Rocket Man Buzz Aldrin Thwarted in High Speed Standoff With Swimsuit Model
April 15th, 2003
Long Beach -- Angie Everhart’s mid-race fender-bender with Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin may have put one of the first men on the moon dead last across the finish line in this year’s Long Beach Celebrity Grand Prix. Ms. Everhart went on to place 5 th , a full minute ahead of Buzz’ final time of 19 minutes and 59 seconds. The former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model was quick to make peace, lightheartedly dropping to her knees in an appeal for forgiveness as Buzz exited his racecar at the finish line. The race pitted celebrities against professional drivers in a 10-lap sprint around the famous 1.97-mile Champ Car Circuit. The checkered flag ultimately went to Days of Our Lives star Peter Reckell, after fending off a tough challenge early on from "Monster Garage" host Jesse James, who finished second overall. Adam Carolla, host of "The Man Show" and "Crank Yankers" also ran a strong race, finishing third overall. "This year's race was, by far, one of the most competitive ever," said Les Unger, national motorsports manager with Toyota Motor Sales. "The racing field was filled with drivers who take life to the extreme.” During the last 12 years, Toyota has raised more than $1 million for "Racing for Kids," a national fund-raising program to benefit children's hospitals in Long Beach and Orange counties through its involvement with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
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