Bobby Unser

Air Date
July 14, 2010

Bobby Unser takes us inside the automobile racing world to understand firsthand how innovation happened—and how some of racing's greatest personalities and organizations collaborated and competed in their pursuit of success.

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About the Innovator

Bobby Unser Interview Transcript
Inventor, Collaborator, 3-Time Indy 500 Winner

Unser had automobile racing in his blood. His brother and uncles all raced, and two of them—his Uncle Joe and his oldest brother, Jerry—lost their lives in racing-related accidents. A driver as well, Unser's father was a respected mechanic with a garage on Route 66. From his earliest days racing modified passenger cars on dirt tracks near Albuquerque, Unser learned how to make things work on a shoestring and without buying the newest or best parts. This skill prepared Unser well for a career of continuous experimentation and refinement of virtually every aspect of automotive performance.

Why He Innovates

Like many race car drivers and automobile technicians, Bobby Unser recognized that every performance advantage, even a small one, could spell the difference between winning and losing. As a driver, he brought a hands-on perspective to his experiments in the shop. Despite never finishing high school, he instinctively applied the scientific method when solving technical problems. His systematic, intensely practical approach led to a quick, inexpensive method of measuring airflow under race cars, putting him at the forefront of the new aerodynamic development known as "ground effects."

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Bobby Unser

What really makes people excel over other people, we're all equal when we'r born so what's gonna separate us? And it's only one word...Desire.

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