John Fitch - A Great Racing Driver And Much More

by Mike -

John Fitch has a background that many of us may not know. Below is a recent photo of John Fitch with the Fitch Phoenix at his home.

This week Stephen Mitchell wrote about his interview with John Fitch for Stephen's upcoming documentary on the Carrera Panamericana.

I know the name but did not know a lot about the history of John Fitch. Motivated by Stephen's article I searched, and read, about John Fitch. You should read too, I have included some links for furthur reading.

John Fitch won many sports car races including the 1953 Sebring 12-hour race in a Cunningham car. He ran the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times, finishing as high as third.

Photos of John Fitch with the The Fitch Phoenix are by Jeanette Dumouchel, supplied to me by Stephen Mitchell.

John Fitch was the only American on the Mercedes-Benz racing team, he later served as the first manager for the Corvette racing team and he was the first general manager of the Lime Rock Park race track.

He was also a pilot in the US Army Air Corps during WWII.

Plus there is much more about his inventions in safety innovations - the Fitch Barrier (aka "Yellow Barrels"), the barrels filled with sand that we all see on US freeways, and more. Click below and read on.

"Star Driver" John Fitch Honored By Mercedes-Benz At 2006 Pebble Beach Concours

Racing Safety with John Fitch

Wikipedia - John Fitch (racing driver)

UPDATE:

Sports Car Digest wrote about the 1957 Sebring 12-Hour Grand Prix today. John Fitch was mentioned several times in the article here.


Click on the images for a larger view.