It’s sometime easy to loose sight of the fact that the heroes of racing are, by and large, just people. Like us they eat food (sometimes too much!), they pull their Nomex on one leg at a time and, just like us, they sometimes have weird family issues.
However, in the case of some of our heroes, those family issues can be much more weird than yours and mine.
The most recent—and depressing—example of this came to light in late July, when an Argentinean judge ordered that the body of famed World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio be exhumed on August 7th. So why on earth, you might ask, should the body of “The Maestro” be desecrated some 20 years after it was laid to rest? Well, according to a report by Argentina’s Diario La Vanguardia a 77-year-old Argentinean by the name of Oscar “Cacho” Espinosa, claims that “The Maestro” was his father.
Prior to the recent court action it was widely known in the motorsport community that Fangio had never married, and presumably, never fathered any children. However, it was also known that for 20 years, from 1940–1960, Fangio had a steady lady-friend by the name of Andrea “Beba” Berruet. As you’ve likely surmised by now, Berruet is Oscar Espinosa’s mother. While Espinosa remained mum about his supposed famous papa for some 70 years, back on December 24, 2000, Espinosa made his first claim to Fangio’s paternity in Argentina’s daily newspaper Ole. Now, 15 years later, Espinosa has petitioned the court to dig poor Fangio up and perform DNA testing to prove his lineage. Why now? Why after 77 years (the last 20 of which Fangio has been dead) go to the trouble? The cynic in me says it has to be for money. While not exorbitantly wealthy, Fangio did own land and car dealerships among other assets, but after 20 years, whether Espinosa could lay any claim to those will presumably be up to attorneys to decide. Sadly, Fangio is not the only legend that has had to endure such indignation after his death. Many may remember, just three years ago the saga of Fangio’s contemporary, Carroll Shelby.
Shelby passed away in 2012, at the age of 89, at Texas’s Baylor University hospital. However, right after his death a tug of war erupted between Shelby’s three children and his seventh wife Cleo over the disposition of his remains. For almost four months, Shelby languished in a Dallas area morgue, while the family battled over where and how to lay him to rest. Finally, in late July, a bizarre agreement was reached whereby the father of the Cobra would be cremated and 20% of his ashes would be given to wife Cleo, each of his three children would receive 20% and the final 20% would be buried in his parent’s family plot in Leesburg, Texas! But lest you think that these indignities only befall famous, deceased racers, wait till you hear the tale of Ernst Hrabalek and his son Chris.
Back in May, I received one of the strangest press releases I’ve ever seen. It came from a British law firm representing Chris Hrabalek. Apparently, the younger Hrabalek had sued his father Ernst over the ownership of a quartet of significant Lancia Stratos road and racecars, which he claimed his father gave him as a gift. According to the release, “Ernst Hrabalek claimed that he had merely allowed his son repeatedly to borrow the cars over a 15-year period, whereas Chris Hrabalek believed that his father had gifted the cars to him in 2000, when Chris had completed his first degree.”…First World problems, right?
What was stunning to me was that this professionally produced press release (with supporting photos no less!) was sent out when the younger Hrabalek lost his case! The release quotes Chris Hrabalek as saying, “Court cases are always upsetting, but ten times more so when it involves close family members. I am very disappointed at the outcome of the trial. This dispute between my father and me has been ongoing for over four years and has spanned three countries. The fact that the outcome was favorable to me in Austria and Germany makes this High Court ruling in England particularly hard. While my overriding feeling is one of deep, personal sadness over the rift this has caused with my father, I still believe that I am the rightful owner of these cars and will continue to pursue my claim to the cars – starting first by seeking permission to appeal the High Court’s decision and then with consideration of possible remedies abroad.” Wow. I can only imagine what Christmas at the Hrabalek’s will be like this year!
The Who famously sang that “The Kids are Alright,” but if the above is any indication, in the racing world, sometimes the kids are definitely not alright.
