RIP Dr Don Panoz
09-11-2018, 03:11 PM
#1
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RIP Dr Don Panoz
09-11-2018, 03:20 PM
#2
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His stamp on racing in the US and abroad is immeasurable.
09-11-2018, 06:28 PM
#3
Three Wheelin'
Panoz had some epic cars at Le Mans ! RIP !
09-12-2018, 09:13 AM
#4
A sad day indeed. If anyone goes to Road Atlanta, I highly suggest going by the Panoz museum in Braselton, GA.
Don Panoz also founded Chateau Elan, which is a beautiful winery/resort just minutes from the race track.
Don Panoz also founded Chateau Elan, which is a beautiful winery/resort just minutes from the race track.
09-12-2018, 09:37 AM
#5
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"For the Fans" I remember when Don took over Sebring 12hr race he truly worked to improve sports car racing, thank you Don for all your efforts RIP
Rich
Rich
09-12-2018, 11:00 AM
#6
Seconded. The vineyard is quite beautiful. The wines are pretty good too. My wife and I were there last November, just before Thanksgiving. After tasting a few wines we stopped by some hole-in-the-wall bar for a bite to eat and found ourselves seated at a table next to Dr. Panoz. I was tempted to ask if I could submit a resume, but I didn't want to interrupt whatever business meeting he was having.
09-12-2018, 06:02 PM
#7
I recall years ago doing a track day at Mosport after he bought it--it was near season's end and they had parked a bunch of Panoz cars inside one of the buildings. Pretty impressive display to say the least......
RIP.
Gary
RIP.
Gary
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09-13-2018, 05:50 PM
#9
Drifting
A friend of mine worked in the Panoz engine shop back in the day. He shared a nice tribute one of his former coworkers wrote:
"Don Panoz died today.
He was my boss and the last few years he was my friend. This guy knew so many people but could remember my details and ask the right questions about me personally to the end.
I and lots of others worked very hard to make Don’s ideas work. In the process, on his dollar I developed a hell of a skill set to build engines at a very high level.
I knew this day would come and every time I was alone with Don I thanked him for the opportunity and reminded him how far I had come while working on his projects. We have a good thing going at his engine shop and it’s all because of the opportunities and trust he put in us. That experience and knowledge now go into our products at every level.
My only regret is I didn’t get to thank him one more time..but he knows.
What we can learn from Don is never quit dreaming and trying. Failure WAS an option for Don. He’d pound on it with stress and $$ and many times it would work but if it didn’t he’d find something new and go again with even more vigor. We could all hope to someday operate with the courage and passion of Don Panoz.
We’ll race and build in his memory."
"Don Panoz died today.
He was my boss and the last few years he was my friend. This guy knew so many people but could remember my details and ask the right questions about me personally to the end.
I and lots of others worked very hard to make Don’s ideas work. In the process, on his dollar I developed a hell of a skill set to build engines at a very high level.
I knew this day would come and every time I was alone with Don I thanked him for the opportunity and reminded him how far I had come while working on his projects. We have a good thing going at his engine shop and it’s all because of the opportunities and trust he put in us. That experience and knowledge now go into our products at every level.
My only regret is I didn’t get to thank him one more time..but he knows.
What we can learn from Don is never quit dreaming and trying. Failure WAS an option for Don. He’d pound on it with stress and $$ and many times it would work but if it didn’t he’d find something new and go again with even more vigor. We could all hope to someday operate with the courage and passion of Don Panoz.
We’ll race and build in his memory."