Code Red: Bob “Weatherman” Steinberger passes away

 
Parker’s own Bob “Weatherman” Steinberger has passed away at the age of 80, according to his wife Sharlene and multiple reports.

Steinberger was an icon in the off-road racing community, where he made a name for himself by providing radio communications systems to big races like the Baja 1000. He was a staple at events operated by racing associations like SCORE International, Best in the Desert and others.

He was given the name Weatherman when, in the mid-1970s, he would use large helium weather balloons to hoist radio antenna hundreds of feet into the sky for communications. He started his company, PCI Race Radios, and eventually passed operations of the business over to his son Scott, who has been racing since 1983.

He had been battling cancer for some time, and died peacefully at his riverside home in Parker. According to the PCI Radios Facebook page, Bob asked Scott to carry on his legacy.

“Bob’s dedication to The Weatherman Relay was so important to him that in the recent weeks as he battled cancer, he asked his son Scott Steinberger to carry on the Weatherman Legacy in his name. Scott accepted the honor and responsibility and has filled in for his Dad at the last few races, as he was too ill to travel.”

Tributes poured in from around the world of off-road racing, including all the big names in the sport and representatives of the sport’s leading organizations.

Steinberger was a Parker community member, a resident of the Parker Strip for many years, and a Parker 4-Wheeler with his distinctive custom-painted ‘yellow zebra’ Jeep Wrangler.