George Follmer in Bud Moore?s Trans-Am Mustang Boss 302. Photo courtesy Ford.
The late great Mark Donohue spent months working with Porsche engineers trying to teach the brutal 917-10 race car some track manners. But after a 150-MPH crash while practicing with the 917-10 at Road Atlanta sidelined Donohue with a broken leg for all but the last four races of the nine-race series, Penske Racing teammate George Follmer drove the 917-10 to the 1972 Can-Am championship in 1972, handily stealing the title from the dominant 427 Chevrolet-powered McLarens.
This proved to be a huge milestone in Follmer?s career, but his success in the 917-10 also brought out a bitter rivalry between Donohue and Follmer, as Donohue resented Follmer?s success driving the car he?d developed. Follmer, on his way to a championship season, resented Donohue?s attempts to steal his thunder and drove hard against Donohue ? which is actually what forced Donohue to a fourth rather than second place overall.
Follmer, in 1972, also won the Trans-Am title and was named the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association?s Jerry Titus Memorial Award ?Driver of the Year.? In August of that same year he simultaneously held Mid-Ohio?s qualifying records for three major racing series ? Can-Am, Trans-Am, and Continental F5000. Follmer would win the Trans-Am title for a second time in 1976 driving Vasek Polak?s sizzling Porsche 934 Turbo.
At age 39, George was then the oldest driver to start an F1 race ? it was 1973 at Kyalami, South Africa, where he finished in sixth place, a points-earning position in his very first Grand Prix start. Teamed with Jackie Oliver in Don Nichols?s menacingly black DN1 Shadows, George?s next F1 race in the UOP car was on the challenging Montju?c hill circuit in Barcelona where Follmer, finishing third, stood on the Spanish GP podium alongside winner Emerson Fittipaldi and second place Fran?ois Cevert.
The Petersen Automotive Museum, along with the Checkered Flag 200 Group, will salute Follmer?s storied career with a special tribute program on Thursday, November 8, at the museum in Los Angeles.
The evening?s festivities include a gallery display of cars driven by Follmer and memorabilia generously supported by eminent collectors.
Follmer?s racing career spanned three decades and included turns in Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR, Champ Car, Continental F5000, the Indy 500, IMSA, IROC, FIA Makes, Bosch Super Vee, SCCA Escort Endurance Showroom Trucks, top qualifier in Fast Masters? Jaguar XJ220, and the enduros at Sebring, Daytona and Le Mans. He?s in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, and on The Walk of Fame at Watkins Glen.
?I would like it to be a good time for everybody, because there aren?t too many times at this point in our lives that we?re all going to be together,? Follmer said of the event. One of the highlights of the evening will undoubtedly be Follmer?s account of the horrendous qualifying crash he survived during the Laguna Seca Can-Am race in 1978.
The Petersen?s program will begin with no-host cocktails and a museum presentation that includes cars and collected memorabilia representing Follmer?s life in racing. The buffet dinner follows, then a multi-monitor video screening compiled of filmed and still photo highlights from Follmer?s extraordinary competition years. Renowned drivers and Follmer?s friends we all recognize or have read about will be introduced to tell some of their best stories from knowing George Follmer, with the tribute evening hosted and moderated by master of ceremonies Bill Stephens. Among the VIP guests who?ve been invited are Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, John Morton, Tony Adamowicz and a number of other familiar names from George Follmer?s racing past.
Reserved ticket purchase is priced at $125 per person for Museum Members, $150 for non-members. Ticket price includes buffet dinner, the evening?s complete program, and parking.?For more information, call Sarah Hill at 323-964-6325 or Paul Moritz at 323-964-6359 or visit Petersen.org.
Source: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012/09/20/petersen-museum-to-honor-george-follmer/
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