13 Facts About Fred Opert

Fred Opert raced sports cars and single-seater formula cars until 1970.

Fred Opert raced an Austin-Healey Sprite; a Jaguar XK150S; Elva Couriers; Porsche 911s; Chevron Sports cars; Brabham formula cars; and Chevron formula cars.

Fred Opert raced in long distance races including the Daytona 24-hour and Sebring 12-hour in 1965, '66, '67 and '68.

Fred Opert imported British sports and racing cars into the USA from the early sixties until 1978.

Fred Opert ran a turnkey racing business where drivers could buy or rent racing cars from him and have them prepared and transported to race meetings by his mechanics.

Fred Opert ran professional drivers for whom he could attract sponsorship or who brought sponsorship with them.

Fred Opert Racing competed in the USA; Canada; Argentina; Colombia; Venezuela; Mexico; New Zealand; Japan; Macau; and many European countries.

The Argentinian races were F2 Temporada in 1978 where Fred Opert ran Rosberg in a Chevron B42.

Fred Opert established one of the USA's first motor racing schools in 1971.

Fred Opert soon became one of many casualties at ATS, resigning after the 1979 French Grand Prix following team owner Gunter Schmid's decision to pull the ATS car from the race.

Fred Opert returned briefly and tragically to team ownership in 1983 when he put together a Formula Atlantic team for his friend Olivier Chandon de Brailles.

Fred Opert turned his back on motorsport after the 1983 death of Chandon in one of his cars.

Fred Opert died not long after attending the Hungarian Grand Prix, then visiting Germany but missing 2016 German Grand Prix because he was too ill.