ADAM CAROLLA'S NEW DOCUMENTARY about Willy T. Ribbs is scheduled to arrive in 2017. I'm fortunate to call Willy T. a friend. If Carolla is looking for a title, I keep thinking that Too Black, Too Strong might be a good fit.

Ribbs was, and is, a race-car driver. The first black man to test a Formula 1 car (1985), the first black driver at the Indy 500 (1991). His career, starting with a starring run in the British Formula Ford Festival in 1977, is a host of moments that should have amounted to more. And "Too black, too strong" is the short form of a Malcolm X quote that was later sampled by Public Enemy. For a divisive, fiery guy like Willy T.—in modern terms, kind of a DGAF all-star—it's a compliment.

The Ribbs film follows Carolla's superb Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman. Even the highlights would make for a heartwarming tale, but Ribbs deserves more than a 90-minute Wikipedia recital shot in HD. In the edit I picture, Willy T.'s unique place at the intersection of race, progress, pride, and failure is the central theme.

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All of the ingredients were there for Ribbs to become motor racing's Jackie Robinson. Notables like Bill Cosby, Bernie Ecclestone, and Paul Newman put their money or influence behind him, and doors swung open as he blazed a trail through the sport. But that's where the influence ends. Like a lot of people in racing, he had talent and opportunity, but fate didn't let him move beyond a few moments.

Astonishingly, few people followed him. Where is the next generation of young black drivers? "I laid a highway no one is going down right now," Ribbs told me. He pointed to a lack of grassroots support from major racing series.

"NASCAR … as far as their diversity program is concerned, it's a scam. And what are other racing disciplines doing? IndyCar? Nothing. All major-league sports in this country, from baseball to football to basketball, there's a beginning stage—an outreach—to get minority kids interested. There is none of that in racing."

Ribbs also acknowledges a practical, if unpopular, reason why Robinson's blueprint hasn't translated to motorsport.

I laid a highway no one is going down right now

"Cost has always been our number one barrier. If you want to be the next Serena Williams, all you need is a fresh pair of sneakers, a tennis racquet. Anybody can afford that. Getting a race car to play with isn't cheap. In my case, I had a family with enough resources. But there are more black kids today with the financial resources than ever before. How are they being exposed?"

Willy T. tested with Ecclestone's Brabham F1 team the year Lewis Hamilton was born. Ribbs sees Hamilton—three F1 titles, rising international stardom, a biracial prodigy—as the answer to a pressing question.

"The people running our series better broaden their reach, because right now, they're sinking like the Titanic. The world has seen what Bernie Ecclestone has done with Lewis Hamilton, to reach people of color. Lewis has captured African American celebrities in the U.S.—from hip-hop to sports, actors, singers. They're on [his] yacht in Monte Carlo. He's brought a new awareness to his sport—so many ethnicities follow Lewis, but not for IndyCar, and definitely not for NASCAR.

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"The minority base in the United States is growing, but not with the racing community. They want to keep the neighborhood looking the way it always has. You just hope they realize what they're missing before it's too late."

Ribbs never was one to filter the truth. The trait had a polarizing effect during his prime that kept him from becoming a household name. Loved by some, hated by more, the man was never boring, in or out of the car. But he stood for something greater than himself.

I don't envy those tasked with delivering the Willy T. documentary. Ribbs's value as a flame-throwing agent of change has never diminished; presenting the breadth of his contributions will be the real challenge. I can't wait to see the final product.

Marshall Pruett is R&T's chief motorsport correspondent. A revealing and personal history of Willy T. Ribbs's career can be found on MarshallPruett.com.

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