Not strictly F1 but does anyone have any news about the 1984 IMSA champ and 1986 Indy 500 rookie of the year Randy Lanier.
I know he was jailed for life for some drugrelated offence.
Does that conviction still stand?
I have the same question about dutchman Charles Zwolsman who was entered in World Sportscar Championships in the early 1990.

Rainer

Don't know about Lanier, but Zwolsman is a free man again. He was involved in drugs dealing and made huge amounts of money with it. After a few years in jail, he could get out after a deal with the Dutch government (probably the tax-department;). He had to pay an enormous sum of money (I believe something like Nfl. 60M (~$25M), but it could be a few millions more or less). His son is racing Formula Renault in Holland. A friend tells me, one of the sponsors of the car is Sunseeker Speedboats, who probably sold enough toys to daddy to come up with the money for a season in F. Renault.

Rainer,

Here is an article about Lanier's wife being arrested, which states that Lanier is serving a life sentence with no chance of parole:

http://www.crrh.org/hempnews/hn_06.html#wife%20of

Further updates on this page:

http://www.oldracingcars.com/drivers/watn/...ategory=Indy500

Vince H.

Thanks Vince - the information that is on the page there is very recent - obviously a petition may get nowhere but Randy hasn't given up.

Randy's friend got in touch as Randy can read the internet but doesn't have access to email where he is,about something on the page referring to an failed escape - erronous information as it turns out (I think someone put two and two together and got five and passed it on to me). I know people copy the page, so hopefully if I put it right, so will the copiers.

Ultimately it led to a fair bit of info, including his actual birthplace and a rarity of a photo of him now - I have four photos from his mum's collection of him should anyone be interested.

The info on the oldracecar site seems to have come from this quote.....

http://www.imsahistory.com/DriversStories/RandyLanier.html


"If my memory serves me correctly my first IMSA race with the NAFT team (North American Ferrari Team) in 1982. The gear box broke after about 16 hours. The year I came close to winning was 1983. The race was called early because of the heavy rain. At one point we had lapped the entire field. Water got into the distributor and we fell behind finishing 2nd. Blue Thunder Racing team was a team I owned. Bill Whittington helped me by being a codriver and friend. He introduced me to Keith Leighton who became the crew chief for Blue Thunder Racing. The 1984 season brings back memories that are awe inspiring. Such as leading Sebring and going off the track, busting the radiator and limping into the pits and the crew fixes the car and we finish 2nd. We won the L.A. Grand Prix! And the next week at Laguna Seca I had been running 2nd but couldnt pass the Red Lobster March. As I went by the pits on the last lap my crew chief and crew guys were on the wall shaking their fists telling me to pass this guy. Approaching the corkscrew I was able to get the nose inside of the Red Lobster March and that's all I needed! Won it on the last lap! We won the title at the next to last race of the year, Watkins Glen. The team was ecstatic. My wife and I along with friends flew to New York City and partied at Club 21. Life was good! You ask how I feel now. Do you mean regarding racing or how things turned out? Of course I have many regrets. I feel like the struggle that has been constant for the last two decades (the struggle to gain my freedom) has made me appreciate the little things in life. I have an abundance of gratitude for the people that are in my life. This struggle has made me become aware of my inner awareness. Life is what we make it. I practice daily Yoga, Tai Chi, Chi Gong and meditate. Through these positive practices I have learned to remove my errors in thinking and to let go of any regrets.....by living in the truth. Life is good!"

I only live an hours drive from where he is being held but I don't know how to contact him to go see him. I can't just walk up and knock on the gate and ask to see Randy.

No, as I said (and I'm the one who does the page), it came from Randy himself a few weeks back, via his friend and his Mother.

Pardon me Richie. The same info is included in both writeups which is why I assumed one was copied from the other.

Not to condone what Randy did.... but a life sentence for selling plants is insane. The only "crime" is a political one.

In the meantime, we're letting real criminals run wild for lack of funds. Yeah, that's the answer.

Until we parallel plants and alcohol offenses we're doomed to an over-crowded and broken prison system.

Maybe you don't know his entire story. A man was killed during one of his off loading operations. This death really ratcheted up the degree of his offense. At about this time also the courts in South Florida were handing down major prison time for drug crime in an effort to get things under control. Randy's sentance reflects this effort.

"but a life sentence for selling plants is insane"

But so is your interpretation that selling 300 tons of marijuana as "just selling plants". As the father of a 24yr old you lost her life after taking drugs, dealers get all they deserve. Whether he drove a racing car or not, he wasn't running the local garden centre!

I did not know about the death, and thus admit to my statement being too general. One example I've read of was a guy getting a life sentence for having two plants in Texas. We're letting people off with murder, allowing Doctors to over-prescribe and people becoming drug addicts from it, but yet totally blowing minor pot offenses over the top. The Lanier case was not minor, My Bad.


Here again, I was wrong, and unwittingly insensitive. Drug dealers are ****, anyone pushing narcotics and the like should certainly be jailed.

Here's where I was coming from.... I saw a show the other day that sickened me, that now over 75% of US drug addictions originate from legal drugs, most notably oxycondone, which is legal, synthesized heroin. That legal drug has destroyed a 70 year-old lawyer friend's life. These drugs are often sold by legal "pain clinics" in Florida, in most any quantity you like, and then transported throughout the US, especially in the East. People afford their addictions for free by doing these transport runs for their fix, meaning stoned drivers on our highways, encouraged by this legality. Perfectly legal, perfectly terrible, and horrifying.

I'm very sorry for your loss, and for my incomplete comments reminding you of that. That must be horrible to live with, I am sorry. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

My Condolences.

Nah, that's alright. To be fair, the Lanier family are trying to be consistent with the information the way across due to how internet rumours abound.

Lanier's case is not quite 100% black or white, but I do have the feeling that if he were jailed now in 2011, rather than near-25 years ago, I don't think he'll be in for a life sentence without parole.

There's many mixtures in here - the drugs, the death, the fleeing and the welching on a deal to reveal all for a lesser sentence but Lanier has mounted a quite comprehensive case against his original judgement so we'll see if it goes anywhere.

Richie, if you were to arrange for me to go meet with Randy I would do it. I'm only an hours drive south of where is his being held.

Paul

Wow, that is pretty grave. I heard he wouldn't "snitch" or turn state's witness and was therefore slapped with the highest they could give him. Was Randy running this while he was racing that would be some effort?

The full story would be nice to hear if anyone has it.

I remember going skiing in Vail, Colorado and when landed in our small six seater I noticed B25 Bomber which was the Whington Brothers private plane. They were Lanier's buddies. They were well organized and very evil.