Tribute to:

George Harrison, the youngest Beatle, was an auto enthusiast and a lifelong racing fan. " All Things Must Pass", George advised us in song. Yesterday, the career of George Harrison passed, as we lost him to cancer. 

Here is our tribute to George Harrison...

The youngest Beatle, George was not only a legend in music, but he was also an avid car collector and racing and Formula One fan.  George and Emerson Fittipaldi had been very good friends since 1973.  "My earliest memory of a car is a Jaguar XK120 racing a Mercedes-Benz 300SL", he once said.

George was a common sight at Formula One and other racing events. He would have attended more events, but it was hard for him to avoid the publicity. He did not want his presence to be a distraction.

George Harrison knew many of the F1 drivers and executives, including BMW's Gerhard Berger. Asked about the crossover between rock-and-roll and F1, George said:

"I have played guitar with Damon (Hill) and Jacques Villeneuve, drums with Eddie Jordan and taught Gerhard Berger the ukelele . . . but the Formula One supergroup I am really in is called FLB with Norbert Haug (Mercedes Motorsport director) on accordion and lederhosen. I hear Max (Mosley, president of the FIA) and Bernie (Ecclestone) are thinking of joining." Gerhard Berger is a former F1 driver and currently is BMW's Motorsport Director.

Often called the "soul" of the Beatles, George took a personal interest in everyone he met. Before the 2000 Australian Grand Prix, George stopped next to former-BMW driver Jenson Button and wished him good luck. 

Button said: "I did not know who George was. I had heard of him, of course, but did not know what he looked like. He was a top bloke. Not a bad singer, either."  Jenson Button when he drove for BMW being interviewed before the 2000 Australian Grand Prix.

Here are some pictures through the years of George and his love of cars ...