Hurley (2019) - full transcript

PeG@SuS

Urang Sunda Asli

WELL, HURLEY,

WHAT ARE YOUR GENERAL

RACING PLANS

FOR THIS SEASON?

WELL, THEY'RE STILL

A BIT UP IN THE AIR.

I'M GONNA BE

DRIVING WITH PETER

IN ALL

THE ENDURANCE RACES,

AND, AND...

Hurley: I WAS ALWAYS SORT OF

DESCRIBED AS, I THINK,

PRETTY QUIET.

I'VE GOT A SUPER-V RIDE,

AND OTHER THAN THAT,

PLANS HAVE NOT BEEN

TOTALLY FINALIZED.

HOW DO YOU FEEL

ABOUT THIS YEAR?

I WAS SUPER SHY.

I MEAN, I WAS REALLY, REALLY SHY

WHEN I FIRST STARTED.

I WOULD JUST ALMOST THROW UP

IF I HAD TO GET

IN FRONT OF A MICROPHONE.

JUST, I HATED IT.

WE'RE PLANNING RIGHT NOW

DRIVING FOUR HOURS ON

AND FOUR HOURS OFF.

THAT GIVES US A LOT OF TIME

TO REST OR SLEEP OR WHATEVER.

OKAY.

- THANKS SO MUCH.

- YEP.

Hurley:

SOMETIMES I EVEN WOULD THINK

ABOUT DRIVING OFF

THE RACETRACK

SO WE WOULDN'T WIN

SO I WOULDN'T HAVE TO GET UP

IN FRONT OF THE MICROPHONE.

THE VERY FIRST TIME

I GOT INTO A RACE CAR,

I THINK MY CORE GROUP OF PEOPLE

KNEW WHAT MY STORY WAS,

BUT AS LONG AS I WAS ABLE

TO HOLD MY FOOT DOWN

LONGER THAN THE GUY

NEXT DOOR TO ME,

THAT'S WHAT ANYBODY LOOKED AT.

France: BACK IN THE EARLY '70s,

HURLEY WAS LIKE A SUPERHERO.

HE DROVE PORSCHES.

HE WON RACES.

HE DID THINGS THAT

NOBODY ELSE HAD EVER DONE.

Posey: HE COULD TAKE A CAR OUT,

ANY CAR,

AND DRIVE IT RIGHT AT THE LIMIT.

Busby:

HE JUST WAS THE REAL DEAL.

IF YOU'D EVER CAST

A RACING-CAR DRIVER IN A MOVIE,

IT WOULD BE HURLEY HAYWOOD.

Long: HE'S KIND OF

THE ESSENCE OF COOL.

THEN, AS YOU SPEND MORE TIME

AND YOU GET TO KNOW HURLEY,

YOU KIND OF ARE HIT WITH

SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

THAN WHAT THE STORIES

OR THE PHOTOS TELL.

HURLEY HAS A CURIOUS PLACE

IN RACING HISTORY

BECAUSE ON THE ONE HAND IS

A SIZZLING-HOT RACING DRIVER,

AND ON THE OTHER HAND,

HE WAS SOMEBODY WHO WAS

THE ANTITHESIS OF THAT.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE,

HOW DID HE DO THIS?

IT'S NOT EASY TO TALK ABOUT.

WELL, YOU KNOW,

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME

I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS

TO ANYBODY PUBLICLY.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY

DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

I ALWAYS LOVED COMING HERE.

THE FIRST TIME I CAME THROUGH

THE TUNNEL WAS IN 1969.

I'VE BEEN HERE

ALMOST EVERY YEAR SINCE.

THEY'LL RACE FOR 24 HOURS

AND MORE THAN 2,500 MILES.

PRODUCTION CARS

AND PROTOTYPES --

THE 24 HOURS OF DAYTONA.

Hurley:

IT'S JUST A GREAT FEELING.

I LOVE THIS PLACE.

IT'S LIKE FAMILY.

TO ME, HURLEY HAYWOOD

IS A LEGEND,

WITHOUT QUESTION.

HE CAME INTO THE SPORT

AND DOMINATED THROUGH

THE '70s AND '80s

AND HAS WON IN ANY TYPE OF CAR

HE COULD DRIVE.

I HEARD ABOUT HURLEY

WELL BEFORE I MET HIM,

WHICH WAS VERY EARLY ON

IN MY RACING CAREER,

AND I APPROACHED HIM.

BUT I GOT A LITTLE NERVOUS

BECAUSE OF WHAT HE'S ACHIEVED,

NOT ONLY ON THE TRACK

BUT OFF THE TRACK.

SO WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT

WE WERE GONNA RACE AT DAYTONA

AND HAVE BRUMOS LIVERY

ON THE CAR

AND THEN HURLEY AS A MENTOR,

YOU KNOW,

IT WAS VERY SPECIAL.

HOW ARE YOU?

MORNING, GUYS.

HOW'S IT GOING?

ALL THE TEAMS PRETTY MUCH

SET UP TO OPERATE

OVER A 24-HOUR PERIOD OF TIME.

THE PITS HAVE GOT

ALL THE TOOLS, TIRES,

EVERYTHING YOU COULD

POSSIBLY IMAGINE,

GETTING READY

FOR THE 24-HOUR RACE.

SO THIS PRETTY MUCH IS WHERE

WE'RE GONNA LIVE, RIGHT HERE,

FOR 24 HOURS.

THIS IS VICTORY LANE,

SOMEPLACE THAT I'VE BEEN

QUITE A FEW TIMES.

IF YOU STAND ON THAT PLATFORM,

YOU'VE BEEN DOING A GOOD JOB.

AN OPPORTUNITY

CAME UP TO TEAM UP

WITH JOHN WRIGHT

AND PATRICK DEMPSEY.

IT'S REALLY EXCITING FOR US

AS A DEALERSHIP

BRINGING BRUMOS BACK

INTO THE RACING SCENE.

BRUMOS RED-WHITE-AND-BLUE CARS

HAVE BECOME AN ICON

THAT'S RECOGNIZED

ALL OVER THE WORLD.

Dempsey:

BRUMOS IS ON THE CAR,

AND I HAD BEEN RACING AGAINST

THAT CAR FOR SO MANY YEARS,

BUT LIVERY'S BEEN AROUND

SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING.

THE CONSISTENCY

YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT --

IT MAKES YOU WORK

THAT MUCH HARDER.

YOU WANT TO WIN BECAUSE YOU WANT

TO BE A PART OF THAT LEGACY.

THERE'S SOMETHING

ABOUT THAT AND PORSCHE

AND THE ATMOSPHERE OF HURLEY

BEING THERE IN THE PITS.

YOU HAVE EVERYTHING AT YOUR

DISPOSAL TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS.

SPOT CHECK...

Hurley: WINNING THIS RACE

IS SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL.

IT'S A COMBINATION

OF A LOT OF HARD WORK

AND A LOT OF DISCIPLINE.

I GUESS THE FACT

THAT I'VE WON IT FIVE TIMES.

THEY'VE GOT A LITTLE STAND

OVER HERE,

THE HURLEY HAYWOOD STAND,

YEAH, RIGHT HERE.

GREGG AND HAYWOOD --

THE LEGENDS OF DAYTONA,

PRETTY COOL DEAL.

Dempsey:

WHEN YOU THINK OF BRUMOS,

YOU THINK OF HURLEY

AND HIS LEGACY.

I MEAN, HE IS A QUINTESSENTIAL

RACE-CAR DRIVER.

BUT, YET, YOU LOOK

AT HIM CLOSELY,

THERE'S A VULNERABILITY THERE.

HURLEY IS DIFFERENT.

YOU KNOW, HE'S BEEN DIFFERENT

SINCE THE MOMENT HE WAS BORN.

HE ALSO JUST HAD

AN ABILITY RIGHT AWAY.

Hurley:

I HAD ALL HAD A LOVE OF CARS

WHEN I WAS JUST A SMALL KID.

I STARTED DRIVING

A FULL-SIZE CAR

WHEN I WAS 12 YEARS OLD,

SO I KNEW THE BASICS

OF HOW TO DRIVE.

HURLEY STARTED DRIVING, REALLY,

WHEN WE WERE QUITE YOUNG

BECAUSE, WELL,

FIRST HE HAD A GO-CART.

HE HAD TO SIT ON A CUSHION.

HE COULD BARELY TOUCH,

YOU KNOW, THE PEDALS.

Hurley:

MY MOTHER WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW,

"WHEN YOU PUT YOUR HELMET ON,

YOU'RE A COMPLETELY

DIFFERENT PERSON

THAN YOU ARE

WITHOUT YOUR HELMET ON."

YOU KNOW, IT WAS JUST

KIND OF MY WAY

OF SHIELDING MYSELF

A LITTLE BIT.

THE PAPERS EXAGGERATE.

I WOULDN'T SAY

WE WERE SOCIALITES,

BUT, YEAH, WE DID

THAT WHOLE DEBUT CIRCUIT.

THREE TIMES A WEEK, THERE WERE

HUGE PARTIES LIKE THAT.

SO HURLEY WAS THE DRIVER.

Hurley: WE WERE BROUGHT UP

IN A LIFESTYLE

THAT THERE WASN'T TOO MANY

THINGS THAT WE WERE WITHOUT,

SO WE WERE EXTREMELY LUCKY.

AS KIDS, WE WERE ABLE TO DO

A LOT OF TRAVELING TO EUROPE.

WE DID A LOT OF THINGS

THAT WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG

AND YOU'RE ABLE TO BE SUBJECTED

TO DIFFERENT CULTURES

AND DIFFERENT WAYS

OF LOOKING AT CERTAIN THINGS,

IT SORT OF BROADENS

YOUR HORIZONS

ON WHAT WAS --

WHAT YOU THOUGHT IMPORTANT

AND WHAT YOU, YOU KNOW,

LIKED AND DIDN'T LIKE.

Hope: ALL MY GIRLFRIENDS WERE

COMPLETELY IN LOVE WITH HURLEY,

ALL OF THEM.

SOMETIMES WHEN HURLEY WOULDN'T

RECIPROCATE THEIR FEELINGS,

THEY WOULD GET ANGRY,

AND I'D BE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.

Hurley: I WAS SUPER SHY.

I MEAN, I WAS REALLY, REALLY SHY

WHEN I FIRST STARTED RACING.

I HAD NO REAL ROLE MODEL

TO LOOK TO AND SAY,

"OKAY, THAT'S WHO I WANT TO BE."

AMONG THE BEST-KNOWN

DRIVERS IN CURRENT COMPETITION

IS PETER GREGG.

FEW COMPETITORS

HAVE RACED HARDER

OR WON MORE HONORS ON THE TRACKS

OF AMERICAN SPORTS-CAR RACING.

WENT DOWN TO THE COLLEGE

DOWN HERE AT J.U.

I BROUGHT MY CAR WITH ME,

WHICH WAS A REALLY FAST

CORVETTE.

IT SORT OF OPENED THE DOOR,

IN MY EYES, TO MOTORSPORTS.

THE ENGINEERS BELIEVE

THAT THE ULTIMATE TEST

OF A CAR'S TOTAL PERFORMANCE

IS BEST DONE IN RACING.

AN AFTERNOON'S AMUSEMENT

TURNED INTO A LIFE AT SPEED

FOR HURLEY HAYWOOD

AFTER DEFEATING ALL COMERS,

INCLUDING RACING CHAMPION

AND BRUMOS PORSCHE OWNER

PETER GREGG

IN A LOCAL JACKSONVILLE,

FLORIDA, AUTOCROSS.

