George Follmer (born January 27, 1934) is an American former

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

driver, and one of the most successful road racers of the 1970s. He was born in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. His family moved to California when he was just an infant.

Career

Follmer began his career running a Volkswagen Beetle in Gymkhana competition in parking lots in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California. Follmer raced in the USAC

Championship Car American open-wheel car racing, also known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2022, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar. Competitive event ...

series in the 1967-1971 and 1974 seasons, with 25 career starts, including the 1969-1971

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

races. He finished in the top ten 11 times, with his one victory in 1969 at Phoenix International Raceway. His best finish at the Indianapolis 500 was in 1971. He started 29th and finished in the 15th position driving the Grant King Racer's turbo Offy. In 1973, Follmer competed in

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

with Don Nichols' UOP

Shadow A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, ...

team. He took part in his first Grand Prix, in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, at the age of 39 years and 1 month - making him F1's oldest débutant since the 1950s, a distinction he still holds. In 13 Championship races, his best results were 6th in South Africa and a podium 3rd in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, in his first two Grands Prix, which gave him 13th in the Drivers' Championship with five points. He also competed in several non-Championship races. 1968 AMC Javelin - Sarah Stierch 03

Follmer also had success in other racing series. In 1965, he won the

SCCA The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional ...

United States Road Racing Championship The United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) was created by the Sports Car Club of America in 1962. It was the first SCCA series for professional racing drivers. SCCA Executive Director John Bishop helped to create the series to recover rac ...

. Follmer won two races in the 1970 SCCA Continental Championship for

Formula A Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars tha ...

cars, placing sixth in the standings. He won the

Trans-Am The Trans-Am Series is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of track types includi ...

championship in 1972, winning four races with an

AMC Javelin The AMC Javelin is an American front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door hardtop automobile manufactured by American Motors Corporation (AMC) across two generations, 1968 through 1970 and 1971 through 1974 model years. The car was positioned an ...

, and 1976, driving a

Porsche 934 The Porsche 934 was a racing version of the Porsche 911 Turbo, prepared to FIA Group 4 rules, similar to the Porsche 935 which was prepared to FIA Group 5 rules. History The Porsche 934 was introduced for the 1976 racing season. It was manufactur ...

Turbo. In 1972, Follmer was the Can-Am champion, substituting for the injured Mark Donohue in Penske Racing's Porsche 917/10, causing the racing press to dub Follmer "George Am". He was vice-champion in 1973 driving for Rinzler and 1974 in a

. He collected 6 wins and 13 podiums in the three-year spell. He is the only driver to win the Can-Am and Trans-Am championship in the same year. Follmer competed in the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

Winston Cup The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

series in 1974, with appearances in 13 of 30 races. He collected three top 5 finishes and a pole position. In 1974 and 1975, he raced at the

International Race of Champions International Race of Champions (IROC) was a North American auto racing competition, created by Les Richter, Roger Penske and Mike Phelps, promoted as an equivalent of an American motorsports All-Star Game. Despite its name, the IROC was primar ...

, where he won a race. In 1977 he returned to the revived Can-Am, resulting 6th in 1977 and 5th in 1978. He won the 1978 St. Jovite Can Am in his Prophet-Chevy over Alan Jones. After his retirement, he came back to racing for the 1986 24 Hours of Le Mans, obtaining a prestigious third place with a Porsche 956. Though long-retired from professional motorsports competition, Follmer still competes in vintage races, often driving the very same cars in which he competed during his heyday. In addition to his racing career, Follmer also owned a Porsche-

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. Th ...

- Subaru dealership in

Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Pol ...

, later relocated to

Montclair, California Montclair is a city in the Pomona Valley, in southwestern San Bernardino County, California. The population was 36,664 in the 2010 United States Census. History The earliest known inhabitants of the area were from the Serrano tribe of Nativ ...

, from 1977 to 1990.

Award

He was inducted in the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, ...

George Follmer
at the

in 1999. He was also inducted into the SCCA Hall of Fame in 2019.

2014 Saleen Mustang Limited Edition

On August 17, 2013

Saleen Saleen Automotive, Inc., commonly known as Saleen (/səˈliːn/), is an American manufacturer of specialty high-performance sports cars and high-performance automotive parts. Saleen is headquartered in Corona, California, US. On June 26, 2013 Sal ...

introduced a limited editio
Saleen , George Follmer Edition
Ford Mustang. Based on the #16 1969

Boss 302 Mustang The Mustang Boss 302 is a high-performance variant of the Ford Mustang originally produced by Ford in 1969 and 1970, alongside its more powerful sibling the Boss 429 Mustang. Ford revived the name for another two year production run in 2012 and ...

racecar that he drove in the 1969

series, the 2014 Saleen/Follmer Edition was period correct with its livery, naturally aspirated 495HP 5.0L high revving engine, track tuned suspension, and 6-speed manual transmission. Production was limited to 250 units.

Motorsports career results

24 Hours of Le Mans results

American open-wheel racing

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

USAC Championship Car

Indianapolis 500

NASCAR

( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

=Daytona 500

International Race of Champions

( key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Non-Championship Formula One results

( key) (races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Canadian-American Challenge Cup results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

References

External links

George Follmer at Driver DatabaseGeorge Follmer at Racing Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Follmer, George 1934 births 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers American Formula One drivers American people of German descent Shadow Formula One drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers International Race of Champions drivers Living people NASCAR drivers Racing drivers from Phoenix, Arizona Trans-Am Series drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers Team Joest drivers Team Penske drivers