The Goodbye Gil
9/28/2009Since he's a movie buff, let's say the curtain is about to come down on Gil de Ferran's second act.
When the checkered flag waves Oct. 10, in the American Le Mans Series season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, de Ferran will again retire from driving. He'll leave on a high-note, a title threat, four wins with co-driver Simon Pagenaud.
He's played this scene before.
Six years ago, with two CART championships and his goal of winning the Indianapolis 500 accomplished and his concern with superspeedway pack racing accelerating, de Ferran stopped. He couldn't have scripted it better: Pole (that 222.864 mph qualifying-lap record still stands) and victory at Texas Motor Speedway.
From there, it was on to a TV announcer gig, and then sporting director for Honda's Formula One team. World championship contender Rubens Barrichello, and a number of other key players at what is now the Brawn team, were de Ferran hires.
It should not have come as blockbuster news, however, that life's road would bring de Ferran back to a hands-on role. So it was in May 2008, at Utah's Miller Motorsports Park, when he took the wheel once more as owner-driver of an Acura in the ALMS' P2 class. Honda was planning its move up to P1 for '09, and coveted de Ferran's technical development skills the way a producer would Hollywood's hottest blonde.
One year later, he was back at that track. In victory lane.
It was that talent that made Alex Zanardi believe, even when he won consecutive CART championships in 1997 and '98, that de Ferran was Honda's true favorite son.
"Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to know and find out about things," de Ferran admitted years ago. "I've always been curious, to the point of being a pain-in-the-ass, sometimes. I don't think there has been something in my life that made me like that. I think it's in my inner fabric."
Having raced for Roger Penske, Jackie Stewart, Jim Hall and Derrick Walker, he's now into the business of team ownership. In August, at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, de Ferran announced he'd step out of the cockpit at season's end to focus on growing his operation. The new task, sponsorship permitting, is to stay in ALMS and expand into IRL.
"I take pride in what I do behind the wheel, but my main focus is the team," he explained in recent weeks. "Your knowledge comes from a collection of experiences. I've been extremely fortunate, throughout my life, to have the pleasure to work for some of the top names in the sport. Certainly, Roger being at the very top of that list, but I have learned many things from Jackie, Jim and Derrick. I have to say, also, having gone through the experience of being sporting director at Honda, I feel a lot more prepared."
Back in ancient times -- August 28, 2000 - de Ferran was headlined here as "The Most Interesting Man in Motorsports." Quoting from that column: "He speaks in a clear and informed voice on topics as diverse and world affairs, gun control, science, movies, music, language and literature."
This thinking man's racer explained himself best:
"The way I operate is, racing is a part of my life that gives me a lot of pleasure, but it's not all-fulfilling. It doesn't fulfill me to the point where I'm totally satisfied. I still have other ambitions in my life, as far as my own persona is concerned. I want to evolve and develop in ways that are totally unrelated to racing. Racing is not my whole life. I think furthering your understanding about life in general is a good thing and a goal of mine."
So, once again for Gil de Ferran, it's: Exit, stage left.
With applause.
Make that a standing ovation.
[ Next column: October 12 ]
Sign-up at Valvoline.com for I.N. Sider's free weekly "Track Talk" Newsletter, delivered to you by e-mail.
(I.N. Sider is the pen name for an independent motorsports business-person who has a quarter-century of professional experience working in almost every major North American racing series. The writer is not an employee of Valvoline or Ashland Inc. The column is intended to inform, entertain, and stimulate thought on the contemporary motorsports scene. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Valvoline or Ashland Inc.)
BackAbout I.N. Sider
I.N. Sider is the pen name for an independent motorsports business-person who has a quarter-century of professional experience working in almost every major North American racing series. The writer is not an employee of Valvoline or Ashland Inc. The column is intended to inform, entertain, and stimulate thought on the contemporary motorsports scene. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Valvoline or Ashland Inc.