Hurley: PETER WAS THE DOMINANT

RACING DRIVER

IN THE UNITED STATES FOR YEARS.

OBVIOUSLY,

HE DIDN'T KNOW WHO I WAS.

I DIDN'T KNOW WHO HE WAS.

HURLEY WON BY, LIKE,

A TENTH OF A SECOND,

AND SO DAD, YOU KNOW,

THOUGHT HE WAS

A REAL TALENTED DRIVER.

Hurley: BUT HE CAME UP.

HE WAS VERY FRIENDLY.

HE SAID, "YOU HAVE TO BE

PRETTY GOOD TO BEAT ME."

PETER GREGG WAS, YOU KNOW --

THEY CALLED HIM "MR. PERFECT,"

"PETER PERFECT."

YOU COULD SEE HE WAS SOMEONE WHO

WAS DRIVEN TO WIN AT ALL COSTS.

THAT WAS HIS FOCUS.

PETER WAS 10 YEARS OLDER

THAN I WAS.

HE STARTED VERY SIMILAR

TO THE WAY I DID.

HE HAD A CORVETTE IN COLLEGE,

AND HE USED TO TAKE IT OUT

AND RACE IT.

THAT'S WHAT HE DID FOR FUN

WHEN HE WAS A KID.

Hope: HURLEY AND PETER

WERE MORE LIKE BROTHERS.

IT WASN'T SO MUCH, YOU KNOW,

THE MENTOR/PUPIL.

THEY RESPECTED EACH OTHER,

AND THEY LIKED EACH OTHER.

HE WAS A PREPPY RACER.

PETER WAS THE NORTHEAST ELITE,

AND HURLEY WAS

THE MIDWEST ELITE.

Patton:

WERE BOTH WELL-EDUCATED,

BOTH FROM FAMILIES

THAT HAD WEALTH.

THE FACT THEY WERE BORN

ON THE SAME DAY

WAS ALWAYS KIND OF STRANGE.

BUT THERE WERE

SOME SIMILARITIES.

I REALLY THINK

THAT BOTH PETER AND HURLEY,

THEY COMPLEMENTED EACH OTHER.

Hurley: IN 1969, I STARTED

WITH PETER GREGG,

DRIVING A BRUMOS CAR

THE SIX HOURS OF WATKINS GLEN.

IT'S A WORLD-CHAMPIONSHIP RACE.

WE WON THE GT PORTION OF IT.

I WAS FEELING REALLY,

REALLY GREAT,

AND THEN I GOT

THAT DREADED LETTER

IN THE MAIL FROM THE ARMY.

I WAS SHIPPED OFF

TO VIETNAM FOR A YEAR.

CAME BACK IN

THE EARLY PART OF '71

AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED RACING

BACK WITH PETER.

WE WON TWO IMSA CHAMPIONSHIPS

BACK-TO-BACK

FROM '71 AND '72.

'73, WE WON BACK-TO-BACK

DAYTONA AND SEBRING.

THOSE ARE TWO BIG,

WORLD-RENOWNED RACES.

PETER AND I WON AGAIN IN '75,

AND SO WHEN PETER AND I

WERE TOGETHER,

THAT WAS ALMOST

AN UNBEATABLE COMBINATION.

I WAS JUST THIS KID IN COLLEGE

THAT SUDDENLY LANDED

INTO ONE OF THE BEST TEAMS

IN THE WORLD,

AND DRIVING FOR PETER GREGG --

I JUST KIND OF FELL INTO THAT

BY --

ALMOST BY MISTAKE.

IN THE '70s, IT WAS JUST --

THE WINS JUST WOULDN'T STOP.

Davis:

THEY WERE QUITE THE TEAM.

I CALLED THEM

"BATMAN AND ROBIN."

IF THEY WERE IN THE RACE,

THEY WERE THE GUYS TO BEAT.

IN MY WILDEST IMAGINATION,

I NEVER DREAMED THAT

ALL THE STARS

WOULD KIND OF LINE UP

AND EVERYTHING WOULD

WORK OUT AS IT DID.

IT'S AN ICONIC RACE,

AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY SAYS,

"WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN LE MANS AND DAYTONA?"

I THINK IT'S ACTUALLY

MORE DIFFICULT TO WIN

HERE AT DAYTONA

VERSUS LE MANS.

IS IT EASY FOR YOU TO BE HERE

AND NOT TO DRIVE?

YES AND NO.

I'M STILL VERY INVOLVED

WITH THE RACING TEAM

AND WITH RACING STUFF

IN GENERAL.

AND MY JOB NOW

IS BASICALLY

TO HELP WITH

RUNNING THE TEAM

AND HELP

MANAGING THE DRIVERS.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!

Hurley: 27.3.

3, 2, 1, GO!

THEY CAN ADJUST THE BELTS AS

THEY'RE GOING OUT OF THE PITS.

IS THE RULE --

WHAT'S THE RULE SAY?

USUALLY THEY CINCH THEM UP

AS THEY'RE GOING OUT.

- AS THEY'RE GOING OUT?

- YEAH.

AS LONG --

BUT YOU GOT TO BE SURE

THAT THE BELT IS OVER

THE HARNESS DEVICE.

YEAH, YEAH,

SO IT'S ALL CLIPPED IN.

- YEAH, YEP. OKAY.

- YEAH.

Dempsey:

ENDURANCE RACING A TEAM SPORT.

YOU HAVE THREE DRIVERS,

AND EVERYBODY HAS TO RACE,

AND EVERYBODY HAS A MINIMUM TIME

IN THE CAR, A DRIVE TIME,

THAT THEY HAVE TO GO OUT AND DO,

SO DRIVERS ROTATE THROUGH.

AND YOU DO THIS

THROUGH A 24-HOUR CYCLE.

9 TIMES OUT OF 10,

THE FASTEST CAR DOESN'T WIN.

IT'S THE ONE WITH THE BEST

RACE PLAN AND EXECUTES IT

AND DOESN'T GET CAUGHT UP

IN SOMEONE ELSE'S TROUBLE.

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

AND ADJUSTING TO THE SITUATION

IS WHAT MARKS

A GREAT ENDURANCE TEAM.

Hurley: ONE OF THE LESSONS

THAT PETER GAVE ME,

WHICH I STILL USE TODAY,

IS BE PATIENT IN A CAR.

YOU HAVE 24 HOURS

THAT YOU'VE GOT TO GET THROUGH,

SO YOU HAVE TO PACE YOURSELF.

PETER WAS KIND OF MY MENTOR.

HE WAS THE ONE

THAT SET DOWN THE PRINCIPLES,

AND I REALLY OBEYED THOSE

TO THE LETTER.

ONE, I THINK HE SAW SOMEBODY

THAT HE COULD GET ALONG WITH.

PETER WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT

TO BE A FRIEND TO.

PETER SIMPLY NEEDED TO BE THE

CENTER OF ATTENTION AT ALL TIMES

AND COULDN'T DEAL WITH

ANY OTHER POSITION ON THE TEAM.

TO BE A FRIEND TO PETER, YOU HAD

TO TAKE THE GOOD AND BAD.

YOU HAD TO TAKE

HIS REALLY UP MOMENTS,

AND THEN YOU HAD TO TAKE

HIS REALLY DOWN MOMENTS.

AND YOU COULDN'T LET THE DOWN

MOMENTS AFFECT THE FRIENDSHIP,

'CAUSE IF YOU DID,

THEN YOUR FRIENDSHIP

WASN'T GONNA LAST FOR VERY LONG.

Stella: HIS IMAGE OF HIMSELF

SEEMED TO CHANGE A LOT.

YOU KNOW, WHETHER HE WAS A GREAT

MANAGER OR GREAT RACER,

OR WHATEVER IT WAS,

IT WAS HARD TO SAY.

Hurley: PETER OWNED

MULTIPLE DEALERSHIPS.

SO, I MEAN,

HE HAD THE WHOLE NINE YARDS.

BUT HE WANTED TO BE KNOWN AS

PETER GREGG, THE RACING DRIVER.

HE WAS THE KIND OF PERSONALITY

THAT PEOPLE

JUST COULDN'T GET ENOUGH OF,

EVEN IF THEY DIDN'T LIKE HIM,

WHICH WAS OFTEN THE CASE.

PETER ALWAYS HAD A WAY

OF PUTTING YOU ILL AT EASE,

MAKING YOU NERVOUS.

PEOPLE WERE VERY NERVOUS

AROUND PETER.

Hurley: PEOPLE DIDN'T LIKE

HIS ARROGANCE,

AND HE WAS REALLY ARROGANT.

HOW DO YOU FEEL

THIS CAR WILL DO

OUT ON THE TRACK

MECHANICALLY?

WALT, I WOULDN'T HAVE

SIGNED WITH THEM

IF I DIDN'T THINK

WE'D WIN.

AND THEN ON THE OTHER HAND,

THE PEOPLE THAT HE LIKED,

HE WAS THE GREATEST GUY

IN THE WORLD.

HE WAS ALSO LOVABLE OR HATEABLE,

DEPENDING ON, YOU KNOW,

WHAT MOOD HE WAS IN.

JUST WOULD HAVE TO SAY,

"OKAY, YOU KNOW,

THIS WILL PASS."

Stella:

IT JUST CAME AND WENT, YOU KNOW,

AND YOU DIDN'T THINK

ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

IT WAS JUST SO OBVIOUS

AND STRAIGHTFORWARD,

MAYBE TO EVERYBODY BUT HIMSELF.

NOBODY KNEW WHAT WAS

EXACTLY WRONG WITH HIM.

Dempsey: WHEN YOU RACE,

IT BECOMES YOUR IDENTITY.

YOU SEE EVERY SIDE

OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S PERSONALITY.

THE TOP DRIVERS -- THEY LIVE

AND BREATHE AND DREAM RACING.

HURLEY HAYWOOD IS ONE OF

THE LEGENDS OF THIS SPORT.

SO, IT GAVE HIM HIS IDENTITY,

IN A WAY,

THAT HE COULDN'T HAVE

OFF THE TRACK,

WHICH IS HIS GIFT,

AND ALSO A BIT OF A CURSE, TOO,

I THINK, AT THE SAME TIME.

BUT YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY

FROM YOURSELF IN THE CAR.

DID I FEEL I WAS DIFFERENT?

NOT REALLY.

I MEAN, I DIDN'T REALLY THINK

I WAS DIFFERENT

THAN ANYBODY ELSE.

I HAD GIRLFRIENDS, AND I HAD

ALL THE THINGS YOU NORMALLY DO.

BUT, YOU KNOW,

THERE WAS SOMETHING

THAT WAS JUST MAYBE

A LITTLE BIT...

OFF-CENTER,

AND THAT I DIDN'T REALLY...

WELL, I ACTUALLY --

UNTIL RIGHT NOW --

I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY

CAME OUT PUBLICLY.

MY UPBRINGING DIDN'T APPROVE

THAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR.

MY STEPFATHER WAS REALLY PRETTY

NASTY ABOUT THE WHOLE THING,

AND BECAUSE HE WAS NASTY,

MY MOTHER WAS NOT

100% SUPPORTIVE.

I MEAN, MY PARENTS WERE SORT OF

THE TYPICAL '50s-TYPE PARENTS.

MOST PEOPLE JUST HAD NO IDEA

THAT HE WAS GAY.

