RIP Jim Pace

[Dave Hood]

I was not aware that Jim Pace had passed away due to COVID back in November of 2020. He was only 59 when he passed. Jim was a well respected driver for several decades, participating in events such as the 24 hours of Daytona and at Le Mans. Jim was active in various historic racing events and shared lots of great videos on social media. A few years back, he posted a very nice video on YouTube driving a MKII at VIR.

Jim Pace (1961–2020), racing driver who won Daytona and Sebring | News

Jim Pace was a sports car racing driver who won both the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1996.

www.legacy.com

 

[Lee Patterson]

That is awful. Such a young man. He was driving the wheels off that SPF. RIP.

 

[Scott Calabro]

Definitely too young.

I found this video quite crazy. Sadly I believe, men like these who drove Group 7 cars in anger no longer exist.

Watch… Holy

 

[Clayton]

Way too early

 

[Lee Patterson]

The Shadow is scary fast. Guy was such a pro.

 

[Neil]

The Shadow team was a class act. When we broke the timing chain in our engine in practice at Laguna Seca in '72, George Bolthoff rebuilt the engine overnight but it was missing two rocker arms. All the auto parts stores were closed at that hour so we transported the engine back to the track from George's shop and installed it as fast as we could. The Shadow team generously loaned us two rocker arms and we furiously put them in place and Bob Peckham fired up the engine of the McLaren M8C #64 and drove out toward where our spot on the grid was. They had been holding up the start of the race for us to get spotted but the crowd would not get off the access road. Bob simply smoked the rear tires and the crowd parted like the Red Sea. In the race, we finished 13th but the Shadow was a DNF. Thanks to the Shadow team for their generosity and sportsmanship.

 

[Dave Hood]

Just before Covid, Jim survived the Shadow's backflip on the straight at Road America.

 

[Joyce]

I can't believe that it's been more than a year when he lose the battle against Covid-19.

 

[Mesa]

The man could drive a car, that's for sure.
When viewing that vid originally I was really surprised that he was following so close over the rise at RA, especially with the LONG history of Can-Am cars propensity for back flipping under those exact conditions.

RIP Jim