I was watching my DVD of the 1990 Long Beach race and Sam Posey said that Ribbs has been hampered by his bad temper he has showed in the 1980's.. what was he talking about?
I was watching my DVD of the 1990 Long Beach race and Sam Posey said that Ribbs has been hampered by his bad temper he has showed in the 1980's.. what was he talking about?
I'm not sure what the story is on that one. But at a CART Friday Night Taping with Ribbs and Daly, they told a (in retrospect) funny story about a bar brawl they were both involved in.
It didn't sound like it was the only time something like that happened either.
I think Willy T has that reputation
Occasionally manifesated in overt violence towards others
Ask Scott Pruett from way back in the Trans Am days
do a little research - it's fun
Last edited by carl s; 09-26-2005 at 09:29 PM.
That Ribbs clan wasnt known for being the quiet easy going type's.
One thing though, Willy could drive rings around his Dad Bunny I think.
aXe
Born Again Race Fan seen at
www.openwheelracers3.com
Perhaps aXe can verify, but Ribbs grew up on the east side of San Jose.
'Nuff said!
I cant amagion Derek Daly in any sort of fight..
Last time I saw him he was in line to buy tickets to the LBGP in 2002.
He's Irish. Yes, it's a stereotype, but he's not wimpy boy by any sort of the imagination.Originally Posted by Chris Paff
Also, ask Scott Pruett about Willy T's temper. Those two had a few quarrels in their Trans-Am days. Even got physical too.
He was due to make his NASCAR debut in 1978? at Charlotte but got himself arrested for a traffic infringement...wonder if that had anything to do with it? I believe it was Humpy Wheeler who had got him a drive for publicity, so without a driver he sought out a struggling youngster from some North Carolina town. I believe it was called Kannapolis.
"An emphasis was placed on drivers with road racing backgrounds which meant drivers from open wheel, oval track racing were at a disadvantage. That led Tony George to create the IRL." -Indy Review 1996
Back in the Trans Am days I remember a story wherin Willy T. got really pissed while racing and broke the shifter off the transmission...
He sure was a happy camper when he qualified at Indy. Wasn't he hanging half way out ot the car coming down pit row?
You cant take that away from Willy, Given good equipment He was a very good racer.
The Ribbs clan did live on the east side of San Jose the family ran a Plumbing business out there. It may even still be in business? I would have liked to see him in a sprint car or midget, With that tempermaent if He could control it a bit He would have been a dominant factor on dirt? But they chose the way to INDY in sporty cars just like his Dad drove.
aXe
We sponsored WT's first pro (paid) drive back in the day. It was in a Brooks Fryberger prepared Chevy Camaro in the late '80's at the Daytona 24 Hour. Willy was teamed with the Archer Brothers. All three were fast, but WT drove and acted as if he had a lot to prove and a little time to do it.
WT had a special knack for traffic, and was magic to watch. Ultimately the car got hit by a prototype car on the high banks while Bobby ARcher was driving. After a long stint in the pits for repairs, WT got back in and drove like a man possessed.... and then hunted down the offending prototype car and punted it in the infield.
Fast driver, but with a lot of temper issues back then. Felt the only reason he wasn't the IndyCar (CART at that point) AND the NASCAR champ was because he was black, and nobody gave black drivers a chance.
He calmed down a bit as time went on, especially after his daughter was born, at least as far as the physical stuff. His mouth still got him in a bunch of difficulties over the years following.
Had NASCAR'S diversity program existed back then, WT would have been a prime candidate, and would probably have done very well, assuming he had a good handler that kept him in control. He certainly had the driving talent.
The first time I met Willy T He was about 6 years old, I can still see this rolly polly little kid coming down the driveway of Geo Benson's shop following way back behind his Dad Bunny.
who would have ever thought this rolly polly little kid would end up being the pysical specimen He brought himself to be. He did Keep himself in pretty good physic al shape.
and like I said He could drive!
aXe
Not a bad shoe. In fact, a very good one. And as for his temper, I don't think he was much different than a lot of guys from the old school...Foyt, Vuky, Hewitt, Earnhardt...guys that gave no qaurter and took none. He had a mouth on him and threw a few punches, but he was no jerk. Just a hard-nosed racer and a black one in a white man's game. That made it doubly hard on him.
Yes, he would've made a good sprint car racer and had the finese too, to make a fine Silver Crown wheelman.
I met him several times and his only problem was he seemed to think he needed to keep up an image. At least that is what it seemed like to me... trying to be cool. Otherwise, he was a racer like anybody else. When you did him dirty out there you paid for it in one way or another. What's wrong with that? It's called racing.
And as for Mr. Sharp...I am amazed he doesn't leave the race track with a busted lip every singel race.
The first time Willy T came to Lowes Motor Speedway, he took a look at the dogleg on the front stretch and asked if he could pass in the grass. He was told only person had ever pulled off a pass in the grass there.
quote:
"It is sad that open-wheel racing has become a buy a ride situation, but it is what it is."
aXe:
Did Bunny ever drive at San Jose? I seem to recall our driver saying that his father (Wayne Thmpson) ran against Bunny.