MY PROFESSION THAT I CHOOSE

TO MAKE A LIVING AT

WAS REALLY SORT OF CONTRADICTORY

TO THAT IMAGE OF A GAY PERSON.

AND HURLEY WAS QUINTESSENTIAL

PERFECT RACE-CAR DRIVER

TO EVERYBODY'S EYES.

I THOUGHT HURLEY HAYWOOD

WAS A MOVIE STAR

THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM.

HE WAS SO GOOD-LOOKING THAT,

YOU KNOW, I JUST ASSUMED.

HE WAS HURLEY.

IT WAS LIKE CHASING NEWMAN

AROUND THE PITS.

DID HURLEY HAVE GIRLS AFTER HIM?

YOU CAN'T ASK ME THAT.

Hope: HE KEPT HIS RACING LIFE

AND HIS PERSONAL LIFE SEPARATE,

AND ONLY DID EXTREMELY CLOSE

FRIENDS KNOW.

I'M CONCENTRATING REAL HARD

ON DRIVING REAL SMOOTH,

AND AS TIME GOES ON,

I WANT TO GO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER

AND A LITTLE BIT FASTER,

HOPEFULLY.

YEAH, YEAH.

THAT DIDN'T WORK.

THAT WAS, UM...

EVERYBODY'S NOT TOTALLY

COMFORTABLE WITH IT.

THAT BEING THE CASE,

YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO CREATE

AN ATMOSPHERE

THAT'S GONNA HAVE

ANY TENSION IN IT.

YOU DON'T MIX BUSINESS

AND PLEASURE.

AND I WAS SORT OF INDISCREETLY

TOLD THAT BY A VERY GOOD FRIEND,

AND HE SAID, "LET ME JUST

GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF ADVICE.

I WOULDN'T BRING YOUR

PERSONAL LIFE TO THE RACETRACK."

Snodgrass:

I CAN'T IMAGINE HAVING TO THINK

YOU HAVE TO KEEP

PART OF YOUR LIFE QUIET.

I THINK THAT'S REALLY DIFFICULT,

TREMENDOUSLY DIFFICULT.

Hurley: THE WHOLE SOCIAL CIRCLE

THAT I RAN IN,

AND CERTAINLY THE PROFESSION

THAT I CHOSE

TO MAKE A LIVING AT,

I FELT WAS REALLY

GONNA BE A PROBLEM.

IT WAS JUST...

IT WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS

THAT YOU JUST KNEW.

I WASN'T TRYING

TO HIDE IT FROM HIM.

HE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON.

AND I THINK THAT HE WAS

SORT OF CURIOUS

ABOUT WHAT ALL OF THAT WAS.

WHEN I FIRST STARTED

RACING WITH PETER,

YOU KNOW, THERE WAS ALL KINDS

OF RUMORS FLYING AROUND

WHEN, YOU KNOW,

WE WERE BATMAN AND ROBIN.

Dempsey: THIS SPORT IS

INCREDIBLY UGLY

WHEN IT COMES TO GOSSIP,

ESPECIALLY IN THE ERA

HE WAS RACING.

IT WAS A MACHO WORLD.

IT WAS CRAZY WHAT WAS HAPPENING

IN THE '70s

WITH THE HYPOCRISY

AND THE JUDGMENT

AND THE LACK OF TOLERANCE.

SOMEBODY SAID TO ME,

"I THINK PETER GREGG

IS A LATENT HOMOSEXUAL,

AND I THINK HE'S GOT

EYES FOR HURLEY."

I BLEW IT OFF, LIKE,

"YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME.

GET OUT OF HERE.

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

AND I WAS OFFENDED.

Dempsey:

THERE WERE DEFINITELY RUMORS

ABOUT GREGG AND HURLEY.

I MEAN, THERE WAS ALWAYS RUMORS.

Stella: IF THEY HADN'T BEEN

SO CLOSE AND SO IN TUNE,

THEY WOULDN'T HAVE

GONE THAT FAST.

I MEAN, IT WAS THE VERY CLOSE

RELATIONSHIP IN EVERY WAY.

Simon: I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT

THEY WERE JUST GOOD FRIENDS.

MAYBE ONE PERSON TOLD ME ONCE

THAT, LIKE, YOU KNOW,

PETER AND HURLEY, LIKE,

HAD A RELATIONSHIP.

BUT, NO, I NEVER BELIEVED IT.

Hope: THEY WERE CLOSE.

THEY WERE LIKE BROTHERS.

BUT THAT'S NONSENSE.

PETER WAS VERY STRAIGHT.

MM. NO COMMENT.

IF THERE WAS SOMETHING

BETWEEN PETER AND HURLEY,

IT CERTAINLY WAS THE BEST-KEPT

SECRET IN MOTOR RACING.

Hurley: BACK IN THE '70s, A LOT

OF PEOPLE JUST KIND OF THOUGHT,

YOU KNOW, "THE TWO OF THEM

ARE HAVING A THING TOGETHER."

BUT THAT WAS NEVER THE CASE.

IT NEVER WAS BROUGHT UP.

IT NEVER WAS DISCUSSED.

AND JUST PEOPLE, YOU KNOW,

COULD THINK

WHAT THEY WANTED TO THINK.

Dempsey:

YOU KNOW, IT'S TRICKY.

IF HURLEY CAME OUT IN THE 1970s,

SAYING,

"I'M A GAY RACE-CAR DRIVER,"

HIS CAREER WOULD HAVE BEEN OVER.

THOSE WERE THE '70s,

SO THESE GUYS WERE TOROS.

THESE GUYS WERE COWBOYS.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THEY HAD

COMPETITION IN THEIR BLOOD.

Hewitt:

THE GUYS WERE ON TOP.

IT WAS A SEXIST SOCIETY.

WOMEN GOT SEXUALLY

HARASSED IN THOSE DAYS.

YOU DIDN'T TALK ABOUT IT.

Dempsey: WELL, EVERY POSTER

THEY'RE SELLING SEX, RIGHT?

SEX AND SPEED.

AND HE WAS ALWAYS THERE --

HANDSOME RACE-CAR DRIVER,

BEAUTIFUL MODEL, TROPHY IN HAND,

STANDING ON THE PODIUM,

SEXY CAR IN THE BACKGROUND.

Snodgrass:

THAT'S WHAT IT WAS.

IT WAS A TOTAL STEREOTYPE

OF WHAT A RACE-CAR DRIVER

SHOULD BE.

THOSE DAYS ARE

PROBABLY NUMBERED.

Hurley: AS MUCH AS WE WOULD LIKE TO

FEEL THAT, YEAH, IT'S OKAY TO BE GAY,

IN A LOT OF PLACES,

IT'S NOT OKAY TO BE GAY.

THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT SCARY

IN THE BEGINNING.

Hurley: BUT YOU GET USED TO IT,

YOU KNOW?

AND YOU ADAPT TO IT,

AND IT'S PART OF THE JOB.

CAN WE PLEASE GET

A COUPLE AUTOGRAPHS?

- SURE.

- YOU'RE, LIKE, WORLD-FAMOUS.

WELL...

Hurley: I WAS IN A SPORT

THAT WAS PREDOMINANTLY MALE,

PREDOMINANTLY MACHO.

BEING GAY WAS NOT AS ACCEPTED

AS IT IS TODAY,

AND I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE

ANYBODY UNCOMFORTABLE.

WHEN YOU SAY SOMETHING

PRETTY DEFINITE LIKE THAT,

I'D HAVE TO SAY PROBABLY,

BUT I COULD NOT TELL YOU

ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

Hurley: I WAS SPONSORED

BY PENTHOUSE MAGAZINE,

AND THEY HAD SOME OF THE MOST

BEAUTIFULLY GLAMOROUS WOMEN

IN THE WHOLE WORLD.

IT WAS KIND OF FUNNY IN A WAY,

BUT IT --

YOU KNOW, IT WAS BUSINESS.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S

A CERTAIN FLASH TO RACING.

I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, A LOT OF THEM

ARE SELLING A PRODUCT.

Hurley:

YEAH, IT LOOKS GOOD.

THERE'S GONNA BE

MORE OF THESE, RIGHT?

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

HURLEY HAYWOOD.

Dempsey:

HE WAS MARKETABLE.

HE'S EVERYTHING

YOU WOULD WANT AS A BRAND

WANTING TO MARKET YOUR PRODUCT,

AND HE DID IT.

HE HAD TO DO

WHAT HE HAD TO DO

IN ORDER TO SURVIVE

THE SPORT AT THAT TIME.

Hurley: IT WAS REALLY SEXY

TO BE A RACING DRIVER,

AND IT WAS SEXY TO HAVE

A FEMALE ON YOUR ARM,

AND, YOU KNOW, I CERTAINLY DID

AS MUCH AS ANYBODY ELSE DID

TO SORT OF PROMOTE THAT IMAGE.

GIRLS LOVED HURLEY.

I MEAN, HOW COULD YOU NOT?

THEY THOUGHT HE WOULD HAVE

KIND HAVE BEEN

AN AMERICAN JAMES HUNT

THE WAY HE LIVED.

MY NAME'S HURLEY HAYWOOD.

WE'RE AT SAVANNAH'S

ROEBLING ROAD.

COME ON WITH ME,

AND LET'S GO FOR A RIDE.

YOU GO TO A RACE WITH HURLEY,

PEOPLE ARE ALL OVER HIM.

Hurley: THE AUDIENCE THAT

YOU'RE PERFORMING FOR,

YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE

A GOOD FEELING FOR THAT AUDIENCE

AND WHAT YOU CAN DO

AND NOT DO.

AND THERE'S NOT MANY RACING

DRIVERS THAT HAVE COME OUT

AND SAID THAT THEY'RE GAY.

I WAS MINDFUL NOT ONLY

THE SPONSORS BUT MY TEAMMATES,

CREW MATES, TEAM OWNERS.

THEY WERE PAYING FOR MY RIDE,

AND SO I JUST CHOSE TO KEEP IT

KIND OF A SECRET.

IF YOU'RE A FAN OF SOMEONE,

YOU WANT TO KNOW, YOU KNOW,

WHAT'S THEIR PERSONAL LIFE LIKE?

DO THEY HAVE A FAMILY?

WHO ARE THEY WITH?

THAT TYPE OF THING.

YOUR SUCCESS IS BASED,

A LOT OF TIMES,

BY YOUR PARTNER IN LIFE.

BEHIND EVERY GREAT PERSON,

THERE'S A PERSON

THAT STANDS BEHIND HIM OR HER

THAT HELPS MOTIVATE

AND HELPS SUPPORT.

I JUST DIDN'T WANT

TO LIE ABOUT IT ANYMORE.

"TRACKSIDE" ALWAYS LIKES TO

FEATURE OUTSTANDING ROOKIES.

THIS IS CERTAINLY ONE,

HURLEY HAYWOOD.

HURLEY, HOW OLD?

I AM 31.

AND UNMARRIED?

UNMARRIED.

OKAY, NOW, HURLEY,

YOU'RE STAYING

INDIANAPOLIS

MOTOR SPEEDWAY MOTEL,

INCIDENTALLY.

THAT'S RIGHT.

OKAY.

KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU.

NOW, I KNOW THAT YOU...

Hurley:

PETER WAS MARRIED.

I THINK HE LIKED THE FAMILY.

HE LIKED THE SECURITY

THAT A FAMILY GAVE

AND HAVING A REALLY STABLE

STRUCTURE AT HOME.

MY MOM AND DAD MET, LIKE,

IN BOSTON.

