...

8/31/2008 5:29:35 PM

[old] dude

8/31/2008 5:33:38 PM

Quote :

"I was away on the 28th when he passed."

away from where? away from Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula? away from watching racing on ABC? wtf?

8/31/2008 6:09:04 PM

everyone's gotta die some time, and 81 is as good as any

8/31/2008 6:29:05 PM

who?

8/31/2008 9:07:46 PM

damn, if i could only drive 1/4 as well as phil did. then i could actually win at gokarting.

8/31/2008 10:05:00 PM

Quote :

"away from where? away from Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula? away from watching racing on ABC? wtf?"

Oh Joel, lol Sorry I didn't state it better. I was down in Columbia for 2 days for a bachelor party, i.e. I was away from news sources.

9/1/2008 12:48:20 AM