He sure was a happy camper when he qualified at Indy. Wasn't he hanging half way out ot the car coming down pit row?
Yep, a classic moment at Indy.
JeffaXe:
Did Bunny ever drive at San Jose? I seem to recall our driver saying that his father (Wayne Thmpson) ran against Bunny.
If Bunny ran there I didnt see or hear about it? I just know He did SCCA.
Bunny used to frequent the Benson shop where i worked. I dont think Bunny could say two words with out dropping the F bomb! If I hear from My nephew I'll ask him, he used to hang out with Willy and his brothers They lived just up the road from them.
aXe
He seemed to have the reputation of a 'big mouth'. I remember a quote of his about the team he was with that "It is hard to soar like an eagle when you are roosting with a flock of turkeys".
I seem to recall something in that order also. However if the shoe fits???
It was a shame when Cosby fronted a few bucks to help out it wasnt enough.
We will never know for sure how good He could have been.
aXe
Go here to see this in a different light, The Cozz was ready it seems but ended up being treated like a ghost when there it looks like.
http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/20147/
Last edited by aXe; 10-13-2005 at 12:24 PM.
From what I understand, the real story is:
Bill Cosby offered to put up money directly. WT said no. Bill suggested help in finding a sponsor, and WT agreed to that. The deal was that Bill would offer his spokesperson services free to the company that put up the sponsorship $$. The ONLY taker was Service Merchandise, a catalgue sales company that was eventually headed to bankruptcy. I think the comment about life being difficult for blacks in motorsports is very true. I mean, how could you pass up a deal to get Bill Cosby selling your product for FREE?
This is about right, from what I was told at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in '99 when he ran with the IRL. It's along those lines....the Cosby thing. He was still trying to break in late in '99. Crashed out in that LV race right in front of me.
Willy is good people. Just a guy with a big mouth as someone here suggested. There have been moe than one in the sport, but it hurt WT some and there is no denying that.
How good would he have been? Given a fair chance, I think along the lines of a Scott Sharp, a Jimmy Vassar, a Scott Dixon. He had the tools.
More than once Ribbs and Pruett were slugging out on the last lap for a Trans-Am win and, well, the third-place guy took the checkered.
Ribbs' most infamous temper incident was when he attacked Bob Logenberg at Road Atlanta after he took him two-wide into the dangerous and ultra-fast "dip" during practice. He accused Logenberg of waiting for him on the backstretch and then speed-checking him, trying to get a read on his engine power or something like that. Willy totally lost it and started punching him while he was still in his car in pit lane. Willy was heavily fined.
Wasn't his first shot at Indy in '85 a Don King(!)-funded fiasco? Willy got a bad rap in the press, the impression was that he was scared of Indy, but he bailed on the whole effort because it was a total mess. Perhaps the race aspect can't be ruled out here.
I think Willy was just ahead of his time. Since then stars like Deion Sanders, Karl Malone, T.O., etc, have emerged, and an outspoken, anti-PC, in-your-face young black driver who could back up his bombast like Willy in his prime would be a breath of fresh air today, if not a Danica-sized media giant.
My lasting impression of Willy T is on the hillside at Laguna... he was the only one not to stand during the national anthem...he just laid there on the grass making the effort not to stand...
You assume that Black Americans have the thought process and set of perceptions as white Americans...My lasting impression of Willy T is on the hillside at Laguna... he was the only one not to stand during the national anthem...he just laid there on the grass making the effort not to stand...
Well if he doesnt like this country then he should leave.. that goes with any American that acts that way..
It's not about the country. It's about how the country is run. They are 2 different things. The problem is that most people are not clear there is a difference...
Well that could go a long way to explain why he couldn't get any sponsors or good drives.My lasting impression of Willy T is on the hillside at Laguna... he was the only one not to stand during the national anthem...he just laid there on the grass making the effort not to stand...
If you noticed that, then probably someone with money like a sponsor or car owner did as well and gave the matter some thought. I know I would.
It wasn't 1968 then, and it's still not today.
Mr. Ribbs (and possibly you, it's hard to tell from your post) may not agree with the way this country is, or has been run. However, as an African American, he should realize that no other country on earth has done more to compensate his race for the real and perceived disadvantages created by slavery. That includes predominantly black countries run by black governments, as well as the other countries in the world who also practiced slavery, which was, at the time, an accepted and widespread practice.
It should also be noted that slavery was not, and has not been, an abuse solely associated with African Americans throughout history.
Willy T. may not have believed that the country had done enough for him and his ilk, but he should have had the decency to stand out of respect for what it has done, and for the people who died so that he could be free... not just from slavery, but from domination by forces who are less tolerant than our government.
Willy T was often quoted as "looking for respect". He was equally often severely lacking in that characteristic.
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