Those We Lost in 2024

Those We Lost 2024

Fred Mackerodt, an automotive writer, photographer, editor and publicist. After stints at Look, Hi-Performance CARS and as a contributor to Supercycle and others, Mackerodt founded his own New York-based public relations agency, handling media relations and marketing communications for several of the major automakers. Mackerodt died on December 25, 2023.

Rick Ferkel, an Ohio-based Sprint Car racer who criss-crossed the country, cherry-picking Sprint car races that paid the best money, often winning more than 30 of them per year. Ferkel began racing in 1965 and retired from the cockpit in the mid-1980s, along the way earning the nickname of the “Ohio Traveler.”

Ryan Pemberton, a long-time and race-winning NASCAR crew chief and more recently the competition director for JR Motorsports, the race team co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Pemberton was 54 years of age.

John Mahler, a former go-kart, sports car, and formula car driver who became a four-time Indianapolis 500 starter, in 1972, 77, 78 and 79. Mahler’s best IndyCar finish out of a total of 39 was sixth.

Marcello Gandini, an influential and respected designer, responsible for a wide range of designs from Lamborghinis to Volkswagens. After following Giorgetto Giugiaro as chief designer at Bertone, Gandini put his signature on the Lamborghini Miura, the Countach, Diablo, and Espada, as well as the Bugatti EB 110, Lancia Stratos BMW 5-Series, Citroen BX, Fiat X1/9, Maserati Khamsin, Renault 5 Turbo and more. Apart from automobiles, Gandini contributed architectural and aircraft designs.

Len Sirowitz, a New York advertising art director perhaps best known for the iconic and whimsical Volkswagen ads of the 1960s and 70s while at the Doyle Dane Bernbach ad agency. But over his career Sirowitz also created ads for Mobil, Sony, Sara Lee, Sony, Parker Pens, McDonald’s, Royal Caribbean and Swissair. In 1985 Sirowitz was inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame.

Wally Dallenbach, Sr., a racer who advanced from stock cars and midgets in New Jersey to the Indianapolis 500, where he ranks as one of the best drivers to never win the race. Following his retirement from the cockpit he forged an even greater legacy as CART’s chief steward, focused on fair competition and improved safety.

Bob McCreadie, a driver from Watertown, NY, who amassed in excess of 500 dirt-track modified stock car racing victories at 56 speedways in six states, two Canadian provinces and Australia. Nicknamed “Barefoot Bob” for his shoeless childhood days and later a super-narrow Plymouth Barracuda that was so tight he had to remove one shoe to drive it, McCreadie was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame, the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Walk of Fame and the Eastern Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame.

Eddie Gossage, the former president of Texas Motor Speedway. His stock-in-trade was creative publicity stunts and big pre-race shows. An old-school “promoter” of the P.T. Barnum mold, Gossage had a big ego that rankled some but got results.

Jerry Gappens, a longtime racing executive who spent 23 years with Speedway Motorsports, serving as senior vice president of events and marketing of Charlotte Motor Speedway for 15 years and as executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway for eight years. Most recently Gappens had returned to dirt-track roots as general manager of Eldora Speedway in Ohio.

Rufus Parnell Jones, known to everyone as Parnelli, winner of the 1963 Indianapolis 500 and who dominated the 1967 race in Andy Granatelli’s turbine before a six-dollar bearing failed less than eight miles from the checkered flag. Aside from his Indy accomplishments, which included being the first driver to post a 150-mph qualifying average, Jones excelled in virtually all types of race cars, from Midgets to Sprints to Trans-Am to desert off-road racing. After retiring from the cockpit, switching to team ownership proved just as successful for Jones, who with partner Miletich and driver Al Unser captured the Indy 500 back-to-back in 1970 and ’71.

Rick Lorenzen, founder of the Lions Automobilia Foundation and Museum in Rancho Dominguez, California. The Foundation and Museum is a comprehensive take on the peak years of the Southern California car culture of Lorenzen’s youth, and pays tribute to the Lions Drag Strip which closed in 1972.

Lizzy Musi, a second-generation drag racer who gained wider popularity through her regular appearance on the Discovery Channel series Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings. Competing first in the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) before advancing to the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA), over the past year Musi utilized social media to share the story of her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Lizzy Musi was just 33 years of age at the time of her passing.

Dick Marconi, founder of the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin, California. The museum houses more than 100 historic race cars, muscle cars, motorcycles and other significant vehicles, and is distinctive because it is a nonprofit that donates admission fees to charities and organizations that help children in need.

Chuck Givler, for more than 35 years the Motorsports Editor of Pennsylvania’s Easton Express-Times, a position the paper created so as to cover local hero Mario Andretti. But Givler gave equal coverage to the grassroots tracks and racers in the region, and had a genuine passion for racing at all levels.

Scott Bloomquist, dirt track “late model” racer, winner of more than 600 races and 2002 inductee into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Brash and controversial, Bloomquist had legions of fans and of haters. He perished while flying his vintage aircraft.

Alex Xydias, perhaps the prototypical California hot-rodder and one of the last living links to the early days of postwar California land speed racing and the formative years of drag racing. He founded the So-Cal Speed Shop, was a co-founder of SEMA, was a Land Speed Record-Holder and recipient of the Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award. His more than 100 years on Earth were a life well-lived.

Robert C. “Rabbit” Pitts, a self-described “used car salesman” whose talents as a storyteller led to fame and success with his Hot Rods & Happy Hour Radio Show and the Netflix series Tex Mex Motors.

Harry Haig, co-founder of Australia’s Hardass 1000, a winner of Street Machine’s Drag Challenge, and a standout in Hot Rod Magazine’s Drag Week. Haig was a hard-partier who was also a successful businessman and a successful racer. Haig’s friend and colleague Andrew Baumgartner also lost his life in the highway crash that claimed Haig.

