Willy T. Ribbs
Willy T. Ribbs is a notable figure in the world of auto racing, recognized for being the first Black American to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Born on January 3, 1955, in San Jose, California, Ribbs pursued his racing career in an era when opportunities for Black drivers in high-level motorsport were extremely limited. He initially sought to gain experience in Europe, where he achieved considerable success in Formula Ford racing, becoming the series champion in 1977.
Ribbs returned to the United States in the late 1970s and gradually made a name for himself, winning multiple races in the Trans-Am circuit and earning sponsorship from major companies. His racing career peaked in the early 1990s, culminating in his historic participation in the Indianapolis 500 in 1991, where he finished in several points-paying positions over subsequent races. Despite facing challenges such as finding sponsorships later in his career, Ribbs remained passionate about the sport and continued to advocate for diversity and inclusion in auto racing.
Following his retirement, Ribbs has been an outspoken supporter of initiatives to increase representation in motorsports. He gained renewed attention with the release of the 2020 documentary "Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story" and was later appointed as an ambassador for diversity and inclusion in Formula One racing. His legacy continues to inspire discussions about race and opportunity in the sport.
Willy T. Ribbs
- Born: January 3, 1955
- Place of Birth: San Jose, California
SPORT: Auto racing
Early Life
William Theodore Ribbs, Jr., the first Black American to compete in the Indianapolis 500 auto race, was born on January 3, 1955, in San Jose, California. At that time, although some Black drivers competed locally in drag and stock car races, no Black Americans had reached American automobile racing’s highest levels. Role models, however, were not completely lacking—Ribbs's family friends included successful race-car driver Dan Gurney.
Ribbs, believing that he had a better chance of breaking into the upper echelons of auto racing in Europe than in the United States, paid his own way to England at the age of twenty-one. There, he acquired the experience necessary to succeed.
The Road to Excellence
Ribbs began his racing career in Great Britain in 1977, driving rented Formula Ford racing cars, open-wheel race cars configured similarly to Formula One vehicles but with smaller engines and less power. He enjoyed an exceptionally good season for an inexperienced driver, with six first-place finishes out of eleven starts. Ribbs was named the series champion. In 1978, he returned to the United States, hoping to secure a position on a racing team, but met with little success.
After Ribbs drove in the Long Beach Formula Atlantic, a promoter invited him to North Carolina to race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, he was unable to obtain a competitive car, and things looked bleak. His racing career seemed to have ended.
The Emerging Champion
By 1982, however, Ribbs was back on the fast track in Formula Atlantic racing, with both a sponsor—Red Roof Inns—and a competitive car. He won the pole position at Long Beach in qualifying laps against Michael Andretti and Al Unser, Jr. The following year, Ribbs progressed to the Trans-Am circuit, where he won five of twelve races. The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) named Ribbs Rookie of the Year for 1983. A meeting with Edsel Ford led to Ford Motor Company sponsorship. During the next two years, Ribbs won more Trans-Am races than any other driver on the circuit, with a total of seventeen victories.
At the same time, Ribbs continued to try to advance to racing Indy cars. In 1985, boxing promoter Don King put together a deal for Ribbs to compete at the Indianapolis 500. However, preparations had begun too late; the car handled poorly and lacked power. Winning Indy cars are the result of many years of teamwork among designers, sponsors, and drivers—a successful race car cannot be acquired in a few short weeks. Ribbs and King canceled without attempting to qualify.
In 1987, Ribbs began driving for his friend Dan Gurney’s racing team. After a successful season, Ribbs was named International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) driver of the year, an honor he repeated the following year. By 1989, Ribbs felt confident enough to form his own racing team to field an Indy car. Entertainer Bill Cosby provided financial support. In 1990, with his career still climbing, Ribbs drove in the PPG Cup series for the first time at Long Beach. The PPG Cup series helped him prepare for qualifying at the Indianapolis 500.
Continuing the Story
In 1991, Ribbs enjoyed a better PPG Cup season than in 1990. More importantly, McDonald’s restaurants had come on board, giving him a major corporate sponsor for his attempt at the Indianapolis 500. Ribbs became the first Black American driver to race in the event. In 1991, he finished in the points in five Indy car races, with his best finish in sixth place at Denver. He continued to drive for Gurney in IMSA events.
