The only time I ever met Eddie Cheever was one weekend when we were at the Hockenheim circuit, in Germany, for the 1979 Formula Two race. He was a tall 21-year-old American who had lived in Rome for much of his early life and spoke immaculate Italian. I felt very much the underdog, because just four months earlier I had been invited by Pirelli, in Milan, to take on the responsibility for their public relations activities outside Italy. I was…

Here’s Cheever aiming his Ganassi Racing Lola T91/00-Chevy Indycar down Laguna Seca’s Corkscrew on his way to a 6th-place finish in 1991.
Photo: Stuart Seeger