Farewell to a legend

I've not posted on here for four and a half years. That's a long time, and I don't know why it's happened - not that it matters as hardly anyone reads this thing other than me! During that time I've often thought about having a blog, not realising one was still kicking about. A chance not to write about Scottish football, but about my passion for motorsport and various other things. I reckoned I'd maybe pick that up before the 2014 F1 season - but something happened tonight that made me decide to resume rambling rather sooner.

I've followed the career of Dario Franchitti for the best part of 20 years. I first became aware of him when he was racing in DTM in Germany and the ill-fated ITC for Mercedes. I received a model of that car for Christmas once - incredibly the only Dario one in my vast motorsport model collection, although he is part of a picture on my wall. His career led to CART, then IRL, a year in NASCAR and back to the unified IndyCar.

But now, no more. A crash in the penultimate race of the 2013 IndyCar season resulted in various injuries, including a fractured spine, and the doctors advised him enough was enough. The time has come for him to hang up his helmet for good. He's lucky - some of his friends didn't get that chance.

I'm gutted. It has been a joy watching him all these years, whether it's been for Mercedes, Hogan, Team Green or Chip Ganassi. Despite his huge success in America, he could probably walk down most streets in his homeland undisturbed. Well this Scot wants to give him the tribute he deserves.

After 1996 Mercedes placed Dario (I always seem to call him that when I'm talking about him, even though I don't know him) at Hogan Racing in the CART Championship. Wikipedia shows he had a best finish of eighth, but I don't quite know how. He had at least one pole and should have had at least a podium, if not a win.

The rather snazzy KOOL car

The following year he switched to Team Green, who raced in a rather snazzy green and white livery due to sponsorship from KOOL tobacco. It paid off. Three wins - I remember the debut one at Road America vividly - and he finished third in the championship. Things were looking good.

It took a while for a win to come the following season and that would eventually cost him dearly. Again he won three times and he went into a final race shoot out ahead of Chip Ganassi's Juan Pablo Montoya, racing an even snazzier red and yellow car. Unfortunately he finished a fair bit behind the Columbian due to car problems, the pair ended the season level on points and JPM took the crown due to having more than twice as many wins.

The title destiny was irrelevant though. In that final race of the year at Fontana Dario's good friend Greg Moore was killed in an accident. That was far more important than what had happened in the championship.

The next couple of years were pretty disappointing. A pre-season crash messed up 2000, while in 2001 he won just once. I remember watching the highlights of what while on holiday - and missing the last lap as the tape cut out! 2002 saw an improvement with three wins including his first on an oval at Rockingham - the short-lived CART race on UK soil. He also won in Canada and dedicated it to Greg Moore.

2003 saw the team - now Andretti Green thanks to the involvement of Michael Andretti - switch to IRL. The first year didn't go well and he missed most of it due to a motorbike crash. One of his deputies was Dan Wheldon, who would go on to become a good friend. Dario's first IRL win came in 2004 and he added another before the end of the season. Two more followed in 2005 but none in 2006.

Those days at a soaking wet Knockhill finally pay off.

He'd been unable to challenge for the title since 1999 but that all changed in 2007 - and at the biggest race of them all, the Indy 500. He got his tactics spot on, being in front at the time the Scottish weather arrived and the race was called due to rain. He'd emulated his hero Jim Clark by winning one of the world's biggest races and actress wife Ashley Judd went dancing in the rain.

That sparked him into life. He quickly added a couple more wins and racked up the podiums. The problem was Ganassi's Scott Dixon was clinging onto his tailpipe. With two races to go Dixon appeared to deliberately reverse across the track to ensure neither of them finished. The stage was set for a title decider at Chicagoland and it looked to be going Dixon's way. Incredibly, with just a corner to go, his car ran out of fuel. Dario ducked out from under his rear wing and sprinted for the line. He was champion. I can still remember my joy when I put the PC on the following morning and discovered he'd won.

There'd been a few near misses during the season, a couple of aerial crashes that could have been far, far worse. That, and a deteriorating relationship with his team, saw him switch to NASCAR with Ganassi. It didn't go well. He struggled in the Sprint Cup and got injured. That was that. He stuck with Ganassi, but returned to IndyCar - even racing again before the end of the year. He also raced for Ganassi in the Daytona 24 Hours - and won.

The 2009 season showed going back was the right move. With IRL and CART now back together as one he won four times to go into a three-way title battle at Homestead. He played it beautifully, conserving fuel while Dixon and Ryan Briscoe battled it out at front. With no yellows during the entire race, he was in front when it mattered and reeled off the laps to win the race and the title. It was so incredibly tense and nervewracking watching it, but he was cool, calm and collected in the car.

No prizes for guessing how many Indy 500's he's won.

2010 was more of the same - with the bonus of a second Indy 500 win. This time he dominated the great race but he only won two more all season. Despite that he went into the finale with another shot at the title. This time title rival Will Power cracked, hit the wall and Dario did enough - coming home eighth to make it a third title in four years.

Number four game in 2011 but it was almost an irrelevance. He went into the final race at Las Vegas ahead of Power and with the championship in his grasp. The race failed to make it past 20 laps. A huge multi-car pile up saw the race stopped. many of the drivers - including Power - were injured, but worst of all was the fact Dario's good friend Dan Wheldon had been killed. I remember reading the news when I came back from holiday and being numb and shocked. Sure, Dario was the champion - but what did it matter?

I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd retired then, but he kept going. The old car was out and replaced with a new car, named the DW12 as a tribute to Dan who had been involved in its development. 2012 and 2013 were not good years for Dario, although he still managed the odd podium. There was one exception though.

The 2012 Indy 500 came during some unexpected hot weather in Scotland. Dario qualified well down the field. I was outside enjoying the sun when the race started and checked my phone to see what was happening. I found a picture of Dario spun in the pitlane and didn't think there was any point rushing inside any time soon.

When I did make it in to watch it I was quite surprised to find Dario near the front. There he stayed until the final few laps. The lead was changing every half lap and as he was in front as he started the last lap it looked like he'd be mugged. Takuma Sato tried to go past on the inside, he spun into the wall, the yellows came out and I rather unsportingly went wild with delight. Dario had done it again. Aside from Euope's incredible win at the Ryder Cup it was my sporting highlight of 2012 - not bad going considering the Olympics and Andy Murray's US Open triumph.

It's about this point some people in Dumfries wonder why their neighbour is hollering...

Sadly, that was his last IndyCar win and ironically it was a crash with Sato that was to bring things to a close. At Houston a few weeks ago the pair crashed on the final lap. It looked serious and brought back painful memories of Las Vegas two years earlier. Thankfully, this time the consequences were nowhere near as tragic.

He didn't escape unharmed though and you wondered if this was the universe's way of telling him he'd had a good run and it was time to call it quits. He intended to return but the doctors had other ideas and so today came news of his retirement.

Enjoy your retirement Dario - and thanks for the memories.