I sat on my living room floor and asked myself, “Is this how it all started for Mario, Keke and Nelson?”No, not the beginning of the pathway that led to their respective World Championships, but the beginning of their children’s journey down that same path. I was sitting on the floor basking in pride and admiration for my one-year-old daughter who was pushing her Corgi Mercedes Benz Gullwing (part of her extensive fleet of exotics) across the carpet to the sound of a fairly convincing fuel-injected six-cylinder engine…well, a six-cylinder that sounded like it had liberated a rod or two. In recent months, my wife and I have marveled at the fact that our youngest has seemingly developed a spontaneous and unprovoked fascination for cars. But perhaps, even more scary than this is the finding that she also seems to genuinely enjoy going fast. Lord help us.
Editor
Could this be genetics? Have I passed on some recessive, aberrant “speed freak” gene to my little girl? Only time will tell, but keep your fingers crossed for me.
In all seriousness, can genetics play a part in whether a person is predisposed to being a great racer? History would indicate that this is an idea with some merit. One needs look no further than Formula One and Indy cars to find successive generations of championship-caliber drivers within many family lines. Antonio Ascari ranked as one of the world’s greatest drivers in the early prewar era, and his son, Alberto (pictured above), would go on to become one of the first true World Champions in the early postwar era. Graham Hill and son Damon can both lay claim to Formula One World Championships, as Al Unser, Sr. and Jr. can to Indy car championships. And of course, let’s not forget the Villeneuves (Gilles and Jacques) and the Andrettis (Mario, Michael and John), both families having countless race wins and championships to their credit. Was it some fortuitous genetic combination that imbued these second-generation drivers with the right stuff to make it in professional motorsport, or were they just extremely fortunate to be raised in a motorsport-conducive environment?
While there is a fairly strong argument that can be made for genetics in the above mentioned cases, having the right genes is by no means a guarantee of racing success. Many second-generation drivers such as Alex Gurney (son of racing great Dan Gurney), Derek Hill (son of World Champion Phil Hill) and Jeff Bucknum (son of Ronnie Bucknum) have shown evidence of their fathers’ behind-the- wheel brilliance in lower echelon racing, but seem to have had difficulty translating that into success at the pinnacle of the sport. In some cases, bad luck certainly could have played a role and in others it may simply be that they lacked the same level of talent as their successful parents. In either situation, it certainly wasn’t due to lack of opportunity. With a last name like Gurney or Hill, you defintely start with a foot or two in the door.
While this whole question of whether great drivers are born or bred seems impossible to answer, we may soon have a slightly better handle on it in the coming couple of years as a new crop of second- generation champions begins to make its mark on the motorsport world. Former Formula One World Champions Keke Rosberg and Nelson Piquet both have sons that are lighting up the European Formula 3000 and Formula Three ranks, with both sons looking poised for F1 tests and possible rides in the near future. Can you imagine Piquet and Rosberg battling it out for the F1 World Championship… 20 years on?!
In addition to these second-generation F1 hopefuls, there are other famous sons making their marks currently in Indy car and sports car. Thomas Scheckter, son of 1979 F1 World Champion Jody Scheckter, is carrying on his father’s winning ways in the IRL, while A.J. Foyt’s grandson(!), A.J. Foyt, IV, looks poised to make his move up to the big IRL cars this coming year as well.
Back on the living room floor, my daughter climbs into a little rolling cart that we often play with and insists that I push her around the house. Of course, in our house, this includes four-wheel drifts across the kitchen floor and authentic gear-change sound effects that only 30 years of careful practice can create. Will my wee one go on to racing greatness, let alone want to race at all? It’s impossible to say. But I do know that her old man will support her whatever she decides to do. Now where did I put that go-kart catalog?
