When I attend race meetings, I am often sought by those collecting autographs. I think I must be on the...
As a young mechanic Tony Robinson answered an ad for work with London’s Ray Martin Motors. Little did he know...
Regardless of where in the world you live—or whether you follow the financial markets—you’d be hard-pressed to not be familiar with the recent implosion of the American sub-prime lending market. The repercussions have sent a shudder through the worldwide financial community and have caused pundits and fund managers to start...
I have been quoted as saying that I didn’t much like the Tommy Atkins Cooper-Maserati. Now, I don’t know if...
Nelson Piquet Biography Nelson Piquet was born on August 17, 1952 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The son of a...
This year, Crosslé, Lola, and Mallock will all celebrate their fiftieth anniversaries. The exact date of each birthday is unknown, as it is difficult to pinpoint when a special builder became a constructor. In the interest of historical accuracy, I have discussed the matter with Eric Broadley, John Crosslé, and...
John Watson was one of those rare beasts: an Irish Grand Prix winner. It was a feat pulled off by...
As I follow the recent political soap opera, which has become Formula One, I can’t help but think of the...
I’ve spoken here, on several occasions, about the numerous unfulfilled rumors that have swirled through Formula One over the years, like dust devils across an abandoned racetrack. Jeff Gordon to Formula One? A Grand Prix through the streets of Manhattan? Bernie Ecclestone’s generous loan terms? In addition to these tried...
Rumblings of discontent have turned into a pandemonium of protest in the offices of the Province of Monza. Formula One...
Say what you will about Bernie Ecclestone, but you cannot deny the fact that he has an eye for a...
This is the story of a hero who was more heroic than most. You may not have heard of Archie Scott-Brown, but that shrewd judge of racing driver talent Juan Manuel Fangio, who won the Formula One World Championship five times, called this diminutive Scot phenomenal, and said he showed...
Fundamentally, the development of the Brabham “fan car” was due to the introduction of the Lotus 79, and in a...
For the 1970 Grand Prix season, and still in my very early 20s, I was again a number two mechanic...
Formula One crossed an historic turning point on March 2, but I think it is safe to say that almost no one realized it. A new era was ushered in that could, at least in my opinion, change the very face of the sport from this point going forward. Interestingly,...
In 1951 Froilan Gonzalez raced to victory at Silverstone to win the British Grand Prix. It was the first Grand...
Montjuic translates from medieval Catalan as “Hill of the Jews,” or an alternative derivation may be from the Latin Mons...
Jack Brabham met Ron Tauranac when Ron showed up as a customer for Jack’s machine shop in Australia in 1950. Within a year they had more or less joined forces to tackle the local Hawkesbury Hillclimb with a midget track racer. They won, but their victory was disallowed by officials...
François Cevert Eddie Rickenbacker 1 Helene Delange, who raced between the world wars under the name of Hele Nice, dies...
Known simply as “Prof” to many in the motor racing community and Sid to his near friends, Professor Watkins may...
Captive Readership Dear Editor, I must share a couple things with you. Due to firefighting injuries/wear and tear I had one hip replaced in late June and the other late July. Needless to say, this slowed me down quite a bit. I have always, ALWAYS enjoyed Vintage Racecar and, of...
I started work with Lotus Components in 1960. I really wanted to join the Lotus Formula One team, but unless...
Ayrton Senna Biography Ayrton Senna was born on 21 March 1960, the second child of Milton da Silva, a successful businessman and landowner. The family lived in Santana, a well-to-do neighborhood of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Growing up Ayrton was an awkward child and was later diagnosed as having a motor...
Hermann Lang Bernd Rosemeyer 2 Louis de Palma drives a Benz to victory in the Vanderbilt Cup race in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
The chaotic scene just after the #88 car of Huhn/Schwarz crashed at the Nürburgring in 1970. Photo: Porsche Werk Motor...
Tyrrell’s Project 34 six-wheel Formula One car was one of those refreshingly radical cars that used to come into Grand Prix racing in the 1970s, designs seldom seen today. Many look back on this car as a total failure, forgetting the early success it had in 1976, for Jody Scheckter...
Photo: Pete Austin As a wayward young schoolboy, John Judd found it difficult to find employment in the engineering businesses...
Over the last few weeks, preparations for the 2016 Grand Prix season have been hectic as the teams have to...
It’s amazing how some of the names forged into the history of motorsport were first introduced to it. Some have a family background associated with it, while others have their personal “road to Damascus” moment. This was the case with Mike Pilbeam, the designer and engineer who first worked with...
