(Reuters) – Three-times Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser died on Sunday aged 87 at his home in New Mexico, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway said.
No cause of death was given.
Unser was one of six members of the famed motor racing family to race in the Indy 500.
While Bobby won the Indy 500 in 1968, 1975 and 1981, his brother Al went one better winning the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” four-times.
They remain the only brothers to win the race.
Unser’s last win in 1981 is widely considered to be one of the most controversial races in Indy 500 history. He crossed the finish line ahead of Mario Andretti but was ruled to have illegally passed cars while the race was under caution.
He was penalized one position and Andretti was declared as the winner.
After a lengthy protest and appeals process, Unser’s penalty was rescinded, and he was declared the winner of the race in October, more than four months after the race.
Unser retired with 35 career IndyCar victories and two championships.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto. Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