THEY WERE BOTH

GOING TO COLLEGE THERE,

AND IT WAS A MARRIAGE

MADE IN HEAVEN, I GUESS.

Hurley:

WHEN HE WAS MARRIED TO JENNIFER,

I WAS OVER THERE ALL THE TIME.

WE WENT ON HOLIDAYS TOGETHER,

AND IT WAS --

IT WAS A NICE FRIENDSHIP.

Hope: ALL OF THE DRIVERS

USUALLY BROUGHT

THEIR WIVES AND FAMILIES,

AND THEY WERE VERY MUCH

A PART OF IT.

IT WAS A VERY FAMILY-ORIENTED

TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT.

Patton: TO ME, JENNIFER WAS A

LITTLE BIT OPPOSITE OF PETER --

A LOVING, VERY CARING PERSON.

SHE HAD NO QUALMS AT ALL ABOUT

HAVING A BEER

WITH THE MECHANICS.

PETER WAS MADLY IN LOVE

WITH JENNIFER.

HE LOVED HER FOR LIFE AND WOULD

NEVER HAVE EVER LEFT HER.

HE WOULD HAVE DRIVEN HER OFF.

DAD HAD TO RACE.

HE WOULD HAVE BEEN

SUCCESSFUL AT ANYTHING.

HE WAS JUST DRIVEN AND SMART,

AND HAVING A GREAT PERSON

LIKE MY MOM AS HIS PARTNER,

YOU KNOW,

HELPED HIM SUCCEED, TOO.

COULD HAVE ANYBODY EVER STAYED

MARRIED TO PETER GREGG?

PROBABLY NOT.

Hurley:

BACK IN THE '70s AND '80s,

I MEAN, YOU WERE SO FOCUSED

ON RACING

THAT YOU REALLY DIDN'T HAVE

ENOUGH TIME FOR A PERSONAL LIFE.

HAVING RELATIONSHIPS

WAS SOMETHING

THAT WAS REALLY DIFFICULT TO DO,

AND THAT REALLY TOOK A TOLL.

AS A RACING DRIVER,

YOU NEED SORT OF YOUR INNER CORE

TO BE SUPPORTIVE

BECAUSE YOU HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES

THAT YOU WORK THROUGH.

AS A DRIVER, YOU'RE ALWAYS

QUESTIONING YOURSELF,

YOUR ABILITY --

YOU KNOW, IT'S ON AND ON.

THE FIRST TIME

I MET MY PARTNER, STEVE,

I WAS COMING BACK

TO JACKSONVILLE

FROM CHRISTMAS VACATION

IN CHICAGO.

HAD GONE OUT TO A LOCAL BAR

IN JACKSONVILLE,

AND THAT'S WHERE I MET HIM,

AND THAT WAS 19...79.

I CAN'T BELIEVE

HE WANTS ME TO TALK.

CAN YOU SEE WHEN I BLUSH?

- NO.

- OKAY.

HE KEPT FOLLOWING ME AROUND

TILL I FINALLY STARTED DANCING

WITH HIM AND TALKING WITH HIM.

AND, YOU KNOW, I ASSUME

I WAS KIND OF NERVOUS

TO KIND OF GO INTO A GAY BAR

IN DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE,

WHICH WAS, LIKE,

A REALLY SCARY PLACE TO BE,

IT WAS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF IN

A VERY, YOU KNOW,

BAD NEIGHBORHOOD

WHERE EVERYTHING

WAS SHUT DOWN,

AND IT WAS THE ONLY THING

AROUND,

SO I WAS PROBABLY

A LITTLE NERVOUS.

I ASKED HIM WHAT HE DID,

AND HE SAID HE RACED CARS.

HE WAS PROBABLY, I BET,

AT THE PEAK OF HIS CAREER,

AND I WAS SOMEONE THAT CAME IN

AND DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE

AND DIDN'T KNOW WHO HE WAS.

Hurley: YOU KNOW, THE RACING

THING WAS, LIKE,

ON A DIFFERENT PLANET.

BUT HE WAS PERSISTENT.

NO.

I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW.

I MEAN, IT WAS NOT

ONE OF THOSE THINGS

THAT WAS LIKE MAGIC

RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING.

Hill: I THOUGHT HE WAS

A BIT OF A SNOB,

MAYBE BECAUSE OF WHO HE WAS,

ONCE I FIGURED OUT WHO HE WAS.

BUT HE ACTUALLY IS JUST --

HE'S REALLY SHY.

Hurley: THE ATTRACTION PART,

I THINK, CAME WITH TIME,

AS HE AND I

SORT OF GREW TOGETHER.

STEVE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A REALLY

SUPPORTIVE PERSON FOR ME

FROM A PERSONAL STANDPOINT.

HE'S KIND OF THE RUDDER

THAT KEEPS THE BOAT

GOING DOWN A STRAIGHT LINE.

WE DON'T TALK A LOT ABOUT

WHAT WE DO WHEN WE'RE HOME,

WHICH I WOULD IMAGINE

MOST COUPLES DON'T.

I WAS NOT INTERESTED

IN RACING.

EVEN TODAY, I DON'T HAVE

A LOT OF INTEREST IN THAT.

YOU KIND OF LEAVE

YOUR WORK AT WORK.

YOU DON'T BRING IT HOME.

I ALWAYS, AND I STILL DO TODAY,

STAY IN THE BACKGROUND,

YOU KNOW,

KIND OF IN THE SHADOWS.

I NEVER WANT TO BE

IN THE LIMELIGHT.

SO AS I WORKED THROUGH THE YEAR,

I SAW THIS TIME AND TIME AGAIN.

O'Meara:

HE WAS NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED

AS BEING HURLEY'S PARTNER

FOR YEARS,

AND I THINK IT IS A TRAGEDY.

NOW DOMINATING THE FIELD,

GT CHAMPION PETER GREGG

AT THE WHEEL,

ONE OF THE OUTSTANDING RACERS

IN THE COUNTRY.

Busby: WHAT HAPPENS

WHEN YOU GET INTO RACING

AND YOU BEGIN WINNING --

YOU'RE PRETTY SELF-CENTERED.

AND YOU GET TO THAT RACETRACK,

AND ANYBODY'S TROUBLES OR STUFF,

THAT'S IN THE WAY.

PETER WAS PERHAPS INCAPABLE

OF SACRIFICING HIMSELF

COMPLETELY TO ANYBODY.

Hurley:

HE WAS A LADIES' MAN.

HE HAD THE LINE

OF GIRLFRIENDS THAT HE DATED,

AND THAT WAS THE REASON WHY,

YOU KNOW, HE GOT IN TROUBLE

WITH HIS FIRST WIFE.

DAD MAY HAVE BEEN A PLAYER.

IF THEY HAD INFIDELITY PROBLEMS

OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT,

I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW ABOUT IT,

LIKE, AND I DON'T KNOW.

I DIDN'T REALLY ASK ABOUT IT.

I NEVER REALLY, LIKE, THOUGHT

THEY HAD A LOT OF PROBLEMS.

PETER WAS VERY FLIRTATIOUS.

HE ASKED ME OUT A MILLION TIMES

OVER THE YEARS

AND WAS ALWAYS

COMING ON STRONG.

Patton: OCCASIONALLY,

PETER WOULD HAVE OTHER PEOPLE,

OTHER THAN JENNIFER,

ATTEND RACES WITH HIM,

AND WE ALL KNEW

WHAT WAS GOING ON THERE, TOO.

THEIR RELATIONSHIP FELL APART

REALLY FAIRLY SHORTLY

THEREAFTER.

Hurley: THE DIVORCE

THAT PETER HAD WITH JENNIFER

WAS NOT ONE THAT WAS PLEASANT.

IT WAS JUST A TOUGH PERIOD.

AND I WAS SORT OF THE MIDDLE

AND SAW BOTH GOOD AND THE BAD.

I KIND OF SIDED UP ON

JENNIFER'S SIDE OF THE STORY,

AND HE KIND OF WENT OFF

ON HIS OWN.

'75 WAS REALLY

KIND OF THE LAST YEAR

THAT I WAS RUNNING

EXCLUSIVELY WITH PETER.

YOU KNOW, I'D GOTTEN ON

THE RADAR WITH OTHER TEAMS,

AND THEY WERE ALL FINE

FOR ME TO DRIVE FOR THEM,

SO HE AND I REMAINED FRIENDS,

BUT CERTAINLY NOT AS CLOSE

AS WE WERE BEFORE THAT.

RACING IS VERY HARD ON FAMILIES,

AND FROM THAT STANDPOINT,

IT WAS PROBABLY LUCKY

THAT I DIDN'T HAVE A FAMILY

BECAUSE THAT MIGHT HAVE, YOU

KNOW, HAD A DIFFERENT OUTCOME.

I THINK FOR HURLEY,

DRIVING WAS A RELIEF OF SORTS.

HE DIDN'T HAVE TO DEAL

WITH PETER, FOR ONE THING.

Hurley:

IT'S A VERY VIOLENT SPORT,

BUT IT'S ALSO

A VERY GENTLE SPORT.

YOU'VE GOT THIS LITTLE COCOON

THAT YOU'RE OPERATING IN.

ALL OF THE OUTSIDE

DISTRACTIONS ARE GONE,

SO IT'S JUST A NICE FEELING.

YOU HAVE ALL THIS HORSEPOWER.

YOU HAVE ALL THIS ENERGY

THAT THE DRIVER'S TRYING

TO HARNESS AND CONTROL

AS YOU'RE UP AGAINST

NOT ONLY DRIVING

A REALLY SERIOUS RACE CAR,

BUT IT'S A FRAGILE CAR

BUILT TO GO FASTER,

NOT BUILT TO CRASH.

HURLEY HAYWOOD

IS OFF THE COURSE.

IT IS DISASTER

FOR THE VETERAN AMERICAN.

THE CAR'S WHEEL AND SUSPENSION

LAY IN THE ROAD,

AND THE CROWD WATCHES,

HORRIFIED,

AS HAYWOOD STRUGGLES

TO LEAVE HIS CAR.

Hurley:

I HAD A CATASTROPHIC INJURY.

MY LEG WAS IN A CAST

FOR TWO YEARS.

TODAY, EVERY STEP I TAKE,

I REMEMBER,

YOU KNOW, THAT ACCIDENT

THAT I HAD WITH MY LEG.

Posey:

IT WAS A TERRIBLE TIME.

WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON IT,

IT WAS THE APOGEE

OF DANGER IN RACING, YOU KNOW?

PEOPLE WERE BEING KILLED

RIGHT AND LEFT.

WE ALL KNOW THE RISKS

THAT ARE INVOLVED,

AND WE ALL ACCEPT THOSE RISKS,

AND WHEN SOMEBODY

IS BADLY HURT OR KILLED,

THEN IT'S SORT OF

THE COMFORT IN KNOWING

THAT THEY KNEW THOSE RISKS

AND THEY WERE DOING IT

BECAUSE THEY LOVE DOING IT.

BACK THEN, THE SAFETY

REQUIREMENTS IN THE RACE CARS

WERE PRETTY MINIMAL.

WE ALL WORE OPEN-FACED HELMETS.

THE SEAT BELTS

WERE KIND OF ARCHAIC.

IF YOU LOOK AT

A PETER GREGG CAR,

YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THERE ARE

VERY FEW SHARP EDGES

'CAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE

ANY SHARP EDGE IMPALE HIM.

