Fitch confers with Mercedes teammate Pierre Levegh, prior to the tragic running of the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Levegh and over 80 spectators would lose their lives.
Photo: Daimler-Chrysler Archives
On August 4, 2007, an icon of American racing and my dear friend, John Fitch, turned 90 years old! In this day and age of medical advances plus many of us watching our diets and exercising, 90 is not nearly as unusual as in previous times. John, however has lived a life of achievement and adventure…and still does. At some 15 years younger, I don’t really enjoy walking very far with John because he tires me out. When I called a few weeks ago, he had just finished mowing his lawn.
On August 6, it was my great honor to host his birthday party at my home in Redondo Beach, California. I wish I could have invited all of you, our faithful readers, but as it was, my family was almost in revolt due to the numbers who did come, among them Phil Hill. Davey Jordan’s wife, Norma, brought the cake. Davey was John’s teammate at the 1966 Sebring in Briggs Cunningham’s Porsche 904. Bob Bondurant flew over from Phoenix to give John a copy of his just-published biography, Bob Bondurant, by Phil Henny.
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