UNITED STATES: Racing Legend Dead at 87
Funeral arrangements for three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser have not been announced as of press time.
Daughter Jeri Unser said, at 10 a.m. Mountain Time Monday that Bobby, 87, had died in his ranch home here Sunday of natural causes.
The brother of four-time 500 winner Al, Sr. had several health issues the last decade, confining him to a wheelchair. “Uncle Bobby,” however, had been making several public events, including the wintertime Chili Bowl at Tulsa.
The twice USAC Indycar champion, 1975 IROC and ’93 Fastmasters champion and 10-time Pikes Peak Hillclimb winner became for his drive for a technical advantage, outspokenness and sense of humor within his driving and commentary careers.
Robert William Unser, who was born Feb. 20, 1934 in Colorado Springs, CO. the third oldest of four brothers, was a second-generation racer. Uncle Louis was a three-time Pikes Peak winner under AAA and USAC sanction. Father Jerry, Sr. and the late uncle Joe also ran at Pikes Peak.
Bobby, once he got the Pikes Peak bug, left an Albuquerque high school at 15 to run there, Rosewell Speedway and the Mexican Carrera Panamerica. The local track champion was quite content to run there plus in USAC, IMCA and CRA midget, sprint and stock cars until Parnelli Jones asked him to try entering the Indianapolis 500 in the early 1960s.
“Bobby U” became one of a now-precious few Indycar drivers who have driven front-engined roadsters (including the legendary NOVI) and rear-engined ground effects cars. He racked up 35 career USAC-CART Indycar race victories for fifth on the all-time list. That total includes 1968, ’75 and ’81 500s.
The Unser who was also a winner in USAC stock cars and competitive in NASCAR now-Cup, SCCA F5000 saw the five-month controversy of his ’81 “500” victory first leave the cockpit in the winter of 1981-82. He became a driving coach and a broadcast racing commentator.
Unser, Paul Page and Sam Posey combined with ABC Sports to win a 1989 Emmy for “Outstanding Live Sports Special” for their coverage of the 1989 500.
Unser, by then, had driven and developed an Audi Quattro to his final Pikes Peak victory in 1986. He was a Porsche 962 sports prototype driver in the 1991 24 Hours of Daytona. (Unser ran a BRM P138 in the 1969 Watkins Glen F1 GP until its engine failed.)
He coached sons Bobby, Jr. in the 1980s, Robby in the 2000s and Jeri 1990s-2000s. He was also inducted into the Motorsports and IMS halls of fame.
Third wife Lisa, daughter Cindy and nephews Al Unser, Jr. and Al III are also among his survivors.
This report features a submission from Walter Elliott.
SOUTH AMERICA: Police Clash with Protesters in Colombia
The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) on May 4 voiced deep alarm over the violence in the city of Cali in Colombia overnight, as a number of people were reportedly killed and wounded when police opened fire on demonstrators.
Spokesperson Marta Hurtado said that the OHCHR office in Colombia is working to verify the exact number of casualties, and establish how the incident came about in Cali.
“We express our profound shock at the events there and stress our solidarity with those who have lost their lives, as well as the injured and their families,” she said.
Ms. Hurtado added that human rights defenders also reported having been harassed and threatened.
The protests, which began last Wednesday with a general strike over proposed tax reforms, continued despite an announcement from the Colombian presidency on Sunday that the reform bill would be removed from Congress. The Finance Minister is also reported to have resigned.
According to the UN human rights office, the majority of the protests so far have been peaceful, but it has received allegations of at least 14 deaths in different parts of Colombia, including at least one police officer, since the demonstrations started.
There were also calls for a “massive demonstration” in response.
“Given the extremely tense situation, with soldiers as well as police officers deployed to police the protest, we call for calm,” the OHCHR spokesperson said.