HE WAS OBSESSED WITH DOING

EVERYTHING TO MAKE THE CARS

AS SAFE TO DRIVE AS POSSIBLE.

THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS

WHY HE SOLD ME THE 917/10.

HE SAID IT JUST SCARED HIM

TO DRIVE THAT CAR.

I WENT FROM A 300-HORSEPOWER 911

TO A 1,200-HORSEPOWER

PROTOTYPE.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT CAR

WITH THE SKIN OFF,

I MEAN, IT'S PRETTY ALARMING.

IF YOU EVER HAD AN IMPACT

AT ANY FORCE,

YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN

CRUMBLED UP LIKE A SARDINE.

AND PETER DIDN'T REALLY LIKE

THE PROTOTYPE RACING,

AND THAT'S WHAT

THE WHOLE SCHEME OF RACING

WAS FOLDING OVER TO BE.

SO HURLEY WAS MORE FEARLESS,

IT SEEMED.

Hurley: I WAS JUST PLAIN YOUNG

AND STUPID AT THAT POINT.

ONCE YOU STRAP YOUR HELMET ON

AND YOU START THE CAR,

ALL OF THAT GOES OUT THE WINDOW.

LE MANS IN FRANCE --

THE TALKS OF

THE CAR-RACING CALENDAR.

DRIVERS HAVE COME FROM ALL

OVER THE WORLD TO TAKE PART.

NIGHT OR DAY IN THIS

24-HOUR TEST OF ENDURANCE,

THERE'S TENSION ALL THE WAY.

Hurley:

AT THAT POINT IN '77,

I HAD WON THREE RACES AT DAYTONA

IN '73, '75, AND '77.

BY WINNING THOSE,

IT SET MY NAME

ON THE INTERNATIONAL BASIS,

PORSCHE SAID,

"LET'S TAKE A CHANCE.

WE WANT TO HAVE AN AMERICAN

OVER TO LE MANS

TO DRIVE FOR THE FACTORY,

BUT WE JUST HAVEN'T FOUND THE

RIGHT AMERICAN TO REPRESENT US"

AND THEY GAVE ME A SHOT.

Leatherman: WHEN YOU LOOK

AT SPORTS-CAR RACING,

THE WORLD'S VIEW OF IT,

THE LE MANS IS THE BIG ONE.

Pendell:

LE MANS THE CHERRY ON THE CAKE.

IT'S THE HOLY GRAIL

OF ENDURANCE RACING

'CAUSE THE BUDGETS ARE HUGE.

WHEN YOU GET A CALL TO SAY,

"OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO LE MANS,"

IT DOESN'T MATTER

WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

"OKAY, WE'RE GONNA GO LE MANS."

YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T WAIT TO GET

ON THE PLANE AND GO.

Hurley: ONE OF THE REAL BATTLES

THAT PETER HAD --

PeG@SuS

Urang Sunda Asli

WHEN I GOT ASKED TO DRIVE

FOR THE FACTORY BEFORE HE DID.

THAT WAS A BIG DEAL FOR HIM.

Warner: YOU CAN BE A TERRIFIC

DRIVER, A GREAT DRIVER.

BUT IF YOU HAVEN'T WON LE MANS,

NO ONE KNOWS YOU.

YOU WIN LE MANS,

EVERYBODY KNOWS YOU.

Hurley:

I KNEW ABOUT LE MANS,

BUT I WAS REALLY UNPREPARED

FOR THAT WHOLE THING.

AND I WAS COMPLETELY LOST.

I DIDN'T KNOW

HOW TO SPEAK FRENCH,

AND I PRACTICALLY

HAD A HEART ATTACK

JUST THINKING ABOUT

STARTING THE MOST IMPORTANT

MOTOR RACE IN THE WORLD.

Reporter: WELL, IT'S BEEN

YOUR FIRST TIME IN LE MANS

AND YOUR FIRST TIME IN

THIS PORSCHE SPORTS CAR,

WHAT DID YOU THINK

OF THE RACE SO FAR?

WELL, SO FAR,

I'M REALLY HAPPY.

IT'S BEEN A TERRIFIC RACE.

IT'S BEEN EXCITING.

THE CAR IS TERRIFIC.

NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS

EVER ENVISIONING MYSELF

WINNING LE MANS

THE VERY FIRST TIME BEING THERE.

AFTER WE GOT DOWN

OFF OF VICTORY LANE,

IT WAS LIKE

AN OVERNIGHT ROCK STAR.

I MEAN, WHEN I CAME TO THE

AIRPORT THE NEXT DAY TO GO HOME

ON MONDAY, I WAS, LIKE,

MOBBED AT THE AIRPORT.

THERE WAS SOME ENVY ON PETER'S

PART OVER HURLEY'S SUCCESS.

CARS HURLEY WAS DRIVING

WERE PROTOTYPES

CAPABLE OF WINNING.

I DON'T THINK PETER

EVER GOT THE OPPORTUNITY

TO DRIVE A CAR THAT COULD

WIN OVERALL AT LE MANS.

Hurley: I THINK THAT PETER

WAS VERY PROUD

OF WHAT I WAS ABLE TO DO.

BUT I THINK THAT HE WAS

A LITTLE BIT ENVIOUS

OF THAT -- THAT POSITION

THAT I WAS IN.

PETER NEVER WAS VERY

COMFORTABLE DRIVING PROTOTYPES,

SO HE WAS FEELING THREATENED.

IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT,

YOU KNOW,

HURLEY COULD RACE ON OTHER TEAMS

BESIDES JUST WITH PETER.

Patton: ALL OF A SUDDEN,

YOU'VE GONE FROM AN AUTOCROSSER

TO BE WINNING LE MANS

OF THAT SHORT OF PERIOD OF TIME.

IT SPEAKS

JUST UNBELIEVABLY HIGHLY

FOR THIS NATURAL SKILL

THAT HURLEY HAD.

SO HE PROVED THAT HIS SUCCESS

WASN'T JUST DUE TO BRUMOS

AND PETER GREGG.

Hurley:

AFTER I HAD WON THE RACE,

I WAS AMAZED THAT

SO MANY PEOPLE KNEW WHO I WAS.

IN THE BEGINNING,

I WAS KIND OF EMBARRASSED

WITH ALL THE ATTENTION.

THE FAME CAME

SORT OF BY SURPRISE.

YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST --

I'M STILL SURPRISED TODAY.

I WAS HERE

IN THE GREAT DAYS.

WHEN HE'S AT THE TRACK, HE IS IN

AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ELEMENT.

CAN I TAKE A PICTURE

TAKEN WITH YOU?

SURE, YOU CAN.

- AWESOME.

- THERE YOU GO.

THERE'S A DIFFERENCE ABOUT HIM

THAN WHEN HE'S OFF THE TRACK.

HE'S IN HIS PERSONA.

HE'S IN HIS HURLEY HAYWOOD

PERSONA, YOU KNOW?

SO HE'S GONNA DO HIS JOB.

AND HAVE FUN.

I WAS WORRIED ABOUT,

OH, THEY'RE GONNA,

YOU KNOW, KNOW HE'S GAY

BECAUSE I'M HERE.

SO I WOULD STAY

WAY IN THE BACKGROUND

UP AGAINST THE FENCE, YOU KNOW.

IT'S NOT A COMFORTABLE PLACE

TO BE.

BUT, I MEAN,

THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS.

WE HAVE SEEN YOU SO MANY TIMES

WITH A VERY SOLEMN EXPRESSION

ON YOUR FACE,

WALKING DOWN TO THE PIT AREA.

I WISH THE FANS COULD SEE

IN EAR-TO-EAR GRIN RIGHT NOW.

CONGRATULATIONS.

WELL, BELIEVE ME,

FOR ME, IT'S VERY EXCITING

TO BE HERE,

AND I AM SO HAPPY

THIS IS ALL OVER.

I GUESS, YOU KNOW,

FROM THE CAREER STANDPOINT,

THE MOMENTS WHERE I WAS

MOST DISAPPOINTED

WERE TIMES

WHEN HE WOULD WIN A RACE,

AND, YOU KNOW, I KNEW THAT

IF I WAS A WOMAN AND HIS WIFE,

THAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN

CARRIED OUT THERE

ON TOP THE CAR

WITH EVERYONE ELSE.

THOSE KIND OF MOMENTS, YOU KNOW,

WE COULDN'T REALLY

SHARE TOGETHER,

AND THAT BOTHERED ME.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT BOTHERED HIM,

BUT IT BOTHERED ME.

WHEN HE WON THE 24 HOURS

OF DAYTONA THE LAST TIME,

I HAD A HANDFUL

OF MY FRIENDS THERE,

AND WE WATCHED VICTORY LANE

THROUGH A CHAIN-LINK FENCE.

Hurley: THAT'S THE WAY

IT WAS AT THAT TIME.

NOW, IF I WON DAYTONA NEXT YEAR,

WHICH IS NOT GONNA HAPPEN,

YOU KNOW,

THEN IT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT.

SO, YES, HE WAS ON

THE OUTSKIRTS A LITTLE BIT.

IF IT WAS MY GIRLFRIEND,

MY GIRLFRIEND WOULD HAVE BEEN

UP THERE HUGGING ME

AND KISSING ME.

BUT IT JUST WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN

A COMFORTABLE THING FOR HIM

OR ME TO HAVE THAT HAPPEN.

YOU CAN'T CHANGE THINGS.

I WASN'T GONNA, YOU KNOW,

TRY TO MAKE A SCENE

AND TRY TO EMBARRASS HIM

BY FORGING MY WAY IN THERE

OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT,

YOU KNOW.

I WAS JUST CONCERNED THAT

I WOULD JUST DRAW ATTENTION

TO HIM BEING GAY.

Dempsey: SPORTS-CAR RACING,

ROAD RACING --

IT TAKES A TOLL,

WITHOUT QUESTION.

YOU LEAVE A PART OF YOURSELF

ON THE TRACK EVERY RACE.

AND YOU HAVE TO BE

100% COMMITTED TO WIN,

AND YOU DO HAVE TO SACRIFICE

TO GET TO THAT LEVEL.

WHAT YOU'VE GIVEN UP,

IT'S HARD.

IT ALIENATES A LOT OF PEOPLE

ALONG THE WAY

'CAUSE NOTHING ELSE MATTERS

OTHER THAN WHERE YOU ARE

AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME.

AND SOME PEOPLE UNDERSTAND,

AND SOME PEOPLE DON'T.

IT FEELS JUST LIKE IT DID

IN 1971.

ALL RIGHT, YOU READY?

Long: I CALL MOTORSPORT

A RELIGION,

OR AN OBSESSION, AN ILLNESS.

IT'S A DRUG THAT --

THE HIGH THAT EVERYBODY WANTS.

Busby: IT'S AN EXPERIENCE

THAT MOST DON'T HAVE.

IF YOU'RE ONE OF THE PEOPLE

THAT'S A WINNER IN A RACING CAR,

YOU SLIP INTO

A STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS

THAT IS NOT

ON THE CONSCIOUS LEVEL.

WHEN YOU'RE IN THE CAR,

YOU'RE COMPLETELY ABSORBED

BY THE TASK OF DRIVING IT.

THERE'S NO ROOM THERE

FOR EXTRANEOUS THOUGHTS.

Leatherman: MONEY PROBLEMS

OR RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS,

OR ALL THAT STUFF IS GONE.

Hurley:

RACING IS ALMOST LIKE A SHIELD

FROM EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON

OUTSIDE OF THE RACETRACK.

