Carl Haas, who died on Thursday, has been described as an 'American auto racing impresario'. It is a perfect description. Not only did Haas run successful teams in several branches of the sport, he also looked the part thanks to a large cigar permanently clamped between his teeth. In partnership with the actor Paul Newman, Indycar racing provided the most fertile ground for Newman/Haas Racing with no less than eight championships.
The F1 fraternity got to know Haas when he ran the Beatrice/Haas team in association with Ford in 1985 and 1986, and several years later when Nigel Mansell crossed the Atlantic to win the Indycar title for Newman/Haas in 1993. Haas may have been an extremely tough negotiator but anyone who knew him had nothing but affection for the man and respect for an extremely professional team that strived to have the best in everything.
Haas had his eccentricities to go with a keen sense of humour. I first became aware of him in Montreal in 1980. The Canadian Grand Prix back then was the penultimate race of the season and the championship had come down to a tough head-to-head between Alan Jones of Williams and Brabham's Nelson Piquet.
On race morning, I stood in the pit lane and watched with bemusement as this strange figure with a cigar was moving around Jones's car, touching every part of the FW07B. Jones's number 1 mechanic, Wayne Eckersley, nearly had a fit but Frank restrained the straight-talking Aussie and quietly explained that this laying on of hands was a ritual carried out by Haas on his own cars before each race. There was no harm in it. Jones had won the Can-Am championship for Haas in 1978 and, if that's what Carl wanted to do for his former driver, let him go ahead.
Strangely enough, within seconds of the start, Piquet and Jones collided. The Brabham was damaged. The Williams was not. The switch to the spare Brabham for the restart would be Piquet's downfall while Jones raced on with his intact car to take the title.
Many great names raced for Haas and every one of them has a kindly tale to tell. None more so than Mario Andretti, who won 18 races and the 1984 IndyCar title for the man from Chicago. Over dinner at Milwaukee one year, Andretti got into talking about Haas and recalled that his boss had a fetish for shoes. He had hundreds of pairs. At a party one year, a couple of mechanics were quietly exploring the house when they came across the room with row upon row of shoes neatly racked, many still in their boxes and never worn.
Purloining a pair each, they carefully wrapped them and, for fun, presented them to the boss as Christmas presents. Haas was deeply moved by the fact that his guys had gone to trouble of not only finding the style and colours he liked but also the correct size. He was so close to tears, they didn't have the heart to tell him.
Paying tribute yesterday, Andretti said: "Carl had a heart of gold and a deep commitment to our sport. He earned the respect and admiration of his competitors and all those who drove for him through the years for being tenacious yet fair. Carl always sought the best equipment, the best drivers and the best team personnel. When I recall the joys of my whole career, I have to include my tenure at Newman/Haas because of the people. Spending 12 seasons with Carl and (wife) Berni and Paul Newman was amazing, triumphant, relentless work and heartwarming. All of it. The sport has lost a colorful character, but Carl Haas is unforgettable. Myself and so many others have lost a dear friend."