EUROPE: Talks Underway to Resume Travel
Work to enable the safe return to international travel is being discussed at a meeting of transport ministers hosted by UK government Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
The virtual meeting brought together transport ministers from the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the EU Commission to identify common goals and principles that will help develop globally recognized travel standards for when international travel reopens. This includes best practices for sharing scientific data and promoting coordination on universally recognized travel certificates.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “If we’re to safely and sustainably restart international travel on a global scale, we need a robust, accessible and coordinated approach.
“That’s why I’ve brought together my G7 counterparts to identify shared goals, address challenges we may face and progress work on a coordinated approach that will allow us to build back better as we look to the future.
At the meeting, the Secretary of State also outlined the UK government’s approach to reopening international travel through the recommendations of the Global Travel Taskforce report. Published last month, the report sets out a framework to restart international travel from May 17 at the earliest through the introduction of a traffic light system.
As part of this, the UK government continues to play a leading role in the development of international standards around digital travel certifications. Work continues across the UK government to prioritize a solution to enable passengers to prove their COVID-19 status for vaccines for outbound travel to another country.
AFRICA: Election Agreement Reinstalled
A week after a stunning outbreak of violence, it appears that civility has returned to one African nation.
On May 2, the United Nations Secretary-General welcomed the decision by the Lower House of Somalia’s Federal Parliament to nullify a special law and to return to the Sept. 17 Electoral Agreement that will allow for indirect presidential and parliamentary elections.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his call on all Somali stakeholders to “resume dialogue immediately and forge a consensual agreement on the holding of inclusive elections without further delay.”
“(The Secretary-General) stresses the importance of a broad-based consensus for the country’s stability,” the statement added.
The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) also welcomed the Lower House’s decision to reinstate the electoral agreement.
A “Special Law on Federal Elections” was adopted by the Lower House in April, allowing for the extension of term of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed for a period of two years, after the term officially ended in February.
The extension prompted fighting between pro-Government and opposition supporters in the capital Mogadishu as well as in other parts of the country, amid worries that extremist group al Shabaab could exploit the divisions, according to media reports.
Reports also said that tens of thousands of people fled their homes fearing for their safety following the violence.
CARIBBEAN: $20 Million in Cocaine Seized
The Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon crew offloaded nearly $20 million in seized cocaine at Coast Guard Base San Juan last month, following the interdiction of a suspected drug smuggling vessel, approximately 45 nautical miles north of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
A Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Branch maritime patrol aircraft crew detected a vessel, with three people aboard suspected of drug trafficking. The Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark and a Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter responded to intercept the vessel.
The Coast Guard Jayhawk aircrew successfully stopped the vessel. Following the interdiction, it was discovered one of the suspected smugglers was injured and needed to be medevaced.
A Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin aircrew transported the person to a hospital in Puerto Rico to receive further medical care.
The Paul Clark crew embarked the two remaining suspected smugglers and recovered close to 18 bales, which weighed approximately 1,052 pounds and tested positive for cocaine.
The three suspects are two men and a woman, Dominican Republic nationals, who are facing possible federal prosecution on drug trafficking criminal charges.
Department of Justice partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico are leading prosecution efforts in this case.
“Stopping illegal drug trafficking vessels like the one interdicted Saturday is inherently dangerous and involves a high level of skill and risk,” said Capt. Gregory H. Magee, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan.
“These vessels represent a serious threat to the Caribbean region. The professionalism of the interdicting crews and strong partnerships with federal, local and regional law enforcement led to the apprehension of three smugglers and seizure of a major drug shipment in our shared resolve to protect the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from this threat.”
The interdiction resulted from multi-agency efforts in support of U.S. Southern Command’s enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the Western Hemisphere, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) programs, and the DEA Caribbean Division Financial Investigative Team (FIT).
“This Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation is one of several cases targeting Transnational Criminal Organizations operating out of South America, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico,” said A.J. Collazo, DEA Caribbean Division Special Agent in Charge.
“DEA will continue to work alongside other federal agencies as more seizures like this one can be expected.”
