A Legend in Need

I wrote in this space, last month, that racecar drivers are just like us in that they too are human and suffer many of the same issues and problems that we all do. Of course, our image of the professional racecar driver tends to be more along the lines of the wealthy, globetrotting playboy who, upon retirement, winters in the Bahamas and makes periodic appearances and speaking engagements. And for some that is, in fact, the case. But for the vast majority of professional drivers that is anything but the truth. This reality was recently brought sharply into focus with one notable champion in particular.

Readers of this magazine will likely be familiar with the name Tony Adamowicz. Tony “A-to-Z”, as he’s long been known, had a truly impressive racing career. After working at the White House as an Army Communications Aide under Eisenhower and Kennedy, Tony began racing his Volvo with the SCCA in 1964. By 1968, Tony had won the SCCA Under 2-liter Trans-Am championship, driving a 911, which in turn launched him into a ride for the 1969 FA/F5000 season. Driving an Eagle, under the technical direction of famed engineer Carroll Smith, Adamowicz went on to claim the 1969 F5000 championship. Two championships, in two years, put Tony A-to-Z firmly on the professional racing map.