Penske still racing at 80
Every now and then you come across an octogenarian who makes you say, wistfully, “I hope I have that much energy when I’m their age”.
You know the type: still driving, still chopping wood, still pretending to be deaf in order to avoid boring conversations.
Roger Penske, the man behind several race teams, as well as his own sprawling Penske Corporation, is one such fella.
His stamina in the boardroom and at the race circuit is legendary; and a tale that came in off the back of the recent Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona a couple of weeks back only serves to extend the legend.
Graham Rahal, driver with Acura Team Penske and son of another racing and team owner great, Bobby Rahal, reports that Penske stayed on the timing stand track-side for the entire 24-hour endurance race without sleep or interruption.
Oh, but it gets even better. As soon as the race was over, Penske then immediately jetted off to a breakfast meeting in Ireland, followed by another meeting over lunch in Germany.
Jeez, he’s making the rest of us look bad. It’s enough to put you off that 3pm chocolate bar from the office vending machine.
Rahal told US outlet
Autoweek; “I thought the more impressive thing is, I got an email [from Penske] the next morning apologising that he didn’t see me after the race because he had a breakfast meeting in Ireland and a lunch meeting in Germany.
“That was more impressive than anything else. The guy is a machine. He doesn’t stop,” he said. Given Rahal is a superfit racing driver
52 years Penske’s junior, that’s high praise.
HIS STAMINA IN THE BOARDROOM AND AT THE RACE CIRCUIT IS LEGENDARY