Phil Hill
Philip Toll " Phil" Hill ( born April 20, 1927 in Miami, Florida; † August 28, 2008 in Salinas, California ) was an American race car driver. He won the 1961 world championship in Formula 1, he is the father of racing driver Derek Hill.
Racing career
In 1961, Hill was just one point ahead of Formula 1 World Champion in front of the two races fatalities Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips. He won at Ferrari and was the first U.S. American who won this title; 1978 Mario Andretti was the second American Formula 1 World Champion.
Hill won three times the 24 - hour race at Le Mans: 1958, 1961 and 1962, respectively, together with Olivier Gendebien on Ferrari. Even the 12 - hour race at Sebring and 1000 km from Argentina he could each win three times. In 1966 he drove in the 1000 km race at the Nürburgring, along with Joakim Bonnier the Chaparral with the unusual for a racing car 2-speed automatic transmission to victory.
After the active time
After his playing career, Hill worked as a commentator for ABC's Wide World of Sports. He also wrote for the Road & Track Magazine.
A few years before his death was Phil Hill build an ultra-modern race track in the U.S. Savannah. This track he designed together with the Australian track architect Bob Barnard. The race course consists of two independent courses that can be traveled in 16 variants.
Hill passed away in August 2008 from the effects of Parkinson's disease in a hospital in Monterey County, just a few days after he had appeared for the 40th time as a juror at the traditional Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
World Champion Title
Formula 1 season 1961
- Car: Ferrari 156
- Championship points: 34 (38 )
- World Cup Ranking: 1
- Teammate Olivier Gendebien, Richie Ginther, Willy Mairesse, Ricardo Rodríguez, Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips