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Formula One
MILLER: The Phenom We Missed Out On
Lewis Hamilton's triumph at the U.S. Grand Prix, inspires SPEED's Robin Miller to contemplate what could have been for America's Willy T. Ribbs.
Robin Miller  |  Posted June 18, 2007   Indianapolis, Ind.

Handsome, personable, articulate, fast, black and celebrating at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

That was Lewis Hamilton last Sunday after conquering Formula One in the United States Grand Prix. But, 17 years earlier, a force of nature named Willy T. Ribbs drove into the history books at 16th & Georgetown with all those same qualities.

"It's crazy, I've had a couple people ask me: 'Is that your son?'" says Ribbs, who became the first and only black to ever qualify for the Indianapolis 500, breaking into a chuckle. "You know, I did live in England for a couple of years, but the timeline doesn't quite match up.

"I'll say this though: I haven't watched F1 since Ayrton Senna died, but now I won't miss it because of that kid. I am so proud of him."

Hamilton's heroics have hurtled him into the world championship point lead and launched F1 into the stratosphere in terms of international media exposure. The 22-year-old Brit has handled the competition, pressure and media with amazing aplomb for a rookie – let alone the first black driver in F1.

Not even McLaren boss Ron Dennis could have forseen such early brilliance from his protégé.

But some of us will always wonder what would have happened if Ribbs had been mentored like Dennis has guided Hamilton since he was a teenager. Sure, Willy received help from Bill Cosby, Dan Gurney, Edsel Ford, Don King and the late Jim Trueman, but there was never a plan.

"At the time I came along, I had to plow and ride every horse I could," recalled the native of Northern California. "There weren't any driver development programs and I wasn't exactly mainstream, if you know what I mean.

"I guess I was before my time."
The same year (1985) that Lewis Hamilton was born, Ribbs got a brief test with Bernie Ecclestone's Brabham F1 team but, like his Indy car career, it was a missed opportunity. (LAT photo)

Yet there was never a doubt Ribbs packed the necessary talent. From his fourth start in the ultra-competitive English Formula Ford series in 1977, where he beat eventual F1 & CART champ Nigel Mansell, to a wet weather Formula 3 test at Silverstone where he smoked some future F1 stars to winning the Formula Atlantic pole at Long Beach against Michael Andretti and Al Unser Jr., he was quick in the car, as well as on his feet.

Despite his obvious flare and marketing potential, Willy only got one mismanaged test in an Indy car during the decade of the '80s when King helped get Miller Beer as a sponsor.

For the brash kid who wore a T-shirt proclaiming: "I Know What Satisfaction Is" and was never bashful about tooting his horn, that self-promotion didn't endear him to car owners. That kind of behavior is commonplace today, but not in the early '80s with racers.

"I was pretty flamboyant in a lot of people's view and maybe they misinterpreted it," he admits. "But, thankfully, a couple of big names gave me a chance."

Trueman, founder of the Red Roof Inns who set the table for Bobby Rahal's success in CART, believed in Ribbs and got him going in America. Then Edsel Ford placed him on Jack Roush's Trans-Am team where he scored many victories and danced on the roof afterwards. From 1987-'89, it was more success in IMSA with Gurney.

In 1991, Willy finally found himself at Indianapolis but hardly in the ideal situation. Driving Derrick Walker's older car, the clock was about to expire on the last day qualifying when he came through with a clutch run to bump '83 winner Tom Sneva. As he rolled down the pits and pumped his fist to the applause of his appreciative competitors, a barrier had been broken.

"That was the greatest month of my career and I know Mari Hulman and her family wanted me in the race and they were all very positive," he continued. "I felt great because I felt like they wanted me."

Sadly, CART wasn't smart enough to know what it had with Ribbs. Even though he had ability, charisma, Bill Cosby and Service Merchandise on his side, Ribbs only made Indy once more in 1993 and never had a top notch ride. The CART brass even blew off Cosby at a press conference.

"Let's just call that a missed opportunity," he said.

A brief fling with NASCAR resulted in bad blood that still boils today with Willy and he calls the stock car series' diversity program window dressing. "It's all a smoke screen – they didn't want a black driver then and they don't want one now," he declares. "But the pressure that Lewis Hamilton is putting on them is like a D9 caterpillar."

Now 52, Ribbs is heavy into competitive shooting where his 15-year-old son, Theo, is the USA's top-rated sub junior in the Sporting Clay category. He says he's not envious of Hamilton, just happy for him.

"I was never a big fan of Ron Dennis but I'm proud of him because he took that kid from kindergarden to F1," said Ribbs, who now lives outside Austin, Texas. "That's going to be his crowning achievement ... changing the face of Formula 1.

"And, if Dennis stays loyal to him, Lewis will be World Champion this year, and that will put auto racing on a new level internationally the way Tiger Woods elevated golf.

"Because Lewis is phenom. He's not the next Schmacher – he's the next Senna."

Chat LIVE with Robin Miller tomorrow at 1:30pm Eastern!


Robin Miller covers open wheel racing for SPEEDTV.com, SPEED Report and WIND TUNNEL. A lifelong resident of Indianapolis, an 18-year-old Miller stooged for his hero Jim Hurtubise at the Indianapolis 500 in 1968 and began covering motorsports for The Indianapolis Star in 1969. Besides working on Indy pit crews from 1968-78, Miller also competed on the USAC midget circuit from 1975-83. During the past 35 years he's also been a contributor for Autoweek, Autosport, Car & Driver, ESPN The Magazine and several publications that folded and still owe him money. He is single, a degenerate gambler and despises the NASCAR phrase, "We had a Top 20 car today."

Robin Miller is not affiliated with RACER magazine and his views should not be considered representative of RACER or of Haymarket Worldwide Inc.
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