“Absolutely one of the all-time greats,” Elford’s friend Dario Franchitti told RACER. “In ‘68 he won Monte Carlo rally then a week later 24 Hours of Daytona — mind-blowing enough, but later that year, he won the Targa and scored F1 points in a fairly average car, that really showed what he could do. He was one of the few to tame the 917 in its original spec — he was special behind the wheel. When I asked him about it, he didn’t see it as a big deal.”
“I loved his very forthright opinions!” Franchitti added. “When I was still driving, I enjoyed our email exchanges in the days following a race. If it went well, there was a ‘well done,’ if it didn’t, he’d certainly let you know what he thought of it all! I will miss getting to sit with him at the historic racing events we both attended. Such a special man. Unfortunately, another of the greats from that golden generation is gone.”
A tearful Patrick Long, America’s longest tenured Porsche factory driver, shared his love for Elford, who served as an ally and mentor for the larger portion of his career.
“What an era to be a legend, to be a king, but it’s just the softer side of Vic, that is the most important part for me,” Long said. “The impact he had, hearing his tales, and seeing his face light up as he told stories of being in Corsica and defying odds, his love for his partner Anita, and all the excitement he brought to festivities around Porsche. It’s just the light that he brought into the room. How could he be such an icon, but with so much humility, so much love? He just touched people differently than so many icons of any sport. And that’s the part that’s in my thoughts today.”
“That still keeps you in awe,” Long added. “He was just someone that you always looked forward to sharing time with. He never ever had a bad day, and never had a day where he didn’t feel like talking with or spending time with a complete stranger. That’s such a remarkable and unique blend for someone who is so unprecedented.”
“Vic was really, really special,” Juan Pablo Montoya said. “He taught me a lot of stuff at the Skip Barber school. He was probably the first guy that really gave me an idea of what I needed to do. He gave me very basic understandings of the car. He simplified it for me. He was really nice and we always had a great relationship.”
