If you’re any kind of student on the history of motorsport, you unquestionably know who Vic Elford is. If you don’t, here’s a quick tutorial. Born in London in 1935, he gravitated from soccer into racing and very early in his career, accomplished a remarkable feat that will likely never be duplicated. Within one week in 1968, Elford not only took the overall win aboard a Porsche 911 in the grueling Monte Carlo Rally, but also won the 24 Hours of Daytona, as it was then called, handing Porsche its first outright win in a major international endurance race with the 907 sports prototype. To a lot of people, that single week established Elford as the best pure racing driver in the world. Quick Vic, to use his justly earned nickname, became one of the greatest drivers in the history of Porsche racing, was a stalwart in the Can-Am series, scored championship points in Formula 1, and even made a start in the Daytona 500. Now living in south Florida, Vic needs serious help meeting expenses related to his medical care.
Vic is the guy on the left. He has recently experience a recurrence of prostate cancer, and then fractured a leg in a fall, a happenstance that will require his home to be equipped for disability access, in addition to the bills he faces for present and future medical care. Full disclosure, Vic was extraordinarily generous with his time and candor when he was helping me with research on racing retrospectives at Hemmings Motor News. Marshall Pruett, the journalist who covers motorsport and its technology for Racer magazine, has established a GoFundMe account to raise money for Vic’s medical and living costs in conjunction with the guy on the right, Brian Redman, a contemporary of Vic’s in the world of international sports car racing. Brian, who now operates the Targa Sixty Six vintage gathering in Florida, and Marshall hope to raise up to $175,000 to help Vic with his life and treatment, and they’re well on their way. You can help.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 