Tony Adamowicz dies at age 75

Tony Adamowicz, an American sport-car racer who drove for Porsche and Ferrari and who drove competitively from the late 1960s through the '80s, died Monday at the age of 75.

He had been diagnosed with brain cancer in 2015, according to his Wikipedia page.

Adamowicz was a member of advisory boards at the Riverside (CA) International Automotive Museum and the Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance.

As a racer, the New York native and Orange County, CA, resident won the championship of the Under 2-liter class in the Trans Am Championship in 1968. In 1969, he won both the F5000 championship and the SCCA Continental Championship.

He also raced at Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Adamowicz made a run at Indianapolis, but failed to qualify for the 1970 Indianapolis 500 with the Patrick Petroleum team. His teammate for that effort, Johnny Rutherford, qualified second and finished 18th. Later that year, Adamowicz raced for the first time at Le Mans, finishing 10th out of 51 cars in a Ferrari 312P with co-driver Chuck Parson.

Adamowicz's run of big finishes in the early '70s also included a runner-up overall effort at the 1971 24 Hours at Daytona in a Ferrari 512S with co-driver Ronnie Bucknum. That year, Adamowicz finish third in the same Ferrari with co-driver Sam Posey at Le Mans.

Other co-drivers in his sports car career included Bob Tullius and John Morton. AutoWeek