Gil De Ferran Dies: Brazilian-French Indy 500 Champion Was 56

Armando Tinoco
·2 min read
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Gil de Ferran, a French-born Brazilian race car driver who won the 2003 Indianapolis 500 championship, has died. He was 56.

De Ferran died in Opa-Locka, Florida, following a stroke, according to the Brazilian Automobile Confederation (CBA). According to a statement shared online, De Ferran was rushed to the hospital on Dec. 29 following the medical emergency but did not survive.

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“On behalf of myself and the entire CBA family, we pray to God to receive our brother with all the glories and support his family, friends and millions of fans around the world,” Giovanni Guerra, the CBA president, said in a statement.

De Ferran was born in Paris, France, on Nov. 11, 1967, and found success racing. He took the British Formula 3 championship in 1992 and won two CART World Series Champion titles in 2000 and 2001. It was in 2003 that De Ferran won the Indy 500 for Team Penske, besting his Brazilian teammate Hélio Castroneves and fellow Brazilian Tony Kanaan.

Following news of his death Roger Penske from Team Penske released a statement saying, “We are terribly saddened to hear about today’s tragic passing of Gil de Ferran. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Angela, Anna, Like and the entire de Ferran family.”

“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,” the statement continued. “Gil was beloved by so many. he was a great friend to the Team Penske and Indycar Family, as well as the entire international motorsport community. Gil’s passing is a terrible loss and he will be deeply missed.”

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