John Paul Sr. (racing driver)

John Lee Paul (born Hans-Johan Paul, December 3, 1939 in the Netherlands) was an American racecar driver. After his racing career, which saw him win both US classic endurance races, 24 hours at Daytona and 12 hours of Sebring, he served a 15-year prison sentence for a variety of crimes including drug trafficking and shooting a Federal witness. In 2001 he disappeared on his boat while being sought for questioning by officials regarding the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend. He is sometimes known in the motorsport scene as John Paul Sr. or John Paul.

Before racing

Paul emigrated to the United States from The Netherlands in 1956 with his family, settling in Muncie, Indiana and legally changing his name to John Lee Paul.^[1] He attended Ball State University and then received a scholarship to Harvard University, where he received a master's degree in business.^[2] He became a successful mutual fund manager, and a millionaire.^[1] In 1960, his wife Joyce gave birth to a son, John Jr., who went on to become a successfully driver in his own right.^[3]

Racing career

Paul started club-level sportscar road racing in the late 1960s, winning the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Northeast Regional Championship in 1968.^[1] When his wife and son left him in 1972, Paul left racing for a while, living on a sailboat he had purchased. He resumed racing in 1975 – now with his son, who had chosen to return to him, as a part-time member of his crew. He appeared at 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans for the Dick Barbour Racing team, taking a class win in IMSA GTX class (partnered by fellow American, Dick Barbour and English driver, Brian Redman), in his first attempt at the French classic.^[4] This followed his class win in the 12 Hours of Sebring, earlier that season.^[5]

In 1979, Paul won the Trans-Am Series race at Mosport by a margin of 33 seconds.^[6] He would win a total of six races, en route to winning the Trans-Am title. He had already won the World Challenge for Endurance Drivers title the season before.^[7][8] In 1980, Paul began teaming with his son, and on May 26 Paul remarried to Chalice Alford,^[9] holding the ceremony on the infield at Lime Rock Park.^[10] Later in the day he teamed with his son to win the day's race, the Coca-Cola 400, making them the first father-son duo to win an IMSA Camel GT race. Even more remarkable, it was Junior's first IMSA GT race he entered.^[10][11] They paired up again to win the Road America Pabst 500.^[12][13] Paul Sr. finished second in the IMSA GT series. 1980 also saw his greatest achievement, winning the World Challenge for Endurance Drivers, by just four points over British driver John Fitzpatrick. Paul was not a particularly fast driver, but was consistent and determined. He also completed mainly in his specially modified Porsche 935s prepared by his own team, JLP Racing, operating out of Lawrenceville, Georgia.^[11]

His wife Chalice ^[14] vanished without trace in summer 1981 and he later divorced in her absence to seek marriage with Hope, sister of Hurley Haywood in Haiti.^[9][15] In 1982, Paul Sr., teamed up with his son to win the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.Together, the Pauls won three races. As a solo driver, Junior won another four, all in JLP Racing-prepared Porsche or Lola-Chrevolet T600. 1982 would be Paul Sr.'s last year as a driver, however. The lack of a major sponsor meant that, even with the team's success, his expenses overcame his earnings.^[2] In the paddock and off, Paul Sr. was known for his temper tantrums and mood swings that sent fear into everybody including his son,^[11][15][16] that helped to contribute to his imprisonment.

Legal trouble

The Pauls had their first legal troubles when on January 10, 1979, Paul Jr. and Christopher Schill were caught by customs agents loading equipment onto a pickup truck on the bank of a canal in the Louisiana bayous after dark. Following questioning, when one of them smelled marijuana on their clothing, Paul Sr. was apprehended on his 42-foot boat named Lady Royale, where customs discovered marijuana residue and $10,000 on board. A rented truck was discovered nearby, which contained 1,565 pounds (710 kg) of marijuana. In court, all three pleaded guilty to marijuana possession charges, where each was placed on three years' probation and fined $32,500.^[17]