THERE CAN BE A MILLION THINGS

HAPPENING AROUND YOU,

BUT YOU JUST SORT OF

ZONE IT ALL OUT.

AND WHEN IT'S OVER,

THE DEMONS ARE BACK.

IT IS DAYTONA

INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY,

AND WE'RE INTO QUALIFYING

FOR THE UNITED SportsCar

CHAMPIONSHIP.

WELL, THERE IS THE GREEN FLAG

FLYING, GENTLEMEN.

Announcer #2: THE PRESSURE'S

ON THE DRIVER.

THEY HAVE TO DO IT NOW.

THEY CAN'T WORK UP TO IT.

NOT SURE THAT THAT CAR

ACTUALLY TURNED A LAP.

YOU HAVE TO GO NOW.

Wright: YOU GOT TO GO.

IF WE DON'T...

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE...

HE WAS DOING.

THAT COULD HAVE BEEN UGLY.

YOU NEVER SET IN THE PITS.

YOU GO RIGHT THEN.

- YEAH.

- A LESSON FOR THESE GUYS.

THEY'RE NOT QUALIFYING THING.

THEY GET OUT AND GO.

- AND, I MEAN, THAT WAS THE PLAN.

- YEAH.

AND I'M LIKE,

"WHAT THE...?"

I THOUGHT SOMETHING

WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR.

- YEP.

- YOU CAN'T BEAT EXPERIENCE.

YOU JUST CAN'T.

Dempsey: THERE'S A LEVEL OF

EXPECTATIONS THAT YOU HAVE

THAT YOU HAVE TO PERFORM,

AND YOU HAVE TO DO WELL.

SO IF YOU MAKE TOO MANY

MISTAKES, IT'S OVER.

A RACING DRIVER'S GREATEST FEAR

IS NOT TO BE ABLE

TO PERFORM AT 100%.

THE CLOSER YOU ARE TO 100%,

THE BETTER THE OUTCOME'S

GONNA BE.

YEP.

YOU'RE JUDGING YOUR PERFORMANCE

ON THAT ONE SINGLE DAY

AGAINST ALL YOUR COMPETITORS.

THE GAUGE FOR A PERFORMANCE

IS INSTANT.

WHEN YOU FEEL THAT

YOU'VE FAILED AT SOMETHING,

FAILED IN A RACE

BECAUSE YOU MADE MISTAKES,

THEN IT'S YOUR FAULT.

THE GUY THAT WON MADE

LESS MISTAKES THAN I DID,

AND A MISTAKE CAN BE

JUST TINY, LITTLE THING.

Peter: WE'VE HAD

A COUPLE OF GREAT DRIVES

AND A COUPLE OF

DISAPPOINTING DEFEATS.

SOMEBODY SAID RACING IS ALL

A BUNCH OF ECSTASY AND AGONY.

THERE'S NOTHING IN BETWEEN.

YOU'RE SELDOM JUST

MEDIUM HAPPY WITH IT.

Hurley: '78 AND '79,

PETER WAS REALIZING THAT,

YOU KNOW,

MAYBE HIS DOMINANT ROLE

IN SPORTS-CAR RACING

WAS COMING TO AN END.

THERE WAS TOO MUCH COMPETITION

COMING OVER FROM EUROPE,

REALLY FAST GUYS

THAT COULD CARE LESS

ABOUT PETER GREGG

AND WHAT HE STOOD FOR.

THEY JUST WANTED

TO BEAT HIM ALL THE TIME.

IN 1980, HE GOT ASKED TO DRIVE

ON THE FACTORY TEAM AT LE MANS.

SO I WENT WITH PETER TO LE MANS,

AND THAT DIDN'T

TURN OUT SO GREAT, EITHER.

WE HAD AN ACCIDENT GOING

FROM THE HOTEL TO THE TRACK.

YOU KNOW,

THOSE ROADS IN FRANCE --

THEY'RE NOT VERY WIDE,

BUT A LOT OF THEM STRAIGHT.

AND A TRACTOR MOVED OUT

OF A SIDE ROAD,

AND PETER SWERVED TO AVOID

HITTING THE TRACTOR.

WE WENT OVER.

WE TUMBLED OVER

AND ENDED UP UPSIDE DOWN.

AND PETER WAS OUT.

HE GOT HIT IN THE HEAD.

WHEN HE WOKE UP AND EVERYTHING,

HE WAS IN A COMPLETE STATE

OF DENIAL.

HE INSISTED ON GOING TO

THE TRACK AND EVERYTHING,

BUT THE DOCTORS

WOULDN'T LET HIM RACE.

Hurley: SOMETHING HAPPENED

TO PETER'S EYESIGHT.

THAT WAS REALLY

EMBARRASSING FOR HIM.

BECAUSE OF HIS CONCUSSION

AND DOUBLE VISION,

DAD COULDN'T RACE VERY WELL.

Leatherman: YOU COULD TELL HE

JUST -- HE WAS JUST NOT HIMSELF.

THAT WAS MAJOR TO PETER,

NOT BEING ABLE TO BE THE PETER,

THE PETER PERFECT THAT HE WAS.

HE COULDN'T HANDLE

THE LACK OF SUCCESS.

Hurley: HE HAD THE ACCIDENT,

AND HE WAS "FLUSTRATED" AND

EMBARRASSED THAT THAT HAPPENED.

SO WHEN THE PAUL REVERE

CAME AROUND --

THAT WAS THE RACE AFTER

WE GOT BACK FROM LE MANS --

WELL, THAT WAS THE LAST TIME

THAT I RACED FOR PETER.

SO, I STARTED THE RACE,

HAD A HUGE LEAD, A LAP LEAD,

AND I JUST GOT SO HOT,

JUST HOTTER THAN HELL,

AND I FINALLY CALLED IN.

I SAID, "I JUST DON'T THINK

I CAN DRIVE ANOTHER LAP.

I'M JUST ABOUT READY

TO MELT DOWN.

IS THERE ANY WAY

THAT PETER IS READY TO GO?"

HE SAYS, "YEAH, HE'S STANDING

HERE WITH HIS HELMET ON."

SO I SAID, "OKAY,

I'M COMING IN ON THE NEXT LAP."

WHEN HE CAME OUT OF THE PITS,

I GAVE HIM NEARLY A LAP LEAD.

HE LOST LEAD,

AND WE FINISHED THIRD.

SO HE BASICALLY BLAMED ME

FOR DOING THAT ON PURPOSE

TO MAKE HIM LOOK BAD.

IT WAS NOT ON PURPOSE.

THAT'S THE SPIN

THAT PETER STARTED IN.

I MEAN, HE WASN'T THE PETER

THAT HE WAS BEFORE,

AND SO IT WAS

OTHER PEOPLE'S FAULT.

Hurley: BASICALLY, HE FORBID ME

INTO THE DEALERSHIPS.

HE SAID, "DON'T COME AROUND.

I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU."

HE DIDN'T WANT ME THERE,

SO I SAID, "OKAY, THAT'S FINE.

I'M NOT GONNA GO THERE."

PETER WAS ROUGH ON EVERYBODY.

HE WAS ROUGH ON HURLEY.

HE WAS ROUGH ON ANYBODY

WHO WAS CLOSE TO HIM

OR SURROUNDED HIM.

Hurley: AS TIME WENT ON

AND HE HAD OTHER ISSUES,

SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW,

CRAZINESS WAS STUFF

YOU JUST COULDN'T

OVERLOOK ANYMORE.

IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY,

THIS PROBLEM.

Hurley: IN A LOT OF WAYS,

IT WAS SOMETHING

THAT WAS ALMOST PREDICTABLE,

BUT WE NEVER --

WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT IT,

YOU SAY, YOU KNOW,

"WHY DIDN'T WE --

WHY DIDN'T WE SEE THAT COMING?"

BASICALLY, I DID NOT SEE OR TALK

TO PETER FROM THE MIDDLE OF JULY

UNTIL SOMETIME AROUND

THE FIRST PART OF DECEMBER.

I ALWAYS WAS ABLE TO SORT OF

KEEP TOUCH ON WHAT WAS GOING ON,

BUT NOT THROUGH PETER,

BUT FROM OTHER PEOPLE

THAT WERE AROUND HIM.

Pendell: DEBORAH GREGG

HAD COME INTO HIS LIFE.

ALL OF A SUDDEN, SHE BECAME VERY

VISIBLE AROUND THE DEALERSHIP,

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN,

THERE WAS A WOMAN.

Simon:

SHE WAS YOUNG AND SEXY.

HE WAS, LIKE,

TAKEN BY HER CHARMS.

THEY DATED FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS

BEFORE THEY GOT MARRIED.

I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY MET,

BUT I USED TO HAVE

KIND OF A CHIP

ON MY SHOULDER ABOUT THAT.

I COULD SEE HIM FALLING IN LOVE

IN A HURRY LIKE THAT

BECAUSE THAT'S THE TYPE

OF PERSONALITY THAT PETER HAD.

YOU KNOW, HE WAS EITHER ALL IN

OR HE WAS ALL OUT.

THERE WAS NO IN BETWEEN

WITH HIM.

IT WAS CRAZY, RIGHT?

SO THAT WASN'T SURPRISING.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SURPRISING

IF IT WEREN'T CRAZY.

SHE WAS A SMART GIRL

AND, I MEAN,

BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE KNEW,

EITHER,

ABOUT WHAT THE WORLD WAS

THAT SHE WAS IN.

AND, I MEAN, IF THEY WEREN'T AS

WEIRD OF PAIR AS YOU COULD FIND,

I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.

Hurley:

THAT WAS HIS QUEST IN LIFE

IS TO FIND SOMEBODY

THAT WOULD MARRY HIM, AND...

THAT LASTED NINE DAYS.

FOR ME, THAT MAYBE 15 MINUTES

FROM THE COMMAND

TO START YOUR ENGINES,

I LIKE TO KIND OF JUST SIT THERE

AND PLAN THE ATTACK

THAT I'M ABOUT READY TO DO.

YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO GET

EVERYTHING IN YOUR MIND

SET TO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

AND WHEN YOU NEED TO DO IT.

YOU'RE ALWAYS THINKING,

YOU KNOW,

"AM I GOOD ENOUGH

FOR THE TASK ON THIS GIVEN DAY?

AM I GONNA HURT MYSELF?

AM I GONNA KILL MYSELF?"

I MEAN, IT'S JUST

A MILLION THINGS

THAT ARE GOING THROUGH

YOUR MIND.

- THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

- ALL RIGHT. YEAH.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

THANKS.

YEAH.

DRIVERS,

PLEASE START YOUR ENGINES.

AND HOW COULD YOU

NOT LOVE THAT SOUND?

THE ROLEX 24 STARTS OFF THE

SPORTS-CAR CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON

IN NORTH AMERICA.

IT'S A 200-MILE-AN-HOUR

CHESS GAME FOR 24 HOURS,

AND IT HAPPENS

RAIN OR SHINE.

OH, BRAGGING RIGHTS --

IT ALL STARTS RIGHT HERE.

THE GREEN FLAG FLIES.

Announcer #2:

THIS IS OUR SUPER BOWL,

AND YOU GUY HAVE

A FRONT-ROW SEAT.

HE'S NOT DOING BRAKES,

OKAY?

SO JUST THE WHOLE SERVICE,

IN AND OUT.

- NO BRAKES?

- NO BRAKES.

WHAT YOU THINK, CALVIN?

