If you can find Bobby's interviews (I think that there were two) on the Continental Tires Dinner with Racers Podcast you won't be sorry. Some amazing stories!
Bobby's passing makes me feel sad and old. Seems like not so long ago that the great lion was young and hungry. Sincere condolences to the Unser family.
I was given a motivational book ghost written with Bobby. It was a fabulous book that I enjoyed immensely. I gave it to him at the Midget Hall of Fame luncheon in Tulsa and asked him to autograph it for the person that gave me the book. We talked like he knew me for years. And we both had a laugh because we had a very strange thing in common. We both won significant races with re-cap tires with ground up walnut shell in the tires. His were made by a friend of his fathers in New Mexico and mine were made in the north east Neither one of us had enough money for the good stuff. Winning is winning it doesn't matter how you get there. Bobby won Pikes Peak multiple times with those recaps until a race sponsor tried to get them banned. Free tires is the only thing that got him to take the recaps off. Anyone lucky enough to get to talk with him is lucky enough.
Sad news. He was a great racer and quite a character from what I've heard. I used to love listening to him do Indy Car broadcasts on TV, until the politically correct wave happened. The man told it like it was. RIP
Originally Posted by HDbill:
I was given a motivational book ghost written with Bobby. It was a fabulous book that I enjoyed immensely. I gave it to him at the Midget Hall of Fame luncheon in Tulsa and asked him to autograph it for the person that gave me the book. We talked like he knew me for years. And we both had a laugh because we had a very strange thing in common. We both won significant races with re-cap tires with ground up walnut shell in the tires. His were made by a friend of his fathers in New Mexico and mine were made in the north east Neither one of us had enough money for the good stuff. Winning is winning it doesn't matter how you get there. Bobby won Pikes Peak multiple times with those recaps until a race sponsor tried to get them banned. Free tires is the only thing that got him to take the recaps off. Anyone lucky enough to get to talk with him is lucky enough.
I remember reading about the walnut-laced tires, oh..... 30+ years ago in the book "The Unbelievable Unsers". A good read, by the way. Innovation of the sort is rare in today's motorsports wherein so many things are spec.
There is also a good part in there where their personal garage in Albuquerque was rushed by upset rival drivers from an earlier race that night. Bobby was brandishing a rifle defending their home turf and if I remember correctly, Al pointed out that he was ready to use it.
R.I.P.
Chiming in live from the West Coast of Michigan.... Mike
RIP Airman