Hitler quote topped racing sayings

Next week, I plan to publish my favourite motorsport stories of 2009. This week – although there may be a bit of overlap – I'm going to remind you of some of the more "out there" quotes, storylines and passings of the past year.

First, three deaths of note:

Teddy Mayer, 73, in January. Brother of racer Timmy Mayer and best friend of racer Peter Revson, both of whom died in race cars. Teddy helped Bruce McLaren set up his racing team and was left in control of McLaren when Bruce was killed in 1970. The team won two world championships under his watch: Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974 and James Hunt in 1976. He sold out to Ron Dennis in the early 1980s and then worked with Roger Penske.

Charlie Goodman, 68, in February. A fixture at Mosport and Shannonville, Goodman was one of Canada's leading race driver trainers. A racer himself – class champion in the 1989 Firestone Firehawk Showroom Stock Series – he discovered he had a talent for teaching and dedicated himself to training drivers, for on-track and on-road work.

Lloyd Ruby, 81, in March. A USAC champ car (Indy car) pilot, Ruby was often called the best driver of his generation never to win the Indy 500. He tested himself in the big race 17 times and one flukey thing after another frequently kept him out of Victory Lane. He was a good road racer, though, with victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Now, the unusual quotes:

Bernie Ecclestone on Adolf Hitler: "He could get things done."

Bernie, again: "We did a terrible thing when we supported the idea of getting rid of Saddam Hussein. He was the only one who could control that country. . . There are people starving in Africa and we sit back and do nothing but we get involved in things we should leave alone."

Bernie, again, on the new world champion: "He has been in it such a long time and never really came close to winning a championship. If they'd all had the same car, then Jenson Button definitely wouldn't have won..."

Flavio Briatore, on going to a French court over his ban from the sport: "In the end I will win and, you'll see, we'll have a great party."

Bernie, on Briatore going to court: "He should appeal to the FIA. If he goes to a civil court . . . somebody will say that he sent a young guy out to what could have been his death. So it wouldn't go down too well."

Danica Patrick on why she wouldn't talk about NASCAR before the announcement that she will drive a partial schedule for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team: "I've gotten in trouble for speaking about it and then I get in trouble from the media for not speaking about it, so I guess I'm in trouble either way."

Rick Hendrick: "Mark Martin is never going to retire. I'm going to retire before Mark Martin does."

Teenager Joey Logano on soon-to-be senior citizen Mark Martin: "He's another guy who's helped me a ton in my career. I only hope I can wheel a car like him when I'm his age ... in 2040."

Bob Griese (a U.S. football television announcer) on where Juan Pablo Montoya was in the NASCAR standings: "Probably out having a taco."

Juan Pablo Montoya, at the NASCAR banquet in Las Vegas, congratulating Jimmie Johnson: "Jimmie, you keep kicking our butts every week ... and it's great to see you here – but it really sucks, to be honest."

Carl Edwards, after his last-lap accident at Talladega in which his car nearly went into the crowd: "NASCAR put us in this box and we'll race like this until we kill someone."

Mark Weber, after a Formula One qualifying session in which Kimi Raikkonen was more lackadaisical than usual: "Kimi was, I don't know, drinking some vodka or dreaming or something."

Brad Keselowski, who seems determined to take over from Kyle Busch as NASCAR's resident bad boy: "Relax, it's just racing. All we do is drive cars in circles. We're not curing cancer here."

Kurt Busch, on the in-car radio after being caught up in a Keselowski-caused wreck and realizing they'll be teammates at Penske Racing in 2010: "Congratulations, Roger. You've hired a real winner."

And just for the record...

A New Brunswick businessman was forced to change the name of his store, where he sold NASCAR gear, from Boogity Boogity Racing to Boogity Sportswear, and then finally to something without the word Boogity in it, after three-time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Darrell Waltrip threatened to sue him for copyright infringement.

Said Randy Nicholson: "It's just a word."

Eddie Gossage, the world's greatest auto racing promoter, had a Fat Lady ready to sing at Texas Motor Speedway on the Sunday in early November when everybody expected Jimmie Johnson to wrap up the Sprint Cup championship.

But Johnson crashed and didn't win the title till later.

There was no word on whether the buxom young lady – who looked like a Viking Princess ready to belt out an aria from Gotterdamerung – ever sang a note.

And finally, I have heroes in my life. Two are Chris Economaki, editor and publisher emeritus of National Speed Sport News, and Bentley Warren, who's still winning real races at the age of – what? – 69 or 70?

In any event, Economaki ran into Warren at a trade show in Florida recently and wrote this in his column: "Bentley Warren, who has raced just about everything and is a multi-time supermodified champion, was at PRI and looked like, well, like Bentley Warren. Boots, shorts, headband, uncombed hair, his persona is larger than life."

Exactly.