GTD -- HOW ARE THEY GONNA

DO DURING THE NIGHT?

THERE'S SOME

SUPERSTARS IN THIS CATEGORY.

IT'S GONNA BE

A GREAT BATTLE.

LITERALLY RIGHT DOWN

TO THE WIRE LAST YEAR, BOB.

Announcer #3: AS MUCH AS

WE'D LIKE TO HAVE

THAT BRUMOS CAR

IN THE HUNT RIGHT NOW,

IT'S DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT.

SEE, THOSE CURVES

RUNNING AROUND.

OOH, THERE'S A TOUCH.

I THINK THAT WAS.

THAT'S UNNECESSARY.

HELL OF A STRAP

GOING ON HERE IN GTD.

Hurley: I GET A PHONE CALL

FROM PETER.

THAT KIND OF THREW ME

FOR A LOOP.

AND I SAID, "OKAY."

AND SO, I WENT DOWN THERE,

AND DEBORAH HAD FIXED

A REALLY NICE LUNCH TO SERVE US.

AND WE ATE OUT ON THE TERRACE

AND BASICALLY TALKED ABOUT

WHEN WE HAD FIRST MET,

ALL THE WAY THROUGH

ALL THE THINGS WE HAD DONE

AND KIND OF WHAT THE FUTURE

WAS GONNA HOLD,

THINGS WE COULD DO

GOING FORWARD.

HE HAD ASKED ME

IF I WANTED TO GO

TO THE BASKETBALL GAME WITH HIM.

AND I SAID,

"NO, I CAN'T DO IT.

I'VE ALREADY GOT SOMETHING

PLANNED FOR THIS EVENING."

AND, BASICALLY, HE ROLLED UP

IN A BLANKET ON THE COUCH

AND THE NEXT DAY WENT OUT AND

BOUGHT A GUN AND SHOT HIMSELF.

YOU KNOW, THAT WAS AN AWFUL DAY.

"BANG, BANG, BANG" ON THE DOOR.

AND THEY, SAID, "MY GOD.

YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED.

PETER SHOT HIMSELF,

KILLED HIMSELF ON THE BEACH."

I COULDN'T FATHOM

THAT HE HAD DONE THAT.

AND BY THE TIME

I WAS ABLE TO DIGEST THAT,

ALL THE PRESS

HAD ARRIVED OUTSIDE.

I IMMEDIATELY GOT

ON THE PHONE TO JENNIFER

AND TO THE KIDS

TO TELL THEM ABOUT IT.

I WANTED THEM TO HEAR THAT

FROM ME, NOT THE PRESS.

AND IT WAS,

"PETER'S KILLED HIMSELF."

AND, YOU KNOW, A LONG PAUSE

AT THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE,

AND THEN, YOU KNOW,

LOTS OF TEARS.

I MEAN, IT WAS JUST AWFUL.

THAT DAY WAS A BAD DAY.

I'LL NEVER FORGET IT.

MY MOM SAID SHE HAD

SOME BAD NEWS FOR ME,

AND I BETTER SIT DOWN.

I REMEMBER NOT

BEING ABLE TO FEEL, LIKE,

THE IMPACT OF IT

HAPPENING RIGHT THEN.

I GOT THE PHONE CALL, AND HURLEY

TOLD ME WHAT HAD HAPPENED.

IT WAS PRETTY SHOCKING.

UM...NO.

I DON'T THINK THAT THAT

WOULD HAVE MADE

ONE BIT OF DIFFERENCE.

I THINK THERE WERE SO MANY OTHER

THINGS GOING ON IN HIS MIND

THAT IT MIGHT NOT HAVE

BEEN ON THAT MONDAY.

IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW,

THE NEXT WEEK SOMETHING

WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.

PEOPLE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW

ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH.

THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT

ALL THE THINGS

THAT PEOPLE WERE GOING THROUGH

AND HOW TO LOOK FOR SIGNS OF

WHEN PEOPLE ARE IN DISTRESS.

IF I HAD BEEN TRAINED

IN LOOKING AT SIGNS OF PEOPLE

THAT WERE GONNA, YOU KNOW,

COMMIT SUICIDE,

I WOULD HAVE HAD

THE RED FLAG IN THE AIR.

BUT, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS LOOKED

AT PETER AS BEING PETER.

WE JUST KIND OF DIDN'T SEE IT.

THEY ATTRIBUTED IT

TO MANIC DEPRESSION

AND NOT TAKING HIS MEDICINE,

WHICH WAS LITHIUM, FOR THAT.

HE FELT, "I'M TOO SMART

TO LET MEDICINE

DICTATE MY LIFE."

SMART PEOPLE DON'T ALWAYS

HAVE COMMON SENSE.

"I'M SMARTER THAN THE MEDICINE.

I CAN DEAL WITH THIS MYSELF."

AND HE COULDN'T.

EVERYBODY IN RACING WAS SHOCKED.

THEY ALL REALIZED

THE SCOPE OF THE LOSS.

Chapman: IT JUST HITS YOU

FROM THE BROADSIDE.

I STILL RIGHT NOW --

I GET CERTAIN CHILLS OVER IT.

YOU WASN'T JUST LOSING

AN OWNER OR A COMPANY,

BUT YOU WERE LOSING

A WINNER, A FRIEND.

IT WAS SO UNBELIEVABLE.

Warner: I CAN REMEMBER

MY EXACT RESPONSE.

"I'M SHOCKED,

BUT I'M NOT SURPRISED."

THE GUY HAD ALL THE INGREDIENTS

TO HAVE A WONDERFUL LIFE.

HE WASN'T HAPPY.

France: IT SEEMED LIKE

EVERYTHING WAS SO PERFECT

FROM THE OUTSIDE,

SO WHY WOULD THE GUY THAT LOOKS

LIKE HE'S GOT EVERYTHING,

YOU KNOW, WANT TO ABANDON IT?

Busby:

THERE WAS SOMETHING DEEPER.

PETER BROUGHT WITH HIM

SOMETHING FROM HIS --

PERHAPS HIS CHILDHOOD.

Simon: YOU KNOW, HIS MOTHER

TOOK HER OWN LIFE, TOO,

WHEN HE WAS, LIKE,

SEVEN YEARS OLD.

WHEN PETER WAS BORN,

SHE GOT POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION.

SHE JUMPED IN FRONT

OF THE SUBWAY TRAIN.

UNFORTUNATELY,

ALL THE PIECES FIT TOGETHER,

I MEAN, IT WASN'T LIKE IT WAS

ANY INCREDIBLE ANOMALY.

Simon: HE HAD THE STOP

RACING FOR A WHILE,

AND THEN IT WAS HARD

TO COME BACK,

AS IF HIS SELF-WORTH WAS BASED

ONLY ON WINNING RACES.

I THINK THAT IT WAS

A LOSS OF SELF.

I THINK THAT HE,

ALL OF A SUDDEN,

WASN'T THE WHOLE PETER GREGG

THAT HE HAD INVENTED,

AND HE COULDN'T FALL BACK

AND SAY, "THAT'S WHO I WAS.

I'M PROUD OF IT.

NOW I'M SOMETHING ELSE."

Hurley:

PETER WAS "PETER PERFECT."

HE WAS KIND OF LIKE MY BROTHER,

MY OLDER BROTHER,

AND HE WAS SOMEBODY

THAT I LOOKED UP TO

AND ADMIRED GREATLY.

THROUGH EVERYTHING,

HURLEY LOVED PETER.

HE REALLY DID.

THE LOSS OF PETER

WAS DEVASTATING TO HURLEY.

I THINK IT WAS LIKE HIS LOST

A PART OF HIS FAMILY.

THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT

LEVELS OF LOVE,

BUT I WOULD SAY, YEAH,

I LOVED HIM.

THE BRUMOS THING WAS PETER GREGG

AND HURLEY HAYWOOD AS A TEAM.

NOW IT'S -- NOW WHAT IS IT?

GREEN FLAG,

AND WE'VE GOT THE 12 HOURS

OF SEBRING UNDERWAY.

Hurley: JUST TWO MONTHS

AFTER PETER DIED,

I WON MY SECOND SEBRING IN 1981.

HE WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD,

BUT NOT TO HAVE HIM AROUND WAS

KIND OF A REALLY STRANGE THING.

Announcer #2: NUMBER 3 COMING UP

HARD AND FAST,

HURLEY HAYWOOD NOW DRIVING.

Hurley: TWO YEARS LATER, I WAS ABLE

TO HAVE MY SECOND WIN AT LE MANS

IN 1983.

IN 1991, I WAS ON TRACK

TO WIN MY FIFTH WIN AT DAYTONA.

IF I CAN WIN IT TODAY,

AND THIS WILL MAKE FIVE WINS

AT THIS RACETRACK,

AND NOBODY'S EVER DONE THAT.

IT WOULD ALSO GIVE ME THE LEAD

IN THE ALL-TIME,

THE CLASSIC RACES, WHICH IS

HERE, DAYTONA, AND LE MANS.

DAYTONA HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME

OVER THE YEARS,

AND IT'S ONLY

70 MILES FROM HOME.

I'VE GOT A LOT OF FRIENDS

THAT COME DOWN.

AND SO PATIENCE

PROVED TO BE PRUDENT,

AND I'M SITTING IN VICTORY LANE.

Hurley: WITHOUT PETER,

I PROBABLY NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN

ABLE TO WIN ALL THE RACES

THAT I WON.

I GIVE HIM COMPLETE CREDIT

FOR ALLOWING ME

THE OPPORTUNITY

TO DEVELOP THE WAY I DEVELOPED.

PETER WAS ALWAYS MY FRIEND.

YOU KNOW, THERE WAS GOOD TIMES

AND BAD TIMES,

BUT HE WAS STILL, YOU KNOW,

SOMEBODY THAT WAS HUGELY

INSTRUMENTAL

IN MY ENTIRE CAREER.

WITHOUT PETER, NOBODY WOULD KNOW

WHO HURLEY HAYWOOD WAS TODAY.

I REALLY MEAN THAT, SERIOUSLY.

AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR HIM

FOR THAT.

OH, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

IT SEEMS LIKE

THE MINUTES ARE RUSHING AWAY

AFTER WE WERE COUNTING

THE HOURS...

ONCE I SORT OF

CUED UP THE FACT THAT HE,

YOU KNOW, HAD A PARTNER

AND HAD A GREAT HOUSE TOGETHER

IN JACKSONVILLE,

AND THAT THEY HAD BEEN

TOGETHER FOR A WHILE,

SOMEONE SAID SOMETHING TO ME

ABOUT,

"WATCH WHICH HAND

HIS RING IS ON."

I WANTED SOMETHING TO SAY

WE WERE COMMITTED,

SO I SAID,

"WELL, LET'S -- I'LL GET A RING,

AND THEN WE'LL BOTH

HAVE A RING."

AND IT REALLY NEVER OCCURRED

TO ME, BUT THAT IT WOULD --

IT WOULD SWITCH.

HE WOULD SWITCH IT

WHEN HE WAS SORT OF

AT A MORE FORMAL

DRIVING-TYPE EVENT,

AND WHEN IT WAS MORE OF

A CASUAL, YOU KNOW, DINNER OUT.

AT THAT TIME, WE BOTH WORE THEM

ON OUR RIGHT HAND,

AND, ACTUALLY, THIS IS FIT

MY RIGHT HAND.

IT FALLS OFF MY LEFT HAND.

