Born : May 29 1939
Decease : December 9 2021
Biography Al Unser
Al Unser was born to a hard-core race family in Albuquerque. His father Jerry, and his uncles Louis and Joe raced cars too. The Unser family had a history of competing in the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb since 1926. Al Unser started racing in 1957, at the age of 18. Initially, Unser competed primarily in modified roadsters, sprint cars, and midgets. In 1964, Unser participates in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and set a record in his Offenhauser‐powered racer, winning the championship car division. Unser’s first Indy 500 start came in 1965, and he finished ninth.
The next year, Unser won the hill climb again. In 1968 Al won 5 USAC (United States Automobile Club) races and placed third in the final rankings. One year later, he did even better and reached 2nd position at the end of the season. Unser kept improving, and in 1970 won a record 10 times on oval, road, and dirt tracks, including the Indianapolis 500. These victories assured the USAC championship title. One year later, Unser won the Indy 500 again and joined the small club of back-to-back winners of the Indy 500. In 1972, Unser’s bid to become the first “three-peat” Indy 500 champion missed when he finished second to Mark Donohue.
Al Unser in the Indy World Series
In 1979 Al Unser started racing in the Indy World series. In 1983, racing for the Penske Racing Team, Unser takes the championships title for the first time. Unser cannot succeed himself in 1984, but in 1985 he revenged and took the title again, still racing for Penske Racing Team. In 1987 he raced most of the season for Penske, but then Penske dropped out Unser. Unser was then hired to drive the brand new Porsche Indy car at Laguna Seca. The team was still in its infancy, and the car dropped out. Unser left the team after only one race.
Al Unser in the Daytona 24H
In 1985, Unser Sr joined the Preston HennSwap Shop Racing team to compete in the Daytona 24H in a Porsche 962. His son Al Unser Jr shared the wheel of another Porsche 962, teaming up with Al Holbert and Derek Bell. For the major part of the race, Unser Sr had to bow heads for the team his son joined. These held the lead for 18 hours – from the middle of the fourth hour until 43 minutes from the end. The Porsche 962 driven by A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr., Bob Wollek, and Thierry Boutsen slipped ahead to win. Porsche 962’s captured the first four positions, and an older Porsche, a Turbo 935, was fifth. Despite taking part 2 more times, Al Unser Sr could never repeat this success, and the 1985 victory at the Daytona 24 remained his only one.
Al Unser Sr. was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1986 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1998. Unser became the oldest driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in 1987, at the age of 48. Unser waved the checkered flag on his illustrious career on May 17, 1994, one day after struggling to qualify for his 28th Indy 500. His collection of trophies and cars is housed at the Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque. Unser Sr passed away last night at age 82 surrounded by family, after a long fight against cancer.
Pictures courtesy as mentioned or unknown.
