1 2
Stefan (Not Bruce)
Stefan (Not Bruce) MegaDork
10/5/16 5:16 p.m.
Brock Yates Jr. said: Today, after suffering with Alzheimer's for the last 12 years, my father finally succumbed. He touched many lives, but sadly no more.

https://www.facebook.com/byates2/posts/10154520316953419

RIP and may we someday see the end of that horrible disease.

Sine_Qua_Non
Sine_Qua_Non Dork
10/5/16 5:17 p.m.

RIP

hhaase
hhaase Reader
10/5/16 5:24 p.m.

Sad news, he was a big part of my enjoyment of all things automobiles.

WildScotsRacing
WildScotsRacing HalfDork
10/5/16 5:26 p.m.

We should all make a point this weekend of reading some of his old Car & Driver pieces and watching The Cannonball Run.

Woody
Woody MegaDork
10/5/16 5:42 p.m.

I spent a lot of time reading his stuff in Car & Driver and watching him on TNN. I also drank a lot of beer at Lock, Stock and Barrel in Darien. They had some really cool memorabilia from a few of the actual Cannonballs that used the place as a starting point. The original, of course, started from the Red Ball Garage.

fasted58
fasted58 UltimaDork
10/5/16 5:45 p.m.

holy E36 M3

RIP

EastCoastMojo
EastCoastMojo Mod Squad
10/5/16 5:50 p.m.

Wow, that's weird, wiki has not been updated with the death date yet. Very sad indeed, but I imagine he will still touch many lives even in death.

hhaase
hhaase Reader
10/5/16 5:53 p.m.
EastCoastMojo wrote: Wow, that's weird, wiki has not been updated with the death date yet. Very sad indeed, but I imagine he will still touch many lives even in death.

I didn't see any public announcements anywhere, and a Wiki update would all depend if somebody thought to update it, as it needs to be done manually. I used to have an account to do Wiki updates, but wouldn't want to be the one to make a change of this nature. Particularly without independent confirmation.

mazdeuce
mazdeuce UltimaDork
10/5/16 5:54 p.m.

His writing is a huge part of what turned me into the car guy that I am. And Cannonball Run. And One Lap of America.
What a guy.

Stefan (Not Bruce)
Stefan (Not Bruce) MegaDork
10/5/16 5:55 p.m.
EastCoastMojo wrote: Wow, that's weird, wiki has not been updated with the death date yet. Very sad indeed, but I imagine he will still touch many lives even in death.

I suspect his Son and family are a bit busy right now :(

Duke
Duke MegaDork
10/5/16 5:56 p.m.

They're saying Lewy-body dimentia is what drove Robin Williams to end it, too. What a shame.

Stefan (Not Bruce)
Stefan (Not Bruce) MegaDork
10/5/16 5:57 p.m.
hhaase wrote:
EastCoastMojo wrote: Wow, that's weird, wiki has not been updated with the death date yet. Very sad indeed, but I imagine he will still touch many lives even in death.
I didn't see any public announcements anywhere, and a Wiki update would all depend if somebody thought to update it, as it needs to be done manually. I used to have an account to do Wiki updates, but wouldn't want to be the one to make a change of this nature. Particularly without independent confirmation.

https://www.facebook.com/byates2/posts/10154520316953419

hhaase
hhaase Reader
10/5/16 5:57 p.m.

The official "One Lap" facebook and twitter just announced as well.

etifosi
etifosi SuperDork
10/5/16 6:01 p.m.

Godspeed Mr. Yates.

Adrian_Thompson
Adrian_Thompson MegaDork
10/5/16 6:07 p.m.

Very sad. He was someone who transcend cars into the wider culture. Plenty of people with no interest in cars are familiar with him. Who can claim that today.

R.I.P. Brock, your work lives on.

EastCoastMojo
EastCoastMojo Mod Squad
10/5/16 6:16 p.m.
Stefan (Not Bruce) wrote:
EastCoastMojo wrote: Wow, that's weird, wiki has not been updated with the death date yet. Very sad indeed, but I imagine he will still touch many lives even in death.
I suspect his Son and family are a bit busy right now :(

I didn't mean to imply that that should be their first order of business, my apologies if I offended in any way. I guess I am not used to being "in the loop" for events such as a celebrity death so early on that links to more info aren't readily available. I did a search but didn't find anything

Huckleberry
Huckleberry MegaDork
10/5/16 6:53 p.m.

Brock accompanied me on many a bathroom visit throughout my developmental years. High praise indeed. C&D was one of the only magazines I actually read for the articles.

RIP

Danny Shields
Danny Shields Reader
10/5/16 7:19 p.m.

Like many of us, I grew up reading his "scribbles" in C/D. He influenced the industry, motorsports, and me for sure. Very sad. We have to find a cure for this terrible disease.

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
10/5/16 7:20 p.m.

Very sad to hear this. Yes, it is an awful disease.

Margie

tb
tb HalfDork
10/5/16 7:41 p.m.

Sorry for your loss, brock2

Wall-e
Wall-e MegaDork
10/5/16 7:43 p.m.
Woody wrote: I spent a lot of time reading his stuff in *Car & Driver* and watching him on TNN.

Me too. When I learned to read my dad started getting me car magazines and books since they held my interest.

Alzheimer's is a terrible way to go. I can't find it online right now but his last column in I believe Vintage Motorsports was one of the most touching and sad things I've read.

Woody
Woody MegaDork
10/5/16 7:51 p.m.

In reply to Wall-e:

I didn't even realize that he wrote for anyone else after he left Car and Driver.

plance1
plance1 SuperDork
10/5/16 7:52 p.m.

http://www.m-100.co/6point9/brochure/brockyates/index.html

JimS
JimS New Reader
10/5/16 8:08 p.m.

One of my favorites is Sunday Driver. Brock writes about going through SCCA drivers school and then running some amateur races prior to driving a trans-am camaro for Warren Agor I believe. I have a well worn paperback copy. RIP.

Gearheadotaku
Gearheadotaku PowerDork
10/5/16 8:39 p.m.

Was fortunate enough to meet him at a book signing and got an autograph on my copy of his book about the Cannonball Run.

"Thank you Mr. Yates," I said as we shook hands "I've wanted to meet you for years."

"Son," He laughed, "You need to aim a bit higher with your goals."

Can't put together the right words to express what a great man he was.

1 2

You'll need to log in to post.

Our Preferred Partners
8PpOBEb4QTRGw3E4FevwGTcoC3nI45mt6VoB7LpcjbU3t8g638X7kzFUje1COT6h