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Well-known professional racing driver Gil de Ferran passed away at the age of 56 on Friday, December 29, 2023. Gil suffered a heart attack at The Concourse Club in Opa-locka, Florida, where he and his son Luke were racing, according to the Associated Press.
De Ferran was married to Angela de Ferran. The racing driver lived with his wife and two children, Anna and Luke, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a long time.
Social media platforms were flooded with tributes when the news of De Ferran's demise became public. Auto racing organization Team Penske paid tribute to the deceased through a Facebook post,
"Gil defined class as a driver and as a gentleman. As an Indycar champion and an Indianapolis 500 winner, Gil accomplished so much during his career, both on and off the track," part of the statement reads.
Automotive manufacturer Honda Racing/HPD shared a statement on behalf of HRC US president David Salters, saying that Gil was an important part of the "Honda racing family" and had a special place in their lives.
"Listening to him recount his closed-course record run at Fontana raised the hair on the back of my neck and does once again now, an extremely talented man and brilliant racer. He also played multiple, vital roles off-track for Honda over the years."
Gil de Ferran was the father of two children
Gil de Ferran first met his wife, Angela de Ferran, when she was a member of Paul Stewart's racing team, as per The Sun. She is also a yoga teacher, and her family has been operating a company that publishes Motoring News, a motorsports journal.
Gil and Angela also had two children named Anna Ferran and Luke Ferran. While details about Luke remain unknown, Anna is a recording artist and DJ, as per The Sun.
Anna had once performed in one of the seasons of the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2014. According to Autoweek, Anna was only 13 years old when she began to write and perform.
The outlet reported that the 2014 event was held at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Gil also expressed his happiness regarding the same, saying that it was the best opportunity for his daughter.
"Although it will be very daunting for her, it will also be a familiar setting with lots of familiar faces. She has been brought up in and around the motorsport community and attended her first race as a tiny baby in 1995," Gil de Ferran revealed at the time.
Gil de Ferran emerged as the winner of various championships throughout his career
According to his biography on Historic Racing, the French-Brazilian professional racing car driver and his family arrived in Sao Paulo when he was a child. He started his career during the 1980s and grabbed the fourth and third spots at the Formula 3000 in 1993 and 1994, respectively.
De Ferran soon started to participate in F1 championships and finished 14th in 1995. He held a record of top-ten finishes, and starting in 1997, he got involved with the Derrick Walker/Valvoline team. While his performance was affected due to some issues in 1998, he returned the following year by winning another championship in Portland.
In 2000, Gil de Ferran joined Penske Racing and emerged as the winner of the 87th Indianapolis 500, held in 2003. He was the winner of the British Formula Three championship in 1992, and he later served as the sporting director for BAR-Honda.
