The name Willy T. Ribbs is synonymous with barrier-breaking. A trailblazing figure in the history of American motorsports, his remarkable career was defined by both his undeniable talent and his relentless battles against racism in the white-dominated space.
As the first Black driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and the first to test a Formula One car, Ribbs broke new ground in the sport and did so on his own terms.
Ribbs’ journey was a testament to his sheer will, as he encountered the persistent power of racism, death threats, and a lack of corporate support, all while proving he had the skill to compete with the best drivers in the world.
Born William Theodore Ribbs, Jr. in San Jose, CA, his father was an amateur sports car racer, which deeply influenced his son at an early age.
Ribbs entered a racing school at the age of 21 and moved to Europe to compete, which had fewer racial barriers than the motorsports scene in America. In 1977, Ribbs won the Dunlop/Autosport Star of Tomorrow FF1600 in his first year of competition, winning six races in eleven starts with Mike Eastick’s Scorpion Racing School.
In an interview from 2022, Ribbs reflected on his beginnings as a race car driver in Europe.
“When I went to England, I read about the Scorpion Race team, and you could race their cars for $400 a race. So, I went to Mike Eastick, the owner, and I drove out to his farm,” Ribbs said. “I called him and first knocked on his door, and he looked at me like, ‘Blimey. Uh, are you here to get a job working on my farm?’ I said, ‘no.’ I was the one who called you about driving your car, so we sat down and did a discount.”
“Two weeks later, I was testing in Snetterton, I think it was. And then two weeks after that, I did my first race at Mallory Park and finished third. So, he said, ‘Good job, we’re going to bump you up to a newer car.’ So, we went to a newer car for the next race.”
Eventually, Ribbs returned to the U.S. in 1978, making his Formula Atlantic debut in Long Beach on April 1, finishing 10th after reaching 4th place.
After years of toiling and never getting a fair share at the major series, with the support of Bill Cosby, Ribbs became the first Black driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1991. He would go on to race there again in 1993. The next year, he continued in the CART series, finishing in the leading 10 at races in Michigan and New Hampshire. Following three leading-10 finishes in the Trans-Am Series in 2000, he joined NASCAR, driving the No. 8 Dodge Ram for Bobby Hamilton Racing. He competed in 23 out of 24 races, achieving a best finish of 13th.
While he has a legacy on the track, Ribbs was also known for standing up to systemic racism that was intertwined in the sport. His confidence in his abilities caused many in the sport to attempt to block his progress. They nicknamed him “Uppity” because he refused to genuflect before the throne of subservience.
“My personality was no different than A.J. Foyt’s. I wasn’t afraid. My grandfather used to tell me when I was on the ranch that if you’re afraid of a rattlesnake, he’ll bite you because he can smell your fear,” Ribbs said in an interview with Andscape in 2018.
“What bothered them was that I didn’t kowtow. I wasn’t afraid. That was the problem. There are simplistic excuses as to why I didn’t get to where I should’ve gotten.”
Throughout his career, Ribbs went on to appear in many forms of auto racing, including the Trans-Am Series, IndyCar, Champ Car, IMSA, and the NASCAR Cup Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series. After retiring, he became a sport shooter in the National Sporting Clays Association.
In 2020, Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story was released, and it chronicles how individual and systemic racism halted his promising auto-racing career.
For his contributions to the sport, Ribbs was inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame just prior to the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Today, several Black motorsports drivers in various series have had success, such as Lewis Hamilton, Bubba Wallace, Rajah Caruth, Jesse Iwuji, Lavar Scott, Blake Lothian, and Antron Brown. Each one who owes a debt of gratitude to Ribbs, who undoubtedly paved the way for them.
Every time they start their engines in pursuit of that checkered flag, Ribbs’ pioneering feats and his legacy, at 70 years old, are alive and well.
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