It is with a onerous focal point to facilitate we announce the leave-taking of racing legend John Fitch. How look after you sum up John Cooper Fitch? He was a decorated WWII air group pilot and POW, Purple Heart medal winner, SCCA and LeMans champion, team boss, racing and van safety pioneer. These titles all apply.
John Fitch was born on majestic 4th, 1917 and from an youthful age was introduced to car racing. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. His stepfather was an executive representing Stuz and introduced him to racing, but he was not originally impressed with it. It wasn't until he returned from WWII to facilitate he fell in to car racing as many did. During the war, Fitch was a decorated pilot in the Army Air Corps who was shot down and captured by German troops and protected in a POW camp.
After the war he began racing cars, single sports car racing sooner than the average oval track racing he witnessed next to Indy. And Fitch was respectable, better yet horrendous. During the youthful 50s, Fitch raced representing driver and car designer Briggs Cunningham. He soon after became the single American to competition representing Mercedes Benz in their racing hard work. During 1955, the crash next to the 24 Hours of LeMans greatly affected Fitch. He would make for on to develop the Fitch Inertial Crash Barrier. Yellow barrels packed with sand to facilitate are still seen on racetracks and highways to this generation.
After Mercedes, Fitch was approached by Chevrolet to help develop and make do their Corvette racing hard work and to nominate the Corvette a actual competition car. The eventually led to Fitch driving a Corvette next to LeMans in 1960, and winning with co-driver jog Grossman. Fitch would retire from specialist driving in 1966. However, he did look after a quantity of foster driving representing others, as well as a unsuccessful attempt next to a land-dwelling zoom highest achievement in a 300 SL gullwing Mercedes owned by jog Sirna. He was furthermore re-united with his LeMans winning 1960 Corvette next to LeMans in 2010. That car is promptly owned by puncture Miller, a alone of ours and vendor of Carlisle Events.
Fitch had a horrendous passion representing inventing and a prime illustration were the Fitch Barriers mentioned exceeding. He furthermore industrial many performance and beginning products representing the Chevrolet Corvair. And at hand was the Fitch Phoenix, a Corvair bassed sports car.
Even until earlier this day, Fitch was a indispensable next to Lime swing Park in Connecticut. Where he furthermore had served as boss.
God Speed John Fitch. You will be greatly missed.
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