On April 19, 1983, an individual named Stephen Carson was shot in the chest, abdomen and leg in Crescent Beach, Florida.^[18] Carson had been given immunity in a drug trafficking case. He testified that John Paul Sr. had approached him, ordered him into the trunk of his car, and shot at him five times when he fled rather than comply. Paul then fled when a companion of Carson's began shouting.^[2] Paul was arrested, but while out on bail fled before his trial.^[2][19] Paul was apprehended by Swiss authorities in January 1985, served a six-month sentence in Switzerland for using a false passport, and was extradited back to the United States in March 1986.^[20] At the same time, Paul's son John Jr. pleaded guilty to racketeering and received a five-year sentence, but refused to testify against his father,^[21] who had been indicted as the ringleader of a drug trafficking ring that included, among others, both Johns, and John Sr.'s father, Lee. On June 4, 1986, Paul Sr. pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder and received a sentence of twenty years, later expanded to twenty-five years after additional sentences were added. On March 10, 1987, Paul and another inmate unsuccessfully attempted to escape from prison by spraying a mixture of hot sauce and Pine Sol in a guards face and scaling a 12-foot fence. The guard recovered and fired 2 shots, scaring the inmates into surrendering. There was a stolen pickup truck in the parking lot that authorities suspect was for the 2 inmates.^[22] Paul served his sentence in USP Leavenworth.^[23][24][25] Paul was paroled on July 2, 1999,^[26] but soon ran into more problems. Shortly following release, Paul met a woman named Colleen Wood, who would shortly leave her office manager job, sell her condominium and move in with Paul on his 55-foot schooner to embark on a planned five year around the world boating trip.^[27] In December the following year, Wood disappeared, never to be heard from again.^[28] Police questioned Paul in connection with the disappearance, but no charges were filed. Paul shortly after disappeared himself, likely in violation of his parole. Shortly after, he was spotted by a passerby in the Fiji Islands who had recognized him from an episode of Unsolved Mysteries then sailed back to Europe. He then sold his sailboat via a magazine classified advert in Italy and is believed to be living in Thailand.^[9] As of 2016 the case remains unsolved.

Racing record

Career highlights

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Class	No	Tyres	Car	Team	Co-Drivers	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1978	IMSA+2.5	90	G	Porsche 935/77A	Dick Barbour Racing	Brian Redman Dick Barbour	337	5th	1st
1980	IMSA	73	G	Porsche 935 JLP-2	J.L.P. Racing	Guy Edwards John Paul Jr.	312	9th	2nd
1982	IMSA GTX	72	M	Ferrari 512BB LM	N.A.R.T.	Alain Cudini John Morton	306	9th	4th

Complete 24 Hours of Daytona results

Year	Class	No	Tyres	Car	Team	Co-Drivers	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1977	GTO	38	G	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	John Paul	John O'steen Bob Hagestad	217	DNF
1978	GTO	33		Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Boricua Motors	Bonky Fernandez Phil Currin	637	4th	2nd
1979	GTX	18		Porsche 935 JLP-1	JLP Racing	Al Holbert Michael Keyser	12	DNF Electrics
1980	GTX	09		Porsche 935/77A	Thunderbird Swap Shop	Al Holbert	682	2nd	2nd
1981	GTX	18		Porsche 935 JLP-2	JLP Racing	John Paul Jr. Gordon Smiley	53	DNF Piston
1982	GTP	8		Porsche 935 JLP-2	JLP Racing	John Paul Jr. Rolf Stommelen		DNS
	GTP	18	G	Porsche 935 JLP-3	JLP Racing	John Paul Jr. Rolf Stommelen	719	1st
1983	GTP	8		Porsche 935 JLP-4	JLP Racing	Phil Currin	15	DNF withdrawn

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results

Year	Class	No	Tyres	Car	Team	Co-Drivers	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1977	GTO	38	G	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	John Paul Sr.	John O'steen John Graves Bob Hagestad	13	DNF Engines
1978	GTO	33		Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	JLP Racing	Bonky Fernandez	233	4th	1st
1979	GTX	18		Porsche 935 JLP-1	JLP Racing	Al Holbert	176	DNF Transmission
1980	GTX	09		Porsche 935/77A	Thunderbird Swap Shop	Preston Henn Al Holbert	239	4th	4th
1981	GTX	8	G	Porsche 935 JLP-3	JLP Racing	John Paul Jr.	40	DNF Suspension
1982	GTP	18	G	Porsche 935 JLP-3	JLP Racing	John Paul Jr.	244	1st

References