Alfred Unser, known over the years as Al Unser Sr. o Big Al, was born in Albuquerque in New Mexico (United States) in 1939, to a family already dedicated to racing. In fact, his father Jerry and his uncles Louis and Joe were pilots and competed in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, a road race held in Colorado. His career began in 1957, at the age of 18, and his debut at the Indianapolis 500 dates back to 1965, which he finished ninth, a competition later won by his brother Bobby in 1968. Al managed to conquer it for the first time two years more. later, in 1970, leading the race for 190 of the 200 laps scheduled. Indy500 became the pinnacle of his career, so much so that he collected three other successes, in 1971, 1978 and 1987, setting the highest age for a winner of the historic American race at 48 years old. It is not the only record that has inextricably linked him to Indianapolis, given that it was the driver who completed the highest number of laps in the lead, no less than 644.
To these victories he was able to add the ACCR championship of 1970 and two CART championships in 1983 and 1985, the latter beating his son Al Unser Jr. He also competed in the Daytona500 in 1968 and in the 24 Hours of Daytona, winning it in 1985 in team with AJ Foyt, Thierry Boutsen and Bob Wollek. As a corollary of his legendary career, he was inducted into the Indianapolis Hall of Fame and International Motorsport. Al Unser Sr. passed away on December 9, 2021, at the age of 82 and had been struggling with an illness for some time.
#Farewell #Unser #legend #Indy500 #FormulaPassionit