Ribbs continued driving Indy cars through 1995, but to many observers, it appeared his career had peaked in the early 1990s. In 1993, he started thirteen races but managed only five points-paying finishes and no wins. In 1994, he started fifteen races but finished in the points only four times. His best showing in 1994 was a sixth-place finish at Michigan. By 1995, Ribbs was having difficulty finding sponsors, and his racing career entered a prolonged hiatus. Unwilling to retire from the sport he loved, Ribbs attempted a comeback in 1999. He entered an Indy car race in Las Vegas but crashed. In 2001, he joined the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing’s (NASCAR’s) Craftsman Truck Series. He finished the season sixteenth in points.
After retirement, Ribbs continued to speak out about the importance of diversity and inclusion in the sport of auto racing. He has been a vocal supporter of banning the Confederate flag from NASCAR racing events—the ban came to fruition in 2020 after Bubba Wallace, a Black NASCAR driver, pushed for the change—and has urged more Black American drivers to join the sport.
In 2020, Netflix released the documentary Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs, outlining the Ribbs's experience breaking the color barrier in professional racing. Also in 2020, Ribbs announced he would join the Superstar Racing Experience, a new racing circuit featuring other auto racing legends. Ribbs raced in the 2021 Camping World SRX Series inaugural season of Superstar Racing, but for the 2022 season, he announced he would be a roving reporter and analyst.
In 2021, Ribbs was inducted into the Long Beach Grand Prix Hall of Fame, and in 2022, he was named Formula One Ambassador for Diversity and Inclusion.
Summary
Willy T. Ribbs made racing history when he became the first Black American to race in the Indianapolis 500. Although he enjoyed considerable success in automobile racing, he never became as well known as figures in other, more popular sports. Indy car racing is an expensive endeavor, and sponsors can be fickle. If Ribbs had been a pop culture icon, he might have enjoyed a lengthier racing career. As it was, when he began slipping in the points standings, both corporate and individual sponsors became impossible to find.
A resurgence of interest in Ribbs's career was born in 2020 after the Black Lives Matter movement, and race car driver Bubba Wallace brought racial issues to light in the sport of auto racing. In 2022, Ribbs began work as a diversity and inclusion ambassador in Formula One racing, stating that motorsports and racing needed to recruit a younger generation of minority drivers in order to increase the sport’s overall diversity.
Bibliography
Dill, Mark, and Willy T. Ribbs. The Legend of the First Super Speedway: The Battle for the Soul of American Auto Racing. BookBaby, 2020.
Elson, James. “Willy T Ribbs: F1 Teams Need Dedicated Academy Seats For BAME Drivers.” Motor Sports Magazine, 5 May 2022, www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/willy-t-ribbs-f1-teams-need-dedicated-academy-seats-for-bame-drivers. Accessed 25 Apr. 2023.
Franchitti, Dario. “Driver Willy T. Ribbs Tries Comeback.” The Washington Post, 26 Sept. 1999, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1999/09/26/driver-willy-t-ribbs-tries-comeback/381e87df-2065-4dc6-9310-00a9656a3269. Accessed 20 June 2024.
Jess, Tyehimba. African American Pride: Celebrating Our Achievements, Contributions, and Enduring Legacy. Citadel Press, 2003.
Khatib, Arif, and Pete Elman. Remember Their Sacrifice: Stories of Unheralded Athletes of Color. Rowman & Littlefield, 2023.
Klosok, Aleks and Amanda Davies. "'I Was 25 Years Ahead of My Time': The Driver Who Shattered Motorsport's Color Barrier." CNN, 1 July 2020, edition.cnn.com/2020/07/01/motorsport/willy-t-ribbs-motorsport-racism-uppity-spt-intl/index.html. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020.
Sakkis, Tony. Indy Racing Legends. Osceola, Wis.: Motorbooks International, 1996.
Sessler, Peter C., and Nilda Sessler. Indy Cars. New York: Rourke Press, 1999.