Charlie Gibson

[Stan Vann]

It was with great sorrow that I read this afternoon that a true friend of vintage racing passed away last night, the 3rd of February. Charlie Gibson of SASCO SPORTS. He was a person who truely loved the sport and gave so much to it. Our prayers go out to his family and many friends.

[size="1"][ February 04, 2004, 11:07 PM: Message edited by: Stan Vann ][/size]

[tstrong]

Sorry to here the sad news. Charlie and his whole crew at Sasco are true professionals. A group like that does not perform to the level they do without a great leader and Charlie was the person. Even though I live in California I have always purchased tires from Sasco because of their freindly and proffesional attitude. My prayers go out to Charlie's family and all those at SASCO.

[Dave Hopple]

Sad deal, FYI a tribute I saw at the grand am site-Dave http://www.grandamerican.com/news/news_2_5_04.html

Racing Community Mourns the Loss of Charlie Gibson


Milton, NC-February 4th, 2004 The vintage racing community was rocked today by news of the untimely death of Charles T. Gibson last night in a tragic accident in Danville, Virginia. According to the Danville Register Bee, police were called to a local truck and trailer leasing depot around 7:30 PM Tuesday, where they found that Gibson had apparently unhooked a trailer in the back lot of the building and was outside of his tractor when it rolled over him. No one was operating the tractor at the time of the accident.

“Charlie”, as he was affectionately known, was best known as a partner with Dave Handy in their successful vintage and historic race preparation and tire supply business, Sascosports, now located in Alton, Virginia at Virginia International Raceway. Founded in 1977, in a shop that was part of Gibson’s house in Fairfield, Connecticut, Sascosports has become a leading supplier of goods and services, especially tires, for vintage and contemporary racers. Gibson had just recently returned from the Daytona 24-Hour sports car endurance race.

He was known as a fierce and gifted competitor on the racetrack, from humble beginnings attending SCCA driver’s school at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut in an Austin-Healey Sprite in 1959, graduating to a Lotus 23, with which he won the G Modified SCCA National Championship in 1967. A four-year stint in Pro Formula Atlantic was next and, with the addition of a McLaren Can-Am car to his stable in 1977, Gibson turned his attention to the sport of vintage racing. Gibson most recently won the coveted Monoposto Racing Formula 70 Gilles Villeneuve Memorial Trophy in his March 79B Formula Atlantic twice.

Charlie Gibson was born in New York, attended Williams College and Harvard University, ultimately earning his Master of Science in Engineering as well as an MBA from Harvard. In college, Gibson was an enthusiastic and competitive alpine skier, later serving as the President of the US Ski Association. He began his career in the marketing department of IBM in 1962, serving that company faithfully in areas of marketing, engineering and business until his retirement and full-time devotion to the sport of vintage and contemporary racing in 1988.

A leading light in the vintage and historic racing community, Gibson served on the Board of Directors and as a competition instructor of the Vintage Sports Car Club of America, Inc., competing often in his distinctive white with orange 1959 Lola Mk 1. He operated one of the most successful vintage racing events in the country for over a decade, the Lime Rock Park Vintage Festival, held on Labor Day weekend at the picturesque circuit in Northwestern Connecticut. He was a selfless promoter of the Monoposto racing single-seater group and served in leadership positions with that national organization.

Lime Rock Park Labor Day was emblematic of Charlie’s exceptional knowledge and impeccable credentials as a vintage racer who truly “gets it”. In an era where increasing participation and commercialism has emphasized “racing” over the “pleasure of taking part”, Gibson was extremely successful in keeping the focus on the cars. The fact that Gibson knew just about everyone personally insured that the weekend was considered a high point for racers nation wide and labeled as a “must do” on their calendars. Anyone who spoke with Charlie during those busy weekends could appreciate that quality. For many, the way Gibson orchestrated that event was the epitome of what vintage racing ought to be.

Our memory of Charlie may have been one of indefatigable “tire buster”, exceptional driver, forceful and effective leader and chair, successful businessman and loyal friend, but in truth, Charlie Gibson was all those things and many more.

Our prayers go out to his partner and friend, Dave Handy