Maserati team-mates Jose Froilan Gonzalez and Juan Manuel Fangio , British Grand Prix, Silverstone, July 18, 1953
Against all odds, Jose Froilan Gonzalez died a natural death on June 15th of this year in his home in Argentina. I say against all odds, because Gonzalez, on the left above and known as The Pampas Bull – I wonder why – raced Formula One cars when Formula One drivers were real men. Real men being a nice way to say men doing incredibly stupid things like driving an open car, in a polo shirt, without a seatbelt, wearing polo helmet, in the rain . Some wag said it was a time when drivers were fat and tires were skinny.