Phil Hill

One of America's greatest racing drivers of all time, Hill, a native of Southern California, was the first American to win the Formula 1 World Championship, in 1961. Hill started his racing career in the 1950s, winning the 1955 Sports Car Club of America Championship, then moving to Europe and racing sports cars there. He won the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1958, and began driving Grand Prix cars that same year. He won his first F1 race at Italy, in 1960 while driving for Ferrari, and then his world title the next year. Tragically, he won his world championship on the same day his Ferrari teammate and closest challenger for the title, Wolfgang von Trips, of Germany, crashed and was killed. Although he never won another Grand Prix race after his championship, Hill was still a force to be reckoned with in sports cars, winning numerous races until his retirement from the sport. He now restores vintage cars and keeps in touch with auto racing with an occasional guest commentary role.