LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As the countdown to the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix is coming to an end, F1 officials honored a lifelong fan Friday.
F1 gave Korean War veteran and Formula 1 fan, Douglas Bowman, a special jacket, hat and tickets to the Las Vegas Grand Prix. They gave him a 3-day ticket to watch the practices, qualifier and race itself next week from the Sphere grandstands.
"Literally, I've been dreaming about this my whole entire life," said Bowman.
He was born in 1932, and this will be the first time he's seen a Formula 1 race in person.
Bowman is not just a fan of Formula 1 though, he also raced cars too.
"In 1965, I won the regional championship for Southern California in Formula 4," said Bowman.
He also won a national championship in Formula 3, but he didn't just race cars, he also built them too.
"I copied the suspension of the Formula 1 cars, I copied them and built my own car in my garage," said Bowman.
He was even the President of the Formula Racing Association of Southern California for several years in the 1960s.
He did this after serving our country in the Korean War. He served nearly three years in the U.S. Navy on board an aircraft carrier off the coast of Korea doing ship and plane maintenance.
He now lives in Henderson, and when he found out F1 was coming to Las Vegas, he sent a letter to Clark County Commissioners telling them his story, hoping to be part of the huge event.
"When we learned about Mr. Bowman, we put our heads together as a team and with Commissioner Gibson and said what can we do that's extra special?," said F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Senior Director of Government Community Relations Pilar Harris.
"We are thrilled that we can recognize both his service with the military and his service to the institution of racing at so many levels," said Clark County Commission Chairman James Gibson.
Bowman also still has not lost his passion for racing and still gets behind the wheel.
"I can't walk very well, but I can climb onto an ATV and punch that throttle and I'm gone," said Bowman.
F1 drivers will race around Las Vegas Nov. 16 - 18, which is next Thursday - Saturday.