Paul Goldsmith, the oldest living Indianapolis starter at the time of his passing at age 98 Goldsmith made six consecutive Indy 500 starts between 1958-63, with his best finish, third, coming in 1960. A versatile competitor, Goldsmith was a successful motorcycle racer and stock- car racer.

Dick Wallen, a filmmaker and author who documented the golden age of auto racing, with an emphasis on Indy Car and USAC racing. Wallen began filming in 1958 and soon was earning his living by selling his films to movie studios. In addition Wallen produced commercial films for use by manufacturers in the racing industry. Wallen is also the author of several books on racing history.

Ken Eberts, a prolific automotive illustrator whose career began in the Ford Motor Company‘s styling department before leaving the corporate world to become a independent professional artist. Eberts was a founding member of the Automotive Fine Arts Society, illustrator of greeting cards for Hemmings, and longtime creator of the poster for the Antique Automobile Club of America’s annual Hershey Eastern Fall Meet.

Chad McQueen, the son of actor-racer Steve and himself a racer and certifiable car guy. Having also tried his hand at acting, the younger McQueen was co-chairman of the Friends of Steve McQueen car show that raised money for Boys Republic, a program for what used to be called juvenile delinquents back when his father was a guest of the program.

Michael Valentine, who, as a young electrical engineer founded Cincinnati Microwave 50 years ago and created not only the modern automotive radar detector but also the radar detector industry itself. Cincinnati Microwave later became Escort, and after leaving Escort Valentine founded Valentine Research Inc. Both companies continue to manufacture industry-leading products.

Rocky Moran, a veteran of three Indianapolis 500s who very nearly won his first Indycar race, and a highly respected sportscar racer. Although he never competed in a full Indycar season, his abilities earned his rides with some of the top teams, including those of Dan Gurney and AJ Foyt. In sportcar racing, Moran teamed with P.J. Jones and Mark Dismore to win Toyota’s first Rolex 24Hours of Daytona in 1993.

Bruno Sacco, head of design at Mercedes-Benz for 25 years beginning in 1975, and the man responsible for the cohesive look of all Mercedes products – cars, trucks, SUVs and buses – for the period. Sacco’s designs were conservative yet distinctly European, and provided a strong brand identity for Mercedes.

Frank Fritz, the everyman co-star of the long-running History Channel series “American Pickers.” The show chronicled the antiques- and collectibles-hunting duo of Fritz and longtime friend Mike Wolfe, and old cars and motorcycles were very much among the gems they sought to discovers in barns and garages across the country.

Eleanor Vogler, who, after losing her husband and then her son to racing accidents, established the Rich Vogler Memorial Scholarship Foundation. The foundation distributes scholarships to encourage members of the racing community to further their education.

August “Augie” Pabst Jr., an American sports car racer who drove many of the most iconic cars of his era, including Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes, Corvette, Lotus, Jaguar, Chaparral, Lola, McLaren, Cobra, GT40, and Scarab, and at many of the iconic tracks of the day, including Sebring, Watkins Glen, Meadowdale, Nassau, Mosport, Daytona, Riverside, Road America, Le Mans, and Brands Hatch. After retiring from competition, he went into the family brewing business, and upon retiring from that he took up vintage racing. Pabst was a 2011 inductee into the Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Bob Riley, who enjoyed a long career in designing and building race cars, including the Coyote Indy car chassis that carried A.J. Foyt to his fourth Indianapolis 500 win. A mechanical and aeronautical engineer, Riley worked in the aircraft industry and Chrysler’s Space Division Saturn rocket program and built cars that competed – and won – across a broad spectrum of racing disciplines.

Bobby Allison, the 1983 NASCAR champion and fourth on NASCAR’s all-time win list. A member of what was known as “the Alabama Gang,” through the years Allison won 85 races in nine different brands of the cars, for 14 different race teams. “I did drive pretty good most of the time,” Allison joked, “but boy I couldn’t keep a job.”

Pehr Gustaf Gyllenhammar, a “car guy” who served as CEO Of Volvo from 1971 through 1993. Gyllenhammar set the direction for Volvo as on safety and environmental responsibility while preferring to drive himself to work, rather than be chauffeured. His favorites at Volvo were the performance-oriented turbocharged models rather than the bread-and-butter regular-production cars.

Malcolm Smith, a dirt bike racer who is best known for his starring role in the 1971 Bruce Brown motorcycle documentary On Any Sunday. The Academy Award-nominated film helped popularize off-road motorcycling, a segment that continues to grow to this day. But both before and after the film’s release Smith was an accomplished champion dirt bike racer.

Mary McGee, one of the first women to race motorcycles in motocross and road racing events in the United States. Starting in road racing in 1957, McGee shifted to dirt racing in 1963, and in 1967 became the first woman to ride the Baja 500. McGee continued to race both motorcycles and cars until 2011. Age, 87, McGee died the day before the release of the short documentary “Motorcycle Mary” on which seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was an executive producer.

Jean Jennings, also known professionally as Jean Lindamood, the first woman to lead a major monthly national car magazine, Automobile. Her long career as a writer and editor garnered multiple awards, including the International Motor Press Association’s 2007 Ken Purdy Award, the New England Motor Press Association’s 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Motor Press Guild’s 2016 Dean Batchelor Award for Lifetime Achievement. She was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame in 2021.

Fred Lorenzen, an Illinois native who won the United States Auto Club stock car championship in 1958 and 1959 and claimed 26 NASCAR victories between 1961 and 1972. Lorenzen was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998 and was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015. Lorenzen enjoyed a successful post-racing real estate career although he lamented having perhaps retired from the track too soon.