1960 - Sebring, FL, (FIA) Championship, Jim Hughes Fatal Crash, UPI Telephoto for Sale

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1960 - Sebring, FL, (FIA) Championship, Jim Hughes Fatal Crash, UPI Telephoto For Sale

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1960 - Sebring, FL, (FIA) Championship, Jim Hughes Fatal Crash, UPI Telephoto:
$199.99

Description of item up for sale:
1960 - Sebring, FL, (FIA) Championship, Jim Hughes Fatal Crash, UPI Telephoto
Photograph is 9\" x 7\"
(As Pictured)
Jim HughesComplete name:James Emmett HughesBirth date:28.Jul.1930Birth Place:unknown, KS, United StatesDeath date:26.Mar.1960Death Place:Sebring, Highlands County, FL, United StatesNationality:United StatesGender:maleAge at death:29Event date:26.Mar.1960Series:Fédération Internationale de l\'Automobile (FIA) World Sports Car ChampionshipRace:10th Annual 12 Hours of Sebring - International Grand Prix of Endurance for the Amoco TrophyEvent type:raceCountry:United States (Florida)Venue:Sebring International RacewayVariant:8.368-kilometer road course (1952-1966)Role:driverVehicle type:carVehicle sub-type:sportscarVehicle brand/model:Lotus EliteVehicle number:56

Notes:
On the sixth lap of the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring, Jim Hughes lost the brakes of his Lotus Elite as he approached the Hairpin and headed for the runoff area, where the photographerGeorge Thompsonof the Tampa (Florida) Tribune newspaper had set up his tripod. Hughes swerved, unfortunately in vain, to avoid hitting the photographer, but rolled his car. Both men were killed in the accident.According to another source, the photographer was in an off-limits escape road and he had been asked to leave that area by an official but had declined to do so; this has not been confirmed. Witnesses to the accident reported that Jim Hughes\'s car was already in a wild spin when it struck Thompson, although Hughes apparently made an attempt to swerve his car at the last second. It was not possible to define at what point Hughes lost complete control.Winners of the race were Hans Herrmann-Olivier Gendebienin a Porsche 718 RS60.Jim Hughes, father of three, was a resident of Napa, California, where he managed an European car dealership. He had started his career in 1953, competing in sportscar races in California. This was his first start in the 12 Hours of Sebring. He was scheduled to share his Lotus Cars USA-entered car withSammy Weiss, but the accident happened before Weiss could drive the car in the race. Weiss would be killed in California during a practice accident at Laguna Seca just two months later.
Researcher\'s note: Newspapers incorrectly reported Hughes to be 39 years old. The Social Security Death Index indicates that James Hughes was 29 years old at time of death.

Sources:

U.S. Veterans\' Gravesites, ca.1775-2006.
Social Security Death Index.
California, San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1895-1985.
Florida Death Index, 1960.
Book \"The International Motor Racing Guide\", by Peter Higham, David Bull Publishing, Phoenix, United States, ISBN 1-893618-20-X, pages 370 and 378.
Book \"Albo della Gloria: Al Piloti Caduti in Tutto il Mondo al Loro Posto di Combattimento\", by Emanuele Carli, Modena, Italy, 1972, page 47 [surname is incorrectly spelled as \'Hugues\', date is two days off].
Book \"The History of America\'s Speedways - Past & Present\", by Allan E. Brown, third edition, first printing, November 2003, America\'s Speedways, PO Box 448, Comstock Park, MI, 49321-0448, United States, ISBN 0-931105-61-7, page 208.
Book \"Sieg im Grand Prix\", by H.Nußbaumer [B1].
Book \"Time And Two Seats\", by János L. Wimpffen [B1].
Book \"Sebring\", by K. Breslauer [B1].
Newspaper MotoRacing, Vol. 5, No. 11, (April 1-8, 1960) [T1].
Newspaper Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL, United States), issue of 27 March 1960, page 11, article \"Flora Man Killed During Sebring Race\".
Newspaper Journal de Genève (Genève, Switzerland), issue of Monday, 28 March 1960, article \"La paire Gendebien - Herrmann gagne les deuze heures de Sebring; Un accident: deux morts!\", page 8, retrieved by website http://www.letempsarchives.ch .
Website 1960 results, page .
Website Facebook - Glory Days of Racing, page .
Website World Sports Racing Prototypes, by Martin Krejčí, page http://wsrp.ic.cz/wsc1960.html#2 .
Website AUTOSPORT → Forums → The Nostalgia Forum, thread \"Speed\'s Ultimate Price: The Toll\", page 38, posting by \"Mike Argetsinger\", message citing Associated Press wire report.
Website AUTOSPORT → Forums → The Nostalgia Forum, thread \"Speed\'s Ultimate Price: The Toll\", page 39, posting by \"Doug Nye\", message .
Website Motor Racing Circuits, by Daniel King, page .
WebsiteFind-A-Grave: James Emmett Hughes.
E-mail by Hans-Hugo Boecker dated 13 May 2004, citing [B1]
E-mail by Jim Thurman, dated 01 December 2005, citing [T1].