WE WERE AT A WEDDING ONE TIME,

AND HURLEY WAS GOING

TO DO A TOAST.

HE DID THE TOAST.

AND I REMEMBER THERE WERE

TWO MEN IN THE CROWD,

AND ONE OF THEM SAID

SOMETHING LIKE,

"WHAT DOES HE KNOW

ABOUT MARRIAGE?"

I THINK IT WAS PRETTY CLEAR

THAT HIS INFERENCE WAS

THAT BECAUSE HURLEY WAS GAY,

THAT HE COULD NOT SPEAK

FROM ANY AUTHORITY

ABOUT LOVE OR MARRIAGE.

AND I REALLY WANTED

TO SAY TO THE GUY,

"HE KNOWS A LOT MORE ABOUT LOVE

THAN YOU'LL EVER KNOW."

IN MY MIND,

THEY WERE ALREADY MARRIED.

BUT I KNOW IT WAS IMPORTANT TO

THEM TO BE ABLE TO LEGALLY WED.

Hurley: WHETHER YOU'RE MARRIED,

WHETHER YOU'RE SINGLE,

EVERY RACING DRIVER SACRIFICES

IN SOME ELEMENT OF THEIR LIFE.

I LOVE BEING HOME,

AND THAT'S WHERE STEVE IS.

WHEN YOU LEAVE THAT ENVIRONMENT,

YOU'RE SACRIFICING.

YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE THERE.

AND I'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR,

YOU KNOW, GOD KNOWS HOW LONG.

BUT RACING, FOR ME,

IS LIKE A LOVE STORY.

I MEAN, IT'S JUST --

IT'S SOMETHING THAT

WHEN YOU HAVE A REALLY GREAT CAR

AND A GREAT TEAM BEHIND YOU

AND GREAT DRIVERS

THAT YOU'RE DRIVING WITH,

IT'S AN HONOR.

TWO AND A HALF

MINUTES TO GO...

OH, MY.

ONE MORE LAP.

AFTER 23 HOURS AND 59 MINUTES,

IT'S JUST ONE MORE LAP.

IT'S JUST SO GREAT TO BE HERE,

TO BE A PART OF THIS SPORT,

AND HERE WITH BRUMOS

AND WITH PORSCHE

AND THEIR SUPPORT.

AND WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT

PORSCHE,

YOU TALK ABOUT

HURLEY HAYWOOD, TOO.

AND HIS ADVICE HAS REALLY

HELPED US SURVIVE THIS.

BOB WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD.

I'M GLAD IT'S OVER.

THAT WAS TOO MUCH STRESS

FOR NOT BEING IN THE CAR,

I'LL TELL YOU THAT.

HURLEY'S LEGACY

IS HIS UNDERSTATED SUCCESS.

Posey: WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A GUY

WHO'S MADE HIS MARK

IN ABOUT THE QUIETEST WAY

YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE.

Dempsey: IN EVERY GENERATION,

THERE'S ONE ATHLETE

WHO JUST SURPASSES

EVERYBODY ELSE,

AND HURLEY WAS

THAT DRIVER OF THAT ERA.

THAT'S NO JUDGMENT THERE

BECAUSE IT'S PROVEN.

AND I THINK HE FOUND A SPORT

THAT WAS JUST LIKE

QUINTESSENTIAL MALE MACHISMO,

AND HE PROVED THAT ALL WRONG.

Long: HURLEY HAYWOOD IS

ONE OF THE HOUSEHOLD NAMES

IN SPORTS-CAR RACING WORLDWIDE,

BUT ESPECIALLY FOR AN AMERICAN,

HE'S A LEGEND IN MY EYES,

AND TO EVEN HAVE HIM

RECOGNIZE ME

OR CALL ME BY MY FIRST NAME,

AS A KID, YOU JUST SEE

THESE GUYS ON TV,

BUT TODAY, HE'S SOMEONE

I GO TO ADVICE.

Dempsey:

NOW HE'S A MENTOR TO PEOPLE.

HE'S A GOOD COACH, AND HE'S

AN AMBASSADOR OF THE SPORT.

ARE YOU READY?

GO.

THE CREAM RISES TO THE TOP,

AND HURLEY ROSE TO THE TOP.

ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT

KNOWS US KNOWS WE'RE A COUPLE

AND HAVE BEEN FOR,

YOU KNOW, NOW 25 YEARS.

BUT IT IS HARD TO SAY TODAY,

YOU KNOW,

THAT HURLEY IS MY HUSBAND.

I CAN'T SAY THAT TODAY AT WORK,

EVEN THOUGH I'M IN A VERY

OPENLY SUPPORTIVE ORGANIZATION

FOR GLBTQ.

I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE

BECAUSE I KIND OF WORRY ABOUT

HIS FANS AND, YOU KNOW,

HIS LEGACY, AND HOW IT MAY

BE REPRESENTED.

I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU

FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS.

WELL, HERE I AM.

OH, MY GOD.

CAN YOU SIGN IT?

- SURE.

- OH, MY GOD.

TO ANYBODY SPECIAL

OR JUST MY NAME?

OH, TO DANNY.

YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND.

MY HUSBAND ADORES YOU.

HIS CAR IS THE SAME

COLOR SCHEME AS YOURS.

- REALLY?

- OH, MY GOD.

IF HE COMES OUT

AND HE'S MILITANT,

I THINK IT KILLS HIM.

IF HE COMES OUT AND

HE'S GRACEFUL AND HE'S HURLEY

AND SAYS, "THIS IS MY LIFE.

THIS IS THE SECRET

THAT I'VE LIVED.

I DON'T WANT TO WEAR IT

AS A BADGE OF HONOR,

AND I'M NOT GONNA WEAR

A SCARLET RIBBON."

BUT IF HE COMES OUT AND HE'S

A MILITANT GAY ACTIVIST,

I THINK IT HURTS HIM.

Long: HIS SEXUALITY

OR HIS PRIVATE LIFE

IS NOT THE FIRST THING

THAT COMES UP.

THERE'S NOT

MANY QUESTIONS FOR ME

BECAUSE IT DOESN'T CHANGE MUCH.

IT REALLY DOESN'T.

THE TIMES HAVE CHANGED.

WHY KEEP IT HIDDEN.

WHO CARES?

I WOULD HOPE THAT

HURLEY'S COMING OUT

WOULD ADD TO HIS LEGACY.

I GUESS I DON'T WANT TO SEE

HURLEY'S INCREDIBLE SUCCESS

IN HIS INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY

AND KNOWN THE WORLD OVER,

FROM CORPORATE BOARD ROOMS

TO RACE-FAN KIDS --

I DON'T WANT HIM TO BECOME

MORE FAMOUS BECAUSE HE'S GAY.

I WOULD NOT GET ON A SOAPBOX.

Dempsey:

I THINK IT'S EVEN TOUGH NOW

TO BE TALKING ABOUT

HOMOSEXUALITY IN MOTORSPORT.

AND THIS IS A SPORT I LOVE.

I'M NOT SURE TIMES

HAVE CHANGED THAT MUCH.

IT TAKES ONE PERSON

TO SORT OF STAND UP

AND GO AGAINST THE GROUP

AND STAND AS AN INDIVIDUAL.

IT TAKES GREAT COURAGE.

Hurley: PEOPLE WILL SAY,

"WELL, WHY,

AT THIS STAGE OF THE GAME,

DO YOU FEEL THAT IT'S IMPORTANT

TO COME OUT TO YOUR PUBLIC?"

PETER'S LOSS WAS A HUGE

EMOTIONAL BLOW TO ME.

HE COMMITTED SUICIDE, AND HE

COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED BY...

TALKING...

IF WE HAD

THE RIGHT TOOLS TO LISTEN.

I WAS IN MY OFFICE,

AND THE TELEPHONE RANG,

AND IT WAS A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR.

HE WAS GAY, AND HE STARTS

ON THIS STORY LINE

OF HIM BEING BULLIED

ALL OF HIS LIFE,

AND EVERY MORNING HE WAKES UP

AND HE THINKS, YOU KNOW,

"I'M GONNA COMMIT SUICIDE."

AND I SAID, "LISTEN...

...IT'S NOT HARD TO LOOK AT YOU

AND SEE WHERE

YOU'RE COMING FROM.

TURN THAT AROUND AND MAKE THAT

A POSITIVE THING FOR YOU.

THERE'S ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE

IN THIS WORLD WHO ARE GAY

THAT ARE IN

EVERY KIND OF PROFESSION

THAT YOU CAN THINK OF.

I'M AT THE HEIGHT

OF MY PROFESSION RIGHT NOW,

AND I'M GAY,

SO YOU CAN DO ANYTHING

THAT YOU WANT TO DO

IF YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO IT."

ABOUT A YEAR LATER,

HIS MOTHER CALLED,

AND SHE SAID,

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO I AM,

BUT YOU TALKED TO MY SON

ABOUT A YEAR AGO.

I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU THAT

YOU PROBABLY SAVED HIS LIFE."

AND THAT'S A REALLY HEAVY THING

TO HEAR FROM A MOTHER.

YOU KNOW, THAT WAS -- MM.

I GET CHOKED UP

WHEN I EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT.

IT HAS TO DO WITH GIVING

A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

TO SOMEBODY THAT MIGHT BE YOUNG

THAT'S GOING THROUGH THE THINGS

THAT I WENT THROUGH

WHEN I WAS YOUNG.

I'M LUCKY I'M STILL HERE.

WHERE WOULD HAVE BEEN

SILENT IN THE PAST,

I NOW SAY, "OKAY,

IT'S TIME TO BE VOCAL ABOUT IT,

AND IT'S TIME TO GIVE BACK."

IT ISN'T ALWAYS ABOUT

WINNING THE RACE.

SOMETIMES IT'S ABOUT

HAVING HAPPINESS IN YOUR LIFE

AND BEING ABLE

TO BE TRUE TO YOURSELF.

WHEN NEW YORK PASSED THE LAW

FOR GAY MARRIAGE,

AND IT WAS OPEN TO ANYONE...

Hurley: WE SAID,

"OKAY, YOU KNOW, LET'S DO IT."

Hill: ON A BRIGHT SUNNY DAY

IN THE MIDDLE OF CENTRAL PARK...

IT WAS A PERFECT DAY.

O'Meara: I THINK WE ALL FELT

VERY TOUCHED.

IT WAS A BIG STEP FOR THEM

TO BE ABLE TO LEGALLY WED.

WHEN THEY EXCHANGED THEIR VOWS

AND COULD TRULY DO THAT,

WAS I EMOTIONAL? YES.

Hurley: THAT WAS SORT OF

THE INDIRECT PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE

OF THAT LOVE

THAT WE SHARE FOR EACH OTHER.

WELL, THEY WOULDN'T BE SECRETS

IF I TOLD YOU,

SO I'M NOT GONNA

TELL YOU EVERYTHING.

THE WHOLE PROCESS

OF ACCEPTING SOMETHING --

THE PROCESS GETS EASIER

AS TIME GOES ON.

I THINK AS HISTORY

STARTS TO UNFOLD,

THAT PEOPLE WILL MAYBE

LOOK AT ME DIFFERENTLY.

I AM HAPPY WHO I AM.

I AM REALLY LUCKY

TO HAVE THE PEOPLE

THAT I HAVE IN MY LIFE

THAT ARE CLOSE TO ME,

AND I WOULD NOT TRADE

THAT IN FOR ANYTHING,

PERIOD.

PeG@SuS

Urang Sunda Asli